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A SEASON OF STORIES

of dollars. He liked to show off what he had, pleased. I believe he was here yesterday morning

hence the lavish Halloween party. William had a and locked Penny and me in the basement. While
serious girlfriend, Linda, who we know is Terry’s we were locked down there, we found the ledger
mother. William felt it was necessary to keep the with three years’ worth of entries.” She held the
relationship quiet, at least until after graduation, ledger up for all to see. That’s when John bolted

when he planned to marry her. William had saved for the door. With one graceful move, Jim blocked
all her letters which spoke of this love.” Laura saw his way, pulled out his badge, and read him his
Terry dab her eyes. Carl squirmed in his seat and rights. John left a few moments later in handcuffs.
reached for a bottle of water. Penny didn’t bother to adjourn the meeting.

“The night of the party Terry came in “Laura, how did you figure it out?”
costume. She had a secret to share with William. “I found out another way someone’s neck could
She was carrying his child. She knew he was in be broken is with martial arts. I remembered
a devils’ costume. Someone, not William, in a there was a photo in William’s room of a martial

lookalike costume intercepted Terry and she left arts class. The same picture was in his annual.
in tears without sharing her secret with William.” When I used my magnifying glass, I recognized
The police knew that William’s body was John.”
dragged into the wine cellar. Because the crime “His initials weren’t in the ledger,” said Penny.

scene was contaminated, they could not say with “With a little more sleuthing I found out he
100 percent certainty that he hadn’t fallen down is Carl John. CJ. As an adult he dropped Carl.”
the stairs. His death was caused by a broken neck.
Not from a fall, but by someone taller who knew

martial arts. I believe the name of the murderer
was in William’s ledger. Since many believed it
was an accident and no one tried to collect the The End
money he owed, our perpetrator thought he

had gotten away with murder. That is until we
started meeting here and interest in the murder
was rekindled.” Laura made sure to give each
person equal eye contact. Only one person did

not return it and he squirmed in his seat.
“I believe the murderer wore the other devil’s
costume to the party. In fact, I think he still wears
it every Halloween, so people think it’s William’s

ghost. It keeps people away from the haunted
house and he uses the time to look for the ledger.
As a long-time friend of William and his family,
he had a house key and could come and go as he

34 ONE COMMUNITY