Chapter 13: VISITATIONS
Monday, November 17th... In the dusty and cobweb-strewn bowels of the courthouse, Cap'n Booger and Jess Harper pored over records with moderate success. The census of 1860 revealed a Harper, Carlton J, age 28, spouse Minnie, age 17, infant daughter. Jess thought he was going to pass out with excitement. His premature glee withered on the vine when they struck out with the 1870 census. No Harpers listed.
Diverted to the Walton County registrar's records prior to 1860, it was discovered that Carlton James Harper, age 27, and Minnie Agnes Ragsdale, age 16, had been united in holy matrimony in the month of November 1859, by a justice of the peace. The birth of a child, Samantha Jane Harper, was recorded in September, 1860.
Property records yielded the information that in 1855 Harper, C.J. acquired 160 acres of prime bottomland and good pasturage abutting Turkey Creek some miles to the north of Boggy. Taxes were paid in full and on time through 1862, during which year Harper enlisted in the army. In 1866 the then-abandoned property was seized for non-payment of taxes and sold at auction.
"How'd they expect him to pay taxes when he was off fightin' a war an' then held prisoner?" Jess snorted. "That ain't fair."
"No. It ain't, but that's how it were," Cap'n Booger agreed. "Wonder what become of the child?"
"How do we find out?"
"Newspaper office."
"That old lady in Seattle sure didn't get her money's worth outta that detective agency," Jess huffed as they hoofed it over to the offices of the Bayou Clarion. "She oughta sue the bastards."
"You seem to be forgettin' somethin', Jess," the shorter man puffed, trying to keep up.
"Yeah? What's that?"
"If we find this daughter... even if we don't find him... there goes your inheritance."
Jess stopped then, bending over to catch his breath and ease the stinging at the site of the stab wound. When he stood up again, his face reflected pain... not of the physical sort. His voice was on the verge of breaking when he spoke.
"I don't know if you got any kin, Cap," he said quietly, "... but I don't. At least, that's been my thinkin' for more years than I care to remember. It's hard to describe... the feelin' of bein' alone. I mean really alone. No family. Bein' the last one. Money's one thing... but I'd druther find out if I got any livin' relatives. You unnerstand?"
Cap'n Booger patted him on the shoulder. "I do, son. Believe me, I do."
The owner-editor of the Clarion was sympathetic and helpful. His archives were in the attic, hot and stuffy in addition to being dusty and overridden with mice and silverfish—tons of yellowing pellet-stained newsprint too heavy to haul up and down the perilously narrow staircase. Too obese to negotiate the stairs himself, the man provided them with a good lantern and a plea that they refrain from smoking and try not to knock over the lantern and set the attic on fire.
"Sure wish Rosalie was helpin' us with this," Cap'n Booger muttered miserably after three sweltering non-productive hours.
Jess coughed, rivulets of dust-streaked sweat running down his face, chest and back.
"Why? Can she read faster than us?"
"Yes. An' she woulda divined where we need to look within the first fifteen minutes without even perspirin'."
"You mean guessed?"
"No. I mean know... for sure. Coulda pointed us right to it."
"She some kinda witch or somethin'?"
"You just now figgerin' that out?" The captain was dead serious.
Jess imagined he felt an icy draft tickling the back of his neck. And just like that... he found it... as if the mere mention of a voodoo queen's name were enough to break the spell...
Boggy Clarion, December 1, 1866. WOMAN, LOVER FOUND MURDERED... The body of Minnie Agnes Harper, née Ragsdale, age 23, was discovered at her residence at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday by Constable Michael Moody, responding to a summons by a concerned neighbor. County Coroner Alfred Smith confirms death was caused by blunt force trauma, effected through application of a brass candle stand to the head. Also found on the premises was the body of Lawrence Lattimore, age 34, shot through the heart. No witnesses have stepped forward. Sought for questioning in the double murder is Carlton J. Harper, age 34, husband of the deceased.
According to neighbors, who wish to remain anonymous, Mrs. Harper began cohabiting with Mr. Lattimore within a year of her husband having been reported missing in action at the Battle of Mobile Bay. It has recently come to light that Captain Harper, having been held in captivity as a prisoner of war at Fort Pickens, was released from durance vile on or about November 15th. Neighbors speculate that Captain Harper, having returned to Boggy unannounced, discovered his wife and her paramour in flagrante and retaliated by dispatching them both. Missing is the minor child of Captain and Mrs. Harper.
Citizens are urged to come forth with any information as to the whereabouts of Carlton J. Harper or his daughter, Samantha Jane Harper, approximate age 6. Captain Harper is described as standing approximately 5'10" tall, weight approximately 150 lbs., black wavy hair, blue eyes. He is to be considered armed and dangerous.
"Whether or not he actually committed the murders, this would certainly be reason enough for him to go to ground," Cap'n Booger opined after reading the article. He looked up to find Jess staring at him in numb despair.
"That's it. We'll never find 'im now. One thing all us boys was good at was hidin' out. Pa always found us—eventually—an' beat the shit outta us. That's why him and Jon run off soon's they was old enough to live on their own. I weren't but a little 'un but I remember Tony swearin' he was gonna come back some day an' kill Pa for the way he done us an' Ma. He never did. I remember wishin' I was old enough to do it myself."
"What happened?" Cap'n Booger inquired.
"There was a fire... me an' my sister Francie an' our baby brother Davey was the only ones got out. He died a the flux the next year. Even now when I think on that ole man I wish I could dig 'em up an' kill 'im all over again... slowly."
"Seems like death by immolation was horrible enough, though."
"Yeah... I guess so."
"Well, don't give up just yet. Let's make sure there ain't no follow-up articles... arrest records or sightings or whatnot."
Jess moaned. "Cap'n, I don't believe I can last through seven more years a newsprint!"
But he did... and seven years' worth of records at the police station. There was no further mention of the Harper-Lattimore murders other than details of the well-attended interment. The captain's further suggestions were equally unwelcome.
"If we get a move on, we might could have a gander at the guest register at the funeral parlor."
"You gotta be kiddin'!"
"I'm bettin' a bunch a scandalmongers turned up at that funeral. We need to talk to them 'anonymous' neighbors. People often know more'n they know they know... if y'know what I mean. An' any kinfolk a Minnie's, if there's any around."
"Can we quit for today, Cap'n? I'm plumb wore out."
"Well... all right, then. How's about we go back to the hotel, get cleaned up, have a good supper—since we missed lunch—an' get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we'll do the undertaker an' I have a couple other ideas of folks we could talk to."
Wrung out as a dishrag and miserable, Jess agreed without argument.
Tuesday, November 18th... That day and the next were entirely consumed in interviewing anyone they were able to locate whose name appeared on the list of funeral attendees. Not everyone was willing to talk, but those who did contributed nuggets of observation which Cap'n Booger dutifully recorded in a little notebook like those carried by policemen, which, in fact, he'd appropriated from an open supply cabinet at the station when no one was looking. A portrait began to emerge of a man very much like Jess himself.
The most voluble of those consenting to be interviewed was Minnie's oldest brother, Jimbo Ragsdale, who'd lived just across Turkey Creek from the Harper's former place. He and Carlton had been close friends who often hunted together and helped each other out on their respective farms. The last time he'd seen his brother-in-law was the day they enlisted in the Florida Volunteer Infantry. Jimbo was the first to remark how very much Jess resembled his missing brother, even sounded like him. He was a fount of information regarding Carlton's habits, likes and dislikes, disposition, tendencies and a number of other personal characteristics.
Jimbo seemed to falter when Jess asked him outright if he believed Carlton was responsible for murdering his sister and her lover.
"Well... I'll tell ya... I loved my sister, but she always was a needy little thing... sweet but not too smart an' incapable of lookin' after herself... generally helpless an' easily flustered. 'Specially after our folks passed. That's why she married so young, so she'd have a man all her own to look after her. Carlton was the man for the job. He made sure she never had to worry about responsibilities."
"But he joined up an' left her on her own," Jess nodded sadly. "What was he thinkin'?"
"We believed it was our duty, Jess… a just and holy cause. We assumed my wife would take Minnie under her wing and guide her along. Ethel'd always been a take-charge sorta woman. I knew she could run our farm and theirs, too, with a couple of hired hands. We really weren't expectin' the war to reach out an' touch us this far out in the middle a nowhere. We thought we'd win and then come back to find everything the same as we'd left it."
"What happened to change that, Jimbo?" Jess prodded.
"Ethel died in childbirth while I was away. My parents took in my other kids. The hired hands got conscripted. Wasn't anyone left to do the farmwork. The bank called in the mortgages on both farms. Minnie moved into town with the baby. Got herself a job an' held it together for a while... 'til came word about Carlton missin' in action, presumed dead. She couldn't deal with bein' a widow... an' then she met Larry."
"You knew him?"
"Oh yeah... nice enough man. He took good care a her an' the baby, though the neighbors weren't happy about them livin' in sin right next door."
"You still ain't answered my question."
"Do I think he did it? I don't know, but I can't fault him if he did. All I can say is that if I'da come home from the war to find my wife shackin' up with another man, I probably woulda done the exact same thing."
Just before Cap'n Booger and Jess were about to take their leave, Jess remembered one last question.
"Did Carlton ever go by another name that you know of?"
Jimbo chuckled. "Oh... we called each other a whole buncha names."
"I mean like a nickname..."
"Sure... us an' some a the other boys useta take a big boat out on the bay, where we could fish an' drink an' act the fool without our women gettin' on to us. We useta kid Tony about havin' the biggest mouth... we called 'im 'Carp'.