The Murder of T. Montgomery

“Okay, Grandpa it’s recording. Tell me about the murder of Thomas Montgomery.”

“Well, I remember that day like it was yesterday so it shouldn’t be that hard. Let me start from the beginning.”

The storm was getting worse, I hoped the others would arrive safely. The snow had been consistently falling all morning, but I wouldn’t have missed the announcement. Thomas had been dating a girl for two and a half years and when he told me about the plans to propose during the get-together, I knew I couldn’t miss it.

Thomas was one of my closest friends from high school and we had kept in touch even when I went to the police academy, and he went to medical school. We tried to meet up a few times a year but this time we got a group together. Some were from high school some weren’t, but we all knew each other. As I drove through the large gate I saw the old Montgomery House, it hadn’t been the same since Thomas’s mother passed away a few years back. Vines climbed up the brick home nearly wrapping around the chimney, and the red barn in the back only served as a stable for two mangy old horses and a lazy cat that had to be on his ninth life by now. But it was still the same comforting house I remembered.

When I got to the front doors, I instinctively reached forward to open it as I had done for so many years, but it crossed my mind that I was no longer the sixteen-year-old kid who could just walk into his best friend’s house, so I reached for the brass door knocker instead. A moment later an old, hunched-back man opened the door and I told him who I was. He led me over to the parlor and offered me a drink from the silver platter on the table. I accepted and waited for the others to join. Within the next few minutes, there was a knock at the door when the butler opened it a tall round man with black curly hair and a much shorter woman wearing a long purple dress entered. They were escorted to the parlor. Though most of us had never met in person we knew each other’s names and had heard countless stories. Our pleasant conversation was interrupted by another knock at the door this time a small young man wearing the clothes of a priest entered and was followed by a huge man that I recognized as coach Emerald. Edger Emerald was one of the boys in my friend group, he was a quarterback on the football team and could get any girl he pleased but had trouble keeping them around for long. Though he had kept his large physique he had lost most of his hair.

“EMERALD! How are you?” he said standing up to greet his old friend.

“Grey, is that you?” the man exclaimed loudly.

After everyone was just about caught up on introductions another knock sounded on the door. A familiar-looking woman entered the door, she slid off her jacket and walked over to greet the group. She looked familiar because she had attended school with me and later went to the medical school Thomas attended. She had been in the year above us and was cheer captain, she was the girl who held just about every boy’s heart in that high school. She introduced herself as Professor Phoebe Peach.

They talked amongst themselves for another thirty minutes when the butler walked into the room to make an announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please make your way to the dining room, your hosts will meet you there momentarily.”

As they found their seats, Thomas and Margret walked in with large bright smiles. They greeted the group and sat down for dinner. We shared a multi-course meal and conversed about our lives. When the meal was over, we joined in the drawing-room. Just moments later the lights shut off, “My apologies, everyone,” exclaimed Thomas standing up “it must be this storm. Let me get one of the staff to check it out.” His footsteps faded out of the room. Though it was too dark for us to see one another, we tried to make conversation, but every attempt fell flat. Quite a bit of time passed but Thomas never returned. Margaret’s voice cut through the silence, “If you all will excuse me, I’m going to check on Thomas.” Her footstep faded quickly.

Once again, the group attempted conversation but to no avail. After sitting in empty silence, Dr. Blue spoke up and said, “It has been a while since Margret left, I think we should find someone and make sure everything is alright.” Everyone agreed and went off in separate directions.

I stayed back for a second to see which direction everyone went, the young reverend made his way through a side corridor towards the kitchen, Emerald went upstairs, and the Blues went down another corridor, I decided to go down the corridor that Professor Peach took but veered of down the stairs leaving her in the hallway alone. I made it down the stairs and tried to find a fuse box or a flashlight or even a candle. I had search for what seemed like an hour when I finally found a flashlight in a drawer. The light illuminated the damp basement, the drawer I had found the flashlight in was a part of the wine shelf I swept the flashlight around the immensely large basement, going through every door and hallway but I couldn’t find a switch anywhere.

I turned around to head back upstairs, but my flashlight had begun to flicker, a tapped it against my hand and it turned off completely. In a huff, I stumbled my way to the door and up the stairs. As I made my way back down the corridor to the parlor a person crashed into me. They let out a small scream, so I announced myself. “It’s me, it's Grey.”

“Oh, thank goodness, Drawing room now! It’s an emergency,” he said. I could hear that he was on edge, so I followed him out. When I finally got there, someone had lit candles, I could see all of the guests were gathered together in the drawing-room. Dr. Blue had everyone sit down and he began to talk.

“For those of you who don’t know, Mrs. Blue and I found the reverend here in the kitchen yelling for help, when we opened the door, we found him standing near Margret, she- uh, was dead.” Stumbled Dr. Blue.

I was in complete shock, “You, what?” I said.

Dr. Blue cleared his throat and said, “I found Margret’s body in the kitchen and the reverend was already there.”

My police training took over, I stood up straight and walked over to the drapes, and took off the rope that held them open. I tied the reverend's hands to the arm of the chair he was sitting in and told Coach to watch him, Dr. Blue and his wife took me to the body. I hit the flashlight against my hand a few times and the light turned back on. I lifted the sheet and looked at her wound, it was small and round. I looked around the room for a weapon, there wasn’t anything that fit the description.

We came back to the drawing-room, I found the house phone in the room and tried to call the police, unfortunately with the snow, it would be morning by the time they arrived if the snow melted. I told everyone to step over to the parlor or dining room but to stick together. After some discussion between Reverend Ruby and me, I concluded that this man couldn’t hurt a fly much less kill someone. But for the sanity of the others, I kept him tied up. I went to the parlor where everyone was and asked if I could talk with them one on one, no one objected so I started with Coach.

“Hey Emerald, how are you doing?” I asked casually.

“You know man, a little on edge but okay,” he replied.

“So, you know I’ve got to ask everyone questions right?” I questioned.

“Yeah, what do you need to know?” he answered.

I questioned Coach about his whereabouts and if anyone saw him. But I quickly realized that with the short time frame we were separated not much information could be gathered, but I asked everyone the same few questions.

I got little to no information from the guests, so I decided to go back to the crime scene. As I looked around the body, I saw on her shoe a piece of hay. Normally I wouldn’t think twice about it, but she was wearing heels, I knew Margret, and I knew she would never go out to the barn all dressed up. I got the idea to go out back and see why she possibly would have gone outside in this weather and at night. I stepped outside and briskly walked to the door, but it was slightly open, so I turned my light out and walked by moonlight. I could hear talking and mumbling, I remembered there being a missing plank around the back of the barn. I made my way around there and looked through. I stayed quiet and listened, there was a muffled voice and another clear voice. Then there was yelling and multiple voices all at once. I looked through the whole but kept hidden behind the wall. Professor Peach was holding standing in front of Thomas and the others stood in front of them at the barn doors.

“Why, Peach?” Dr. Blue asked, stepping forward slightly.

“Don’t move!” She yelled moving her body over which allowed me to see a gun in her hands.

“You don’t understand, he was supposed to love me!” she screamed towards the group.

“I got rid of her for him and he had the audacity to say I was crazy.” She continued.

“And now there is only one thing to do. I have to start fresh, without him.” She spat the word him out like a bitter apple.

I reached around to my back and pulled out my weapon. She established her footing prepared to shoot him. They tried to talk her down, but she didn’t budge. I heard the click of the gun as she said goodbye to Thomas. I yelled her name and when she turned around, I fired my gun. She fell to the ground; a pool of blood ran around her body. I walked over and kicked the gun from her hand, I checked her pulse, but she was gone.

By the time the police showed up, it was nearly nine in the morning, and we were all exhausted. It took two months to fully clear up, but we finally found out that Phoebe Peach and Thomas Montgomery had dated off and on for a few years in college, but he broke it off when he found the love of his life, Margret Churchill. Phoebe wasn’t ready to give him up and even showed up at his house to try and get back together but he truly loved Margret. Thomas turned the home into a memorial for his family and his love. Until the day he left this earth at ninety years old, he said he too was murdered that day. That night will never be forgotten.