The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

“Mae,” Campbell said. “We need to keep Rose’s death quiet. We need to wait as long as possible before we file the death certificate and the death notices — before we do whatever we have to do.” Mae, Big Jimmie and Conrad Campbell sat in the kitchen, waited for Doc Willoughby, and set a plan. In the quiet of the evening, the funeral home used by the black folks of Pine Hill would come and get Rose. If noticed, most would assume it was some other person Mae cared for. They would cremate the body, have a private memorial service, and spread Rose’s ashes on the shore of the creek. The next day Campbell would take a room in Annapolis and accelerate the land deal and solidify his power. “I’ve got to go,” Campbell said as soon as the plan was hatched. “I’ve a mess to clean up down at the creek.” S lowly he drove, without the usual worry of being a hindrance if cars lined up behind him. The way was dotted with old wooden barns and new metal sheds; houses with fresh paint and houses with sagging roofs; boats for sale in front yards; empty vegetable stands with a few darkening pumpkins on the ground. Five miles from town was the entrance to “Cypress Grove at Dialeigh, A CreekShore Community,” named for the developer’s daughter, Diane. Five more miles along, at a heavy stand of oaks and beech, a sandy road ran down the side of one of the fields. There the swans spent the afternoons rooting out lost kernels of corn. Down this road, after a hard curve into the woods, cypress trees, clung to the shores of the creek. It was these trees, that reached like knob- by fingers from the south, that held Campbell to the creek. As the car bounced into the clearing, Mal-ku looked from the door of his barn. He started to trot, then run. With a single jump he went from the ground to the raised porch of Campbell’s house. He nuzzled at the door. F O C U S J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 43 * per night, single or double occupancy subject to availability Y our search is over, choose a hotel where the federal per diem rate is available year-round. * Luxurious Suites All rooms with full size kitchen & stove tops Fitness center Complimentary in-room coffee Full service restaurant Parking available Across fromMain State White House, The Mall, and Metro Foggy Bottom station (blue & orange lines) within walking distance Accommodations State Plaza Hotel 2117 E. St. NW Washington, DC 20037 Telephone: (800) 424-2859 (202) 861-8200 Parking Available Rated 1 / 2 by AAA www.stateplaza.com E-mail: reservations@stateplaza.com