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| Lucas visits Cora at Bellmore Beach |
Lucas Mural sat on the veranda at Bellmore Beach, home of Evie Jordan-Lord, and watched the bright blue waves crash up against the white sand that just off in the distance. After several days of harsh spring storms, the warm sun hit his cheeks as memories of the Portuguese islands he came from rushed into his mind just as fast as the waves hit the sand.
He was there visiting Coraline Tyler who he had become fast friends with. They connected and bonded over being two people thrust into the wild world Welshport could be; a world that so often spun out of control.
On this day, he was there hoping to help her through a tough time now that she was slowly getting use to the idea of being the of the child of the late Henry and Lorna Lockwood, Maggie, that was sold on the black market in exchange for expunging Henry’s vast depts.
Cora, in a floral dress and pink scarf around her neck, came out on the deck with some cool tea. She carefully dropped circular lemon slices into the amber colored liquid and handed the glass to Lucas who thanked her in Portuguese.
"When will Gabriel be back?" Lucas asked, knowing Cora was at Bellmore Beach getting a new lesson ready for the little boy’s return.
"Aurora said sometime after lunch, she was going to try and see if she could take him to see Evie."
"In jail?" Lucas asked.
Cora shrugged. "She feels Gabriel needs to see his mother and the rest of his family. It’s been so long. He’s been asking for her."
Lucas agreed "Speaking of family, have you thought about reaching out to Rebecca about what you know?"
Cora took in a deep sigh "I don't know about that."
"She's going to find out eventually that you're the niece she long thought gone. I think maybe it'd be better if you told her than --- a column from Baxter." Lucas said.
"Do you think Baxter would do that to me? His own sister?” She wondered.
“Cora, he’s lied to you for years. He knew this truth all along and never told you, and then he tricked you into working for the very family you’re related to? Don’t you see? This was all some kind of game he could watch play out. For himself.” Lucas reminded.
Cora seemed to agree.
“After all he's already done with that poison pen of his, I can’t imagine he’d do more to me." Cora said, her deep blue eyes gazing out to sea that seemed to reflect the same color.
"Veneno." Lucas said, using the Portuguese word for poison. "Even if you were not his real sister, you were raised like siblings. He lied to you for so long."
"So did Lear." She reminded Lucas who was not in a very good romance with Lear.
"Well, for him I think the pain of it all, knowing what happened to you and what your father Henry did, I don't think he was thinking clearly. Baxter, well, he enjoyed I think, the idea of someday sinking this news into the Lords. The disaster at the Moon Festival just came first." Lucas said, protecting the man he loved.
"Are you saying I should just forgive Lear and not Baxter? They both had a hand in hiding my truth for years. I had no idea that both of them had known all this time." Cora asked her new friend.
"I know it seems like I am giving Lear a pass and Baxter not, but knowing what I know Baxter in the short time that I have interacted with him, I can see his is indeed very conniving. Lear was caught in that web. Maybe he would have chosen differently if he was never in Lear's eyes." Lucas replied, his accident floating into the air like a beautiful Lusophone poem.
Cora sipped her tea and stared out into the sea. She thought about what she would do now knowing she was a Lockwood. A lot came with the name. The Lockwoods were one of the first founding families of Welshport and although there were very few of them around now she was one of those few. Lear, Rebecca were the last of the name.
"Do you think, if I asked Lear, he'd help me find information about something--- before I say anything to Rebecca about me being Maggie.
"What kind of information are you looking for?" Lucas asked, his light brown hair filling with the ocean breeze.
Cora sipped the tea again, the small bits of chopped ice cooled her lips. "I want to know how Henry Lockwood got involved with this black market that sold me, as an infant, to the Murphys. There is no way Henry just discovered the Murphy’s by chance and proposed some kind of twisted baby transaction. I want to know who it was... I want to find the person that brokered this deal and I want to know why they did it."
“For money.” Lucas replied quickly. “Henry’s finances were in shambles. He owed millions.”
“There has to be more.” Cora pressed.
Lucas' brow furrowed. Cora’s need for closure was unyielding and not only that Lucas was unsure Lear could even supply her with everything she wanted. "Cora, in truth, what would knowing all these details even matter now? You know what you know, don't you think you should just move on and hopefully get to know your real family better?"
"It matters Lucas." Cora replied, her tone of voice soft secure. "I need to know everything that happened and how it happened and... and I just need to know it all Lucas. I want the details so that I can then move passed it. If anyone has that info, it’s Lear. I know it. He would never have pressed the issue and allowed Baxter to convince him to use me to get the Lords without solid proof I truly was his sister Maggie."
Lucas thought about it for a split second, it didn't take long for him to see she was right. Lear must know exaclty how it all transpired, or else he would have never plotted with Baxter in the first place. As a lawyer, Lear knew the power of having phyical proof and that made clear to Cora and Lucas that there was.
"Maybe we should do the digging ourselves." Lucas said.
"Ourselves?"
"I think Lear wants nothing more than to just forget all of this, I know he feels horrible about hurting you. And especially since he's so tied up with the trial in the village, he may not really have the time. He’s been incredibly busy with the trial so…well…what if you and I just go to his office and find what we're looking for."
“Alone? Through Lear’s things?” She asked.
Lucas realized what he was saying, setting himself up to go into Lear’s office without his knowledge. But the principal mattered most to him. Truth. And Cora finally needed to know hers.
“He won’t be happy — at the end of the day I think he’ll understand we had to just take the bandage off and face the past.”
Cora smirked. "You'd really help me, behind Lear's back?" She asked.
Lucas sighed hearing “behind Lear’s back” "Well… nobody deserves to continue to live in the shadow of such a horrible thing done to them. You deserve to know. I just want to help.”
"You don't think he'll be angry?" She wondered.
"He's already promised you more answers, we're only doing the hard part for him while he’s at trial." Lucas said, crafting his own pre-excuse.
"How would we do it? We'd have to get access to his office." Cora asked.
Lucas lifted a brow and smirked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shining key ring.
"Like a key?" He said showing her the golden key to Lear's office.
Cora giggled "Yes! Like a key!"
****
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| Media chaos outside the Courthouse |
Meanwhile, a crush of press was once again causing a claustrophobic scene at the front steps of the village courthouse as Jacob and Celeste stood at the bottom of the slick concrete steps surrounded by flash bulbs, sketch pads and pens flailing at their ever word. Jacob was doing damage control after Charlotte's disastrous testimony the day before that caused shock waves around the island.
During Charlotte's testimony, a hidden Jacqueline caused her to behave as if she were being controlled by the so-called Witches of Welshport and one after the other more people began to say they were afflicted by the witches too.
All Jacqueline's doing. And the press ate it up!
"But how is your daughter, Mr. Lord? Physically." One reporter asked flipping his notepad open.
"Charlotte is fine, I will have you know that what happened yesterday, while unexpected, had nothing to do with witchcraft." Jacob replied.
"So how do you explain it sir?" Another reporter asked, as a flash bulb burst in Celeste and Jacob's faces with a crash.
"We can't," Jacob replied "but I know my child, and I know the accused very well and they are in no way what the Mayor has accused them of being and what the press has hounded on since the day of the full moon disaster." Jacob replied.
"That doesn't make sense." Baxter said, appearing in the crowd. "Mary Goode, for example, was seen doing something extremely supernatural. She used what some would call magical powers — and killed a man. How is that explained?"
"Baxter, as someone who has seen many things that are unexplainable by the human condition, you should know that there might be scientific situations that I am confident Mr. Lockwood will get to once he has his chance to plead his defense." Jacob replied.
Flashbulbs went off again. Bright lights dotting Jacob and Celeste's eyes so much, so they did not see the couple walking up the street toward the courthouse: Genevieve Thorne and Christopher Wesley.
"We should turn back." Chris said.
"Chris, you said to me you were ready to show yourself after all the hiding, you said to me this very morning that you wanted to come with me to court because you wanted Morgan to see you by my side when he testifies. Everything will be ok." She said.
His hands shook.
"They're going to think I...am.... you know." He said panicked.
The man she came to the village with from London, the man determined to destroy Jacob suddenly vanished and in his place, David Lord stood and the terrified younger brother of the man standing in the swarm of small-town press had his entire attention. But it would not be for long. Celeste's eyes finally adjusted from the flashbulbs, and she eyed the approaching Chris and Genevieve.
Chris locked eyes with her too, they knew each other for years and years.
"Your name is Christopher Wesley." Genevieve whispered to him. "That's who you are."
Chris who had changed his mind about trying to trick Jacob into believing he was the ghost of his dead brother, wanted to do better by his family, Sabrina and Sebastian. But before he could do it, secretly though his identity of Christopher Wesley, he had to face his own darkness.
Celeste gasped when she saw Chris.
Baxter quickly picked up on where Celeste was looking and turned to that direction, seeing David Lord standing at the end of the sidewalk too.
"JESUS!!!" Baxter shouted and like a mouse in a maze fled through the press and approached Chris and Genevieve.
"David??? DAVID LORD?" He shouted, just loud enough to get Jacob's attention.
Jacob and Christopher locked eyes and it was as if the entire world stopped. Jacob could no longer hear anything. He could no longer feel anything in his feet. It was as if his whole body had gone numb. He turned white, he couldn't breathe. He grabbed Celeste's hand and squeezed to the point of pain.
"He...it can't be." Jacob murmured under his breath and the press ran towards Christopher.
Seeing the face of David in Christopher and the face of Sabrina in Geneveive made Jacob's stomach drop and everything went black.
Jacob's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he fell down to his knees clutching his left arm.
"I can't breathe....." He said chocking on his words.
"HELP! HELP!!!" Celeste screamed.
"YOU'RE ALIVE! Where have you been? What happened???" reporters shouted.
"NO! You don't understand, this is Christopher, his name is Christpher!" Genevieve shouted.
But no one could understand what she was saying over Celeste's screams for help.
Everyone turned back to see Jacob clutching his chest. The shock at seeing the couple he once destroyed alive and, in his face, caused a heart attack and he was on the brink of death.
Chris panicked and dropped Genevieve's hand and ran off down the street as camera's snapped photos of him running.
"What the fuck is going on!?" Baxter said grinning from ear to ear. It was the happiest day of his life.
"SOMEONE HELP ME!!!" Celeste screamed as people come over to help Jacob get medical attention.
****
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| Nathan, Timothy & Eden in the courtroom |
As chaos enraptured the press outside the courthouse, there was a strange calm inside as preparations were being made for the new day's hearing.
Eden Sydney, the special prosecutor Mayor Churchill requested from Augusta, sat at his table furiously sorting through the files on the case. He felt humiliated at even having to be in what he saw as a backwater village far away from the capital. Situations like this made him miss his days as high-powered attorney in Boston. For his part, Churchill knew that Syndey had to fulfill his duties and this kept him keen to push Churchill agenda for him.
Not that Sydney had to try too hard -- Judge Banning was also in Churchill pocket.
"Very bizarre scene out there." the mayor's aide Nathan Cramer said to both men.
Churchill grinned. "Something was bound to happen to Jacob at some point, if a bullet couldn't do it, maybe karma would."
Nathan rolled his eyes.
"Maybe we should ask the judge to push for a recess, I'm sure The Lords would want some kind of representation in court today and being that Jacob is ill -- " Eden began trying to delay more humiliation in a kangaroo court.
"Absolutely not!" Churchill shot back. "You have a job to do and it's high time you put on the pressure."
"Sir, I think Mr. Sydney might be right. Right now the village seems to be on your side and more and more they turn against the family, maybe giving them a bit of a breather would shine bright on you too." Nathan added.
"Is that what you want with all this? Really? To tarnish the Lord family? Just to drag their names through the mud in a trial about -- of all things -- witchcraft? Timothy, really, even you know this is insane. I don't' know how many times I have to tell you this but I can't really apply a three-hundred-year-old law in modern time just to fulfill some selfish vendetta of yours against this family." Eden said.
"Selfish? Do you think I'm the only one who's lived under this faux Lord family dukedom? They've taken land, businesses, fortunes from countless families over the years by expanding their little empire decade after decade. They own the entire island in real estate. Everyone in this village in some way pays those bastards --- my father and uncles lost everything to them. Everything! And it wasn't just our family. No, what I am doing is a long time coming and they deserve every column inch of bad press they're getting with this." Churchill replied.
"Its never going to work." Eden said.
"Sir, we do have to be realistic." Nathan added.
"Listen to them." A voice from defense table said.
It was Lear, setting down his briefcase and removing his coat.
The three at the prosecution turned but Churchill did not backdown.
"We carry on. Sydney, do your job. We saw what we saw at the caves." The mayor replied mentioning Mary being witnessed using her powers.
"I going to dismantle that Tim. You know I will." Lear said from his side.
"Do you best Counceller." Timothy replied as he and Nathan joined the rest of the court gallery in getting to their seats.
As everyone entered the courtroom, there was a buzz as electric as the thunder in the air just a few nights before. Everyone was in shock at hearing Jacob seemed to have had a heart attack in front of a buzzing press. There were rumors he was afflicted by the witches, some said his guilt at being even affiliated with them finally took his toll, only one person, Baxter Murphy, really knew the dish.
The face of David Lord, Christopher's face, still haunted Jacob.
Fatima and Filipe who had arrived after Jacob's collapse, entered the court when Fatima overheard the whispering of the town's people and press about what had happened. She couldn't believe what they were saying and had always known of the scandalous rumors of David Lord supposedly murdering Sabrina on Bellmore Beach decades ago. Everyone knew the story. Everyone in town had different version of it. But when David jumped off the lighthouse in what was said a guilt-ridden death by suicide, the story eventually became more myth than truth.
And here they were again, shocked and confused over David's Lord showing up to court.
And yet -- he wasn't there.
Fatima fluttered about the court room gathering information when suddenly Genevieve Thorne entered. She was there on this day because her son Morgan was set to testify. Everyone turned to her as she walked in knowing she was Genevieve but also remembering she had the uncanny resemblance to Sabria. Fatima quickly rushed over and pulled Genevieve to the side.
"What is all of this about Daivd? What have you done?" Fatima asked.
Genvieve pulled her hands from Fatima, a woman she barely knew, and scowled.
“Let go of me!” Genevieve shouted.
“I can sense things, menina,” Fátima began, using the Portuguese world for girl when addressing the younger Genevieve. “and I don’t like what I feel when I see your face and I hear what name: David Lord.”
"I would have hoped a woman of your age would know better than to be sifting through gossip. His name is Christopher Wesley. He's a man I met in England, and he came home with me. There's no David Lord anymore."
"Wesley?" Fatima asked confused.
"His look is a coincidence." Genevieve replied, continuing to help Chris move on from his past by keeping up the lie. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to save a seat for my son.”
Fatima pursed her lips not believing a single word that came out of Genevieve's mouth.
As the gallery settled in, the side door of the courtroom opened and the three accused entered still chained at the wrists.
As Fatima returned to Filipe's side he asked her what the whispered were about.
"Jacob Lord collapsed outside." his mother said. "They took him to Hope."
"Oh my god. Poor Celeste." Filipe answered thinking first of his former partner of 2 decades, Celeste.
Moments later, the accused were led into the room.
Filipe spotted Mary who was clearly exhausted. Her eyes looked withdrawn, and she could barely focus on him. Her mind, of course, was on what had happened in her dreams with the witch council and what they showed her. Her face. Her body. In a casket.
She was groggy and wishing to be back in the cell, a wish she'd never thought she'd have, but there she could rest instead of sitting in a court and listen to all of the awful things Eden would push out.
"She looks ill." Filipe whispered to Fatima. "We have to stop this."
"Filho, não." Fatima said in her native Portuguese, knowing he wanted to confess to being the wolf to save Mary. "We cannot push ourselves further into this. We've come too far."
"But they want to kill them." Filipe said.
Fatima lifted a brow "They'll try." She replied cryptically.
"ALL RISE!" The bailiff shouted. "JUDGE COLEMAN BANNING PRESIDING."
"Be seated." Banning said as he too sat on his large red leather chair.
"Now, I know we have a lot to cover, and I am very sure there will be no outbursts as there were in our last meeting. If there are I will call for a mistrial and we'll have to do this all over again and frankly, I don't think this town has the stomach to start over. I've been as lenient as any judge can but if I have to I will place people in contempt and a mistrial. Is that clear?"
Everyone in the court nodded.
"Good. Mr. Syndey, good afternoon, call your first witness."
"Afternoon, Judge. The state calls Morgan Thorne."
As Morgan's name was called, the back doors to the courtroom parted and 14-year-old Morgan stepped in with Jane Donnelly who was asked to remain with Morgan as the Lord family took to the hospital with Jacob. Morgan scanned the courtroom as he entered and finally saw his mother. A half smile peeked out from behind the nervous young man but then a full smile shone when he saw Mary, the woman who'd become his foster mother while Genevieve was off in London.
Seeing this Genevieve's heart sank.
Morgan took to the stand and took his oath, the light beaming over his chestnut hair causing a halo around him, an ironic visual considering the very dark topic at hand.
"Morgan I don't have a lot of questions, so don't be too nervous." Eden said stepping into the area in front of the witness stand. "How do you know the three defendants?"
"Evie is a friend I met her when she lived at Tirymor before she --- uh -- well before we thought she died. Matthew I met too... at Tirymor. And Mary is Charlotte's mother. We lived with her and Filipe."
"You lived with and Filipe? Eden asked.
"Yes."
"Not your own mother?"
Morgan sighed and Geneveive's heart sank realizing she was about to hear how her rush to find David in London was practically abandoning her own son in a strange place.
"No. My... my mother left for a long time but she's returned. Mary watched over me. She's been like a second mother to me." Morgan said, his voice falling faint in hopes it wouldn't sting Geneiveve too much to hear the truth.
"I see. And do you remember when Matthew and Evie both went away, and everyone thought they died?" Eden asked.
"Yes."
"But they didn't. Right?"
"No."
"How did Mary explain that to you?" Eden wondered.
"She hadn't explained it. We all just knew it was all just a terrible mistake."
"Their supposed deaths were terrible mistakes?" Eden asked.
"Yes. They were alive. We all just didn't know it."
"I know that your father Steven died, is that correct?" Eden said surprising both Morgan and Genevieve.
".... yes." Morgan said before a pregnant pause.
"Was your father's death a mistake?" Eden asked.
"Objection your honor!" Lear shot up.
"Grounds?" Banning asked.
"Leading! How is Mr. Thorne, a boy of 14, supposed to answer such a heavy question about his father's death in regard to what happened to Mrs. Lord and Mr. Winterborn? These situations are very different the Mr. Sydney is trying to conflate them."
Banning thought for a second. "Sustained. Mr. Sydney, skip it."
"Morgan, do you know what truth and lies are?" Eden asked as Timothy Churchill squirmed in his seat.
"Yes."
"Do you know that telling the truth here and now is very important?"
"I do." The boy answered.
"Ok, then can you tell me if you ever saw Mary Goode use any sort of witchcraft in your presence?"
Lear gulped not knowing what the boy had seen when living with Mary. Mary too felt a slight tightness in her chest. Evie and Matthew looked at each other unsure of how he'd answer.
Morgan thought for a second. His brow furrowed and the halo around him from the sunlight seemed to brighten. He new what a truth and a lie was and he also knew what that keeping this trial going was only going to destroy families more each day that Mary, Evie and Matthew sat in dirty, cold jail cells in the basement of Village Hall.
"Your answer Mr. Thorne?" The judge asked.
"I..." Morgan's mind went to the several times he witnessed Mary using magic with Charlotte. The spell book. The times he could not understand how they did the things they did. For Morgan they were miraculous events even though they frightened him at time. Nothing Mary or Charlotte had done in front of him was to hurt anyone. But the truth was the truth.
"Mr. Thorne, have you ever seen Mary Goode use any sort of magic?" Eden repeated.
"I have." he answered.
The crowd gasped and the judge banged his gavel. "Order!"
"No further questions." Eden said sitting down as Timothy patted him on the shoulder.
Lear got up to cross examine.
"Morgan you just testified that you saw Mary Goode use magic in front of you. Can you tell me what exactly she did?"
Morgan's face scrunched in thought "I don't know."
"You don't know what she did?" Lear asked.
"No. Not really."
"So how do you know it was magic? Or Witchcraft like the prosecution suggests."
Morgan again tilted his head unsure "Well, I just know that she was is able to go into her mind and think deeply and she gets answers to questions. I saw her do that." He said remembering Mary's way with telepathic connection just like Charlotte.
"You saw Mary think deeply." Lear asked.
"Yes."
"Have you ever done that?" Lear questioned.
Morgan said he didn't understand. The judge asked Lear to clarify.
"Have you ever had times in your young life where something was bothering you and you had to sit back and think deeply on it -- as a way to sort it out for yourself?"
"Yes. I have yes!" Morgan said seeing were Lear was going.
"And was that Magic?" Lear wondered.
"No."
"Was that witchcraft?" Lear said again.
"NO!" Morgan replied happily.
Churchill growled "Object damn it." he whispered to Eden who refused.
"So how do you know what Mary was doing was witchcraft and not the same thing you do?" Lear wondered.
"Well, I don't. I don't know exactly!" He said.
"Could it be that Mary is just better at, what you say, 'deep thinker'? She is older than you. Has more life experience. Would that make sense?" Lear asked.
"Object!" Churchill again whispered to Eden who again refused allowing Lear to go on hoping this would be the beginning of the end.
"I think so. I think you're right." Morgan said.
"And as for Mrs. Lord and Mr. Winterborn, you never saw anything strange about them did you?"
"Never, no."
"Thank you, Morgan. No further questions your honor."
As the judge allowed Morgan to take his seat, Churchill fumed at Eden's lack of push to break the boy on the stand. Eden was done. After being dragged into the stupid trial he wanted out and would not allow Churchill's attempt to destroy the Lord family on selfish means to ruin his career any longer.
There seemed to finally be a light at the end of the tunnel for the accused.
But Mary, deep in her mind knew, something else was to come.
