11
Duke rapped on Audrey's door, and it was opened by Nathan, who gave Duke his usual nod.
"Duke," Nate said.
"Nate," Duke greeted.
"Hey. Hello again, Mrs. Stillwater," Nathan answered.
"You may call me Prudence, Constable," she replied in her serene tone.
He stepped aside to allow them inside, and then faced Prudence directly.
"I would like to apologize for being so rough with you yesterday," he began. "I was-protecting my partner from someone who was trying to kill her."
"I was not seriously maimed," Prudence replied. "And I accept your apology, Constable." She studied him a moment. "She is your partner, you say. You are in business together?"
"The Trouble-solving business, you might say," Duke grinned. "He means that he and Audrey are both police officers-detectives. They work in pairs."
"I see," Prudence replied. She glanced Nathan over. "I also understand that you and she are-quite close."
"We're in a relationship, yes," Nathan answered, his eyes going to Audrey, who was coming over after taking the chicken out of the oven to rest before carving.
"Hello, Prudence. Duke," she smiled, half wishing she could borrow Chris Brody's Trouble from him for just one night; but wasn't sure if it even would work on Prudence.
"Chicken smells great," Duke said, trying to break the tension.
"Would you care for anything to drink, Prudence? Tea, water, wine?" Audrey offered. "Have you tried soda yet, I have some if you would like."
"Wine would be good," Prudence answered.
"Make that two," Duke put in.
"I'll pour," Nathan said, happy to have something to do other than stand there under Prue's solemn stare.
Prudence moved around the room a bit, and her eye fell on the book that Audrey had purchased earlier.
Duke also saw it, and went over to it.
"I'd forgotten about that book," he remarked.
"Someone wrote a book? About me?" Prudence said. "I remember that carving," she went on, seeing the picture on the front cover, her face growing angry again. "I am surprised you do not."
"I've told you, Prudence-I don't remember anything from Mara," Audrey said. "What is it about that picture?"
"That is you, pointing at me in the witness box," Prudence told her coldly. "It was quite a performance you gave in the courtroom that day."
"Prudence-I wish that I could take it all back. I wish I could give you back everything you lost. But I can't," Audrey told her, looking her in the eyes. "All I can do is try to make amends. To set things right in Haven," she went on. She'd hoped to be able to have this talk with her after dinner. But now would just have to do.
"I bought this today, from the woman who wrote it. She said that she thought you were wrongfully accused," Audrey pressed. Silence. "She went on to say that she believes that one of your descendants had found the location of where your-coffin-was. He was going to dredge for it. And also that he felt that you were still alive. He wanted to find you."
"Who was that?" Duke asked.
Audrey looked at him. "According to Betsy Harrigan, it was your dad."
"Dad didn't know anything about Prue."
"Not that he ever said to you," Audrey said.
"Dad always did play things close to the vest," Duke remarked. He looked to Prue. "Where did they-drop you over the side? Do you know?"
"I was dropped into the deepest part of Nanagasset Bay, some twelve miles from shore," Prudence said.
Duke gasped at that, and Audrey realized that he remembered that was where Simon had died.
That's right, he was there, she thought.
"Prue and I are-" Duke began, but Prudence nudged him, and Duke fell silent.
"You and Prue are what?" Nathan said.
"Nothing," Duke answered, but Prudence spoke.
"Duke and I are going to the North Woods tomorrow," she replied. "I believe where we are going is now owned by a family called Keegan."
"You're going to the Keegan place?" Nathan blurted out. "Prudence, that's kind of a dangerous area to be in."
"Provided that Duke and I do not disagree, it will be quite safe," Prue stated in her calm voice. "We are going to look for something."
"Pirate treasure?" Nathan grinned.
"She won't tell me what it is we're supposed to be looking for," Duke said, glancing at Prue, who remained enigmatic.
"Well, maybe Audrey and I ought to go with you," Nathan suggested.
"Um, no," Duke began, but Prue interrupted.
"I think it would be quite a good idea," she smiled. "Perhaps we can establish a firmer footing with one another."
Nathan looked to Audrey, who seemed pleased by Prue's statement.
"Of course we'll come with you," Audrey smiled. "Well, dinner's ready, if you would like to sit down."
Duke pulled out Prue's chair, and Nathan did the same for Audrey, and Prue bowed her head, holding Duke's hand in hers, and took Nathan's in her other.
Nathan startled, his eyes wide.
"What's the matter?" Audrey asked.
"I thought I felt you touch me," Nathan told Prudence.
"You may have," Prudence said. "I tested to see how strong your Trouble was. It's quite dug in. It will take time to remove it. But I think that I could."
Nathan looked at Prue in disbelief, and Audrey held her breath. Would Prudence take Nathan's Trouble from him once and for all?
Nathan found his voice. "I-appreciate your offer, Prudence. But right now, there are people much worse off in Haven than I am," he said. "Save your-Trouble-for them, and then you can fix me."
Prudence nodded, gauging him, pleased with his answer.
"That tells me something of the man you are, Constable Wuornos," she smiled. "That you put others before yourself. A lesser man would have demanded that I fix him immediately."
"Nathan is a good man," Audrey stated, taking his hand in hers.
"And she is a good woman, Prudence. Believe that," Nathan declared firmly.
"Well, we shall see about that on the morrow, won't we? Now, if you would be so good as to offer the Grace, we will partake of Audrey's lovely meal."
The dinner went smoothly, far better than Audrey had hoped for. Prudence seemed to be relaxing around her. Maybe she is finally beginning to believe that I'm not out to hurt Haven anymore, she thought.
Audrey heard someone coming up the stairs toward her apartment, and a knock at the door.
She opened it to find Jackie, one of the servers.
"Is Duke here?" she asked, and then spied him. "Duke, Miss Harrigan's downstairs. She says she wants to talk to you about something."
"Ask her to come up here, please," Audrey said, and glanced at Prudence. "There's someone here she should meet."
Jackie looked to Duke, who nodded agreement.
"Tell her to come on up," he said.
"Okay," Jackie answered, and disappeared downstairs again.
A few minutes later, they heard a timorous rapping at the door, and Audrey opened it to find Betsy Harrigan.
"Hello again, Detective Parker," she smiled. "Have you had a chance to read my book?"
"Not yet," Audrey replied.
Betsy peered around, seeing Nathan, Duke and Prudence.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were giving a dinner party," she apologized. "But the girl downstairs told me to-"
"Miss Harrigan," Duke cut in. "You wanted to see me about something?"
"Yes, I did. I've been hearing that there's new evidence regarding Pru-" she trailed off, seeing Prudence standing there, glancing through the book, and then looked up at Betsy.
"Reverend Flagg was wrong," Prudence spoke. "The man called William fired the pistol after the accusation, not before." She closed the book. "But it is easy to see how the facts might have been misconstrued in the chaos and confusion that followed."
"Now how would you know that?" Betsy said.
Prudence gazed at her. "Because I am the woman he shot."
"That's impossible," Betsy half-laughed.
Audrey, Nathan and Duke all nodded.
"Call Vince Teagues-he and Dave were both there when Prudence's casket washed ashore and was opened again," Nathan told her. "Betsy, this is Prudence Stillwater."
Betsy's hands flew to her mouth.
"So that's what he meant by I would have to rewrite my-" she gasped, drawing a little nearer to Prudence, wanting to believe she was real, but still unsure. "A-according to documents, Prudence had a fan-shaped birthmark on her upper inner right arm."
Prudence removed her jacket and turned up her shirt sleeve, revealing the light brown mark on her arm that was the shape of a small fan.
"So Simon was right-you were still alive," she whispered.
"Now how did you know that my dad thought she was still alive?" Duke demanded.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Betsy said, barely able to keep her eyes off Prudence. "There was a document, or part of one that was uncovered about thirty years ago, that gave the location of where Prudence's-your-coffin was located. It also listed the names of the people who testified against you in your trial. But the document disappeared shortly after it surfaced," she went on.
"I well remember the names of those called to testify," Prudence said. "Ezra Halleck and his harridan of a wife, Molly. She was the one who said that I cavorted with other women's husbands, including her own. In reality, it was her husband who could not keep his hands off other women," Prudence continued. "And Mara and William," she said pointedly at Audrey. "Also, there was Moses Knoll and a man whose first name escapes me but his surname was Driscomb."
"Who found the document?" Nathan queried.
"My friend, the one you resemble so much, Lucy," she told Audrey. Betsy's eyes were bright, and she touched Prue ever so gently, as if to prove to herself that she was no illusion.
"You knew Lucy Ripley?" Nathan said.
"Yes, we were close," Betsy answered. "And then, one day she just-disappeared. Simon tried to find her, because he thought she had run off with the document," she went on. "He thought he'd found her once, but it wasn't the right woman. Shortly after that, he said that the document had been recovered and that he was going to dredge for her-your-casket. But he died instead."
"Why would they not want her found?" Duke said. "It was so long ago."
"The people Prudence said testified against her, their descendants still live on in Haven," Audrey pointed out. "Maybe someone doesn't want their family name dragged through the mud as being part of a conspiracy to frame an innocent woman."
Duke pondered on something. "You said a man named Driscomb testified against you?" he asked Prue.
"Yes," Prudence replied.
"Think that name could've degenerated from Driscomb to Driscoll, maybe?" Duke said, looking to Nathan and Audrey. "The Rev and Dad got awful chummy there toward the end of Dad's life. He even told me that he had worked with my dad-wanted me to be on his payroll too, but I turned him down."
"You think the Rev had the document?" Audrey burst out.
"Guess we'll never know now, considering he's dead too," Duke remarked, giving Audrey a side-eye, who glared at him in response before speaking again.
"But do you think it could still be in his effects?" she pressed. "Would Hannah Driscoll still have all that?"
"Well, why do you need to find that paper? We don't need to find Prudence's coffin, she's right here," Nathan argued. "Other than being a few centuries old, it's not worth much now."
"Because it wasn't just the location of where Prudence's coffin was," Betsy said. "It was a signed pact between the families! It was the one paper that would exonerate Prudence beyond all doubt," she continued. "It would prove that they deliberately lied about her on the stand, and then kept where she'd been, well, imprisoned, for a lack of a better term, a secret."
"I, for one, would like to see this document," Prudence stated.
"Vince and Dave would be the most logical ones to ask about their knowledge of such a paper," Nathan said.
Betsy gently touched Prudence on her shoulder.
"I never thought you guilty, paper or not," she whispered.
"I thank you for that, Mistress Harrigan," Prudence said. "I know the tales they tell around Haven regarding myself. But this mysterious paper could change all of that."
Duke remembered the old rhyme about Prudence from when he was a kid, and they'd tell the story of Prudence Stillwater, the Wicked Witch of the North Woods as part of the annual Haven Halloween Carnival.
Prudence, Prudence, the wicked witch
With eyes like fire and hair like pitch.
To do her in they tried and tried
But the wicked old witch would never die.
She was trapped in a box by the town
And thrown in the ocean, down, down down.
Threw her in, and there she'll stay,
To wait until it's Judgement Day.
Prudence, Prudence, the wicked witch
With eyes like fire and hair like pitch.
He glanced at Prudence, who was talking to Betsy.
"Hard to believe that is the wicked witch of the North Woods," Nathan said in his ear, as he knew what Duke was thinking. "She seems so harmless."
"She's not," Duke replied. "If she can cure Troubles, then she's the most valuable person in Haven."
"And possibly one of the most dangerous to someone who wants that paper to stay hidden," Nathan said. "So for now, you and she have two new shadows-me and Audrey."
"You can keep the other two and three following us around company," Duke said. "I've seen Guard members following us around-and they're watching the Rouge and the Gull."
"I'll get Dwight to tell them to back off," Nathan promised.
"No, so long as they keep their distance, they can look all they want. They don't want anything to happen to Prue either," Duke pointed out.
"What's worrying me is that she wants to go out there to the North Woods," Nathan grumbled. "You know what happens when people disagree out there. So tomorrow, no matter what, we don't argue, right?"
Duke extended his hand, and Nathan shook it. "Okay. I agree not to disagree with you tomorrow. At least till we're back in Haven. Not a problem."
"Easier said than done," Nathan remarked.