by John Milesky
Maggie took a long look at Genevieve. She noticed a wire protruding from the sheet below her chin.
“What is that?” Maggie asked, pointing to the wire.
“That, we believe is the cause of death,” Alverez said. “I didn’t want you to see that.”
“So someone strangled her?”
“We believe so,” Alverez answered.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling came over Maggie. A mixture of emotions flooded her mind. One emotion she didn’t expect was anger.
“Could the person who did this have known my sister?” Maggie asked. “She was obviously making dinner for two here.”
“At this point we don’t know who may have committed this act,” Alverez said sympathetically. “We’re just gathering as much information before we move her body downtown.”
Maggie hadn’t realized it, but tears had started to run from the sides of her eyes and down her cheeks. They weren’t tears of grief but tears of anger. It wasn’t until one teardrop fell from her face and onto her sister’s forehead that she realized she was crying. She wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand. Alverez noticed this and crouched down next to her and quickly produced a handkerchief and handed it to Maggie.
“I’m really sorry, Sister,” Alverez said as he handed over his handkerchief.
Maggie reached for her sister and ran her hands through her beautiful blonde hair. Before Alverez could stop her from touching the body, she leaned forward and kissed Genevieve on her cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Genevieve.” She said. “I am so very sorry.”
Chapter Three
After Maggie confirmed it was Genevieve on the kitchen floor, Alverez covered the body again and stood. He held out his hand and Maggie took hold of it and stood as well.
“Can we go into the other room and talk for a few moments?” Alverez asked.
“Of course,” Maggie responded.
The detective led Maggie into a lavish room with yet another spectacular view of the city.
“Forensics has finished in this room so we can talk in here,” Alverez said.
Maggie took a seat on the couch, and Alverez sat down next to her. Maggie let her eyes scan the room. The room was filled with priceless vases, statuettes, and rare works of art. There was one item that caught Maggie’s attention. It was a photograph of Genevieve and her, when they were teenagers. Maggie quickly stood and retrieved the photo. Alverez took notice.
“Were you close to your sister?” Alverez asked.
“No,” Maggie responded as she stared at the photo.
The photo was taken decades ago as the two girls stood on a beach. To look at the photo one might assume they were typical, teenaged sisters. They both held smiles on their faces, which Maggie thought was odd considering the life that Genevieve had to endure with her uncle, whose visits lasted well into their teen years. “We hadn’t spoken in years.”
“Oh?” Alverez asked.
“My sister and I were close as children, but we grew apart.”
“Why is that?” Alverez asked.
“I never fully accepted her choices or her lifestyle,” Maggie admitted.
“Her lifestyle?” Alverez asked.
Maggie put the picture back down on the table and turned to face the detective. “My sister was rather fond of boys when we were growing up. She eventually took to a life of prostitution. I chose the church. You can see how our lives would cause conflict?”
“Of course,” Alverez answered. “Prostitution? How do you know your sister was a prostitute?”
“She told me.”
“When was that?” Alverez pressed.
“The last time I saw her,” Maggie admitted.
“And, when was that?” Alverez asked.
“About ten years ago,” Maggie admitted. “She came to visit me at my convent in Baltimore.”
“She just came right out and said she was a prostitute?” Alverez asked.
“Not directly,” Maggie continued. “I could just tell.”
“How?”
“By the way she carried herself. She was driving a very expensive car and was wearing very expensive jewelry.”
“That doesn’t prove she was a prostitute,” Alverez insisted.
“No, it doesn’t,” Maggie confessed. “But I put two and two together. She was dressed in designer clothes, wearing priceless jewels, and she didn’t have a job. I remember asking her how she afforded such things, and she said she had ‘friends who were very generous.’”
“That still doesn’t prove that she was a prostitute,” Alverez insisted.
“No, it certainly doesn’t. But I know my sister. As we were growing up, boys would often give her things. She also had a reputation around school.”
“You think her behavior as a child would lead her to a life of prostitution?” Alverez continued.
“I guess it was more of a gut feeling that gave me the impression that my sister had chosen a life of prostitution. Well, that and the fact that she often referred to herself as Mary Magdalene.”
“So, you haven’t seen your sister in ten years?” Alverez asked.
“Give or take a year,” Maggie answered. “I’m sorry, Detective. I’m a little overwhelmed. Do you mind if we postpone the questioning until a later date?”
Alverez was confused by the sudden change in Maggie’s behavior. She seemed fine with everything, and now, she wanted to leave.
“Sure,” Alverez said. “Here’s my card. I know it’s a long drive down here from Baltimore, so, why don’t you give me a call, and we can set up a time when we can do a formal interview at my office. We can even meet halfway to make it easier on you, if you’d like.”
“I would greatly appreciate that,” Maggie replied. “May I keep this photo?”
“I’d prefer it if nothing were removed from the apartment just yet,” Alverez said, regrettably.
“I understand,” Maggie said, as she placed the photo back on the table. She ran her fingers across the front of the picture frame and then left the apartment.
Alverez picked up the photo by its edges and looked at it. The girls looked happy. He also couldn’t tell which one was Maggie and which one was Genevieve. He took care as he slid the photo into an evidence bag.
Chapter Four
Two days passed since Maggie had been to Washington and to her sister’s penthouse apartment. She sat at her desk in her office at the convent and stared out the window. She was running the events of the past few days through her head when the phone on her desk rang.
“Hello,” Maggie said, into the receiver.
“Hello, is this Sister Margaret Sheppard?”
Maggie could tell by the very slight accent in his voice that it was Alverez. She also noticed the caller ID on her phone had indicated the phone call was coming from the Washington DC Police Department.
“Yes, it is,” Maggie responded.
“Sister, this is Detective Alverez from the Washington DC Metro Police Department.”
“Hello, Detective, how are you doing today?” Maggie said, politely.
“Just fine, Sister,” Alverez answered. “Are you ok?”
“I’m still a little shaken from the other day,” Maggie admitted. “But, in all, I guess I’m doing ok.”
“That’s good to hear, Sister,” Alverez responded. “Listen, I just want to keep you informed on things from my end.”
“I appreciate that, Detective.”
“We got the autopsy results back, and it does indicate that your sister was murdered.”
“How?” Maggie interrupted.
“It appears your sister’s death was the result of strangulation,” Alverez said, sympathetically.
“That’s what I thought,” Maggie added.
“I have many questions I’d like to ask you. Do you think we can meet, or would you rather we discuss things over the phone?”
“I don’t think I can make it down to Washington today or tomorrow, but we can schedule a meeting for Friday, if you’d
like?”
“Would it be ok if I came to visit you in Baltimore?” Alverez asked.
Maggie wasn’t expecting that request, and she hesitated a bit before she answered. “Of course that would be ok,” Maggie finally said. “When would you like to conduct the interview?”
“I could come this afternoon,” Alverez answered. “That is, if you don’t have any other plans?”
“This afternoon would be fine,” Maggie answered.
“Will two o’clock work for you?”
Maggie ran her hand through her hair. She was not wearing a habit today.
“Two o’clock will be fine,” Maggie finally said. “Do you know how to get to the convent?”
“All I need is an address, and I can plug it into my GPS,” Alverez said.
Maggie gave the detective the address of her convent and told him how to find her office. They exchanged a few more pleasantries and hung up.
Maggie sat, staring at the phone with a concerned look on her face. She then noticed a package on a stack of mail that had built up over the past few days. She hadn’t gone back to her regular routine yet, and a few things had fallen behind.
Maggie picked up the package and examined it. It was addressed to her but what really caught her eye and made her heart flutter was the return address. The return address was the address she had just given the detective on the phone; her own convent. The postmark, however, was clearly from Washington, DC.
Maggie tore the package open. The contents clearly belonged to Genevieve. Inside were a day planner, an address book, a cell phone, which had been turned off, and her sister’s journal. Her heart sunk as she placed the items on her desk.
She stared at the contents of the package for a long while before she finally picked up the day planner and thumbed through it. She took note of a lot of dates with initials on various days along with times. There were also a few names listed that Maggie assumed were restaurants.
Maggie picked up the address book and skimmed the pages of that as well. There were many initials with various phone numbers. There were also hand written notes that Maggie assumed were likes and dislikes of the people who were listed. Out of curiosity, she looked to see if her own name was there. It was, along with her phone number and address.
Maggie put down the address book and picked up the journal. She was about to open it when she realized that she could be potentially damaging evidence to her sister’s murder. She decided to wait and heed the detective’s advice. She put everything back in a pile and set it aside on her desk. She looked at her watch. It was only 11:30 am. Two o’clock seemed like a very long way off.
Chapter Five
Maggie was waiting in the parking lot when Detective Alverez arrived in his navy blue Ford Taurus. It looked like something a cop would drive, Maggie thought. She could tell it was Alverez even before he got out of the car.
“Detective,” Maggie said as she approached the car.
Detective Alverez was closing the door when he turned to notice that Sister Maggie was approaching. Without her habit, the detective couldn’t help but notice how much she looked like her sister. He also couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was.
Sister Maggie stood about 5’9,” with dirty blonde hair. She was slim, and even in her plain clothes, the detective noticed her hour-glass figure and subtle breasts. He also noticed her hazel eyes; something he had missed the other night. It was safe to say the detective had an immediate attraction to her. This made him feel a little guilty because she was a nun.
“I thought I’d come out here to greet you since it can be a little tricky finding my office,” Maggie lied. The truth was, she was antsy and riddled with anxiety, since she opened the package from her sister. She had been counting the minutes until the detective’s arrival.
“Sister, thank you for meeting me,” Alverez said, as he offered his hand to Maggie. They shook hands. The detective opened the rear door of his car and pulled out his bag.
“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Maggie asked.
“Not at all,” Alverez answered. “I don’t know how I ever survived without a GPS. I may be a bit too dependent on it.”
“They are helpful,” Maggie added. “I have one myself.”
They made small talk as they walked the halls of the convent towards Maggie’s office. Once inside the office, Maggie offered the detective a seat and something to drink. He declined the drink and took a seat in front of Maggie’s desk. She in turn, took her seat behind the desk.
“I’d like to get right to things, if you don’t mind,” Alverez said.
“Absolutely,” Maggie said, “but first, I think you should take a look at these.” She pushed the pile of Genevieve’s things across her desk for the detective’s inspection.
“What is all this?” he asked. He was about to pick up the cell phone, when Maggie stopped him.
“I think they are from my sister, Genevieve,” Maggie said.
Detective Alverez stopped and became motionless. “How do you mean?”
“I think she mailed these to me before she was murdered. The postmark on the envelope is a few days before her body was found. Here’s the envelope they came in.” Maggie pinched the corner of the envelope and held it up for the detective. He took hold of it by its edges, careful not to taint any evidence.
“That’s my sister’s handwriting,” Maggie said as she handed over the envelope. “I just opened it this morning after we talked.”
“When did you receive this?” Alverez asked.
“I don’t know exactly when it came. I just noticed it this morning.”
“She knew someone was going to kill her,” Alverez said, in a moment of clarity.
“I thought the same thing,” Maggie said. “Why else would she send me some of her most personal things?”
By now, the detective had pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully slid the address book towards him. He took care as he turned each page as if he were handling a priceless document from the National Archives.
“There’s everything in here,” Alverez said in amazement. “Names, dates, times.”
“Once I realized what it was, I put it down, trying not to taint any evidence,” Maggie admitted.
“I’ll have to hand this over to our forensic team. They can go through it, while following their protocols. This is a gold mine,” Alverez said with a slight hint of joy in the tone of his voice.
Alverez took extra care as he picked up each item with his handkerchief and placed them back inside the envelope. “I can’t wait for the boys to go through all this,” he admitted.
“I hope it can help catch my sister’s killer,” Maggie said.
“Well, it definitely will help lead us in the right direction. Chances are, the killer’s name is on one of these pages,” Alverez said. “I promise you, we will go through all of this with a very fine tooth comb.”
He took care as he wrapped as much as he could of the package with his handkerchief and neatly and meticulously put it inside the bag he brought with him. He searched in his bag and pulled out a pad and placed it on his lap. He reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a pen. “Shall we continue?” He said.
“Of course,” Maggie replied, with a nervous edge in her voice.
Alverez didn’t hold back any punches. He started by pulling the photograph of Maggie and her sister out of his bag. It was still in the evidence bag.
“Now you said you hadn’t been in contact with your sister for about ten years, is that correct?” Alverez asked.
“That is correct,” Maggie said, nervously.
“I ran this photo for prints after you left the other night,” Alverez admitted.
“And what did you find?” Maggie asked.
“The prints on this photograph also match prints we found all over your sister’s apartment,” Alverez said. “So, either these prints belong to the cleaning lady, who found your sister’s body, or they are yours?”
Maggie rema
ined quiet while she thought about what she would say next. “I’m sure after reading my sister’s journal, you will find out that I have been lying,” Maggie admitted. “Truth is, I have been in contact with my sister for several months now. We just recently reconnected. I guess I was a little embarrassed of that fact. Besides, I didn’t think it’s proper for a nun to be associating with a known prostitute?”
“You still should have told me the truth,” Alverez said.
“Detective,” Maggie started, “if you were in my shoes, what would you have done?”
“I would have told the truth,” Alverez insisted.
“Suppose you had a brother, who was a wanted criminal, and you secretly met up with him from time-to-time? Would you want that information known?”
“But your sister wasn’t wanted for any crimes,” Alverez responded.
Maggie thought on that for a few seconds before she decided to just come clean. “I guess I was just embarrassed. I’m sure when you read my sister’s journal, you’ll understand why I didn’t tell you the truth.”
Chapter Six
It was odd the detective asked Maggie to meet him at Genevieve’s apartment. Maggie was nervous for some reason. She chose not to wear her habit today, so she wouldn’t stand out. The habit was a nice way for her to hide from the world, but today she wanted to be more invisible by blending in.
Alverez was waiting for Maggie in the garage of Genevieve’s building. As she drove in, she spotted Alverez’s car in the visitor’s parking spot. Maggie parked in Genevieve’s parking spot since her sister’s car had been towed away by the DC police, in an effort to gather more evidence. By the time Maggie parked and got out of her car, the detective was standing by the elevator door. Maggie quickly walked over to greet him.
“Sister, thank you for coming down,” Alverez said, politely.
“Anything I can do to help, Detective,” Maggie said.
Alverez took a key from his pocket and placed it into the slot next to the elevator door. It opened immediately. They both entered the elevator, and Alverez used the same key to access the penthouse. Maggie wondered why there were no keys when she was there the night of her sister’s murder.
