Member-only story
Murder Most Holy
She was the only parishioner in the church. She looked as if she were sleeping. She was actually dead.
The last service of the day had ended more than an hour ago. The old woman sat quietly in one of the pews toward the front. Hands folded in her lap and head slumped forward. She was the only parishioner in the church. She looked as if she were sleeping. She was actually dead.
Father “Joe”, the priest in charge of the congregation stood idly by as the police investigators did their work.
Ed Porter was the man in charge. Twenty years on the force. He had seen it all. Even a dead woman in a church. In fact, this was his third. All had passed away during one of Father Joe’s services within the past two years. One was understandable. These things can happen. Two might raise an eyebrow. A third gave Porter one of those gut feelings that was hard to shake. It was a developing pattern as far as he was concerned. One that needed to be looked into a little deeper. He had a few questions to ask Father Joe before he released the body.
“I hope this isn’t a reflection on your preaching style,” quipped Porter.
The priest chuckled. “Let’s hope not.”
“Did you know the deceased personally?”
“Only through the confessional screen. She was a regular attender. Not that she needed to…
