Chapter 3~ I was an accomplice... an accomplice to murder

Chapter 3

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Elizabeth

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When I finally opened the door, Mother Roselyn stood at the other end, fuming with rage.

“Mother—” I didn't even finish because she cut me off mid-speech.

“Where have you been? I've been calling you for a while now, and don't tell me you didn't hear me screaming your name like I've lost my mind.”

I couldn't tell her the truth. She wouldn't believe me. Worse still, the mister was undressed and on my bed. There were so many theories that can be cooked up and I'm very sure none of them would end up in my favour.

“Elizabeth!” she yelled out, trying to look into my room but I blocked her view. She can't look inside not while he's still on my bed.

“Yes, Ma,” I answered too quickly, my attention diverted. I hoped she didn't notice that I was shaking.

“Didn't you hear my question? Or have you suddenly gone deaf?”

“I did… I was sleeping. I didn't hear when you called earlier, I'm sorry.”

She looked at me like I was another mystery she was trying to uncover.

“You've become way too sneaky these days,” she uttered, refusing to leave.

“I'm not… I've been in my room the whole time,” I said, choosing my words wisely. Mother Roselyn was always prune to getting angry easily. One word, one slip up and she would be yelling over the place, and threatening me with exorcisms.

“I can never know with you… you know,” she murmured. “Is Leah here with you?”

Leah was one of the children who I had grown attached with since my stay at the convent. Sometimes I fed them, sometimes they came to my room to hear bedtime stories, they also sneaked into my room at night when they got too scared of the rain and most of the time, I'm the one who braids Leah’s hair so it's expected that when any of the children who am fond of, especially Leah gets missing, my room is always the first prime suspect.

“No, she's not. I slept early today,” I lied smoothly.

Another confession to make.

“Your eyes does not look like you've been sleeping at all,” she fired back, hinting that she did not believe me at all.

“My eyes?” I repeated, rubbing at them to dissuade whatever doubting thoughts she was having. “You're mistaken ma. I've been asleep for hours now. Remember that's why I didn't hear you earlier.”

She gave me a once over look, trying to look inside my room at some point, but I still didn't let her.

Oh, dear Lord, wasn't she going to leave soon?

Apparently not.

“Come with me then. We’ll go find her together.”

I almost heaved a sigh of relief when she said that, but I didn't because if I did, she'll get the hint that I'm hiding something. And she would probe further, and I know fully well that the outcome wouldn't be good at all.

“Okay,” I responded, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind me.

Her eyes darted from me to my door. I know she wants to say something else, particularly about why I'm being so uptight about my room, but I was glad that she didn't.

We took the stairs, heading downstairs. We both froze when someone screamed loudly,

“MOTHER ROSELYN! OH MY, MOTHER ROSELYN!”

The voice was persistent, like how someone who saw a ghost would scream. Panic clawed at my chest.

I didn't know why, but I was panicking real good.

Mother Roselyn stilled for a bit, trying to detect where the voice was coming from. She only stayed still for a few seconds before she began running down the stairs faster than someone her age should, and I followed suit.

When we got to the exit leading us outside, Sister Maria stood there. Tears rolled down her cheeks, she looked extremely terrified.

“Mother… I think… you should come see this,” she managed to utter, the words coming up as gibberish.

“What's going on?” Mother Roselyn asked, following Maria as she led us to whatever had terrified her that much. Maria took us out of the convent, heading towards the cathedral.

It was at that moment my heart began to thump loudly against my chest.

What if she saw the pool of blood? Was that what terrified her?

Would they conduct a search party to check who the blood belonged too?

But to my utmost surprise she wasn't leading us into the cathedral. No, not at all. Instead, she was taking us to the far end of the cathedral, specifically to one of the exit doors, the one I didn't follow when I helped the bleeding man out.

After what seemed like a minute of following Maria, she finally stopped.

Mother Roselyn was the first to scream. Her loud cry erupting into the darkness. I stood there, horrified… frozen for a while until I joined in the screaming.

I couldn't help myself, because on the floor was Father Philip lying in his own pool of blood… out cold and dead.

Holy Mary!

Was that a slash on his neck? I looked closely and it was. There was also an outpour of blood gushing out from his throat.

Oh my God. I placed one hand to my chest and the other over my mouth.

I couldn't breathe… I needed air.

I need air.

Someone killed Father Philips. Right here in the cathedral.

And I think I know who that is.

Oh, Father Lord, I've done something really, really bad. I saved someone I shouldn't have.

“What happened?” Mother Roselyn asked, visibly shaking. “How did he… how did you…”

“You asked that I look for Leah, and that was what I was doing until I stepped outside and I saw someone lying on the floor.” Her voice cracked, and she gripped her dress, trying to put herself together. “At first, I thought I wasn't seeing properly because no one is supposed to be out at this hour, but my curiousity had the best of me. And when I came close, I realized…”

She didn't finish, didn't have to because we knew what words would come next.

I hadn't said anything since we got to the spot and I hoped they wouldn't notice.

“What do we do?” Maria asked, her gaze refusing to leave the body.

“We’ll have to tell the other priests, we can't handle this ourselves. Come on.” Mother Roselyn answered, already turning to leave.

I managed to say the words out, “And me?”

“Go back to the convent and look for Leah.” she said, not sparing me another glance.

I nodded too quickly, running back. Not once did I turn back, because I was too engulfed in fear.

One thought stayed on my mind as I ran all the way back to my room —the killer was still in my room.

And I was an accomplice… an accomplice to murder.