Texas, Aurora
18 June, 1991
23:34 pm
 
Many of them came, as if they were capturing some maniac. Surrounded her, but she just stood silent, stood still. She didn’t react, the strong wind was blowing her auburn hair across her face. Showing only her ice blue eyes, cold and lifeless. Her clothes were torn, a gash on her forehead, a slash on her wrist. They yelled at her, she didn’t move, sadistically enjoying every moment standing in the pool of dark red blood she created. Why were they yelling? It was pointless, their voices were falling on deaf ears. Reading the Miranda Rights. As if she cared. Everything was planned, she knew the consequences. She just didn’t care. There wasn’t much left for her to care about.
They dragged her through the crowd, through the blazing lights, with her hands bound behind her back. She looked straight ahead, that’s right, unblinkingly she looked straight ahead. Without shame, without regret. They put her in the car, flared the lights and the siren, as if to announce their victory and her loss. Ten people for one innocent woman, what victory?
She was the victim.
I saw her go into the oblivion, into the never-ending darkness.
 
That was ten years ago. Today, Ebony Mire is on death row.
I kept my word, never went to meet her, never let anyone know the truth.
“Because a promise is a promise.”
Today I live in a beautiful mansion, a house that has two floors, an attic and a basement. Five rooms with attached bathrooms on the second floor, and a large drawing room, kitchenette, and dining room on the first floor. Including a small room for the maid, next to the kitchen. But the greatest part of this house, is the hall. Not exactly the hall, but the gigantic chandelier dangling above the hall, looming over people in a deathly way as if waiting to fall. I also have a gorgeous wife with two children aged 5 and 3, and a Honda sedan. I work as the editor-in-chief of the New  York Post.
My life seems perfect, except for that one secret that haunts me like a ghost. It haunts me constantly when I step into my perfect life, into my perfect house. This is the same house where Ebony Mire killed her last victim. In the best part of the house, the hall.
But don’t get me wrong, Ebony Mire is a wonderful lady, and when I say lady I mean lady. She is always poised, relaxed. Educated from the best of the best schools and colleges, went to the best sororities. Her Mother was British, and her father Scottish. An uncommon mix some might say. While she got her etiquettes from her very feminine mother, her father was the one who taught her how to survive.  He would teach her how to fish, hunt, how to shoot. Her first kill was made at the age of 13 �" a deer. She wasn’t scared, wasn’t frightened, but had those same cold eyes as she did the night of the last murder. The difference was, on her first kill she was ecstatic, proud of her achievement. On her last, she had killed herself.
She would never tell her Mother about the adventures that she would experience in the woods, hunting the unsuspecting. But her Mother knew, and they would be the reason for her arguments at night with her Father. Or some of the reasons of the arguments that they would have all night. One day, when Ebony woke up, her Father was gone. He had left. She knew he would do so one day, her Father was a Free Spirit, a man with unbound energy and her Mother would always try to tie him up to dull boring routine. Ebony was 16.
A month later, Ebony came home to a surprise, her mother in the bedroom with a bottle of empty  Aspirin in her hand, her mouth foaming. Her mother’s face and body were limp, eyes open and lifeless, but her Mother was still slightly breathing. Ebony could save her, but she closed the door and went to her room. Waiting. Time flew by, and Ebony went to check on her Mother’s pulse. When it was confirmed, she called the ambulance to take the body away, she didn’t exactly say it like this though �" “My Mother isn’t  breathing, please help! I can’t feel her pulse, she overdosed on med’s! Please send someone FAST!”
Crying, she hung up. Wiped her tears with hand and slid down the wall with her back against it. Looking at the body of her dead Mother she thought �" how pathetic a woman you are! Ignorant, selfish and stupid. Because of you  your husband ran away, and now you kill yourself! You should have died before, at least Father would not have left.
After half an hour she could hear the ambulance drive up to the house. She dramatically ran downstairs and in a dramatic overtone hauled them to the second floor, to the grand bedroom. She begged them to help her, profusely crying, making sure that each of them could hear her. They declared her mother deceased, to which she took the overtone up ten notches screaming her lungs out, resonating in the entire house.
Sometimes I hallucinate thinking I can hear Ebony’s screams, shrill, thin, ear-piercing. Those are the nights when I can’t sleep, when the truth haunts me.
She still remembers that day, remembers how much of an effort it was to be so dramatic. But it worked. There was no suspicion on her, how could there be? The woman did kill herself. Ebony just let her be. But nobody found out that her Mother could still be saved, and the condolences of friends and neighbours came pouring in. Thankfully the house was large enough to accommodate such huge numbers of people. Father was a great socialite, oh father! Where are you? The people that came were all due to him, not her.
During the last farewell, when Ebony Campbell stepped up to her mother’s coffin, she gave her one last kiss on the cheek �" This is what you deserve, for all the years of torture and pain. I wish I could give you more in return. Goodbye Mommy…….
Ebony Campbell was taken in by a foster family quiet quickly. She was beautiful, and could turn the charm on at will. The foster parents that she had were Bill and Josey Daniels, a mature couple who could never succeed at having children of their own. They were Orthodox Catholics and strongly Republicans; believed in the sanctity of marriage, the belief of staying together with each other no matter what and were completely against abortion.
Within two months  Ebony Campbell had turned into Ebony Daniels, and with that a small ceremony and a quiet compliance into wearing a promise ring. She was put into a Catholic all girls school, attended church on Sunday’s. It was as if she had found a whole new self, a religious and spiritual self.
She was an outstanding student, all the teachers loved her as she was a role model student, as well as all of her peers. She was beautiful, intelligent, caring and religious. Yes, Bill and Josey Daniels had disciplined their daughter quiet well. Yes, they were very proud.
Then it was time for college which was heart wrenching for Bill and Josey, but they knew she would always come back on holidays to meet them, every summer, autumn and winter break. Yes, they would miss her. Yes, it wouldn’t be the same. Yes, they still loved her with all their heart. Yes, they trusted their beautiful daughter.
And off she went to college to do her Bachelor’s in Law. Which she topped of course. Then she went on to do her Master’s in Corporate Law, which she again topped.
By that time she was working in a highly acclaimed Law Firm called ‘Hyde and Partners’, as an assistant to cases until she began taking over. She put in all her might and at the age of 29 she became a partner of the firm. The youngest to have ever been.
She was still gorgeous, fit, with a svelte body. Worked out everyday at the gym, lightweight and never pumped iron, just cardio, for an hour Monday to Friday. See, the job got to you. Every partner, every person who could spend hours gnawing, grueling over the work would either gain many pounds, or lose till non-existence. Usually it would be survival of the “fattest”, with the more heavyweight lawyers making it as partners, and the underweight ones extinguishing like a light. Which obviously the gorgeous Ebony Campbell didn’t want. Turning her into a diva to be reckoned with in court. She was lively and vivacious, her setting foot into a party would liven up the atmosphere.
She was every man’s desire, but only a few men’s worth. The elite bachelor’s, who made it big and fast. There was no one better than the well known socialite, partner in her own firm and the inhereter of the firm ‘Mire and Partners’ than Peter Mire.
He didn’t have to woo her much, she knew what she wanted and he knew his wants. They had a slight affair of 3 months and a flighty marriage that lasted till ‘death do us part’. Literally.
That was when she became Ebony Mire, the fourth and final change of her last name.
Ebony Campbell from birth, Ebony Daniels at adoption, to Ebony Mire from marriage. From her second marriage at the age of 29.
Ebony was married at the age of 15, that was when she was Ebony Herring.
Ebony’s adoptive parents were not only Catholic and Republicans, they were also racists. Disliked the African American culture and civilization, believed that they were polluting the people and streets with hip-hop, jazz, rap. That they were taking over all the jobs that were needed by Caucasians. Believed they were taking over America and that the leaders whether Democratic or Republic were turning a blind eye towards this issue. Their opinions though never got violent, they were too sophisticated and from good clean families to have such reactions. Anyways, to fight with an African-American would be equivalent to extracting AIDS from them, and God knows what other diseases they brought from their jungles.
But Ebony was already in love with David Herring, an African American 18 year old whom she had been in a relationship with since she was 15 and living in Texas, Aurora with her parents. He was the one who gave her support and strength in her difficult times, who was always there for her during her parents split and during her mother’s death. The latter was a time of happiness for her, but she never let him know, because she didn’t want to scare him off.
Ah! the blissful feeling of falling in love in your teens, the “puppy love”, yet the stupidity.
When David Herring found out that Ebony had been taken up for adoption, he had made a beautiful escapade to consummate their marriage. In the back of his car.
It happened only once, and was without protection. Why would Ebony need it? This was her husband, her life partner, and he was always hers, and would always stay as hers for the rest of her life.
He didn’t take much time, but the time taken was enough to create a scar in her heart for the rest of her life.
When she moved to ___________ with her adoptive parents, Ebony would write to David day and night. She would send letters upon letters, e-mails. But he would reply to none.
And after a year, she gave up.
She vowed never to fall in love, ever again. Her studies, her work, her religion �" all consumed her. But she still had a heart, and she always wondered what had happened to David, what had happened to her  Father.
The two men that she loved, both abandoned her. She didn’t know why.
 
Though all ended up good for Ebony Mire, when she married Peter Mire. She got the huge wedding, the ginormous towering cake, the hundreds of guests, the angelic church with many bells ringing as she left the altar with a happy beaming groom by her side, and her radiating pure beauty by his side. Geese flew over their heads, it was as if it were a match made in heaven, made by God. Two gorgeous, strong, young individuals whom nobody could divide.
Except for David.
It was easy for David to track her down, the marriage was so famous it was on the front page of the New York Times. Which David was Editor-in-Chief of at the time. The story came straight to him from a rookie that he had just hired. While reading the article he had decided on a whim that the rookie should deserve a permanent place in the firm and a hefty raise for bringing David such a landmine of information that was directly related to him.
Ebony never understood, being African American in America wasn’t as easy as people thought. Being able to stay out of trouble, not get into gangs wasn’t a ‘piece of cake’. If you were Black and smart, you were abnormal. To stay out of problems, to get his work done David Herring had street smarts as well as higher upper class levels of competence. Together they made him a potent machine for power, money, and strength.
Ebony and David Herring has much in common. Too much in common.
David knew when to strike and where, he had predicted that Ebony would reach the heights that she had at that time, she had always wanted to go into law, she was always strong and bold. And gorgeous. She hadn’t changed a bit.
And the location of her honeymoon that she had always dreamt of going with him �" Egypt �" hadn’t changed a bit. Smart rookie, great info.
To Egypt he packed, he followed, he found. It didn’t take long for Ebony to recognize David, and it didn’t take David long to introduce himself to Ebony and her dearest husband Peter. After all, David and Peter were both masters at the art of socializing. Fortunately he didn’t at that moment disclose everything, that he told Ebony later on, in private.
Yes, he had read all the letters that she had sent to him. Yes, he knows her deepest darkest secret and is ready to disclose it. Yes, he had kept all the letters and the document of their marriage. Yes, he will prove that everything she had written in those letters were real.
The condition �" an annual amount of twenty million dollars. Every year. The billionaire wife could afford this much of course.
Unfortunately, Ebony and David Herring had too much in common. She wasn’t going to back down easy. Her hunting and sharp shooting skills was also one which was very nicely hidden from David. He never even saw it coming. It were as if the kill were done in some Agatha Christie book, clean with no evidence. Fortunately for Ebony, there was no Monsieur Poirot to solve the case. And it was Egypt. Case was never solved. And her darkest secret never revealed.