In the Light of Day

by BobA. Troutt

  *****

  In the Light of Day

  The Black Book

  The year was 1951 in the small town of Long Creek, Kentucky about eighteen miles east of Lexington in Henry County. A thick cloud of fog coming from the nearby creek laid about the town, smothering out the darkness of night. As the sun slowly rose, the once thick cloud, now thin, hovered over the community. The town laid in wait for the new day. From the overnight rainfall, the air was crisp with the presence of evil lurking about. The bodies of Rena Campbell and Billie Henley had been found the week before. This morning, the body of Francis Goodall had been found.

  Detective Joe Helson and Detective Larry Summers was assigned to the case. Rena Campbell and Billie Henley were both prostitutes. Their bodies were both found in a field near their apartments. They had both been strangled to death. Francis Goodall was divorced and lived by herself in the same apartment building as the other two women. However, she was not a prostitute. She, too, had been strangled like the other two women. The town was burdened by the possibility of a serial killer being on the prowl. Where and when he would strike next lingered in the minds of the townspeople. Who he was and where he was from were the two questions on the minds of the two detectives. The chill of the breaking dawn along with the chill of the murders haunted and threatened the whole town. As the night slowly disappeared, the horrifying cries of the victim cried out. The people of Long Creek woke up that morning to the sounds of sirens and the loss of another victim. The early morning sunshine cleared away the last bit of fog. The day went on even though evil lurked about the town.

  Father Eric McDuffee of Saint Pauls Catholic Church was busy working. He had been at the church for about ten years and was highly thought of by all. Not only did he oversee the church, he also took care of charity programs and helped raise money for church projects and community needs. But, Eric had a secret in his past. He was from Cotton Hollow, a small town just outside of Louisville. His mother, a single parent, gave him up for adoption when he was just a baby. He was adopted by Anthony and Peggy McDuffee who lived in Maple Grove, Indiana. Eric never knew his real parents. He never knew he was adopted until several years later. Anthony, his adopted father, was controlling and abusive. When Eric was twelve, Anthony killed Peggy right in front of him which devastated him. Anthony killed her because she was weak. One thing Anthony hated was a weak person. He loved them both and the killing of his mother lingered in the back of his mind. Every night as he lay in bed, he could still hear her screams and the loud shot of the gun; it was forever etched in his memory. For years, he struggled to understand why it happened. But, the more he tried to understand, the more mixed up he became. The haunting even constantly tortured him. Eric was a lot like his father. His father despised weak people and so did he. He believed a person should grin and bear the things of life, be strong and not be a sissy or a crybaby. Eric loved his father and admired him for how he stood. But, he also loved his mother. He saw the weaknesses within her, like his daddy did. He grew up torn by his love for them. Anthony was sent to prison for the rest of his life. The loss of his mother and losing his father was more than Eric could bear. His nightmares haunted him day and night. He was nothing but a shell. He was torn apart, confused, lost and lonely; he hurt deeply inside. After the death of his mother, Eric was placed in a Catholic boarding school until he was 18. He was very troubled and a disturbed child when he arrived so they sent him to a psychiatrist to try to help him. As time passed with the help of the doctors and the church, he began to get better and seemed to accept things. After a while, the nightmares stopped and he found peace in the Lord. While at the boarding school, he became a priest. He loved the Lord and the church. And, he loved to help others like him who had experience a tragedy in their life. Sister Kimberly, a nun at the boarding school, helped him a lot and stood by him; she became very protective of him. She saw such great potential in him and loved him like a son. After he left the boarding school, he moved around a lot from church to church. Sister Kimberly kept in touch with him as the years passed. Finally, he settled down at Saint Paul’s Church where he was reunited with Sister Kimberly. She had only been working at Saint Paul’s for a couple of years when he took the church. Not only was she glad and happy for him but she was proud of him and looked forward to working with him at the church.

  As the days passed, the killings stopped. It had been two months since the last murder. Detective Helson and Detective Summers was no closer to solving the murders. One day, while Father McDuffee was in confession with a woman, she told him her husband was abusing her and she didn’t know what to do. She went on to say she loved her husband and wanted to help him but she didn’t think she could stay with him. She couldn’t find the courage or strength to leave him. She was afraid and she didn’t know how much more she could take. Father McDuffee understood. He talked to her and encouraged her to join the church’s program for abused and battered women. He thought the program would help her. He told her she might find some answers to her problems. At first, she was reluctant and afraid that it might make things worse for her and she couldn’t take any more than she was already dealing with. But, he was finally able to convince her to attend the program. Once she agreed, they prayed.

  About a month later, all seemed good for a little while. Then, late one even as it poured down raining, the thunder roared and the lightning streaked across the dusty sky, another women’s body was found behind a building in town; she had been strangled. Her name was Loretta Sullivan. The woman at confession weeks ago. Was it her husband or had the killer struck again? The detectives brought Mrs. Sullivan’s husband in for questioning. Several hours later, they let him go because he had a solid alibi. He was with another woman at the time his wife was killed. The detectives contacted the woman and she vouched for his alibi. She told the detectives he was with her at that time. They were skeptical at first but some of her friends also backed up the alibi. They had no leads until a woman came to the station to speak with the detectives. She told them she was driving through town the evening of the murder and she remembered seeing a man coming around the corner of the building acting strange. He was dressed in a long black coat with the collar pulled up around his neck. She stated she couldn’t see him very good because it had begun to get dark and plus it was raining hard. At the time, she didn’t think much about it. But, once she heard about the murder, she thought she should contact them since it was around the time the killing had taken place.

  Loretta’s killing was very similar to the other three victims. The detectives believed the killer had struck again. It appeared all the women had one thing in common. Since all of them had been abused in some way or another, the detectives decided to visit Saint Paul’s to speak with Father McDuffee to see if any of the women had attended the church’s abused and battered women’s program. When they arrived at the church, Danny Warner, the church’s janitor, was outside sweeping the steps.

  “How can I help you?” he asked.

  “We’re here to see Father McDuffee,” replied Detective Helson.

  “Well, he’s in the confessional,” he stated. “He’ll probably be done in a few minutes.”

  “Will it be okay if we go in and wait?” asked Detective Summers.

  “Sure,” he responded.

  As soon as they walked in, Sister Kimberly greeted them.

  “Welcome, gentlemen. How may I help you?”

  “We’re here to see Father McDuffee but since he’s in the confessional may we speak with you for just a minute?”

  “That will be fine.”

  “Do you know Loretta Sullivan?”

  “Yes, sir, I do. She has been to our abused and battered women’s program a few times.”

  “What about Rena Campbell, Billie Henley and Francis Goodall?” asked Detective Summers.

  “If I’m not mistaken, they have also attended the program,” she stated.
/>   About that time, Father McDuffee came up and asked them if there was a problem.

  “We need to speak with you for a minute if that’s okay.”

  “Sure, that will be fine. May I ask what it’s about?”

  “We just have a few questions about four ladies who have been attending the abused and battered women’s program here at the church.”

  “Sure, come on in my office,” encouraged Father McDuffee, “and we can talk in there. Sister Kimberly, will you please take care of all the phone calls while I help these gentlemen?”

  “Sure, Father.”

  “Come on in and have a seat. Now, what four ladies are you referring to?” Father McDuffee asked.

  “Rena Campbell, Billie Henley, Francis Goodall and Loretta Sullivan,” answered Detective Summers. “What can you tell us about them?”

  “I do know that all attended the classes. However, I cannot tell you what they told me during confession; it’s confidential.”

  “Oh, we understand,” replied Detective Summers.

  “But, is there anything you can tell us without revealing their confession?” questioned Detective Helson.

  “What is this pertaining?” asked Father McDuffee.

  “All of them were murdered,” stated Detective Summers.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Father McDuffee responded. “I can tell you they all had some issues from the abuse they suffered in life. I tried to help them work through their problems to help them overcome them. Rena Campbell was raped and abused by her stepfather when she was young. Billie Henley was abused by a family member. Both of them were so messed up from the abuse they turned to prostitution and ended being abused by their johns. They only came to a few sessions before they quit. I tried to get them to come back to the program but I could never convince them to come back or even let me try to help them. Frances Goodall was abused by her ex-husband. She came several months and made a lot of progress. The program helped her a lot. She finally got better, left the program and went on with her life. Loretta Sullivan was abused by her husband. She had only been in the program for a few weeks. I didn’t get much of a chance to work with her. I don’t understand. How does the program have anything to do with their murders? The program is here to help women not harm them. Besides, there are several women in the program and they haven’t been harmed.”

  “We understand,” replied Detective Helson.

  “However, we think the murders might be connected in some way,” said Detective Summers. “We just don’t know how at this time.”

  “Well, thank you for your time,” stated Detective Helson as he and Detective Summers stood up to leave.

  “Well, I don’t believe I was too much help,” said Father McDuffee. “There is nothing much else I can tell you. If I think of anything else, I’ll call you.”

  “Please do,” replied Detective Helson. “Thanks again for your time.”

  “Let me show you out.”

  “Oh, there’s no need,” replied Detective Helson. “We can find our way out.”

  After the detectives left the church and headed back to the station, they couldn’t help but think about how nervous Father McDuffee appeared. He seemed to be bothered by something. He acted like he knew more than he was willing to tell. But, they both believed the murders and the program were connected in some way or another.

  Detective Summers spoke up, “Maybe we should see what we can find out about Father McDuffee.”

  “I agree,” replied Detective Helson. “There may be something in his past that he’s hiding. We definitely need to check in to his background.”

  At the time, they didn’t consider Father McDuffee a suspect. But, they knew he had more information than he was telling. They needed a break in the case because they didn’t have any concrete evidence or a suspect to make an arrest in the case. It was a few days later before they received any information on Father McDuffee. They found out he had been adopted and sent to a boarding school when he was twelve after his adopted father killed his adopted mother in front of him. While at the boarding school, he saw a psychiatrist regularly to help him overcome what he had seen his father do to his mother; he saw the psychiatrist for several years. They found out his father killed his mother because she was a weak person and that he often abused her. They also found out that Sister Kimberly worked at the boarding school at the time he was there. She became real close to him as he grew up at the school. That bit of information led them to pick up Sister Kimberly at the church and bring her in for questioning.

  “Sister Kimberly, what can you tell us about Father McDuffee?” asked Detective Summers.

  “Not much,” she replied.

  “Are you sure?” questioned Detective Helson.

  “Yeah, positive.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” replied Detective Helson.

  “Well, I am.”

  The detectives were not having much luck with Sister Kimberly and they couldn’t understand why she didn’t want to give them any information about Father McDuffee. Puzzled, they decided to leave her alone in the room for a while before they asked her anymore questions.

  “Sister Kimberly, we’re going to leave you alone for a few minutes to give you a chance to decide to tell the truth. We’ll be back and you may want to cooperate,” stated Detective Summers.

  Sister Kimberly didn’t respond. About twenty minutes later, the detectives re-entered the room.

  “Are you ready to cooperate?” asked Detective Helson.

  “What are you wanting to know?” she asked.

  “We know you were very close to Anthony, Father McDuffee, when he was at the Catholic boarding school. What can you tell us about him?” Detective Helson stated.

  “My sister, Lorie, was a good friend of Christy, his maternal mother. They both were prostitutes back then in Cotton Hollow. Christy got pregnant with her second child, Father McDuffee, by one of her johns. Her pimp made her give him up for adoption. She already had an older son, Danny, who was by Christy’s second husband. Danny ran away from home and Christy never heard from him again. Father McDuffee was only a baby when she put him up for adoption. A few years later, she died. She could never get over losing her two sons. I never told Father McDuffee anything about his real mother. Father McDuffee is a good man. Is he a suspect in the murders?”

  “No,” replied Detective Helson, “not at the moment.”

  “Well, you’re after the wrong man. He wouldn’t harm anyone.”

  Considering his unstable upbringing and the murders, the detectives felt like they needed to bring Father McDuffee in for questioning. They took Sister Kimberly back to the church and brought Father McDuffee back for questioning.

  “What is this about?” questioned Father McDuffee.

  “We just have a few questions for you. This won’t take long,” Detective Summers replied.

  “For God’s sake, do you think I killed those women?”

  “Did you?” replied Detective Summers.

  “No, I didn’t,” he said. “I tried to help them.”

  Detective Helson stated, “We have found out a little about your past. It’s strange, your adoptive mother was in an abusive marriage and you work with abused women.”

  “What’s so strange about that? All I want to do is help women get out of abusive relationships. They need someone they can turn to.”

  About that time, someone knocked at the door.

  “Come in,” Detective Summers said.

  “Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt but another body has been found,” stated an officer, “and you’re needed on the scene.”

  “Thank you, officer,” Detective Summers replied as the officer turned to leave. “Hold on a minute. Will you take Father McDuffee back to the church?”

  “Sure, sir.”

  “Father McDuffee, we’ll be in touch.”

  The two detectives took off and soon arrived at the crime scene. The woman was
Trisha Cole, a prostitute. She appeared to have been murdered a couple of days ago. She had been murdered in her apartment; she had been strangled like the others. She was found by one of her neighbors. The neighbor told the detectives when she went to visit Trisha she got ready to knock on the door but it was slightly open so she went on in.

  “When I went in I saw her body lying on the floor. I immediately ran back to my apartment and called the police,” the neighbor stated.

  “When was the last time you saw her alive?” questioned Detective Helson.

  “A couple of days ago. That’s why I went to see her because we usually see each other in the hall every day.”

  “Have you noticed anything suspicious or seen anything out of the ordinary?” Detective Summers asked.

  “No, but the last person I saw at her door was Father McDuffee.”

  “Are you positive it was Father McDuffee?”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. If you think of anything else, please give us a call.”

  “I sure will, detectives.”

  The detectives believed they were finally making progress on the case. They finished up at the crime scene and went by the church to pick up Father McDuffee to bring him in for more questioning. Back at the station, in the interrogation room, the detectives asked him about Trisha Cole.

  “How well do you know Trisha Cole?” Detective Summers asked.

  “Is she dead?” Father McDuffee inquired.

  “Yes, she was murdered,” Detective Helson said.

  “Oh, my God. I just saw her a week ago at confession. I wanted her to attend the abused and battered women’s class because I thought she would benefit from it. But, she wouldn’t do it. I tried and tried to get her to let me help her but she wouldn’t listen. When she left that day I didn’t hear anything else from her. I was worried about her so I decided to go over to her apartment and see if I could talk her in to it. When I got there her boyfriend was leaving. Trisha was crying and all upset. I tried to comfort her and calm her down but she was so afraid her boyfriend was going to come back and hurt her.”

  “We understand,” replied Detective Helson.

  “No, you don’t understand. She was afraid for her life and she was crying hysterically. I tried to calm her down,” he stated. “I told her not only would the class help her but I would help her deal with her problem. But, she still refused. She wouldn’t give in. After she calmed down, I left. She was alive when I left. Maybe her boyfriend came back. I don’t know.”

  Detective summers asked, “Where did you go after you left her apartment?”

  “I went back to the church to pray for her,” he answered.

  “Did anyone see you there?” asked Detective Helson.

  “No, I was alone,” he replied.

  Detective Summers asked, “Was Sister Kimberly at the church?”

  “No,” he replied. “She had gone out and I don’t know where she was. I didn’t do it,” he cried out as he broke down. “All I tried to do was help them. They were so weak. I tried to help them be strong but they wouldn’t listen to me.”

  “Father McDuffee, we’re going to hold you on suspicion of murder.”

  “But, I haven’t done anything to those women but try to help them,” he pleaded as an officer took him away.

  The next day while Danny was cleaning the church, he accidentally dropped a little black book out of his pocket. Sister Kimberly found it when she came in. She opened it up to see who it belonged to. The first name she saw was Christy Warner, Father McDuffee’s mother. At first, she was stunned and confused. Could it be, she thought, or is it a coincidence? She took the book to Danny and asked him if the book belonged to him. He told her it was his.

  “How do you know Christy Warner?” she asked.

  “She’s my mother,” he responded.

  “Where are you from?”

  “Cotton Hollow, a small town outside of Louisville.”

  Sister Kimberly’s mouth flew open; she was dumbfounded. She tried to say something but nothing would come out. All she knew was that she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “I ran away from home and haven’t seen or heard from my mother since,” he said. “For several years I lived on the streets. I didn’t stay anywhere for too long. I moved around a lot. I got on drugs and was either in and out of jail or rehab,” he said. “I picked up work here and there to make money to feed my habit. As I got older, I got away from all of that and straightened out my life.”

  “Oh, Danny,” she cried out. “You and Father McDuffee are brothers.”

  “What!” he yelled. “I knew I had a baby brother but my mother put him up for adoption right after he was born. I never knew what had happed to him. He grew up to be a priest. I can’t believe it.”

  “You remember Lorie,” she asked, “your mother’s best friend.”

  “Yeah, I remember her,” he replied.

  “She is my sister,” said Sister Kimberly.

  “She is,” he replied.

  “Wait until Father McDuffee hears about this,” cried out Sister Kimberly. “I can’t believe it. I can’t wait to tell him.”

  As the two reminisced, things down at the police station weren’t going so well for Father McDuffee. After a couple more hours of interrogation, the detectives were finally able to break him down. Father McDuffee confessed to the murders. He told the detectives he could never get over his father killing his mother.

  “Witnessing my mother’s murder still haunts me to this day. After I left the boarding school, I never saw another psychiatrist. I thought I could get over it on my own. However, it kept coming back and the demons finally overtook me. I thought about getting some more help but I never did. Every day, over and over in my mind, I can still see my mother’s face when daddy killed her. I tried to help those women like I tried to help momma but they were so weak and afraid; I hate weakness. That’s what caused momma to be killed. Oh, my God. What have I done?” he cried out.

  When the detectives told Sister Kimberly Father McDuffee confessed to the murders, she couldn’t believe it. She knew he had problems but she had no idea how bad off he was. She thought he had overcome all of his demons. When she and Danny visited him in jail, they told him that Danny was his older brother and explained everything to him. He couldn’t believe it. He was so happy to know about his birth mother. There was a ten year age difference between them. Sister Kimberly and Danny stood by him during his trial. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to life without parole. As the years passed, Sister Kimberly and Danny visited him in prison. They had a lot to catch up on. Father McDuffee was always glad to see them and he and Danny became very close. In 1968, Father McDuffee died in prison of a massive heart attack. Sister Kimberly and Danny still worked at the church but only part-time. If it hadn’t been for the little black book, they would have never known how their lives intertwined. Father McDuffee always said the Lord worked in mysterious ways.