Free A Murder of Magpies by Sarah Bromley Page B

ground with Monsignor, and someone would
     talk about the fight this morning. Hell, maybe we should disappear. Chloe bobbed between all three of us before finally, not without cringing,
     nodded that she’d come.
    We grabbed our coats, and a minute later, the double doors to the school flew open
     as we drew near. They weren’t automatic. Ward paused, brow furrowed. “That was weird.”
    I elbowed Jonah. Not the right time for Mind Games, not that he cared.
    As I stepped outside, I blew on my hands for warmth. Tall evergreens spiked the autumn
     sky, and snow flurries whipped around the air. Built directly off the church, St.
     Anthony’s school was red brick covered in ivy. Rows of arched windows stood out like
     bared teeth, and at the center of the top row was a nook for a statue of St. Anthony
     of Padua. The church was also red brick with an imposing bell tower below a greened
     copper steeple. The cross atop the steeple could be seen above the dark forest surrounding
     all of Black Orchard, and the melancholy drone of its bell tolling Sunday mornings
     echoed for miles farther.
    Ward bounced, rubbing his hands together. “We should go, get off campus before anyone
     sees us. Besides, I’m freezing my ass off.”
    “Coffee break, anyone?” Chloe asked and jingled her keys. She led us to the back row
     of the parking lot when Jonah stopped and scanned the next row, startled.
    A familiar energy caught me. Constant, unwavering.
    Fifty feet away, Dad leaned against the Chevy, a cigarette between his fingers. He’d
     quit smoking six years ago, mostly to stop Mom’s nagging, and replaced his addiction
     with nicotine gum. Until that afternoon.
    “Damn.” Jonah steered me between two parked cars, ducking to hide his six-foot frame.
     Chloe and Ward crammed in beside us, but my vision was pinned on my father. I spied
     the black dress flutter as Sister Tremblay drifted across the lot. Dad’s spine stiffened,
     matching the hardness of the nun’s posture. She held out her hand, and he shook it
     like a good southern gentleman. Yet his stare was cold.
    My jaw flexed, and I shoved my hands in my pockets to stop from spilling out chaotic
     energy. Nothing hollered, “Notice me” like breaking a row of headlights in a parking
     lot.
    “Scandalous,” Chloe clucked. “Sister Tremblay and your dad meeting in private. It’s
     personal. Why else wouldn’t they be in her office? You think nuns take a vow of celibacy?”
    Ward shushed her. “Pipe down, Blondie. You’ll get us busted.”
    Maybe it was Chloe. Maybe it was Ward. It could have been that we were all too nervous
     about ditching class and making loud mistakes, but Dad’s head snapped up. “Polly,
     hold on a second.”
    Dad checked the aisle and between the cars. I curled in a ball, heart thundering in
     my ears, and I looked from Jonah to Ward, mouthing, “What do we do?”
    Ward indicated to weave backward through the cars, but Dad was too fast and stood
     over us. His voice was stern. “Magpie.”
    Take me to the gallows now.
    Sister Tremblay joined his side, and a dark gloom washed over me, the same sickly
     grime I felt inside the school. I steadied myself against a car. Sister Tremblay pursed
     her lips, which were dry and split, a drop of blood rising to the surface.
    The closer she came, the less I could breathe. I had to get away, and I bolted, sprinting
     across the lot. The wind smacked my face until my cheeks were numb, but my hands burned.
     I wiped my palms on my skirt as if I could scrape off the skin. I had to get Sister
     Tremblay’s smile off me.
    Jonah caught up with me, and his arms were warm around my shoulders. “Calm down.”
    “That nun.” I gasped. “There’s something off with her.”
    A shadow formed on his cheeks. What do you mean? You think she knows?
    Before I could answer, Dad reached the sidewalk. “Why’d you run from me?”
    “Not you. Her.” I pointed to Sister Tremblay. “Why are you meeting that