Kim had become adept at reading the handwritten pages and could file them in the proper box after a mere glance at the title page, if there was one, or at the first paragraph if there wasn’t. By late afternoon she’d come to the last file cabinet. She was in the next-to-last drawer, going through a collection of shipping contracts, when she found a letter addressed to Ronald Stewart.
After having gone so long without finding such a document, Kim was momentarily stunned. She looked at the letter as if her eyes were deceiving her. Finally, she reached into the drawer and lifted it out. She held it with just the tips of her fingers the way Mary Custland had handled the Mather letter. Looking at the signature, her hopes rose. It was another letter from Samuel Sewall.
8th January 1697Boston
My Dear Friend,
As you are undoubtedly aware the Honorable Lieu-tenant-Governor, Council, and Assembly of his Majesty’s Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in General Court did command and appoint Thursday the fourteenth of January next be observed as a day of fasting in repentance for any and all sins done against innocent people as perpetrated by Satan and his Familiars in Salem. In like manner I being sensible of my complicity serving with the late Commission of Oyer and Terminer wish to make public my blame and shame of it and shall do so in The Old South Church. But to you my friend I know not what to say to surcease your burden. That Elizabeth was involved with the Forces of Evil I have no doubt but be she possessed or in covenant I know not nor do I wish to conjecture in view of my past errors of judgement. As to your inquiry in regards to the records of the Court of Oyer and Terminer in general and to Elizabeth’s trial in particular, I can attest that they are in the possession of Reverend Cotton Mather who has sworn to me that they will never fall into the wrong hands to impugn the character of the justices and magistrates who served to the best of their ability albeit in error in many cases. I believe although I dared not ask nor do I wish to know that Reverend Mather intends to burn the aforesaid records. As for my opinion in regards to the offer Magistrate Jonathan Corwin made to give you all records of Elizabeth’s case including initial complaint, arrest warrant, mittimus, and preliminary hearing testimony, I think you should take them and dispose of them in like manner for then future generations of your family will not suffer public exposure of this tragedy in Salem brought on or abetted by Elizabeth’s actions.
Your Friend in Christ’s name,Samuel Sewall.
“For Godsake!” Edward snapped. “Sometimes you can be so blasted hard to find.”
Kim looked up from the Sewall letter to see Edward standing over her. She was partially hidden behind one of the black filing cabinets.
“Is something wrong?” Kim asked nervously.
“Yes, there is,” Edward said. “I’ve been looking for you for a half hour. I’d guessed you were up here in the castle, and I’d even come all the way up here to the attic and yelled. When you didn’t answer I went down and searched the wine cellar. When you weren’t there, I came back here. This is ridiculous. If you’re going to spend this much time up here at least put in a phone.”
Kim scrambled to her feet. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I never heard you.”
“That’s obvious,” Edward said. “Listen, there’s a problem. Stanton is up in arms again about money, and he’s on his way driving out here to Salem. We all hate to take the time out to meet with him, especially in the lab, where he’ll want explanations about what everybody is doing. And to make matters worse everyone is on edge from overwork. There’s a lot of bickering for stupid reasons like who has the most space and who’s closer to the goddamn water cooler. It’s gotten to the point I feel like a den mother for a bunch of bratty Cub Scouts and Brownies. Anyway, to make a long story short, I want to have the meeting in the cottage; it’ll be good to get everybody out of the hostile environment. To save time I thought we could eat as well. So could you throw something together for dinner?”