Murder in Christ-Roi
The two girls watched as the tall man pulled the pale woman out of the gutter. The crowd around St Patrick’s church was getting thick. Whispers were surfing the area and blending in with the cold wind. “Who is it?” Asked a small woman who looked too fragile to be out on such a windy night. Her voice was but an echo, for everyone was focused on the man with the unidentified girl. Some were praying that she was still alive and some were praying that it wasn’t one of their relatives. The man finally managed to pull her out completely. She laid on the pavement, lifeless. The man stood up and slowly backed away. The crowd’s mood had suddenly changed. The two girls pushed their way to the front and fell silent. They looked at each other then turned to the small, almost crippled woman and began weeping. “What is it girls?“ Her shaking voice was in harmony with the wind and the swaying of the trees. They did not dare answer.“Make way, coming through,” said two men with silver cases that were almost glowing. “Move aside ladies and gentlemen, let us through.” The two men were surprisingly, rather cheery. It was their first time on a crime scene. It was their moment of glory. They leaned over the body to examine it, and concluded she was murdered. “ What? Murder in Christ- Roi? How could this be? Who could have done this? Did they catch them? Are we safe? Oh Mary mother of Jesus save us!” The crowd became chaotic. People were pushing and running in all directions. Their homes were no longer safe for there was a murderer running about Christ-Roi.
The old woman held her fists against her chest as the crowd parted to reveal her dear niece, stone dead. Her white sleeping gown was lifted by the cold wind which was no longer of consequence to her. She took small agonizing steps closer to the scene. Her hands still against her chest, she wept as her vision cleared to reveal her niece’s infantile face on the pavement. She immediately fell on the ground, her knees were too weak to support her now. She laid on the floor, turned her head towards the body and closed her eyes. She took one last breath, cried her last tears. She then allowed herself to let go. The cold pavement embraced her. She was finally dead.