“The Side-Portal Door”
by Claude Kelly

The old house on Meeting Street near the famed Rainbow Row in Lower Charleston, was like most built in the pre-Civil War era. It had an impressive main entrance-portal protected by a sheltering roof which allowed the visitor to stand out of the coastal rain while lifting and dropping the large metal clapper. The rear entrance was nothing special since it mainly allowed the servants and service-providers access to the building without the need for flourish or fanfare. While not uncommon, but still seldom employed, the house also had a side-portal entrance which was painted a distinctive blue color and surrounded by a white border trim. What made the entrance unusual was the large stone step that rose three feet from the ground and provided a temptation to question its purpose. It was also traditional that the side-portal be left unlocked at all times. Few questioned the reason, they just followed instructions and left the rest to God.

Jonathan Dooley never questioned the side-portal when he moved into the old house. An attorney from Atlanta, he had decided he needed to relocate after his affair with the boss’s wife was unearthed. Charleston seemed a logical place to start over. After all, wasn’t South Carolina the home of the Southern Belles and the Red Shoe Ladies. He liked the location, the ambiance and the tax rate. An added plus was the beauty that lived around the corner on Rainbow Row who welcomed him to the neighborhood with a platter of cookies and peck on the cheek as she left. The fact Shirley was married had little impact on Jonathan since he planned to not make the mistakes he had made in Atlanta.

When Shirley came to visit she used the rear-portal entrance. It was protected by plenty of shade during the day and was totally dark at night. Besides, it was an easy access just off the little pathway that connected Meeting Street and Bay. She didn’t seem to mind the stroll back since it gave her a chance to cool down before slipping into her house. As with any fling which turns into a lasting endeavor, the lovers got careless. Shirley’s husband was no dim-wit even though he grew up in the Charleston heat and humidity. He caught the whiff of Old Spice from time to time and noticed the smile that hung on Shirley’s lips long after he said good night and she took her “before bedtime walk”.

As Ben stood in the shadows, he watched as his wife opened the servants’ door and left a kiss on Jonathan’s lips. She slowly moved up the path towards their home. He could have touched her as she passed. He crept to the door and turned the knob but found that it was locked. Frustrated, he paused to collect his thoughts, then remembered the side-portal. Could the bastard have followed tradition and left it unlocked? He maneuvered his way onto the stone step and tried the door. It opened. No one heard the gunshot since he muffled it with a pillow. The same one Shirley had rested upon a short while ago. On his way home he detoured to the banks of the Cooper River, where he tossed his pistol into the murky waters. Shirley was asleep, obviously tired from her walk. Ben slipped into the bedroom and crawled beneath the covers, a slight smile on his lips -- similar to Shirley’s but not quite the same.

After several days of job absence, Jonathan’s body was found. The Coroner and his crew finished their chores in his bedroom and placed him in the simple wooden casket used to transport bodies to the morgue. As the crew moved toward the front door, the Coroner cleared his throat and pointed toward the side-portal. They slowly changed directions and passed through the blue door, carefully handing the casket to the crew members standing on the ground just below the stone porch. That was tradition and besides, it was so much easier than going through the front door. There was also no chance of damaging the beautiful metal clapper.

Click here to see the photograph which inspired this story.