Sister Genevieve

by John Milesky

  “The manager of the building gave me a key to your sister’s apartment,” Alverez offered.

  “How come the officer that brought me up here the other night didn’t need a key to access my sister’s home?” Maggie asked out of curiosity.

  “We had all the doors and places that needed key access unlocked that night since there were so many people coming and going. We didn’t think that anyone who didn’t belong here would wander up since there were so many police officers and forensic people here. I’m certain you will be getting a key to your sister’s apartment once it is no longer a crime scene.”

  “I don’t know why I would need a key to my sister’s apartment,” Maggie said.

  “I guess no one has gotten in touch with you, then,” Alverez offered. “It seems that your sister’s penthouse is now yours.”

  Maggie had a look of amazement on her face. “Excuse me?” She said in confusion.

  “Yes,” Alverez started. “It seems that your sister left you everything, including her apartment.”

  Maggie looked surprised as she let the words sink in.

  “I don’t understand,” Maggie said.

  “Yes, I had a look at your sister’s will, and she made you her sole beneficiary.”

  “Me? Beneficiary?” Maggie said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  When the elevator reached the penthouse, Maggie and Alverez gingerly stepped into Genevieve’s apartment, as if it was the first time. Alverez hit a light switch on the wall, and the entry way was instantly illuminated.

  “Forensics went through this place pretty meticulously. Sometimes they’re not the neatest bunch, so you’ll have to excuse me if things are out of place.”

  “It’s ok, Detective, I understand,” Maggie said.

  “Why don’t we take a seat in here?” Alverez asked, pointing to the main room with the spectacular view. Maggie sat on the couch. Alverez turned on a lamp and sat in a chair across from her.

  “I have some things I’d like to clarify with you,” Alverez said. “Then, feel free to wander around. I will ask that you not remove anything just yet. This apartment still hasn’t been cleared, but it shouldn’t be long. It’s mostly paperwork that is holding up the release of the apartment.”

  “I understand,” Maggie said.

  Alverez reached into his bag and pulled out his notepad and pen. Maggie couldn’t help but be amazed by the news she just received. She looked around the apartment, and a part of her was somewhat impressed that all of this was now hers. What will I do with all of this, she thought.

  “Now, you’ll have to excuse me if I ask you a few things that are upsetting, but I have to be thorough,” Alverez said. He interrupted her daydream.

  “You said it had been approximately ten years since you last saw your sister, Genevieve. Yesterday, you amended that statement and said you had been in touch over the past few months,” Alverez said.

  “That’s correct,” Maggie answered.

  “There are a few things that don’t make sense to me,” Alverez said. “For one thing, the fingerprints.”

  “What about the fingerprints?” Maggie asked. “I thought we covered that yesterday in my office?”

  “Well, when forensics went through the apartment, they found plenty of fingerprints, but not as many for a person who lived here.”

  “I don’t understand,” Maggie responded.

  “We did find fingerprints that belonged to your sister, but what was odd was, we found just as many of your fingerprints as we did hers.”

  Maggie looked confused.

  “I’m sorry, Sister. What I am trying to say is, why are there so many of your fingerprints in your sister’s apartment? Why are there so many, if you’ve only been in contact with her for a few months?

  Maggie seemed stumped. She looked nervous, and her gaze turned from the detective to the view of the city. She started to cry.

  “Detective, are you saying I am a suspect in my sister’s murder?” Maggie’s voice cracked as she asked the question.

  “That’s not what I am saying,” Alverez responded. “I’m just trying to get a firm understanding about your fingerprints being in your sister’s apartment.

  “I didn’t murder my sister,” Maggie admitted.

  “I’m not accusing you of murdering your sister,” Alverez responded. “Truth is, according to the autopsy results, your sister’s neck was broken by whomever strangled her. I don’t think you have the strength to break someone’s neck. Also, whoever murdered your sister was taller than her, so that would rule you out. All I want to know is why are there so many of your fingerprints in this apartment? And, why did you lie about not seeing your sister?”

  Maggie reached into her purse, pulled out a tissue, and dabbed at the tears that had collected at the corners of her eyes. A long silence took hold of the room.

  “Yes,” Maggie finally said, breaking the silence. “They are my fingerprints in here.”

  “Why lie about it?” Alverez asked.

  “I guess I panicked,” Maggie finally said. “I didn’t want anyone to know I had been seeing my sister.”

  “Why would you care if anyone knew you were seeing your sister?” Alverez asked.

  “My sister was a prostitute, Detective,” Maggie finally said. “I was a little embarrassed to admit that we were seeing each other.”

  “Why would you be embarrassed?” Alverez pressed on.

  “Truth is, my sister reached out to me about six months ago. She said she was afraid that someone may be out to kill her, so naturally I was concerned.”

  “Did she say who might be out to kill her?”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  By now Maggie had stopped crying. She took a deep breath before she continued. “About six months ago, I met my sister for lunch at Adair’s on K Street. Afterwards, she invited me back here to her apartment. We started talking and that’s when we finally started talking about what happened to her as a child.”

  “What happened to her as a child?” Alverez interrupted.

  “Our parents died when we were very young. We went to live with our uncle until we graduated from high school. My sister was continuously molested by our uncle. We never spoke about it, until we reconnected about six months ago.” Maggie started to tear up again. “I should have said something about it, while it was happening, but I never did.”

  “Did your uncle ever molest you?” Alverez asked.

  “No. That was what was so strange about it. We were identical twins, but he never forced himself onto me. Never touched me; never looked at me. It was almost as if I was invisible to him.”

  “You sound disappointed,” Alverez said.

  “I was disappointed. I was disappointed in myself. I should have said something, but I never did. After we graduated, I chose the church, and my sister disappeared. It wasn’t until ten years ago that we saw each other for the first time since she left. Even then, I didn’t say anything about my uncle. That’s when I realized my sister had turned to a life of prostitution.”

  “Guilt can be a heavy burden to shake free from,” Alverez proclaimed.

  “After we reconnected six months ago, we started seeing more of each other. I would come down here from Baltimore and stay with her for a few days at a time. We started to get close; closer than we had ever been. There were times when I was here that I would let my sister dress me up or give me a makeover. I’d put on some of her fancy dresses, wear her make-up and jewels, and pretend I wasn’t a nun. We even went out on a few occasions. I am ashamed to admit it, but I liked it. It put doubts in my head about the life I have chosen for myself. I don’t want to be a prostitute, but I started to doubt my place in the church. Can you see how embarrassing that could be, Detective?”

  “We’ve all had different paths to choose from, Sister. That still doesn’t explain why you would lie about seeing your sister, even if she was a prostitute,” Alverez said.

  “I don’t know why I was embarrassed. Imagine dedicating y
our entire life to God and then seeing something like this happen to someone you really care about. I am having my doubts about my own beliefs. I am really confused as well as embarrassed. I just didn’t want all of that coming out on top of my sister’s murder.”

  “I guess I can understand that a little,” Alverez said. “But you should have told me you had been in contact with your sister. You didn’t have to tell me about all the other stuff.”

  “Do you mind if I use the restroom, Detective?” Maggie asked.

  “Not at all.”

  Maggie left the room, and Alverez stood up and walked over to the window. He had a deep look of concern on his face as he gazed out over DC. He was thinking long and hard about what Maggie had just admitted to him. He had seen enough crime scenes to cast doubts in his own mind. He, too, had his doubts about the existence of a God that would allow so much pain.

  Chapter Seven

  When Maggie returned from the restroom, Alverez was talking on his cell phone. She took her seat back on the couch and waited for him to finish his call. She overheard the detective talking about Genevieve’s cell phone and the messages that had been retrieved. He turned and noticed Maggie sitting on the couch and quickly ended his call.

  “Good news,” Alverez proclaimed.

  For a slight moment, Maggie was optimistic they may have found her sister’s killer, but it was just wishful thinking.

  “The apartment has been cleared by the crime scene unit, so you are free to come and go as you’d like.”

  “Oh,” Maggie responded.

  “That was forensics. They said they have all they need from the apartment. They submitted the paperwork, and this is now a cleared site.”

  Maggie was indifferent to the news. She couldn’t imagine living in her sister’s apartment, nor would she know what to do with it, now that she owned it.

  “Have you given any thought as to what you will do with this place?” Alverez asked.

  “I have no idea what I will do now,” Maggie admitted.

  Detective Alverez took the key from his pocket and handed it to Maggie. Maggie took the key and held it in her hand.

  “I guess this belongs to you now,” Alverez said. “Looks like I will have to go through you, if I ever need to come back to this place.”

  “You’re welcome here any time,” Maggie said. “Truth is, I have no idea what to do next.”

  “I’m sure you will figure it out,” Alverez said. “These things take time.”

  “Detective,” Maggie said, assertively, “were you able to gather any evidence from the items my sister sent to me?”

  “We have tons of leads,” Alverez admitted. “We’ve even been able to identify a few of the contacts in the date book, but most of the notes are in code. A lot of initials. There were also a few messages on her cell phone. Our investigators have identified most of the callers. There were some clients, some friends, and a few miscellaneous messages that we are currently investigating. So far, we have nothing solid, but we have been able to rule out many of them as the possible murderer.”

  “Have you filed a report on this case yet?” Maggie asked.

  “No, my captain wants me to sit on this one for a while. I think someone may be putting pressure on him to keep this out of the headlines,” Alverez said. “I think some of your sister’s clients were pretty, powerful people.”

  “So you think your captain is getting pressure from someone higher up than him?” Maggie asked.

  “I shouldn’t speculate,” Alverez answered. “But this is Washington. The pressure could be coming from anywhere.”

  “I was looking over some of my sisters things while I was in the bathroom,” Maggie said. “I was looking at her make-up and other personal things when an idea came to me.”

  “What’s that?” Alverez asked.

  “No one but the killer knows that my sister is dead.”

  Detective Alverez had an intrigued look on his face.

  “Well, the killer and the police department know about her death,” Alverez answered.

  “Yeah, but if your captain is taking orders from someone higher up, do you suspect that whoever is stalling the actual filing of the police report, is the killer?”

  “It’s hard to say in this town,” Alverez responded. “Like I said, this is Washington, DC, and there are an awful lot of names listed in your sister’s belongings.

  “Interesting,” Maggie added. “But no one knows about me?”

  “I haven’t filed my report, so no one knows about you,” Alverez said.

  “Does your captain know about me?”

  “He knows that the victim has a sister, but that’s pretty much all he knows,” Alverez answered. “He has yet to see any of the details.”

  “Well, listen to my idea,” Maggie requested.

  “Shoot.”

  Maggie took a deep breath before she spoke, “What if I pretend to be my sister?”

  A look of intrigue came over Alverez face. “I don’t understand.”

  “I look identical to my sister, right?”

  Alverez shook his head in agreement. “Yes.”

  “Well, what if I take over my sister’s role? I mean, I won’t actually become a prostitute, but I can pretend to be one.”

  Alverez was really confused. “You?” He said in confusion. “You want to pretend to be a prostitute? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It makes perfect sense when you think about it,” Maggie insisted. “I go on living my life, as if I am my sister, Genevieve. It would lure potential suspects to the apartment, and eventually, whoever killed my sister will question my existence and come back to finish the job. Either way, with your protection and guidance, we can at least, narrow down the list of suspects. Who knows? If the killer comes back to finish the job, you will be waiting here for him.”

  Chapter Eight

  “That is a ridiculous idea, Sister,” Alverez said.

  Alverez and Maggie were still in Genevieve’s apartment. Maggie stood up from the couch and wandered around the room. She stopped at the window and stared out at the city. Her thoughts were consumed with what she had just said to the detective.

  “I wonder how many times my sister stared out this window?” Maggie finally said.

  “Sister,” Alverez started, cutting her off, “think about what you are suggesting.”

  “I couldn’t help my sister while she was alive, and I certainly failed her in our childhood, but I can finally come to her rescue now,” Maggie confessed.

  “First of all, my captain would never go for it. Secondly, it is extremely dangerous-”

  “Why would your captain have to know about it?” Maggie interrupted. “Like you said, this is my place now, and I can do with it whatever I’d like to do with it.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think you understand the danger that is involved here,” Alverez admitted.

  “You’ll be here to protect me,” Maggie insisted.

  “What if one of your sister’s contacts wants to have sex with you? Won’t that be a concern for you?” Alverez asked.

  “You let me worry about that,” Maggie answered. “I can be rather resourceful.”

  “What about your vocation?” Alverez asked. “Won’t you be missed?”

  “I can arrange a leave,” Maggie insisted. “Under the circumstances, no one would be surprised, if I took a little time away to grieve my sister’s death. I can tell them that I just need a little time to handle my sister’s affairs.”

  “What if the killer does show up?” Alverez asked. “He knows that he killed her. Don’t you think he will be a little leery to see you alive?”

  “We don’t know what the killer is thinking,” Maggie interrupted. “If he does show up, he’ll have his doubts about his actions. Either way, he’ll want to come back to make sure he did the job right in the first place.”

  “I don’t know, Sister. This sounds awfully risky,” Alverez continued. “I don’t think I could put your life at risk. Why don’t w
e go through your sister’s things and see if any of our leads pan out first.”

  “If you insist,” Maggie said, “but at least consider my idea as a possibility.”

  “Let me go through all of the evidence, before we do anything rash,” Alverez said. “We are still combing through the contents of your sister’s belongings.”

  “Well, I think you should keep an open mind about this,” Maggie said.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Alverez said. “Why don’t you let me take a few days to go over the evidence and consider your idea. That way, we could thoroughly go through your sister’s belongings and possibly identify the killer. You won’t have to pretend that you are someone you’re not.”

  Maggie looked disappointed as she turned again towards the window to stare out at the view. In her mind she was determined to help her sister, even in death.

  Chapter Nine

  Two weeks had passed since Maggie had heard from Alverez. She took a leave of absence from the convent and temporarily moved into her sister’s apartment. It was odd for her, but for the first time in her life, she felt like a normal person.

  While Maggie was at Genevieve’s apartment, she continued to question her life with the church. She pondered the idea that if she had made different decisions in life, perhaps, she would be a totally different person by now. She also continued to have her doubts about God.

  Maggie was startled when the phone rang. She could tell from the caller ID that it was detective Alverez.

  “Hello,” she said timidly into the phone.

  “Good morning, Sister. This is Alverez.”

  “Good morning, Detective,” Maggie responded.

  “I tried you at your convent in Baltimore, but someone there said you had taken a leave of absence,” Alverez said. “I took a chance that you might be at your sister’s apartment.”

  “Yes, I wanted to take some time away from the convent,” Maggie admitted. “My sister’s place seemed like a logical choice for me. It has given me some time to really get to know my sister. I know that may seem odd, considering she’s dead, but being here among her belongings, I’ve come to know her better than I ever did.”