Merry Sister Mary and the One and Only Killer

10: Sister Mary Snoops Around

The food was divine, the service was killer, and the after dinner surprise was to die for. Quite literally it seemed. I could have asked for no better night than this one. Who knew that losing my umbrella would lead me here to this enchanting home and all of its mystery. I felt myself being swept up in the drama. I had a taste of excitement and I only wanted more.

Though I knew someone's life may be at stake, I had trouble hiding my fervor for information. Even when I was given a soft warm bed and the offer of a hot relaxing bath, my body would not sit still. Not to mention my despise of all things water. So to compromise I resorted to dipping my towel in the hot soapy liquid and scrubbing myself clean on the toilet while my feet tapped with anticipation. As for the bed, well that could wait. I needed to snoop around.

I waited until the police had left and everyone had turned in for the night. Mrs. Stanton made sure to lock the front gates as well as the door to her room. She had consumed a good amount of alcohol and retired to bed shortly thereafter. I suspected she would be out cold for a long time. Most everyone seemed on edge; paranoid that someone was out there in the darkness waiting to kill them. Well, no use in fearing. I, Merry Sister Mary, the friendly guardian angel would watch over and protect this family. Thankfully I had a good view of Mrs. Stanton's room, so if anyone or anything tried to break inside to hurt her, I would know.

I spent the first hour searching for a flashlight. I found one in my side table drawer along with of course, The Light of Life, a bible. I flicked the flashlight on and scanned the walls stopping a crude group portrait. It showed a very unhappy family dressed in suits and dresses; I could barely make out the youthful faces of Brandon, Gloria, and Michael. Ready to start my mission I moved back into the hallway careful not to wake anyone.

Nothing much happened during the second hour of my watch. I heard some scuffling coming from Pearl's room. Who knows what was happening there. I found myself gravitating more and more to the chair I had fallen asleep in earlier. Oh, sleep. Oh, beautiful sleep. But I couldn't. I had to see if Mrs. Stanton would be murdered tonight. I just had to know. So I scooted to the otherside of the house and stared on to the back porch.

I noticed a metal pen where two large golden retrievers were sleeping. I was not much a lover of animals, but I did prefer dogs over cats. One of the dogs was alerted. He stood up and barked. But after proving the threat was gone, he curled back up to sleep.

Nothing else happened until about the third hour of my watch, I noticed a light appear in the garden and the shadows sway back and forth. Someone was walking around in the dark. "Finally," I thought, "some action." I turned off my flashlight.

The light circled the bushes and then shifted to the front porch. It was too dark to see the figure clearly so in a careful haste, I descended the stairs and tiptoed to the front door.

"Quiet Susan, you don't want to wake the house." It was Giles. I could see his large silhouette bounce in and out of the light. He was carrying a small red box on his side.

"I feel it has to be around here somewhere? I saw it earlier." Susan scoped out the ground around a large set of bushes.

Curious I thought. Why were these two out so late? And more importantly what were they looking for. I had to get closer so I found another window in the parlor, careful to stay silent.

"Here near the pansies, the soil is soft," said Susan jabbing her shoe at the ground. I heard the sound of a shovel slicing through dirt and gravel. "Hurry up," said Susan. "I'm not going to jail over this little experiment of yours. So much stress, and that Sister Mary. We didn't plan on her being here. What was it you said about ending this once and for all. I'm not sure how much more of this pretending I can take."

"The police suspect nothing. We are fine." Giles kept digging. "Soon all of this will be over. I plan on upping the children's medication."

"Surely that's deep enough."

"Get the box."

A light from a flashlight filtered through the trees and bushes. The two stood still.

"Hello, is anyone there?" came the soft voice of Mrs. Annette. She was wearing a white nightgown. "Hello?"

"Quickly," said Giles. "Grab what you can and cover it." I tried to see what it was they were stuffing into or out of the box but the bushes surrounding them concealed most of the details.

"Hello?" cried Annette again. "Who's out there?" Giles and Susan hastefully rushed across the lawn darting around the building out of sight, box in hand. Mrs. Annette appeared by the bushes. "I swear I saw a light here." She turned her gaze to the ground. She noticed the fresh pile of overturned dirt. "Oh lord no," she whispered. "Oh please no."

In a flash she sprinted to the flowerbed on the east side of the house. I followed her from window to window listening to her frantic woes. She sighed in relief upon reaching the flowerbed. "Oh thank goodness," she exclaimed falling to her knees. "I seriously thought for a moment they would find you." She brought her ear to the ground. "Still sleeping thank the lord."

I watched with growing curiosity as the woman petted the flowers delicately with her fingertips. As she walked away into the darkness I concluded that she was either crazy or there was something strange going on. Something that I would discover or so help me God.