Secrets of Hallstead House by Amy M Reade Page B

retaliation for a similar event that had taken place on the Niagara River sometime before.
    “Both the U.S. and the British condemned Johnston and branded him an outlaw. He went into hiding. They put a bounty on him and they arrested several of the men that had been in his party on that fateful night. Prosecutors weren’t able to convict them, though.
    “But here’s where it gets interesting. During the time that he was on the lam, legend has it that he hid in a cave underneath an island right near the scene of the crime. He had a faithful daughter who used to take a rowboat to visit him and bring him food. The place where he hid later came to be known as Devil’s Oven. I’ve seen it. It’s a small, rocky island with a fairly small opening above the waterline.
    “I wonder what it must have been like for him to live in that cave for so long. So cold and dark and wet. Can you imagine what he must have felt as the water level rose and fell? Or when a storm blew up and the waves came crashing in around him?” Will looked at me with malice in his eyes. “Can’t you almost feel the water rising?” I felt the room growing smaller, as though the walls were pressing on me. I must have looked uncomfortable, because Will chuckled softly.
    “To get on with it, Bill Johnston eventually tired of living in an underwater cave of sorts, so he arranged to have his son arrest him to get the five-hundred-dollar reward. He was tried and acquitted, and then rearrested. He escaped but gave himself up several months later. After spending six months in jail, he escaped again. A year or so later, with a petition for pardon in hand, he went to Washington and presented the petition to President Van Buren. Van Buren said no, so Johnston just waited ten days. By then President Harrison was in office, and he signed the pardon. Johnston returned to the Thousand Islands and spent a good deal of the rest of his life as the lighthouse keeper on Rock Island, where the Peel had run ashore.”
    He looked at me again. “We’ll have to take you over to Rock Island to see where the old pirate spent much of his later life. And we’ll have to show you Devil’s Oven. I think you’ll be interested.” He smiled at me over the rim of his water glass as he raised it to his lips.
    I shivered involuntarily. Why was he doing this? He seemed to be enjoying my discomfort. I didn’t want him to know he had unnerved me, so I looked at him squarely in the eyes and answered him. “I think you’re right. A trip to Rock Island and Devil’s Oven would be very interesting.”
    “I heard Aunt Alex telling Stephan that you can’t swim. Is that true?” Will asked.
    I stared at him for a moment. “Yes, that’s true. I never did learn how to swim.”
    Giselle glanced at me, her eyes bright. “Oh? You don’t know how to swim, Macy? Then you must let me teach you. I used to swim competitively and I was quite good.” She smiled brightly. I was at a loss for words. The prospect of learning to swim under Giselle’s tutelage was unappealing, to say the least.
    Stephan looked sternly from Will to Giselle and changed the subject. “Anyone for coffee? Vali makes magnificent coffee.”
    I looked at Stephan gratefully. “Actually, I must go and check on Alex now,” I said, excusing myself. I left the room hastily.
    When I tiptoed into Alex’s sitting room, she was sitting up on the sofa. She smiled at me wearily and waved me over to where she sat. I asked how she was feeling.
    “I’m just tired, Macy,” she replied. “I think I’ll go to bed now, and I’m sure I’ll feel more like myself in the morning.” Surprisingly, she allowed me to help her into her nightgown. She got into bed and looked at me gratefully as she leaned back against her pillows. She sighed. “Macy, I’m so glad you’re here to help me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She patted my hand.
    I was touched. “Thank you, Alex.” I smiled. On impulse, I leaned over and kissed