Murder at the Rialto

By the time the pews were filled at St. Boniface, Prima Donna, Madam Bibi Bessette would be where she belonged—in hell. No longer worried about how many calories she consumed, Claudia raised the wine bottle to her lips. She swallowed the last drops of Riesling, while remembering the night Thomas gave it to her. It was the night he told her he would marry Bibi. He presented Claudia with a three carat diamond pendant and a bottle of her favorite wine, as if he could bribe her into being his mistress. Thomas seemed to think Claudia would go along with his deceptive ways, and still be happy to see him on the rare occasion he could manage time away from his happy little home. Thomas was wrong.

Claudia tossed the empty wine bottle toward the trash can, missed, and watched as it shattered, spreading shards of glass over the hardwood floor. She shrugged, and then laughed until tears slid down her cheeks. Claudia couldn’t believe she had been stupid enough to believe the man’s lies. He was clever, hiding the fact he was already engaged, for months after they met. His actions led Claudia to believe she would be Mrs. Thomas Arceneau. Now she knew the truth.

The bells of St. Boniface began chiming the hour, calling all sinners to early morning mass. Claudia ignored the call. Instead, she synchronized her watch, put on the coat her father gave her last Christmas, and made her way outside. The soft light of dawn, combined with a fresh layer of snow, made for a visually stunning morning. Claudia didn’t notice. She was too busy plotting revenge. As she crossed Hawthorne Avenue, she failed to see the snow plow careening toward her. The deafening sound of its horn caused her to run the last few steps, slipping and sliding to safety. As she stepped up onto the sidewalk, she lost her balance and sat down hard, breaking the fall with her hands.

She checked for injuries, found none, and then felt inside her coat for the small silver gun hidden inside her pocket. She held her breath while she searched, exhaling only after her fingers wrapped around the weapon. The Derringer belonged to Thomas. She took the gun from their cabin hideaway last weekend. He wasn’t even suspicious when she asked to see his guns. After all he would never have guessed his besotted lover capable of shooting one. Relieved to find her weapon in tact, Claudia pulled herself up and continued down the street toward the Rialto Theater.

The Rialto was home to the prestigious Le jeune Ballet Company. Bibi, their Prima Ballerina, lived upstairs. Claudia checked her watch. Satisfied the bride-to-be would still be asleep, Claudia dashed across the street and crept around to the side entrance. The door was locked. She felt along the top of the door, inside a potted plant, and finally came up with a key hidden under the mat. Claudia shook her head, muttering something about Bibi’s stupidity for leaving the key in such an obvious place.

Claudia walked slowly, carefully up the wooden stairway. Each creak seemed to echo throughout the building. When she arrived at Bibi’s door, she was surprised to find it ajar. She looked up and down the hallway to make sure she was alone before pushing it open and stepping cautiously inside.

The room held a strong metallic-like odor so strong Claudia had to wrap her scarf over her nose to breathe. Still, she crept farther into the room. When her eyes became accustomed to the dim light, she focused on a dark mound beside the sofa. Claudia gasped and grabbed the back of a chair to keep from falling. Bibi was lying on her back. Curled up next to Bibi was Claudia’s beloved Thomas, both bodies were covered in blood. Claudia quickly opened the blinds and felt for a pulse, but she was too late. They were both dead, killed execution style, with a bullet to the center of each skull.

Claudia sat beside her beloved Thomas, rocking back and forth. She stopped rocking when she saw a gun and a cuff link on the floor between Bibi and Thomas. She reached down to pick up the monogrammed, gold cuff link. She recognized it as a Christmas gift from her mother to her father. Claudia helped select them at Morry’s Jewelry Store down on the boulevard. She was certain the cuff link belonged to her father. Claudia’s heart fell when she recognized the gun as a vintage Luger from the display case in her father’s study.

It was then she heard the sirens. As running footsteps approached the door, Claudia bent down to give Thomas one last kiss. Just before the officers entered the room, Claudia tossed the cuff link down the heat grate, rubbed her hands in the blood, and picked up the Luger. One of the officers called out, “Hands above your head!” Claudia slowly raised her arms.