Not only was he not upset by this murder, he was exhilarated by it.
Ken made his confession in great physical pain but with a clear mind and no appreciable awakening of conscience.
The only glimmer that there was something salvage-able inside was when he told Ben Sidell he regretted the pain he would be causing his wife and children. Sybil had been a good wife and a good mother. He opened his mouth to say something more, but nothing came out.
As for Nola, when he spoke of her, all his suppressed rage, lust, and love boiled over with each word. Nor had twenty-one years dimmed his blind jealousy of Guy Ramy. Ken still believed they both got what they deserved.
As the three women sat there discussing what had transpired, it occurred to Sister that Tedi had seen more of the world than either she or Alice ever would. However, when you reached a certain age, even if you never left the county into which you were born, you’d usually seen most of what the human animal can do for good or evil. And you also realized that most humans were so busy defending themselves and their version of reality that they missed the nose on their own faces. They hadn’t the energy to change or grow, diverting it into a lonely self-centeredness. Truly intelligent people learned from others and from history.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Alice said.
“Yes, I come here often. Sometimes Inky, the black fox, visits here. She sits and looks at me. I sit and look at her.”
“Foxes,” Tedi mused, then touched Sister’s hand. “What went through your mind when you were chasing Ken?”
“I don’t know exactly.” She studied the hound sculpture. “Well, maybe in a way I do.” Sister stopped, then smiled at Raleigh, Rooster, and Golly snoozing in the shade of the statue.
“Janie?” Tedi raised her eyebrows. “What were you thinking?”
“Just that I needed to catch him. But then once he was down I thought of Hotspur. You might remember his lines: ‘And I can teach thee, coz, to shame the devil, / By telling truth: tell truth and shame the devil.’ ”
“Shakespeare and I aren’t well acquainted.” Alice smiled.
“Henry IV, Part I, Act III, Scene I,” said Tedi, who recognized Sister’s source. “I have to show off my expensive education from time to time.”
“Well, it’s over and we have to get on with our lives. I’d give anything to have Guy back, but what I do have is memories, and maybe a new way of looking at things. I intend to honor my son, not mourn him.”
“Well said.” Tedi felt the same way about her daughter.
“You know what I think? I’ve probably known it in the back of my mind, but not so I could say it.” Sister gazed in wonder at tiny dancing particles suspended in a ray of light. “To wantonly destroy life is a sin, a stain, an affront to every one of us. I believe, with my heart and soul, that all life is sacred. That, it seems to me, is a truth that would shame any devil.”
SOME USEFUL TERMS
AWAY—A fox has “gone away” when he has left the covert. Hounds are “away” when they have left the covert on the line of the fox.
BRUSH—The fox’s tail.
BURNING SCENT—Scent so strong or hot that hounds pursue the line without hesitation.
BYE DAY—A day not regularly on the fixture card.
CAP—The fee nonmembers pay to a hunt for that day’s sport.
CARRY A GOOD HEAD—When hounds run well together to a good scent, a scent spread wide enough for the whole pack to feel it.
CARRY A LINE—When hounds follow the scent. This is also called “working a line.”
CAST—Hounds spread out in search of scent. They may cast themselves or be cast by the huntsman.
CHARLIE—A term for a fox. A fox may also be called Reynard.
CHECK—When hounds lose the scent and stop. The field must wait quietly while the hounds search for scent.
COLORS—A distinguishing color—usually worn on the collar but sometimes on the facings of a coat—that identifies a hunt. Colors can be awarded only by the master and can be won only in the field.
COUPLE STRAPS—Two-strap hound collars connected by a swivel link. Some members of staff will carry these on the right rear of the saddle. Since the Middle Ages hounds had been brought to the meets coupled. Hounds are always spoken of, counted, in couples. Today hounds walk or are driven to the meets. Rarely, if ever, are they coupled, but a whipper-in still carries couple straps should a hound need assistance.
COVERT—A patch of woods or bushes where a fox might hide. Pronounced cover.
CRY—How one hound tells another what is happening. The sound will differ according to the various stages of the chase. It’s also called “giving tongue” and should occur when a hound is working a line.
CUB HUNTING—The informal hunting of young foxes in the late summer and early fall, before formal hunting. The main purpose is to enter young hounds into the pack. Until recently only the most knowledgeable members were invited to cub hunt since they would not interfere with young hounds.
DOG FOX—The male fox.
DOG HOUND—The male hound.
DOUBLE—A series of short, sharp notes blown on the horn to alert all that a fox is afoot. The “gone away” series of notes are a form of doubling the horn.
DRAFT—To acquire hounds from another hunt is to draft them.
DRAW—The plan by which a fox is hunted or searched for in a certain area, like a covert.
DRIVE—The desire to push the fox, to get up with the line. It’s a very desirable trait in a hound, so long as they remain obedient.
DWELL—To hunt without getting forward. A hound that dwells is a bit of a putterer.
ENTER—Hounds are entered into the pack when they first hunt, usually during cubbing season.
FIELD—The group of people riding to hounds, exclusive of the master and hunt staff.
FIELD MASTER—The person appointed by the master to control the field. Often it is the master him- or herself.
FIXTURE—A card sent to all dues-paying members, stating when and where the hounds will meet. A fixture card properly received is an invitation to hunt. This means the card would be mailed or handed to you by the master.
GONE AWAY—The call on the horn when the fox leaves the covert.
GONE TO GROUND—A fox who has ducked into his den or some other refuge has gone to ground.
GOOD NIGHT—The traditional farewell to the master after the hunt, regardless of the time of day.
HILLTOPPER—A rider who follows the hunt but who does not jump. Hilltoppers are also called the “second field.” The jumpers are called the “first flight.”
HOICK—The huntsman’s cheer to the hounds. It is derived from the Latin hic haec hoc, which means “here.”
HOLD HARD—To stop immediately.
HUNTSMAN—The person in charge of the hounds in the field and in the kennel.
KENNELMAN—A hunt staff member who feeds the hounds and cleans the kennels. In wealthy hunts there may be a number of kennelmen. In hunts with a modest budget, the huntsman or even the master cleans the kennels and feeds hounds.
LARK—To jump fences unnecessarily when hounds aren’t running. Masters frown on this since it is often an invitation to an accident.
LIFT—To take the hounds from a lost scent in the hopes of finding a better scent farther on.
LINE—The scent trail of the fox.
LIVERY—The uniform worn by the professional members of the hunt staff. Usually it is scarlet, but blue, yellow, brown, or gray are also used. The recent dominance of scarlet has to do with people buying coats off the rack as opposed to having tailors cut them. (When anything is mass-produced the choices usually dwindle, and such is the case with livery.)