The Visitor_The Bell Tower 1873_1875

by Barbara Svetlick

  She hesitated then smiled. “No. The longer I was with you the more I thought I could put my past behind me and have a normal life but Russell would have never allowed me to move on. He was very protective and extremely jealous. I kept assuring him that I could lure you in but he was growing restless and going through the money so fast. I really thought you loved me but I think you are a better actor then me.”

  “Catherine , please let me help you.”

  Catherine shook her head. “You don’t remember the first time we met do you?”

  “In Washington. You were working the floor I believe.”

  “And you said nothing?”

  “I didn’t realize it until tonight.” He pointed to the scarf. “You were wearing that scarf when you left the club with Dominic. I remember watching you walk out the door. It’s a very distinctive scarf.”

  Her hand was shaking slightly but she kept the gun centered on him as she fought back tears. “We would have been happy, wouldn’t we?”

  “We would have been despite the problems but you never trusted me enough to find out. You never allowed me to help you. You never took our relationship out from behind closed doors.” James kept his eyes locked on Catherine. “If you surrender, I promise you that I will make sure you receive a fair hearing.”

  “I’m sure you will and you have a lot of pull that is not really apparent but I think it is just better if I finish this tonight. I’m sorry James because somewhere along the way I truly fell in love with you.”

  Catherine raised her gun as James watched but he didn’t reach for his gun knowing that Dominic had her in his sights. Catherine put the barrel against her head at the same instance that the sound of the church bell rang out causing her to look up as James lunged for the gun twisting it out of her hand as it fired hitting the side of the church.

  Catherine reached out as James tried to grab her hand and their eyes met as the tears pooled over before she lost her balance and fell down the marble steps rolling into the street where she laid unmoving. Dominic walked down and put his fingers on her neck. “She’s dead.”

  James looked up as the bell started ringing erratically. “Mirisa is in the church somewhere.”

  The sound of the bell followed by the report from the gun startled Butch who was nodding off on the top step. He waited a moment and when no other shots were fired, Butch turned to open the door finding it barred from the inside.

  Garnett and Meeks responded to the gunshot without thinking. They ran around the church and came in the side door as the priest stopped the mass and was trying to figure out why the bells were ringing. Garnett asked him how to get to the bell tower and he pointed to a door on the other side of the high alter as the parishioners looked around confused. Meeks went through the door after Garnett as they heard the sound of something heavy hitting wood and the splintering of wood as the bells became almost erratic.

  When the bell rang out, Mirisa panicked weighing whether or not to climb down the bell tower. Within moments the cross bar started to split as the monster on the other side rammed it over and over. She could hear his growls as he drew back and hit it again causing a thunderous cracking as the wood splintered throwing pieces of wood across the room as Mirisa ducked. Garnett drew his gun while taking the steps two at a time with Meeks at his heels when the sound of the door giving in to his brute force echoed in the stairwell.

  Mirisa looked from the door to the opening in the floor. She wrapped her arm around the rope and disappeared down the hole as Butch stumbled into the room landing on his face as he saw the top of her head disappear. A splintered piece of the wood was sticking out of his thigh leaving a blood trail across the floor as he cursed. His voice was like an injured bear tumbling down the bell tower spilling out into the church as the parishioners gasped and moved to the back of the church. Butch’s big hands reached for the rope and started pulling it up as Mirisa put her feet against the brick wall bracing her back and trying to keep from losing her grip.

  Mirisa looked at the contorted, grimaced face as Butch pulled with all his might but the blood running down his arm made it impossible to get a good grip on the rope. Mirisa slowly moved further down the rope when the single shot rang out as his arm released the rope and swung freely. Parts of his head splattered against the bricks before covering Mirisa who closed her eyes and willed herself not to throw up everything in her stomach. She thought about the baby and closed her eyes.

  Meeks stepped over Butch and looked down seeing Mirisa with her back up against one wall and her legs locked with her feet against the other wall. She was about fifteen feet from the bottom.

  “You know Alexander this was a brand new outfit.”

  “And I thought you looked particularly pretty when you headed out tonight but I am beginning to think that you have the same fondness for ropes as Garnett.”

  “That’s not funny.” She looked down seeing James and Dominic below her. “I’m stuck.”

  Meeks laughed. “Well it is not often that I have your undivided attention nowadays.”

  “If someone doesn’t get me down soon no one will get my attention much less my undivided attention.”

  Garnett leaned over holding onto the rope looking at her. “What is the problem?”

  “I can’t move.”

  Garnett studied her for a moment. “Why?”

  “Garnett, if I move I’ll fall.”

  He knelt and looked at her position. “I think I like you in that position and I am sure if you ask James he is enjoying the view from his end.”

  Mirisa looked down then back up. Her face was as white as newly fallen snow and you could see the trembling in her lips. “Alexander!”

  Meeks smiled. “I think that you purposely get into these situations because you enjoy being rescued.”

  Mirisa looked up at her husband and smiled because she knew he was suppressing a lot of fear. “I just don’t understand why I am always the target of the bad behavior of the four of you.”

  “I guess that’s the downside of loving bad men.”

  “Then it is a good thing that the benefits far outweigh the problems.”

  Garnett wrapped the hook of his arm around the rope and slid down to right above her position where he straddled the walls facing her. He had to smile because you could climb this wall without a rope and he couldn’t see how she was stuck.

  “Mirisa?”

  “What Garnett.”

  “Is the rope holding you up?”

  She looked up in his beautiful blue eyes and smiled. “No. I’m wedged between the walls.”

  “Give me your hand.”

  “Garnett?”

  “What darling.” He waited as she lowered her voice.

  “I’m carrying a baby.”

  Garnett’s eyes changed so quickly that she could almost read his thoughts. Mirisa let go of the rope and reached up as he took her hand. “Now unwrap your arm from the rope. Alright, I want you to unlock your knees.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Mirisa, I have never dropped you. Unlock your knees.”

  Mirisa closed her eyes and took in her breath before releasing the tension of her knees as Garnett pulled her up allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck. “See, I have you.”

  “Now we’re both stuck.”

  “Well, considering how nicely you are dressed we might consider taking advantage of sex in a new place.”

  “Garnett, we’re in a church. I don’t think it would be appropriate at all.”

  “Well, see that is where we disagree.” He pulled her in tighter. “Dominic, do you remember that time we holed up in that little church in New Mexico…”

  Meeks smiled because it had been a long time since they had teased her. Garnett wrapped his arm around the rope and slid down to the floor. Meeks threw down her shoes before following Garnett down the rope as the priest was telling them they had to quit ringing the bell for the whole town was gathering in front of the church and the police were outside.

>   The priest was wringing his hands at the half naked woman sitting on the floor of the bell tower and all these men with guns. He crossed himself muttering as Mirisa told Meeks that her cape was still in the theater. Meeks took off his jacket and made her put it on as he picked her up. Dominic told Meeks to take her out the side door and he would go to the restaurant and get the horses.

  The police had not placed anything over Catherine’s body. Her legs were twisted under her and she was looking straight up. James came out standing at the top of the steps watching the investigation as Dominic went down to get their horses. James loved Catherine’s blue eyes and the dimples when she smiled.

  Garnett went down to handle the police as Meeks took Mirisa out the side door when Dominic dismounted with their horses. They talked for a moment before Meeks mounted his horse as he pulled Mirisa in front of him.

  The police had a lot of questions and Garnett told them that they had no idea what happened because they were having dinner at the restaurant when the panic started at the theater then the bells started going crazy so they came down to see if there was something wrong. The priest confirmed that they came into the church long after the bells started.

  James stayed in the background as Garnett gave the police the information on Catherine as they loaded her into the coroner’s wagon. The police questioned the priest who said he was in the middle of mass when the bells began ringing but he didn’t see anyone in the bell tower. The parishioners were more than happy to give their accounts of what happened. The police finally looked up the bell tower seeing what appeared to be someone’s arm hanging down. They found Butch’s body blocking what was left of the door causing them to climb over it and the body to get in the room. They stood looking at this mass of a man that seemed to fill the entire room.

  “Sarg, how are we gonna get him down.” The flatfoot picked up one of his feet to drag him but the body didn’t budge. The Police Sergeant walked around the body stepping over it as he tried to assess the problem.

  “Drop him down the tower. He’s half way in it anyway.”

  “You want to drop him?”

  “Do ya’ wanna carry him down?”

  Two officers grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him until half of his body was hanging down the opening. “We should have pulled up the rope first.”

  “Just push.” The officers grunted as they pulled and pushed and with a whoosh the body disappeared down the tower like shit out of a goose until his body started expanding and filling the small tower causing him to become wedged. The bells rang out with a groan. “Sarg?”

  “What?”

  “I think he’s stuck.”

  They all looked down the tower and all they could see was south end of Butch. Without warning as though he was shot out of a cannon the walls stripped his clothes off allowing him to proceed to the ground where his head burst open as it hit.

  They got back to the brownstone a couple of hours after the incident. Mirisa and Meeks were curled up on the couch drinking hot cocoa but not talking. James sat down on the table in front of her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Mirisa put her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. James could feel her tears as she released all of her emotions. The dynamics of the night was probably too much for either of them to deal with but there was no going back and no second chances. In hindsight, James knew that he had consciously made the decision between Catherine and Mirisa long before this night played out. He smiled because she was an enigma wrapped in the softest of tones and sweetest of promises but her love was so sincere. James finally told her that he needed to go out and bury himself in some unknown woman who required nothing more than his money.

  Meeks locked up the house and went upstairs stopping in to make sure the children were asleep. Meeks was convinced that Mirisa would keep him on his toes until the day she died but she was right that she was always caught in the cross-hairs of their past.

  The incident at the theater was only topped on the front page by the death of three people in St. Marcus church just a block down the street.

  Unexplained Deaths Plague St. Marcus

  An investigation by local detectives have determined that three persons died either inside or on the steps of St. Marcus’ church during the evening mass. There were over twenty parishioners attending the mass when the shooting occurred up the street at the theater. Ms. Catherine Tyler formerly of Jamaica and this city and a widow of Leonard Tyler of M Street was found dead at the bottom of the church steps. It is believed from all information and evidence that she was running from the theater riots and somehow fell down the steps breaking her neck. A man was found in the pew with a crushed windpipe but no other sign of injury. Father Timmons indicated that he came in only moments before the incident down the street and no one was with him or sat near him that he could remember. The third body was found stuffed down the bell tower with indication that he had been shot in the head possibly fleeing from his attacker. There has been no information connecting what appears to be random citizens to one another or how they should meet their demise at the same location and same time. The identification of the two men is unknown.

  Friends have expressed shock at the death of Catherine Tyler in that she was such a kind and gentlewoman who kept to herself. According to her solicitor, Mrs. Tyler will be laid to rest next to her last husband at the St. Marcus cemetery following mass on Tuesday.

  Woman’s Suffrage Attracts Angry Husbands

  The police investigation into the shots that were fired following a woman’s seminar at the uptown theater has lead to the suspicion that some unknown gentlemen were unsettled by the growing women’s suffrage movement that more and more common housewives were embracing causing disharmony in the normally acceptable behavior in households. It has been duly noted that the number of complaints by husbands have been growing and possibly one or more of these men decided to take matters into their own hands. It appears that there were numerous injuries from the panic following the gunshots and many patrons who will think again before attending another function. The promoters of these events have been given notice that they must provide security if they wish to hold any other events in New York City.

  There was no mention of Mirisa and Garnett made a generous contribution to the church coffers to appease the priests. Meeks repeated her story but they all agreed that she would talk about it when she was ready.

  James met Mirisa at the book store and asked her if she wanted to walk or ride to the new office which was three blocks uptown.

  “I would much rather walk. The weather is so nice today.”

  James put on his gloves as they left the shop and they headed uptown stopping occasionally to look in one of the shop windows. When they got to the cobbler shop Mirisa pulled James in and bought several pairs of boots. James figured that by the time they crossed out of the shopping district to the block where the office was that he had spent a couple of hundred dollars but it was worth every kiss she gave him. He missed being in the house with her because it was her spontaneity that was so comforting.

  They stopped outside the office door which was made of glass and had their name embossed on it in gold and black. “Alcorn, Alexander, Lanfear and Meeks, Financial Consultants” She reached up and touched the letters. “Is that a fancy word for pretending to work?

  “Which one? Consultants?” James opened the door and Mirisa walked in to find her husband and Garnett coming out of one of the inner offices. The entry was done very tastefully though masculine like their library. The walls were a deep mahogany and the floor was a lighter wood with a large wool rug in the center. The furniture, of course, was beautiful leather. The smell of the wood and leather was combined with the smell of the cigars. Against the wall were bookcases, a humidor filled with cigars and crystal glasses next to the decanter of whisky. There were plants near the window and beautiful artwork on the far wall.

  Meeks walked up to Mirisa and lifted her off the ground as he kissed her. “What do
you think?”

  “I didn’t know that Garnett and Dominic were going to be part of the firm.” She turned and looked at Garnett. “I thought you were going to Washington?”

  “Eventually, but right now we will be doing a lot of consulting right here as well as out of the office in Jackson.”

  “Can we put up a sign that no women are allowed?”

  “Are you jealous?” Meeks watched her face as she turned to him.

  “Of course I am. Too many women have known you and a lot of them are right here.”

  “I think I have been handling women long enough that you don’t have to worry that one will take advantage of me in a weak moment.” Mirisa looked up into her husband’s eyes and he saw that she was serious. “I love you.”

  They were staying in New York for the summer because the election was coming up in November and there was a lot of work to do. Meeks thought Mirisa had the prettiest face when she wanted attention and he kissed the end of her nose. “Are you ready to go to lunch?”

  “I am.”

  Meeks took her hand and they locked the door as they headed across the street for lunch. It was filled with businessmen and after Meeks sat her at the table he went over to talk to a group by the window. The waiter brought her cup of hot tea and a plate of dipped strawberries. Mirisa thanked him and looked for her husband when she saw David walking toward the table.

  Mirisa smiled as he bent over and kissed her hand. “I didn’t know you were in New York though the strawberries should have told me. Can you sit and talk or do you have to cook the room with the rest of them?”

  He laughed at her description and sat down next to her. “You are absolutely delightful. I was actually hoping you would let me join you for lunch since I just got into town and have an appointment with your husband at two.”