Ottaline watched Mr. Idris put more eggs on his plate as she filled her cup with more juice.

"These are the best scrambled eggs I ever had," Mr. Idris said.

"Thank you sir," Ottaline said. "Though it was Rovy who rounded up all those chickens."

"Well than thank you both for this wonderful breakfast," Mr. Idris said.

Granville finished off his grits then put the bowl aside. "Since we are all here I think it's time we recognized all of the key players in our little game," he said.

"It would be nice to know how everything is going," Ottaline said.

Granville began. "Isaac Richmond, died and 1879. The suspicion is that he was killed by one or more of this brothers but the motive is still very unclear. Esau Richmond, the eldest of the brothers who runs the family. Ishmael and Jude Richmond, unpredictable and dangerous and it is possible they are both back in town recently. Ida Richmond, Esau's wife, a northern woman who has little tolerance for southerners. Don't be fooled though, she'd kill for that man."

"So many bad seeds being sown," Idris said.

"Then we have the rest of our victims." Granville went on. "Rebecca Arnold, Brigit Heritage, Catherine and John Sabbath..."

"Rest their souls," Idris said. "Though I'll feel restless myself until I solve this."

Granville rose from the table. "The motive is the key," he said. "According to what the girls discovered the other day I'd say it makes sense that something was about to become known that the Richmond family are trying to hide."

/

"Elsa Dressler and her siblings are unwell, Ottaline could you take them something to eat?" Granville said as he came into the kitchen.

"Yes, sir," Ottaline said watching him help himself to some crackers. "How sick?"

Granville closed the cracker box and checked his watch. "It's nothing you can catch," he said and departed out the side door.

Ottaline watched him until he had rounded the house then she started to prepare a basket for the Dressler siblings. There were three in all: Elsa who was twenty-one Lenchen who was twelve, and once a student and Mr. Habersham's and Peter who was nine.

"Rovy, I need your help!" she shouted into the yard once she had everything ready.

Providence entered with a book under her arm and a sour look on her face. She brightened a little when she saw the two baskets on the table. "Is all of that for Elsa and her siblings?"

"Mr. Heritage said they were sick," Ottaline said putting napkins over the basket. "This is being a good neighbor." She took one basket and Providence took the other.

"I know," the younger sister said. "It was Elsa who gave was the recipe for the green bean soup. Oh how Daddy loved that soup!" She pulled the kitchen door closed behind her. "This will be a good chance to practice our German."

"I don't feel like practicing," Ottaline said.

Providence narrowed her eyes. "That's because you mind is too full of Mr. Heritage!"

"What?"

"I saw you," Providence said.

"Saw me what?"

"I saw you fawning over him like a little puppy," Providence said.

Ottaline scoffed. "Puppies don't fawn," she said. "Besides he is my friend."

"He's our mentor," Providence said. "Stop dreaming, Ottaline. You can't marry him. Ever!" She walked ahead. "If Daddy knew how you were carrying on he'd be furious."

Ottaline caught up to her sister. "Granville is not the enemy!" she said and Providence's eyes widened.

"You use his given name now?"

"I didn't mean it," Ottaline said. "I'd never call him that to his face." She grabbed her sister's arm. "I think I love him, Rovy."

Providence pulled her arm away. "You can't!" she hissed.

"Why not?"

"Why do you think?"

"Because he ain't colored?" Ottaline demanded. "His mother's mother was full blooded Chippewa. That's colored enough isn't it?"

"That's not why!" Providence said.

"Then why?"

"Because you're supposed to love me!" Providence said. "We are supposed to be together forever. Daddy and Mama are gone so now it has to be the two of us together."

Ottaline shook her head. "Oh, Rovy. I could never love anyone more than I love my little sister. Don't I always look out for you?"

Providence stepped away. "I don't know. I just don't know anymore." She walked on leaving Ottaline behind.

When they reached the Dressler's house Lenchen opened the door and greeted them in German and then in her best English. Peter peeped out behind her and she called for Elsa who appeared on the doorway looking very pale. They took the basket and said thank you then closed the door.

"Only Elsa looked ill to me," Providence said.

"We can't catch what she has," Ottaline said as she walked away.

"What does she have?"

"If I told you you'd get angry," Ottaline said. They stepped through the gate and Providence closed it behind them.

"Promise I won't!" she begged. "Swear I won't!"

"All right, but you can't tell anyone," Ottaline said. "Elsa is expecting?"

"Expecting what...oh." Providence said. She glanced back toward the house hidden behind magnolias. "But I thought storks only visited married people."

"Oh, Rovy you couldn't be that simple," Ottaline said. "Haven't you learned about midwifery in all those medical books you read?" She asked and Providence shook her head. "Well babies don't come from storks. Nor does the doctor bring them in the bag nor does the mother get them from the store."

"Then where do they come from?"

"Inside you."

"Inside me!"

"Yes."

"But..." Providence frowned. "How did it get there?"

"It got put there," Ottaline said feeling her face warm.

"Like Baby Jesus?"

Ottaline sighed. "No, Rovy not like Baby Jesus. That was a divine miracle, they just call this conception."

"What's inception.

"Conception," Ottaline said and I'll tell you about it later. She started walking and Providence hurried after her.

"But I want to know now!"

"You'll just have to wait."

"Fine," Providence said. "As you wish."

/

Granville finished praying over the meal then every began to pass their plates for dinner.

"May I have the gravy please?" Providence said.

Granville picked up the gravy boat. "You may," he said. "If you can ask in German."

Ottaline nudged her sister, knowing she could do it.

Providence stood at the table. Idris nodded and she spoke up. "Bitte leiten Sie die Soße."

Granville passed her the gravy and Providence took it with a smile. "You had better not ask for anything, Ottaline." She whispered to her sister with a grin.

"Would you like anything else?" Granville asked.

Providence poured the gravy over her potatoes. "Yes," she said. "What is conception?"

Idris choked on his drink and Ottaline buried her face in her napkin while Granville turned beet red.

/

That night Providence lay in bed with dry tears on her face watching the curtains flutter in the half open window. It was a hot night and their fears of the shadow man did not beat the misery of the heat. She looked at Ottaline sleeping next to her and could see her miserable expression in the moonlight.

She admitted she did admire Mr. Heritage the same she admired Mr. Idris but she didn't want anyone to separate her from her sister. She had just rolled over and closed her eyes when a sound...a sound like tin cans exploding broke the hot night. A thunder like rumble followed it echoing loudly over the mountains and setting the town dogs to barking. When she looked next to her she saw that Ottaline was already awake.

They both got out of bed and went out onto the balcony. Voices bounced off the mountains from all directions as the town woke up. The girls ran into the hall where they met Idris buttoning his shirt.

"What was that?" Ottaline asked.

"It sounded like a big crash," Idris said.

Knocking at the door made them all jump and Idris hurried down to get it. When he opened the door a man was already running off the porch.

"Shipwreck!" he called out as he ran though the night. "Shipwreck at the Peak!"

Idris stepped into the porch and watched the lights come on at the Richmond mansion. The man vanished into the black night, leaving only the echo of his voice.

"Shipwreck?" Providence questioned. "At False Light Peak? I didn't think that happened anymore." She followed Mr. Idris back inside.

"Girls you will need to get dressed," Idris said as he went up the hall. "We are going to need all the help we can get."

Ottaline and Providence hurried back into their bedroom and changed their clothes. Ottaline then instructed Providence to go into the hall closet and take out the extra blankets while she brought the wagon around. Granville met everyone in the front yard once they had all dressed and they joined the rest of the town down at the shore.

/

Hundreds of lanterns dotted the shore reflecting the starry sky above. The soaked crew sat wrapped in blankets staring at the little steamer gorged with a hole and turned sideways on the rocks. It took hours to pull everyone from the waters and six crew members were drowned.

"Why did you not follow the light house?" Folks kept asking the captain and his crew. "It is well lit."

"Why did you sail so close to the shoreline?"

"Could you not see the lighthouse?"

They would ask this and then point to the beaming lighthouse far off coast and away from the rocks.

Providence and Ottaline were standing near when a woman asked the same question and the captain replied to her like he had to them all.

"There was a light," He said pointing to the peak. "I saw a light."

Providence and Ottaline exchanged glances as the wind blew salty sprays of water into their faces. They looked up at False Light Peak as it stood completely darkened and almost invisible against the night.

"Everyone, everyone please remain calm," Esau's voice rose above the crowd and the ocean and all turned to him, standing atop his motorcar. "This is an accident not strange to us. Now we must help the captain and what remains of his crew." He next spoke directly to the captain. "Sir, I will kindly pay for your board at the Blue Roof Inn, for you and your crew. I will also arrange a team to salvage what we can from the wreckage."

Someone started to applaud and others quickly followed suit.

"That's a Richmond for you," Providence heard the woman next to her say to another. "Always looking out for others."

Providence turned away from the crowd and the face of the sorrowful but grateful captain and looked back up at the peak. His words resounded in her head: There was a light, I saw a light.