Merry Sister Mary and the One and Only Killer

24: Sister Mary Discovers a Dreadful Deception

The devil is in the details is a classic idiom that refers to a hidden clue, an overlooked bit of information, that rests in the details of a situation or statement; a clue that could change the perspective and even provide a new meaning to what was originally presented. In the instance of the Stanton family murder, the devil was in the details. I sensed from the very beginning that something wicked held dominion over the family, lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings as it were. Only now as I bumped down the road towards Mount Carmel Catholic Church that the shadows were lifting and my sight was uncovering a diabolical deception.

For a time I sat in silence, my Doubting Thomas poised between my knees. Deacon Brenner found some gospel music on the radio. It was Elvis singing Put Your Hand in the Hand. His heavenly voice permeated the air.

"Sorry for hitting you with my car earlier," said Deacon Brenner. "God would have surely smited me right there if I had hurt you."

"Ah, it's nothing," I said playing with the window to get a little air. "But word to the wise, next time you try to hit on a woman, you don't do it with a car."

"That's funny. You're a funny nun."

"Everyone says that for some reason." I smiled. "But I do believe humor to be the best medicine for the soul. Scripture comes next."

"Where are you from, Sister Mary?"

"I'm from Chicago. Headed to New Orleans apparently to live with the Poor Clares."

"That's quite the commitment. They are a lovely bunch of women who live quiet lives and love helping out their community through prayer."

"Yes, I have been warned." I looked out the window. I could see my lovely bench and overflowing trash can coming up. The ice cream treat I left behind was gone. My squirrel friend must have gotten it.

"So I'm guessing it's your first time in St. Francisville?"

"Yes. Besides the murder and the skeletons of dead children, I'm quite fond of the place."

"You'll love Mount Carmel Church. It's on the highest bluff in town. You can seen the entire Mississippi River floodplain. It's the perfect place to be at sunset."

Soon we arrived at the base of a steep hill so named Catholic Hill. The car grunged as we ascended. At the top a small church with white walls and a small belfry sat amongst round bushes and crepe myrtles. A historic marker stated the church was built around 1871 after the Archbishop Perche of New Orleans visited the town and told its people to build a church on the hill. It was cute, quaint, and surrounded on all sides by tall stained glass windows.

The car circled around the church to the buildings in the back. Deacon Brenner parked underneath one of the oak trees and we exited onto the lawn.

"If you'd like to wait inside the priest house, I'll get you a change of clothes. Ones to best suit a nun." Brenner disappeared into the back of the church. I turned to the house and entered. It smelled of tobacco and incense. On the table by the door sat a phone and a list of contacts and a schedule book. I flipped the the pages nonchalant until a particular name jumped off the page. It was circled multiple times in red.

DENISE STANTON

I turned to the schedule book. It showed mostly mass times, church events, sick people to visit, but on today's date scratched the words, Sin clears when Stanton dies. They were the same words painted on the manor in fake blood yesterday, only in this jumble of words the first six letters were circled, SIN CLEAR. Deacon Brenner burst through the door. I immediately shut the book.

"I found you an outfit. A bit old, but it's a large. Should fit."

"You calling me fat?" I joked.