Despite the Arctic wind that blew off the Puget Sound in the winter - a strong, cold wind which chilled Seattle's denizens to their very bones, the city could prove to be uncommonly hot for a few short weeks in the summer.
It was during a late summer heat wave that people passing below the open windows of Charles Lorton's offices, not far from the waterfront, noted the unmistakable stench of death. It had mingled with the normal aromas of rotting fish and stale beer and body odor till it rose above it all and announced itself with pungent urgency.
Charles had been dead for days judging from the deep pools of blood that had congealed all the way through. He had been beaten about the head, likely with a blunt weapon in addition to the obvious marks left by brass knuckles. The office itself had been ransacked beyond reason and it was hard to tell what, if anything, had been stolen.
Occupants of neighboring offices were questioned but could offer no insight. Francis Nelson, cuckolded by Charles Lorton, was also questioned in the hotel suite he was currently calling home. He denied any involvement and, though he seemed genuinely shocked by the news of Charles Lorton's murder, he did not seem genuinely saddened by it.
The police concluded this was either a robbery gone wrong or, more likely, a murder-for-hire and so they kept themselves and their informants on the watch for any unsavory types who might have come into some money. They uncovered nothing.
A couple hundred miles south of Seattle, in Portland, also known as Stumptown, River City, three longshoremen, new to town from New York by way of Seattle, drank and gambled their way through every waterfront saloon the city had to offer and there were plenty. No one paid them much mind; fortunes were gained and lost every day in the growing port town. The three soon left town for parts unknown without making much of an impression on anyone.
Audra was stunned by the news of Charles's murder. She was also saddened. No matter what their marriage had become, no matter how unbearable he had become, she had once loved him and had pinned all her hopes on a life with him. To varying degrees, the family around her understood her grief. All except perhaps Nick who openly expressed relief that Audra's ordeal was over forever and was instead inclined to celebrate.
Charles, Junior stayed uncommonly silent on the subject of his father's murder. He, too, was stunned and grappled with the grief he felt. Mainly, he was aware of his responsibility as the man of the family, his obligations to his father's business and his need to take care of his mother. Legally, she remained his guardian and it was Audra who had sole access to Charles's finances. Yet Charles, Junior knew his father's death would give him heavy responsibilities when he turned eighteen and he took that responsibility seriously.
And so it was that Jarrod accompanied Audra, and Audra's son, to Seattle for business of a very different nature than any of them had originally planned. They traveled to Seattle to bury Charles, close the house, and meet with the lawyers and bankers who helped Charles manage his business interests.
Not able to bear stepping into the mansion again, Audra took up residence at the hotel where Jarrod and her son joined her in rooms not far from Francis Nelson's rooms. Condolences, insincere and solicitous, poured in from the ladies of Seattle's upper crust and Audra read them with a wry smile. She knew these were overtures of apologies and she was struck by the irony that, now with Charles dead, she would be free to make friends with whomever she wished. She also knew she had no desire to stay in Seattle and so none of the cards or letters of condolence were answered.
The funeral was private, the house was put up for sale, and arrangements made to transfer all accounts to Wells Fargo in San Francisco. Whatever untoward transactions Charles had been party to were now moot and the money and holdings he had at the time of his death were legitimate - and sizable. Charles had left Audra a wealthy widow and she had every intention of seeing that her money was put to good use.
For his part, Jarrod was moved and impressed by the woman his baby sister had grown up to be. He and Audra and Charles, Junior stayed up late talking most every night. They talked about the past and they talked about the future. Charles would return to school in the fall; that's where his friends were and it was what he knew and was comfortable with. As for his own future, he stated that, henceforth, he wished to be known and addressed by his middle name of Adam. He would be known, he decided, as C. Adam Lorton.
Traveling by train back to Stockton and the ranch, Audra was struck by the difference between this journey out of Seattle and the one she'd taken not so very long ago. On this journey, she was neither frightened nor anxious. Yet, the same happy calm came over her as the train rolled in to the northern reaches of California's big valley with its golden hills and Spanish oaks. Her valley.