Ghosts in the Gulch: An Evergreen Cemetery Mystery (Evergreen Cemetery Mysteries Book 1)

by S. L. Hawke

  The family gathered together to sit at the table. Emma silently went out the back door, letting them be a family without intrusion. She looked up at the sky in all its darkness. The silver dots above her twinkled, but the fog, heavy with salt, was coming in. The light from the house out on the point brightly beamed.

  Emma could not imagine anything about this enigmatic and elusive brother. Uriah, the only other brother in this family, was stubborn, like Cynthia, and treated Emma as if she were invisible. That was fine, but it seemed almost too much to have him look past her when she was standing right in front of him. He was a constable at the jail so perhaps he was trying hard not to notice that she was breaking at least a dozen laws.

  Uriah seemed very much in awe of John Towne. Emma felt a coldness at this. Uriah never spoke of his older brother. Often he would leave the room whenever Margaret wanted to read one of the old letters from the past. He was a baby when A.J. went away to war. Perhaps that was why. Uriah had never known his father either. No wonder he was so attached to John Towne.

  She walked over to Don Arana who was preparing his wagon for the bumpy wagon ride down the Soquel Road to the Mill. She helped him anchor the harness on the old mules, gave them some homemade sorghum treats, then climbed up the back of the cart and, placing the old poncho over her head, listened to the old Don sing about an old man meeting Coyote on his way to the village to marry the chief’s daughter.

  5

  McKenna Homestead, San Lorenzo River, outside Santa Cruz.

  Uriah followed his employer, Undersheriff Wiggins, to the secret meeting lodge of the Knights of the Golden Circle. When they came to the river just outside of the Tannery, a group of men smelling strongly of horse grabbed Uriah and blindfolded him. Then they loaded him into a wagon with others he imagined were also blindfolded, and the wagon made a bumpy ride across a river, then a creek (perhaps they had turned around and gone back over the creek to aid in confusion – Uriah felt the gentle curve of the wagon in a singular direction and sensed that the sound of the creek was the same when they crossed it again) and then they arrived at their destination. Uriah could smell the Tannery on the wind, and when he got out, he knew exactly where they were despite the effort to conceal their location. The lodge was on the opposite side of the Branciforte Creek.

  Rancho lands were not far away, which to Uriah was troubling. Even now you could hear music in the distance as the Latinos made merry after their hard days’ work. Uriah envied their energy. For a moment he thought of Eliza and her sparkling smile. Most especially he recalled her remark: Why shouldn’t they dance at the end of a workday? It’s over! He desperately wanted to see her again, if only for a moment.

  The lodge was a two story wooden house, built like many on the rich side of town with imported planks from the East Coast. A Chinese worker greeted them, taking the reins of the mule-pulled wagon away from Wiggins. Another Chinese greeted him at the door and took Uriah’s coat and hat. How odd, Uriah thought, but then they are servants and do work to serve their masters. Uriah tried to tell himself this was the right way of things, but something prevented him from completely agreeing with it. They were human beings, and the Chinese doctor who helped his mother did so tirelessly. I’m doing this for Beth, Uriah told himself again, pushing down the fluttering in his own stomach. He thought instead of his brother and his impending return. The anger of that thought was a welcome substitute.

  The room was heavy with cigar smoke. Harsh laughter was heard as Uriah peered inside the smoky house. There was a clink of glasses and Uriah was offered a glass, but he declined.

  There was a deep boom of a mallet hitting the floor. The men quieted and a tall gentleman with a shock of white hair and deep blue eyes stood up in front of the twenty men, including Ian McKenna and Uriah’s brother-in-law, John Towne.

  “Tonight thirty Chinese are going up to the Powder Works Company to do jobs that able-bodied white men can do. White men here, who need to feed their families, white men, here, who need the work when the drought shrivels our crops, then steals our soil with floods of biblical wrath.”

  Sounds of men shouting their agreement with heavy stomps emphasized the charismatic speaker’s presentation. “Tonight, we will drive fear into them. Tonight, we will show them, this is not their country, this is not their land, they cannot come here and breed like rabbits, taking over the lands like pestilence. THIS IS OUR TOWN. WE NEED TO TAKE IT BACK from the Mexicans, the Native indigents, the Chinese, the Japs, the niggers, and the whores. WE NEED TO RECLAIM THIS CITY FROM THE EVIL THAT DWELLS WITHIN. GOD has given us the right, as free white men, made in his image, to reclaim our EDEN. Let us TAKE BACK SANTA CRUZ.”

  Again, shouts of agreement and fists were shaken in the air. The anger in the air intensified.. Uriah suddenly felt uncomfortable. Some of the younger men were part of the local cavalry, some worked the lumber mills, but many were older, rich, and spent time and money in town with some of the whores they wanted to free the town from.

  Uriah was mystified how whores could control a city, as the ones his sisters ministered to were broken of mind and spirit alongside their bodies. If there was one job he no longer wished to do, it was to bury their infants outside Evergreen Cemetery’s gates. Instead, he defied the sexton and chose a spot high up on the hillside inside the cemetery, so that they could see across the farmland to the sparkling river. They were babies and had no sin.

  Sometimes when he stood up on Evergreen’s hillside and looked out across the plain, he thought he saw brightly decorated boats drifting down it, like the Venetian water carnivals he had read about in some of the books Emma had lent him. Then the vision would fade, like a dream perhaps, Uriah thought fleetingly, of another time, a better time. Santa Cruz was terrible and perhaps would not, as a town, live to thrive past this horrible war. Many of the Confederates thought the Union represented a challenge to their simple values (that they also saw as freedoms) upon which America was founded.

  By allowing the Mexicans to keep control of the lands despite the War, to let the Chinese gain control of the fishing (but really to supply the dreaming medicine to those in pain and then control them with it, Uriah believed), and whoever else came here to find a new life that was different than most, Uriah felt America had failed its citizenry.

  Uriah wanted simple farming, simple days,people he could trust, and a town he understood. Most of all he wanted the freedom to tell others to mind their own business and the Confederates knew how to enforce this.

  I’m doing this for Beth…Uriah said again to himself. John treated Beth better when Uriah did as he asked. Uriah took a deep breath of cool air that came in from an open door. Then one of the door wardens closed it with a discrete click.

  Suddenly, as if everyone remembered the reason for the meeting, the room became orderly, men straightening their jackets, moving and scraping chairs across the floor, and becoming quiet as another man, somber, grey-eyed and well-dressed, stood up. He announced that the meeting of the Knights of the Golden Circle’s lodge in the holy city of Santa Cruz had begun. Then all officially opened the meeting with a prayer to the Confederacy, to God, and to bringing about an end to the war.

  “Will all the Pages please step forth for indoctrination?”

  Undersheriff Wiggins gestured to Uriah to come forward. John Towne gave a “thumbs up” sign.

  Another man got up, not so charismatic in appearance but more of an old hound dog. He gave a report on the investments of the town, the marriage of John Towne to a white woman of high social standing (Uriah felt some pride at this), and then encouraged some of the men to attend the Supervisors’ Meeting for County Governance at his very own residence. He also reminded the men not to imbibe so deeply as they must ride a horse in a direct line. (Some of the men snickered, but a quick jab silenced the heckler, as the speaker had built many of the buildings that housed the saloons and whorehouses they enjoyed and used today.)

  “Pages, please rise.” Uriah stood up, as did two other young men. The
man with the hound dog eyes addressed them solemnly. “Your first order of indoctrination is to hang the flag of Confederacy in town for the upcoming Widows and Orphans Gathering. As I understand it, Supervisor John W.Towne will be giving one of his infamous and inspiring call to arms at the Pacific Hotel near the Baths, and I encourage all you young men to attend and support those most victimized by our incompetent president’s actions.” Applause greeted the speaker. “Secondly, you will take your oath as full knights only after you have served three shifts on the building and clearing of the newest section of the Soquel Road out past the Rodríguez Gulch above Arana Farm to our most esteemed member Supervisor John W. Towne’s property, and to prepare a section near the marshlands and lagoon for railroad track, which we hope will soon be ours. Isn’t that right, John?”

  John Towne smiled, stood up and took a long drink from his glass. “The flow of money from the breasts of Lincoln’s…” (Here he made milking gestures) “–Government–” Laughter ensued, John Towne smiled and winked at Uriah. “–will nourish our city for decades to come!”

  “Here! Here!” the hound dog-eyed man said as he gestured and encouraged the audience to clap. Then the Pages made a line in front of this same man who Uriah learned was the Grand Dragoon of the Lodge, and moved solemnly forward to shake hands.

  The Pages were given a small pin in the shape of the Confederate Flag which they wore on their lapels. Then beer was given out. A large pot of beef stew was served by the Chinese servants, with fresh baked bread that tasted similar to his sister’s.

  “Uriah!” John hailed him. Uriah came over to his brother-in-law and could smell rank perfume on him. There was blood, Uriah thought, on his vest front. And some small dots across his collar. With great effort Uriah looked away from the blood and acknowledged his brother-in-law with a nod. “Meet Ian McKenna. If you have any problems with unwanted ‘locals’, he is the man to solve it! Ian, this is Uriah, whose mother is on intimate terms with the Royals.” John Towne was drunk, and then hailed another member of the Knights and quickly went off to a card game which was starting in the corner of the house.

  Another group of men left quietly with the white-haired charismatic speaker known only as “the Reverend”. Uriah learned that this man was not a real preacher. They called him that because he stood outside the Red Salon and harassed the whores.

  “He thinks he’s ‘saving’ the girls,” John Towne told him once during a walk after dinner near John’s downtown home. “He follows them around and then bangs ‘em away from paying eyes, is my guess.” John Towne laughed loudly and then upon seeing the “Reverend” chasing a few down the street as they tried to go to the mercantile, John yelled: “Go get under those skirts, Reverend! Then tell us about the Rapture!”

  “The Reverend” simply smiled and said: “I mean to free each one from the demons that live in their souls and stop the foul offspring arising from their carnal lusts.” Uriah feigned mirth, alongside his grother-in-law, but secretly, he was filled with disgust.

  “How is it that you know her Royal Highness?” McKenna’s voice was full of burr, a sound Uriah found strangely comforting, like an old memory he couldn’t quite define.

  Uriah knew that Emma was Royal, but did not understand what McKenna’s interest was in her status. The Duchess of Imperial Russia had recently arrived with her own security and did not have need of McKenna’s services. Uriah had heard that McKenna was known to the Latinos as “the Ice Eyed Gringo”.

  “Her Highness is close friends with my sisters and often rides alongside them during their charity errands.” Uriah choked a bit. He realized that Emma dressed as a boy in secret and he almost betrayed her disguise.

  McKenna handed Uriah a small bottle of juice. “Try this, I made it from the berries that grow on the hedge. It cleanses the organs, brightens the brain, and clears the lungs.”

  Uriah took the bottle and removed its cork stopper. He took a generous swig. It was sweet and lively, but with some bitterness he found he liked.

  “Keep the bottle. It’s a welcome present.” McKenna smiled, but his eyes, yes, they were cold and full of ice.

  “Do you know her Royal Highness Emma Leonov?” McKenna asked carefully, steering Uriah away from the crowd. Uriah felt a sudden sensation of happiness, as if this were the most important event he had ever attended in his life, and he found himself willing to help Mr. McKenna as much as possible.

  “You mean Emma MacAree?” Uriah answered loudly. McKenna pulled him outside onto the porch. It was nice and cool out here, and the stars, Uriah thought, were very beautiful. He felt tears form in the corners of eyes.

  “She is no longer married.”

  “You would like to be her husband!” Uriah said nicely. They were alone. McKenna gave him a strange look, one that reminded Uriah of someone who was afraid his secret was revealed. Uriah straightened and tried to look serious. “I hope one day to marry Eliza Imus,” he blurted, hoping to lighten the mood.

  John Towne burst out onto the porch and clasped Uriah on the shoulders. “What this boy needs is a good whoring!” McKenna slouched back into the darkness. John swayed and hugged Uriah who smiled openly at his brother-in-law.

  “Ian here tell you how long he has been in love with our pineapple salad woman?”

  “You love Emma?” Uriah said softly, stunned at this idea. But it made perfect sense, because McKenna was always asking after them.

  “Yes! YES! He can protect her….ASSSSSsets, as well as manage that obscene land grant she has. She may be savage, but she is also RICH AND ROYAL. Of course money from the Islands has nothing to do with this. Ian truly loves her.” Here John Towne draped an arm around Uriah’s shoulders. “True love moves men to do things. Anything. Despicable things, to gain the love of a beautiful woman. You see-,“ here John Towne staggered forward and giggled, “-he not only loves her – he killed her husband so he could have her! NOW THAT’S LOVE!!!” his brother-in-law crowed. Uriah noticed that McKenna was no longer smiling. John Towne staggered away, while loudly reminding Uriah that he needed to “go home to mommy or your sis will tan my hide! OOOh!”

  “Fool,” McKenna said under his breath.

  “I’m sorry,” Uriah apologized. “I will go home.” Uriah began to turn around but McKenna grabbed his arm.

  “You will tell me when Emma next comes into town.”

  Uriah nodded. He desperately wanted to be in this man’s favor. He followed McKenna back into the room of Knights.

  “Attention!” Uriah yelled. There was some laughter, and someone new had come, a grey-eyed, well-dressed man with a walking stick.

  “Please hurry up, noble page!” this man said, “before we die of boredom!”

  Uriah straightened and announced in his best recital voice: “Not all the horse boys are boys, some are….girls!”

  There was scattered laughter, a few jokes, and the revelry went on undisturbed. “Here’s to ripe young females, tight and virginal!” this same man announced, bringing scattered claps. Some of the men ignored the remark.

  “I’ll take you back to your farm, Sloan,” McKenna hissed in his ear, and pushed him out the door.

  6

  Soquel Mill at Soquel Creek

  Emma held the letters Margaret had given her to her breast. They were dated two weeks ago. Then she carefully placed the box of letters in her satchel as she prepared to walk the remainder of the old Soquel Road up to Eliza Sloan’s farm. After Don Arana dropped off his wood scrap, the old man had insisted they wait for Mr. Uriah Sloan.

  “You should marry Ian McKenna. He’d protect you,” Uriah mumbled as they had started their walk up towards the estate. Emma froze. Uriah was walking oddly, wavering slightly as if he were drunk. But Uriah was fiercely temperate and silent in a painful way. What on earth had made him so talkative? “At least that’s what John says. Says McKenna is in love with you. That despite your savage blood, you are Royal.” Uriah leaned in close. Emma got a sudden smell of whiskey, though sweeter, but something with al
cohol. Poor boy, Emma thought sadly. Someone tricked you into drinking. “Your aunt…” Uriah’s words now sounded slightly slurred. He seemed fine at the wagon, but now Emma saw him reach into his jacket and take a swig from a small amber bottle. Uriah, with some difficulty, put the bottle back in his coat pocket.

  “Aunt Vera?” Emma prompted. How did he know what McKenna’s plans were? “Did you spend time at Beth’s?”

  “I’m my own man now. A Page. I won’t be a Knight just yet. I have to work my way up the ranks and do something to prove I am worthy,” he rambled and looked up into the sky.

  “So you went to a meeting of the Knights?” Emma again prompted, watching Uriah carefully as he walked with a slight jaunt in his steps.

  “Wiggins took me.” Uriah wavered and almost fell over. “Said I should be firm about my views, stand up for my farm, and make a name for myself. Especially when my dearly departed–” and here Uriah looked up to the sky and put his hands up in the air, “–BIG BROTHER–” he shouted upward – Emma gasped at the hatred that seemed to escape in his shout, “–comes back home. John says Jack will ruin everything.”

  “And what is to ruin?” Emma’s heart was pounding fast. Cynthia would have told her right now that she had an opportunity to find out about the inner workings of the Knights and should jump at this moment, but Emma was afraid of Uriah Sloan. He was a powerful young man, driven by anger, and he could and, quite possibly, would betray her to McKenna. She saw Uriah take another swig of his tiny amber bottle.

  Emma could stand it no longer. She moved forward and, from Uriah’s side, knocked the bottle free with a back flick of her right hand.

  “Ow!” Uriah saw the bottle fly away and tried to follow it. Emma blocked him.