CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Code? Can you tell us anything good?” asked Ian. He and Ghost were working at Belle Fleur with the intelligence team to find information on Snow.
“I’ve found his real name,” said Code. “Bennett Hampton.”
Ghost and Ian looked at one another, then back at Code, shaking their heads.
“Is that name supposed to mean something to us?” asked Ghost.
“No. At least I don’t think so. Bennett Hampton is from an old southern family. Big, old, and influential southern.”
“What does that mean?” asked Ian.
“His seven times grandfather came over from England and immediately bought a large piece of property in Virginia. He planted cotton, tobacco, corn, anything and everything, and was quite successful. He also owned more than seventy slaves on his property.”
“Real nice guy,” frowned Ghost.
“That’s not all. By the time his son inherited the property, he bought two more homes. One in South Carolina and one in Alabama. By 1817, the family owned eleven plantations in Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
“When the war between the states broke out, the head of the family joined the Confederate Army, as did his three sons. The father and two of the sons were killed, leaving just one to manage what was left of the properties.”
“What was left of the properties?” asked Ghost.
“Most of the mansions were destroyed by the Union soldiers, but many continued to operate as farms long after the war. The last of the homes burned to the ground in the early 1900s. The family still had money and means, but never the wealth before the Civil War.”
“Okay,” nodded Ghost. “So, Bennett Hampton was born with a silver spoon and is bitter. Is that what’s happening here?”
“I’m not sure of that just yet,” said Code.
“He has plenty of money from investments and business holdings. Prior to the incidences where he bought the properties and destroyed them, he worked as an investment broker for a major firm in North Carolina. Then, suddenly, after the death of his father, he was buying up these properties and left the firm.”
“Why? I mean, if he was making good money, why leave his investment firm to buy up property, destroy it, and then move on to another?” asked Ian.
“I think that’s what we need to find out,” said Code.
“Hi,” said Aislinn, smiling at the men at the table.
“Hey there, Aislinn. How are you, honey?” asked Ghost.
“I’m good. Has anyone seen my husband?” she smiled.
“No. I know that he was working out at the animal shelter with a few of the guys. Do you want me to take you out there?” asked Ian.
“No, I just wanted to go into the city for a bit. I have some things for Mama Irene, but they didn’t want me to drive in by myself.”
“I can take you,” said Ian. “I need a break from all of this anyway.”
“Awesome. I get a handsome driver, and my husband won’t be jealous.”
Ian parked the truck and escorted Aislinn toward the Square. She was met with nothing but familiar faces. Jean, Ruby, Cruz, Tango, Flip, and Baptiste were seated beneath the massive shade of the tree, drinking water and iced tea, laughing.
“Well, hey there,” smiled Jean. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, we have some more supplies for Mama Irene.”
“Hey, darlin’!” she called from her perch. Aislinn laughed, waving at the old woman.
“I’ll take it up to her,” smiled Baptiste.
“Code’s got some possible leads on our guy Snow. Not his real name, obviously,” said Ian.
“Yeah, the guys went by his apartment, and he was a real piece of work. We’re hoping he doesn’t cause any bullshit, but we doubt that will happen,” said Jean.
“Speak of the devil,” whispered Aislinn, nodding toward the man walking toward them.
“Well, well, well, we have some new faces,” he said, smiling. He reached out a hand for Aislinn, and they all held their breath, wondering if she would accept. A simple touch might be too much for her.
She stared at his hand, then at the others. Leaning toward Jean, she whispered to him.
“Catch me if I fall,” she said quietly. She reached for his hand, shaking it, and felt the cold, bloodless death that was so familiar to her. Violence, beatings, death, whippings, fire, chaos. It surrounded her, drowning her, suffocating her.
“Aislinn!” said Jean, catching her as she fell.
“What the fuck did you do?” growled Cruz, kneeling next to the young woman.
“Nothing! I just shook her hand,” he said, backing away. He practically ran toward the gates of the park, never looking back.
“Aislinn,” said Cruz. “Look at me, honey. Are you alright?”
“I-I saw it. I felt it, but it was different. Death. Horrible, horrible deaths. Hundreds of them.”
“How was it different?” asked Jean.
“It wasn’t him. It didn’t feel as though it belonged to him, but he was guilty, just the same.”
“You’re not making sense, sweetie,” said Cruz.
“I know,” she said, rubbing her temples. “It was intense, but I could tell it was in the past. He wasn’t responsible for the deaths, but they were his, all the same. I need to touch him again.”
“Not in this lifetime,” said Cruz, helping her to stand.
“I’m telling you, it’s the only way to find out the truth. I need to shake his hand again.”