Secrets in the Shallows (Book 1: The Monastery Murders) (9 page)

C
HAPTER
7

The blare of a foghorn echoed throughout the valley as faint streams of sunlight peeked through the thick morning fog. Its deep eerie tone permeated the air and continued to wail for several seconds. Dozens of squawking seagulls glided on the ocean breeze, while several others landed on large rocks with their morning breakfast.

The lighthouse beacon continually guided boats in and out of the bay, while some captains returned to the harbor with their haul. Attempting to steal an easy meal, a flock of seagulls wafted on the wind currents behind the newly filled fishing trawlers.

Cruising out towards deeper waters, a small red boat slowly headed east, leaving a gently-flowing wake behind it. A seasoned angler with a light gray cap stood firmly by the boat’s wheel, steering directly into the cold gusts of wind. Trailing around his neck, the aged seaman’s long, white beard blew haphazardly in the salty breeze. As the unknown captain headed out to sea, his coat flapped violently behind him, repeatedly beating against his back.

Looking out a small window at the freshly fallen snow, a young woman caught herself in a trance and refocused her attention. The lovely Katy Warsaw had been awake for hours, perparing for her important day. Turning to peer in the bathroom mirror, she finished applying her mascara. Brushing her long blonde hair back on her head, she pulled it into a ponytail with a pink hairband. As a final touch, she put on a fresh touch of pink lipstick. The shade perfectly complimented her deep green eyes.

“Come on! You’re going to be late. We don’t want to miss the fitting,” Katy’s mother called out.

“Okay, Mom! I’ll be right there,” she shouted right back.

Katy crossed the hallway and and picked up her purse from the bed. Her eyes traveled to the closet door where her evening dress hung, protected in a plastic cover. She wished that it was a gorgeous white wedding dress.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if John asked me tonight? I’d be Mrs. Johnathon Smith. Hmmm ... Katy Smith?
Mrs. John Smith? That works,
she thought.

“Mrs. John Smith,” Katy whispered to herself and smiled. Taking a picture from her vanity table, Katy gazed at the image inside the frame for a moment as she smiled again. John Smith was her one true love and she would never forget the first time she saw him.

It was on a lovely autumn day; and unusually warm for mid-September. Katy recalled that she didn’t even have to wear a jacket. With aspirations of disproving that all blondes are dumb, she had just started her freshman year at the University of Maine. Ambitiously, she had enrolled in the pre-law program. At the young age of nineteen, the last thing she expected to find was the love of her life.

Katy was running late for her 8:30 a.m. literature class. Fumbling with an armful of books, Katy attempted to open the English department’s hall door. Unable to contain them, she dropped her textbooks all over the floor. While bending down to collect them, a pair of black loafers stopped beside her. As she raised her head, she gazed into John’s strikingly light blue eyes for the first time.

Katy began to stand up as the strikingly handsome man knelt down and picked the books up for her. She still remembered how sharp he looked in his dark blue suit and light blue, button down oxford shirt. His professional attire held a stark contrast to the blue jeans and T-shirts worn by most of the
‘
boys’ at the university.

To her surprise, she had found a true gentleman. At 6’3” tall, with wavy, dark brown hair, John was the very essence of tall, dark and handsome. With her petite frame a foot shorter, Katy hardly reached his shoulder as she stood in front of him.

“I think you may need these,” John chuckled as he handed the books back to her.

“Thank you. Yes, I definitely do,” she replied, giggling nervously.

“Were you running late for class?”

“Actually, I was, but I am so late now. I think I’ll just get the notes after class from a friend.”

“Then let me introduce myself. I am John ... John Smith,” he said as he stood up and politely nodded his head while extending his hand.

Katy giggled, completely enamored with the special treatment that John was showing her. “My name is Katy ... Katy Warsaw.” She put down the books on a nearby table and reached her hand out to shake his.

John took the opportunity to pick up the stack of books and smiled at her. Opening up the door she had just entered through, he gestured for her to pass through. “Since your schedule has cleared up, could I entice you to join me for a cup of coffee at the student café?”

“I think I could spare a few minutes, and could definitely use some coffee. I didn’t take any with me when I left this morning. Maybe it will help me stay awake through my math class later,” she replied.

Holding the door open, John smiled and asked, “Shall we?”

John’s smile captivated her and from that moment on. Katy spent the better part of the morning talking with John. Over the following weeks and months, she flipped completely head over heels for John Smith.

Ensnared by his charm, Katy could not hope to escape from her trance, nor did she want to. Not only was he incredibly attractive, but also very intelligent. Two years prior, he had graduated magna cum laude with a degree in history and pre-law studies, and now he was in his second year in the College of Law at the University of Maine. John’s dream was to become an attorney like his late father.

It was a fortunate accident when Katy dropped her books that day. From that day forward, John and Katy were inseparable. She would never have thought she would be dating someone for six years, and still not be married. He had yet to pop the question, although John and Katy had spoken about marriage multiple times over the years.

John was adamant that he wanted to earn a good living before getting married. His goal was to be able to support their family on his income, so that she could stay home with their kids if she wanted. Since he had earned the promotion to district attorney, Katy anticipated that he would give her a ring any day, because they had been already talking about the idea of getting married for months.

What better way to make this Christmas extra special than for John to ask me to marry him?
Katy hoped that John would take advantage of one of the upcoming festive holiday ocassions to ask her. She had already bought a beautiful deep blue dress for the upcoming New Year’s Ball that was held every year.

I can’t wait to get my new dress altered today!
she thought to herself.

In the driveway, the car started as Julie Warsaw, honked the horn. Suddenly, the jolting sound grasped Katy’s mind, returning it to reality. Regaining her composure, she kissed the picture of her ‘true love’ and placed it back on the vanity. She quickly picked up a pair of diamond earrings and put them on.

Realizing her mother was probably starting to lose her patience, she put her cell phone in her purse as she grabbed it. Taking her new party dress off the closet door, she carefully draped it over her arm and hurried out of the room and down the stairs.

Stretched out on the sofa in the family room, her fifteen-year-old brother was assuming his usual position. A large teen with untidy blonde hair, Jason Warsaw was eating a large bowl of cereal as he propped his feet on the coffee table. Not only was he overweight, but incredibly lazy.

Katy glared at him. “Jason, I’ll see you this afternoon.”

With a full mouth, he spoke up. “Hope you can fit in your dress.”

Katy thumped him on top of his head as he was taking another bite of cereal. Jason missed his mouth, causing a spoonful of milk and colored cereal rings to spill onto the front of his shirt.

“Just wait. I’m going to get you back, sis!” Jason forewarned.

Laughing at her brother, Katy hung her dress from the top of the door long enough to slip on her red leather jacket and button it tightly. After draping her purse over her shoulder, she picked her dress back up, careful not to crease it. Opening the door, she shouted back at him, “Sure you will; if you ever get your big butt off that couch.”

Katy walked out the front door and slammed it behind her. Holding her dress up several inches off the ground, she carefully walked to the car, where her mother was waiting, tight-lipped and agitate. Katy hung the dress in the back seat and then got into the front seat of the sedan. She pulled down the sun visor and peered into the mirror to examine her hair.

“Oh, Mom, it’s just an alteration appointment.”

“Yes, Katherine, for once in my life, I would like to be on time, if that’s okay with you?”

Brushing a stray strand of blonde hair away from her face, Julie Warsaw put the car in reverse, and backed out of the driveway. She turned onto Route 17, accelerating right away to quickly conquer the five-mile drive to town. Their quaint, black shuttered Cape Cod home slowly disappeared in the reflection of the mirror.

Through green eyes, Katy gazed out the window at the steadfast lighthouse as it beamed its constant signal out to sea. Pondering her eminent future, she smiled then turned toward her mother.

“Do you know when he’s going to finally ask you to marry him? It has been a number of years. You’re finished with all of your schooling already. What is the hold-up?” Julie asked her daughter.

“We’ve talked about it, but I think he’s going to plan something special to officially ask me.”

“He’d better do it soon, or some other man is going to try to sweep you off your feet,” Julie teased.

Katy laughed and replied, “I love John and no one could change that as long as he keeps treating me the way he does. He makes me feel special.”

“Because you are special,” Julie replied.

Katy smiled and said, “Once he finally does ask me and we finally get married, I hope John and I are as happy as you and Daddy are.”

The corners of Julie’s mouth curled up slightly as she smiled back at her daughter.
I hope you are too,
Julie thought to herself. “Marriage isn’t as easy as it may seem sometime. You have to continually work to keep your relationship fulfilling and alive. Never forget that, Katy. It’s worth it if you do.”

Smiling, Katy replied, “I’ve got some great parents to whom I can always ask advice from. I know things aren’t always a bed of roses, but I see how you and Daddy work things out when you have disagreements. I’ll try to work on our relationship the same way you have, Mom.”

Katy pushed the tuning button on the radio until she found her favorite station, and then scanned the beautiful view surrounding her. The glistening white snow that had been such a fierce threat the night before, now covered everything in sight like a fresh clean sheet. Maine’s frosty winters, incredibly relaxing springs, fabulous autumn foliage, and mild summers had captivated Katy since she was a little girl. She couldn’t bear the thought of living anywhere else.

One by one, Katy and her mom passed several houses on their way in to town. As they rounded the last curve of the road before reaching the town limits, the monastery and St. Francis Catholic School towered above the surrounding foothills. The historic campus dated back to the 1800s. Katy had always been enamored by the way that the sunlight reflected off the stained glass windows. Dozens of saints radiated from the morning sunbeams. The bright colors glimmering from the colored glass were a stark contrast to the gray stone walls.

Twice daily, once at noon and another at dusk, the eerie sounds of the tolling bell rang out across the valley. From the corner of the monastery, a tall statue representing Jesus Christ peered out over the campus from the bell tower. His outstretched arms inspired hope and peace to comfort the weary and lost.

In the garden below, a blanket of fog still rolled over the ground with misty tendrils reaching out for the hems of the Holy Mother’s robes. Posed in pious reflection, her marble eyes remained closed in quiet contemplation as she counted her rosary beads.

As they drove by, Katy’s attention was drawn to some lights strobing across the monastery walls. “I wonder what’s going on at the monastery.”

Glancing over at the campus, Julie said, “I hope no one is sick or hurt. I’d stop and check what’s going on, but we’re running late enough as it is.”

Suddenly, Katy screamed as she saw a fawn in the road. Grabbing the dash, she shouted, “Watch out!”

Julie slammed on the breaks, trying to keep the car from going off the road. “Oh, no! Hang on!”

A loud thump resounded as the small deer disappeared under the car. Both of their seat belts locked up, saving the women from being thrown into the windshield as Julie finally managed to get the car completely stopped.

Shaken, Julie turned to Katy and asked, “Honey, are you all right?”

Almost in shock, Katy replied, “Yes, I’m okay. Are you?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Julie and Katy got out of the car and ran up to the fawn, now laying perfectly still from the impact.

Katy asked while panting, “Is it dead?”

“I think so. Poor thing, we need to get her out of the road. I’ll grab the legs. You take the front. Okay on the count of three.”

The baby deer was slightly heavy and Katy stood up to stretch her aching back.

Seeing the crushed grill on the car, Katy shouted, “OOOHHH! Mom, your car!”