“Do either of your daughters have kids?”
“No, sir. Not yet.”
Jackson was fairly certain that they were childless, but if they’d had any kids out of wedlock, he wanted to know about them, too. “Where did your maternal grandparents come from?”
“Mississippi, sir. I lived there myself until my parents died.”
“Yes, I know.” Jackson moved closer to the man, hoping to scare him with his proximity. “What did they do for a living?”
“They were farming people, sir. Cotton, mostly.”
“And what was the name of their farm? Do you recall?”
“Yes, sir. I was forced to sell it after my folks died. It was called Tanneyhill Acres. Named after my mother’s side of the family.”
Jackson glanced at Holmes and nodded. Both of them were pleased with what they had learned. So far, Webster had made no mistakes in his research.
“I guess that leaves me,” Webster muttered. “Group Three, step ahead and join the others.”
Ariane Walker moved forward and was quickly followed by her sister, Tonya, and her injured brother-in-law, Robert Edwards.
“Since each of you is fairly young, you might not be able to help me with the questions that I would like answered. Therefore, I will give you a brief rundown on your family’s history. If you disagree with anything I say, please let me know.”
The three nodded, not knowing whose family he was referring to.
“Ariane, you’re the closest, so you will be the spokesperson. Two years ago your sister married Robert Edwards from Richmond, Virginia, and she is currently carrying their first child. Your parents, each of them an only child, died in a car crash. Each of your grandparents died at an early age, before you were even born. You have no cousins, aunts, or uncles. It’s just the three of you and the fetus on the way. Is that correct?”
Ariane agreed with everything. “Yes, sir.”
“Excellent,” he mumbled. “Your father’s parents were raised in a coastal town in North Carolina, but your father’s grandparents had roots that extended much deeper south. In fact, they stretched all the way to Louisiana.”
Ariane shrugged. “If you say so. I’ve never had the chance to research my family. As you’ve pointed out, most of my family is already dead.”
Webster smiled. “And they’re lucky they are. Because if they weren’t, they’d be standing here right next to you!”
The statement made Ariane wince. She knew her presence had something to do with her family’s background, but what? Her parents were both law-abiding citizens. Her sister was never in trouble, so it couldn’t have anything to do with her. And as far as she could tell, her brother-in-law was one of the sweetest guys in the world. So what the hell could it be?
“I can tell by your face, Ariane, that you are deeply confused. Your face is flushed. Your eyes are darting. Anger is boiling inside.”
In a moment of reckless courage, Ariane decided to voice her feelings. “Yes, sir, I’m angry. As far as I can tell, my family’s done nothing wrong, yet we’re here, suffering in this field for no apparent reason. So, if you would be so kind, I was wondering if you could tell me why! Why are we here? What possible explanation could you give me that would explain why we’re here?”
Ariane could tell from Webster’s eyes that she had spoken too harshly. In order to soften the request, she continued.
“That is, if you’d like to tell me, Master Webster, sir.”
Webster glared at the girl for a tense moment, then eventually grinned. “As fate would have it, we were just getting ready to tell the entire group that very thing. And for that, you are quite lucky. Otherwise, I would’ve been forced to punish you severely.”
Ariane nodded, relieved.
“Master Holmes?” Webster continued. “Would you care to tell old man Ross and the rest of his family why they are here?”
For a brief moment, Holmes thought back to his own childhood, one that was filled with racial threats against his family. This was finally his chance to pay the white man back for crimes against his ancestors, to get even for generations of pain and abuse. “With pleasure.”
Holmes turned toward the seventy-one-year-old slave and grinned. “During our research, we stumbled across a fact that I found quite interesting. We located the name of the man who was responsible for much of the pain in my family’s history. My ancestors, after they were forced to come to America in the belly of a wooden ship, were sold to a peanut farmer in rural Georgia. There, they worked, day after day, under some of the most horrible conditions imaginable. And what does any of that have to do with you? Their owner’s name was Daniel Ross, and he was your great-great-grandfather!”
Jake’s head spun as he took in the news. Even though he knew his family had a farm in the South, the thought that they had once owned slaves never crossed his mind. It should’ve, since it was a typical practice of the time, but it never did.
“And Group Two!” Jackson growled. “We’ve already discussed your heritage, but I left something out. Before your family owned and operated a warm and cuddly farm, they ran one of the strictest cotton plantations in the entire South. The Tanneyhill Plantation was known for its harsh guards and inhumane treatment of slaves. In fact, some modern-day black historians refer to it as the Auschwitz of Mississippi.”
Richard Potter took a deep gulp as he waited for Jackson to finish.
“For the record, many of my kin were murdered on that plantation. Their innocent blood dripped from the hands of your relatives, and I will never forgive or forget.”
Richard and the rest of his family lowered their eyes in shame. Even though they were never part of the horrendous events of the Tanneyhill Plantation, they still felt guilt for the actions of their ancestors. They had no reason to, because it was a different time, a time when they weren’t even alive, but the feelings surfaced nonetheless.
“And that brings us to you, Ariane!” Webster glanced at Tonya and Robert, then looked around the land of the Plantation. “Remember how I told you that your ancestors stretched way down to Louisiana? Well, guess what? Your family, formerly named Delacroix, used to own this piece of land that we’re currently standing on.”
The color drained from Ariane’s face. She had no idea if the information was accurate or not, but she knew that Webster believed it.
“That’s right! The family that you claimed was so innocent used to own this plantation and all of the people that worked on it. A group of workers that included my ancestors!”
Breathing heavily, Webster moved closer to Ariane and whispered, “That’s why you’re here. To make up for their sins by giving us your lives.”
CHAPTER 35
AFTER
leaving the announcement ceremony, Hakeem Ndjai checked on Payne and Jones. The guards assured him that neither man had put up a fight while they were being transported, and both of them had been switched from rope restraints to handcuffs, as ordered. The news pleased Ndjai. Because of the prisoners’ background, Ndjai realized that these two men would pose a special problem if they ever escaped from custody, a situation he’d rather not deal with.
Payne had been locked in the smallest cabin on the Plantation, one that was usually reserved for solitary confinement of the island’s troublemakers. It possessed a low-beamed ceiling, a rock-covered floor, eight square feet of living space, and the lingering odor of urine and vomit. All things considered, it was like the hazing room of a typical fraternity house.
Jones, on the other hand, was given the Taj Mahal of slave cabins, a room usually used by the guards. A narrow mattress filled the left-hand corner of the room, nestled between a sink and a small lamp that had been mounted to the thick wooden wall. A white porcelain toilet sat next to the basin, giving Jones a luxury that no other captive was afforded. To make up for it, though, they’d strapped an explosive to his leg, the same device used on the other slaves.
“Hakeem?” called a voice from behind.
Ndjai turned and was surprised to see Levon Greene approaching. He wasn’t used to seeing him on the Plantation. “Yes, Master Greene? Is there a problem?”
Greene shook his head. “I need to have a word with David Jones. Can you let me see him?”
The African nodded, inserting the key into the cabin’s lock. “I will be outside. Just call if you need me.”
“Don’t count on it,” he said dismissively. “This boy’s all mine.”
Greene pushed the door open with confidence and scanned the room for the captive, who was resting comfortably in the corner of the room, his hands bound behind him.
Sitting up on the makeshift bed, Jones spoke. “Levon, is that you?”