"That bastard," I hissed as Sergeant Leblanc drove off passed the iron gate. The dust billowing behind his car. "Now I got to walk." I sighed. "Perhaps I should have tried a different approach at hitching a ride into town. I thought for sure punching a police officer would get me hauled away. Sometimes being a nun you get away with the wrong things. No one takes you seriously."

It was at that moment emerging from the dust clouds Mrs. Annette sprinted down the driveway. She was dressed in blue overalls, a large floppy hat, and worn out shoes. Her face full of concern caught a blast of dirt and car exhaust.

"Sister...Mary," coughed Mrs. Annette. The woman stopped on the porch. "Oh, Sister Mary. I saw police cars in the distance and someone being carried in a white sheet. What is going on? Did they find anything?"

"Found anything?" I whispered confused. "No, Mrs. Annette, nothing was found."

"Oh thank god," exhaled Mrs. Annette. "I thought the worst."

"Mrs. Stanton was murdered just hours ago. Your employer is dead."

"Oh my goodness. How awful. You must be joking."

"For once, I am not." I looked at the woman suspiciously. I wondered what she was so worried about the police finding and why would it be more concerning then the sudden murder of her neighbor. Instantly I began to feel a terrible sense of dread.

Mrs. Annette rushed inside. I followed in behind her. By the door I noticed a pair of car keys. "Hmm," I whispered snatching them into my pocket. I would save them for later.

Annette and I arrived to the living room where Janet was serving fresh lemonade and crackers. Baines had arrived. Apparently he was not feeling well and spent the entire morning in his room sleeping in. He was more shocked than anyone to hear the fate of Mrs. Stanton. The poor old man remained silent. He grabbed the silverware and started polishing each piece. Janet said it was his least favorite thing to do, an action that clearly expressed his need for distraction.

For the most part the family continued on with everyday business completely unaffected by the events of earlier. The hours dragged by and still no word from Sergeant LeBlanc. Janet cleaned and prepped for dinner. Michael went on a bike ride. Gloria flicked on the radio in her room and listened to music while smoking to her heart's content. She had to open a window. The smell was beginning to seep under her door. Brandon retreated to his room to tend to his snakes. Giles and Susan returned to the overseer's house to take a nap. And Mrs. Annette left to her special flower bed on the east side to water the plants. In the end the only ones left with nothing to do was Pearl and myself.

While I suspected every member of the family, I suspected Pearl the least. Even though she was full of information regarding her family, I sensed her sadness, and a part of me reached out to comfort her. Though as I pondered the thought, I realized my stares had lingered too long and made the girl uncomfortable.

"What are you looking at?" snapped Pearl when she noticed me staring. "Why don't you go pray or something." Pearl curled up on the couch and stared out the window. "Why do you keep watching me? It's weird."

"How about you and I do something?" I said jumping right to the point. "A young girl like yourself should not be confined in this dull house especially after the murder of your mother."

"What if I want to be left alone? Ever considered that?"

"If you had wanted to be left alone, you would have left by now like all your family." I stood up and moved to the couch. "I know we started off on bad terms, but I want to make it up to you. A nunley service. You have that same look in your eye as I do. You don't want to hang around here feeling useless. You want to do something about it."

"You don't know me?"

"Bullocks." I jabbed the girl in the side with the tip of my umbrella. "How about we do some investigating of our own? You and me. Like Bonnie and Clyde."

"They were bank robbers."

"Well then Watson and Holmes?"

"Spend the day with you? A nun. In public. Not a chance." Pearl swatted my umbrella away.

"Alright how about I treat you to some ice cream? I saw an ice cream parlor on my trip over here."

"Aren't you people poor? And besides how do you expect us to get all the way into town? It's hot and that's a long walk."

"I was thinking we could go in style like the wind in our hair." From my pocket I removed a set of keys. I jingled them in the air.

"That's Gloria's keys? How did you get those?"

"Hehe," I chuckled. "That girl should be more responsible and not leave them out in the open for anyone to take."

"But you're a nun. You don't steal. You don't drive."

"Preposterous! I'm borrowing them, and for your information, just because I am a nun doesn't mean I can't indulge in earthly pleasures." A smile so wide stretched across my face. "Take the advice of this deranged nun. Live a little. It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission any day especially if it's for a worthy cause. Are you interested now?"

Pearl paused for a moment. She watched the jiggling keys in my hand. She smiled.

"Heck yeah," said Pearl sitting up excited. "Let's do this!"