The mayor laughed harshly. “It’s hardly the kind of thing one would pass down to one’s family. Apparently she was light enough to pass for white, and that’s how they fooled everyone.”
“I don’t think they could have gotten away with it,” I said. “Celeste might not have interacted with the people in town, but the other slaves would certainly have known she was one of them. I don’t think they would have been quiet about her marrying a white man once she was free. It was illegal for blacks and whites to marry then.”
“Well, I think you’re wrong,” the mayor said. “I think they did get away with it.”
I glanced at Kanesha, and she nodded again.
“There is other evidence,” I said. “I found a copy of Angeline McCarthy Long’s memoir of Rachel and read it.”
The mayor did pale visibly this time. “How did . . . But Marie said . . .” She fell silent, obviously horror-stricken over what she let slip.
“I’m sure Marie told you that she had taken care of the library’s copy of the memoir, and I imagine you visited Miss Eulalie Estes and borrowed her copy,” I said. “Someone found the copy Marie had hidden and brought it to me. I read it. Angeline Long states very clearly that Celeste was white. She was the daughter of the white overseer on the Afton plantation in New Orleans. Rachel wouldn’t have written that Celeste was a slave when she clearly wasn’t. Therefore that volume of the diary is a forgery.”
Mrs. Long sank into the chair behind her. She looked back and forth from me to Kanesha twice. I knew my expression was every bit as stony as the deputy’s.
“Did Marie Steverton play a role in creating the forged diary?” Kanesha asked. “Before we go any further, Your Honor, I will read you your rights, unless you waive them.”
The mayor stared down at the floor. Behind me I heard Diesel stirring, so I set down the book I was holding and reached behind me to pat him for reassurance. He stilled under my touch.
“Well, Mrs. Long?” Kanesha said.
“I’ll waive them, and Mr. Harris can be your witness.” The mayor sighed. “Marie did all the work, actually. At my request.”
“What did you promise her?” I asked. “To make sure she got tenure?”
Mrs. Long’s head jerked up. “Yes. How did you know?”
“It was pretty common knowledge around campus that she was desperate to get it,” I said. “She had tried and failed at previous colleges, and this was her last shot before retirement.”
“I see. It was mostly her idea,” the mayor said. “I found Rachel’s diaries several months ago and told her about them then. She kept pestering me to let her have them, but I refused to do it. I didn’t trust her with them.”
“How did you hit upon the scheme to forge a volume of the diary?” Kanesha asked.
“Jasper Singletary was gaining ground in the campaign against my son, and his campaign manager was worried that unless something drastic happened, Singletary would overtake Beck and win.” The mayor shook her head. “I love my son, but he is not a natural politician. He is handsome and charming, but he doesn’t have the oratorical gifts his opponent has; nor is he as quick on his feet. My husband refuses to see that, however, and is determined that Beck will be elected. He’s too proud to believe Beck isn’t going to win.
“So I came up with a scheme to help influence the election,” Mrs. Long continued. “I’d read that memoir of Rachel, and I remembered the story Angeline told about aiding the Singletary family. I thought it would be a good story to adapt to suit my purposes. I knew Marie had some skill with forgery, because she learned how to write like me when we were at Sweet Briar together. She was very good at it.”
“Did Dr. Steverton see the real diaries before she created the forged one?” Kanesha asked.
“No,” the mayor said. “I promised she would be able to use them once the forgery was complete. She wanted me to give them to her personally once she finished the job, but I told her they would have to go to the archive, and she could access them through it. I couldn’t turn over valuable family documents to her, but of course she had a fit.”
“Did she at any time threaten you?” I asked. “You told us about a phone call the night she was killed, when she asked you about the monetary value of the diaries?”
“She couldn’t threaten me,” the mayor said. “She would expose herself if she exposed me. She didn’t dare. She was roaring drunk when she called, and she didn’t make a lot of sense when she drank that heavily. She asked me several times if I thought the diaries were worth fifty thousand dollars and I told her I didn’t know.”
“Did she give you any indication why she was asking?” Kanesha said.
The mayor frowned. “There was something about interested parties but I could never get her to tell me what she meant.” She shrugged. “I finally told her to quit drinking and go to bed.”
“Are you sure that was the extent of your conversation with Dr. Steverton that night?” Kanesha asked. “She didn’t bring up anything else?”
“No,” the mayor said. “Of course, I had no idea she’d stolen the diaries from the archive, and she didn’t tell me. If I had known, I would have driven right over and taken them home until they could be returned to the archive.”
She looked from Kanesha to me and back again. “Now it’s my turn to ask a question. What was in those pages Marie tore out? Obviously something important, or I doubt she would have vandalized a historical document.”
I glanced at Kanesha, and she nodded at me. I decided I’d rather be sitting when I delivered the blow to the mayor, and most likely, to Beck Long’s hopes of being elected, if this ever got out to the public. “This won’t be pleasant, Mrs. Long, but there is no way to sugarcoat it.”
Mrs. Long took a deep breath. “Go ahead.”
I told her the story of Major Andrew Long’s desertion and its aftermath. I kept it short, and she grew paler by the syllable. When I finished, I thought she might keel over in a dead faint.
Kanesha and I waited for Mrs. Long to respond to what I’d related to her. She gazed wildly at me and wet her lips a couple of times. “My dear Lord,” she said, “this will kill my husband if it ever gets out. He’s always been so proud of his family, and his distinguished lineage. You can’t let this be made public. You simply can’t.” Her voice rose on the last three words to nearly a shriek.
“I don’t intend to tell anyone,” I said. “I give you my solemn promise on that.”
The mayor turned to Kanesha. “Will it have to come out?”
“I don’t know, Your Honor,” Kanesha said. “The pages had to be taken into evidence because of the seriousness of the crime. It will be up to the prosecutors to decide whether it’s relevant to the murder. If they deem it is, then it probably will come out.”
Mrs. Long nodded wearily. “I’d like to go now, if you don’t mind. I have to tell my son he can’t use that story about the slave woman before it’s too late. Singletary would turn him into a complete laughingstock.”
“Let me walk you down to your car,” Kanesha said. “I’ll be back, Mr. Harris.”
I stared at her. I couldn’t believe she was letting the mayor go. Wasn’t she going to charge her with the murder of Marie Steverton?
I was stunned. I was sure the mayor was responsible, but I began to realize that if Kanesha had the evidence to make the charge, she would have. There were obviously pieces of the puzzle still missing, at least officially.
Diesel climbed from the windowsill into my lap, and I hugged him against me. He purred, and I knew we both felt better. We snuggled until Kanesha returned about three minutes later. Then Diesel wanted to get back into his spot in the window.