The Fall of Night

by BobA. Troutt

  *****

  The Fall of Night

  Confessions

  From Bourbon Street, across the Louisiana French Quarter, the bells of St. John’s Trinity Temple could be heard. It was Sunday; church had just let out. Outside the church a boy and girl sat in a car listening to the radio while others stood by talking and fellowshipping. Father McDaniel stood at the door with Sister Ann and Sister Jean. They shook hands with the parishioners as they exited the church and thanked them for attending the service.

  It was 1933, a beautiful sunny day with a light wind stirring just enough to move the dangling Spanish moss on the trees. It was late one evening when Detective Furguson and Detective Summers arrived at St. John’s Trinity Temple. There had been a break-in the week before and they were there to arrest Sammy, the church janitor, and his wife, Linda. During the robbery, several items, along with some money, were stolen. A few days prior, Sammy had tried to hock the items at a pond shop in Baton Rouge. Sister Ann and Sister Jean met the detectives at the door and then led them to Father McDaniel’s office. The detectives informed him they were there to arrest the individuals responsible for robbing the church. He couldn’t believe it was Sammy and Linda and neither could Sister Ann or Sister Jean; they were all dumbfounded. Father McDaniel told the detectives he would show them where Sammy and Linda were; Sister Ann and Sister Jean followed close behind them as they walked through the church looking for them. When Sammy and Linda looked up and saw Father McDaniel, the sisters and the detectives they knew what they were there for. Neither Sammy nor Linda said a word. They didn’t try to resist arrest or deny they were involved. They walked quietly through the chapel and out the front door with the detectives. Father McDaniel told them he would be praying for them. Father McDaniel and the sisters stood on the steps of the church as the detectives put them into the car and drove off. They watched them until they were out of sight.

  “Can you believe that?” questioned Father McDaniel. “I never would have thought they were involved in any way.”

  “They seemed so nice,” replied Sister Jean.

  “I know,” said Sister Ann. “I’ve only been here for a few years and I didn’t know them that well but I never imagined they would steal from the church. I thought I knew them better than that.”

  “Things like this happen all the time,” Father McDaniel replied. “It’s hard to understand people these days. Nevertheless, we need to find someone to replace them. Well, I guess we need to get back to work,” he said as he turned and went back into the church.

  About a month later, a woman came in for confession. Before she entered the confession booth, she took one of Father McDaniel’s business cards from the box on the door and slipped it into her purse. Father McDaniel had already taken his seat. Her name was Rosemary Jackson. Once he knew she was seated in the booth, Father McDaniel kissed his rosary beads, whispered a small prayer and slid back the small panel to hear her confession.

  “My mother died from breast cancer when I was very young. Her sister, my aunt, took me in,” she stated, “but my step-uncle was abusive to me. I was raped in a park by a young priest and I got pregnant. When the baby was born I gave her up for adoption. After that, I lived on the streets and started prostituting. I have never been able to get over how I lived my life.

  Rosemary knew that Father McDaniel was the young priest who had raped her. She just never could bring herself to turn him in.

  “My child,” he said, “the Lord will forgive you. That was so long ago,” he said. “We all have our dark secrets and skeletons in our closets; we all fall short.”

  “But, why, why did it have to happen to me?” she questioned.

  “The Lord is strong but we are weak,” he answered. “I, too, have dark secrets in my past and demons I have to live with.”

  “But, you’re a priest,” she said.

  “I have not always been one,” he replied.

  “Thank you, Father,” she said as she hurriedly left.

  Unbeknownst to her, Father McDaniel followed her home to see where she lived. She didn’t live too far from the church in an apartment building; her apartment, twelve, was upstairs. When she went in and closed the door, he stood at the bottom of the steps for a few minutes and then went back to the church.

  Around ten-thirty that night, a stranger stood outside her apartment building. The street was filled with a heavy fog and the air was moist and sticky. The fog was so dense you probably couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The heavy fog draped the street like a blanket. The stranger, being careful not to be seen, entered the building. He made his way up to apartment twelve and killed her. But, on his way out he bumped in to Sandra Biggs in the hallway. He said excuse me, spoke, nodded his head at her and quickly disappeared down the stairs.

  The next day, Father McDaniel sat in the confession booth talking to a stranger.

  “Father, forgive me,” he said. “I have done bad and sinned against the Lord. Will the Lord forgive me for I have blood on my hands? When I was a young altar boy in the church, I was molested by two priests but I never told anyone until now.”

  “I’m sorry, my son, that this horrible thing happened to you. However, you need to let go and put it in the Lord’s hands. Let us pray.”

  “Father, what should I do if I was seen by someone last night?” he asked.

  Father McDaniel did not reply. The silence caused the strangers thoughts to run wild and he became paranoid.

  “Father, I must take care of this loose end. Please forgive me. I have to go.”

  “My son, my son,” cried Father McDaniel, “don’t go.”

  It was too late. He had already left the confession booth, ran down the aisle and disappeared.

  Sandra lived a couple of apartments down from Rosemary. Father McDaniel found out that Rosemary was Sandra’s niece. She is the one who took Rosemary in and raised her when Rosemary’s mother died of cancer. Father McDaniel went to Rosemary’s apartment to invite her to church but she wasn’t at home. He slid his business card under her door and left. After he left, the stranger knocked on her door. Sandra heard him knocking and came out of her apartment.

  “She is always running in and out,” Sandra stated. “It’s hard to catch her at home.”

  While talking to Sandra, the stranger noticed she was nearly blind. He moved around as he talked, but she just looked straight ahead.

  “Sir, I was wondering if I could make a confession to you and ask the Lord to forgive me of my sins,” she said.

  They bowed their heads for a moment of prayer. The stranger prayed that the Lord would forgive her of her sins and set her free from her bondage.

  “Amen,” he said.

  “Don’t I know you,” she inquired. “Your voice sounds familiar. Have you been here before?”

  Afraid she had recognized him; he grabbed her by the throat and choked her to death. He carried her back into her apartment and laid her on the kitchen floor. She had already fixed her supper and had it on the table. He took a small piece of meat and pushed it down her throat with a pencil to make it appear that she had choked to death. Before he left, he turned over a chair to make it look like she had fallen out of it and onto the floor.

  The next day as Father McDaniel entered the confession booth, the stranger was already waiting.

  “My son,” said Father McDaniel, “I wondered if you would come back.”

  “I had to take care of some loose ends,” he said. “I don’t have to worry now.”

  “What is this that you have done?” questioned Father McDaniel. “Have you put more blood on your hands?”

  “My dad used to beat me,” the stranger replied. “My mother stayed sick all the time so she couldn’t defend me. I have tried to push it out of my mind but it just keeps coming back. My haunting past has always ruled over me. Father, what am I to do? What have I become? I know I’m not a monster.”

  “Let’s p
ray, my child,” instructed Father McDaniel, “that the Lord will be able to help you and see you through this madness. Let us pray.”

  As Father McDaniel stepped out of the confession booth, Sister Ann and Sister Jean was standing there with Detective Furguson and Detective Summers. They were investigating the deaths of Rosemary Jackson and Sandra Biggs. The two women who had been murdered a few blocks from the church. They wanted to know if he had ever seen them at the church.

  “Well, detectives,” he stated, “Miss Rosemary has been in for prayer in the past. However, it has been a while. I had prayer with her and I gave her one of my cards. When I did, she asked for a card for a blind friend of hers. I was happy to give her another card because that’s what I’m here for. I’m so sorry to learn about their deaths. It’s a shame someone would harm two sweet ladies like them.”

  “Well, Father,” detective Ferguson said, “here’s my card. If you can think of anything else that may help us with the case, please give us a call.”

  “I will,” replied Father McDaniel.

  Father McDaniel had no idea that the detectives had already talked with the two sisters about Rosemary and Sandra. They told the detectives they had seen a woman who looked like the woman in the photo they had shown them leaving the confession booth a few days ago. But, they had never seen Sandra at the church. The detectives knew something wasn’t right because there were discrepancies in the stories. Bothered by what Father McDaniel had told the detectives, the sisters went in to ask him why he said Rosemary hadn’t been in for a while when in fact she was there just a few days ago.

  “Oh, oh, yeah, I completely forgot,” he explained when they confronted him. “I have so much on my mind; I completely forgot. Plus, I see so many different people in one day it’s hard for me to recall everyone. I’ll call the detectives now and correct that.”

  He picked up the phone but discreetly pushed the hook switch down on the phone and pretended to make the call. He asked to speak with Detective Furguson.

  “Detective Furguson, this is Father McDaniel. After you all left, the sisters brought to my attention that I had seen Rosemary just a few days ago. I had so much on my mind I completely forgot she had come in for a confession.”

  “Well, thanks a lot,” replied Detective Furguson. “I appreciate you setting the record straight.”

  “Now, that’s that, sisters. I’m so glad you caught that error. Oh, by the way, would you mind going to town to pick up something for me?” he asked. “I am really pressed for time. I would greatly appreciate it.”

  “Sure,” they replied in unison. “We wouldn’t mind at all.”

  They made their way out of the church and flagged down a taxi. Father McDaniel watched as they got into the cab and disappeared out of sight. As they headed across town, Sister Ann struck up a conversation with the cab driver, Billy Howard; it was just a little small talk. He told them his wife went to church but he never had the time to attend. He made a confession to them and asked them to pray about his problems. The sisters prayed for him and gave him one of Father McDaniel’s business cards. They told him to come and talk to Father McDaniel sometime. It was about an hour later when the sisters arrived back at the church. Father McDaniel saw them when they pulled up. He watched as they unloaded the cab. But, he was perturbed when he saw them talking and having a good time with Billy, the cab driver.

  Later that evening, Father McDaniel called for a cab so he could go out. He hoped it would be the same cab that Sister Ann and Sister Jean had taken earlier in the day. It was; Billy, the cab driver, worked a double shift that day. Billy recognized Father McDaniel when he entered the cab. He had seen him standing outside the church on several occasions. As Billy merged in to traffic, he asked Father McDaniel where he wanted to go. Father McDaniel told him he needed to go to Pier 261. The traffic wasn’t congested at all. They engaged in a little small talk. Billy talked highly of Sister Ann and Sister Jean. He was so unaware of what lied ahead for him. He had been chosen as a decoy to throw the police off track. Afraid of being seen getting out of Billy’s cab, Father McDaniel asked Billy to let him out under the overpass right before they reached the pier. Billy did as he was asked even though he couldn’t understand why. As he waited for Father McDaniel to pay him, he lit up a cigarette, looked out across the water and thought how pretty it was. He was startled when the back driver’s side door of the cab opened. He looked up in his rearview mirror and asked the stranger who he was just seconds before he was shot in the back of his head. The stranger went about making it look like Billy had been robbed. Next, he took the cab out of gear and pushed it into the water. The stranger watched as the car slowly sank into the water. The stranger disappeared and Father McDaniel awoke back at the church.

  It was a few days before Billy’s cab was spotted by some fishermen. When the police pulled the cab and Billy from the water, they found Father McDaniel’s card in his front shirt pocket. When the detectives arrived at St. John’s Temple, they found Father McDaniel and the sisters praying. After they finished praying, the detectives told them they needed to talk. The detectives informed them the body of Billy Howard, a local cab driver, had been recovered from the river near Pier 261; he had been killed. Sister Ann immediately started crying.

  “What on earth happened?” asked Sister Jean.

  “He was shot in the back of the head before he and his cab was pushed into the river. Some local fishermen spotted his cab in the water. Father McDaniel, if you don’t mind, where was you late yesterday evening?”

  “I was here at the church most of the day. Late yesterday evening, I needed to get out some so I went for a walk around the neighborhood.”

  Sister Jean bit her tongue trying to keep from telling what she had seen. She was looking out the upstairs window that evening and saw Father McDaniel get into a cab. But, she didn’t know if it was Billy’s cab or not. However, she didn’t understand why he had to lie if he hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “The reason we ask, Father, is because we found your card in Billy’s shirt pocket.”

  “Oh, no,” said Sister Ann. “Sister Jean and I took his cab to the other side of town one morning and we talked to him about coming to church. We gave him Father McDaniel’s card.”

  “It’s strange, Father McDaniel, your card keeps turning up with dead people. Can you explain that?” Detective Summers asked.

  “No, I can’t,” he replied. “I have no idea. Maybe someone is trying to set me up,” he stated.

  “That will be all for now,” Detective Summers said. “But, we’ll keep in touch.”

  The police were baffled. They kept running in to dead ends. The series of murders were called the ghost murders because that is the way they appeared to happen. It was as if the killer was a ghost. There were no clues or motive. The detectives had questioned Father McDaniel after each of the murders. Each time, they came up with nothing.

  Father McDaniel wanted to lie down. He was tired and frustrated because he knew the police suspected him of the murders. As he walked by the confession booth on his way to his office, he heard a familiar voice.

  “Father,” the voice said, “I need to confess my sins.”

  Father McDaniel stepped in the booth, took his rosary beads in his hand, kissed them and held them tightly in his hands.

  “Yes, my son,” he said, “I’m here.”

  “Father, my hands are covered with blood that I can’t wash off. My heart is black and I have no light to my soul. I have been so bad, Father; I have done evil in the sight of my God. I wonder, at times, if he even hears me. My mind is like a whirlwind. My thoughts are scattered and the taste of my sins are bitter.”

  “What is it, my son, do you want?”

  “I pray, Father, for peace. The doctor has told me I am bipolar and suffer from schizophrenia. I live daily in a tormenting hell with little to know hope. Please, Father, pray for me and set my demons free. Ca
st them, I pray, from me and do not let them return. As the sisters walked by the confession booth, Father McDaniel opened the door and stepped out. Sister Jean listened as Father McDaniel and Sister Ann talked. Sister Jean was curious to see if anyone else came out of the booth. She waited a few minutes before she questioned Father McDaniel.

  “Father McDaniel, who were you talking to?” she inquired.

  “A stranger,” he answered.

  “Where did he go?” she asked.

  “He left a few minutes ago,” he replied.

  “I didn’t see him come out,” she said.

  “Oh, he must have left before you all came by. He probably went out the back of the church. He’s a little shy around other people.”

  A few days later, a young girl came by the church looking for a place to stay. She was from out of town and had nowhere else to go. She asked Sister Jean if she could stay at the church a few weeks until she could get on her feet. Sister Jean asked Father McDaniel if it would be okay and he said yes. They let her stay in the upstairs storeroom on the back side of the church. Her name was Brandy Britton; she was a runaway. Father McDaniel let her stay at the church until she was capable of providing for herself. She too needed to confess so Father McDaniel met her in the confession booth. She confessed that she was conceived when her mother was raped at a young age. Her mother couldn’t deal with what happened to her. It affected her so much she wanted to die. Before she finished her confession, she broke down crying and ran out of the booth.

  The voice that drove Father McDaniel had left him temporarily. But within a few days it returned. The voice told him that Brandy was a threat to him and he needed to add her blood to his. The voice stated to him he would take care of it.

  The night of Brandy’s death it was storming, lightning and the night sky danced the dance of death. That night, Brandy Britton fell to her death from a third story floor of the church and died on impact. Brandy fell in the corridor and broke her neck. The next morning, Sister Ann found Brandy’s lifeless body. She immediately called the detectives. They were all devastated. Not long after Brandy’s death, the detectives came to take Father McDaniel in for questioning. But, he asked if he could hear a confession before they took him in and they agreed.

  “What do you have for me today?” Father McDaniel asked the stranger.

  “By the time I was in my twenties, I was confined to a mental ward after I had a mental breakdown. I escaped before they gave me shock treatments. I ran away, changed my name and my appearance. I am not a priest, but always wanted to be.”

  “You must not have any loose ends. You should have nothing to tie you to your past,” Father McDaniel replied.

  “Late that evening, there were severe storms, high winds and lightning. At the breaking of day, Sister Ann found Brandy lying dead in the corridor. Evidently, Brandy became afraid of the storm, ran out of her room and accidentally fell over the balcony,” explained the stranger. “It was still raining when the detectives arrived. However, the rain had slowed down to a drizzle; the intense lightning and thunder moved out.”

  “Father McDaniel, we need to take you on down to the station for questioning,” said Detective Summers from outside the confession booth.

  “Sure,” he replied, “I’ll be right out.”

  When they arrived at the precinct, they took him in to the interrogation room.

  “Oh, by the way,” said Detective Furguson, “before we get started. Sammy and his wife admitted stealing from the church. They’re looking at five years in prison.”

  “That’s good to hear,” replied Father McDaniel.

  “Now, let’s get to the matter at hand. Father McDaniel, can you fill us in on what has been happening?” asked Detective Furguson.

  “A few weeks back, Sister Jean brought Rosemary to me to for counseling,” explained Father McDaniel. I worked with her for about two weeks. Actually, until you told me she had been killed. Sister Jean met Sandra when she went to visit Rosemary at her apartment one day,” he added. “I didn’t know the cab driver. I guess he was used to throw off the investigation of the murders. Brandy was a runaway. She came to the church looking for hope so Sister Jean asked me if she could stay at the church until she was able to provide for herself. I would say if anyone was the best candidate to be identified as the murderer it would be Sister Jean. She was associated with every one of the victims. Plus, she had access to all of them. Can I go now?” he asked.

  “Sure, but do not leave town. We may need to talk with you again,” Detective Ferguson stated.

  That night, Sister Jean committed suicide. After her death, Sister Ann transferred to another church to work with young people. Once again, Father McDaniel opened up the door of the confession booth, took his rosary beads in his hand, kissed them and then slowly opened the little panel door.

  “Father, forgive me of my sins,” spoke a familiar voice.