The Spirit Of Pride: A Pride Month Anthology

In The Dawn

Matteo led the little group into the sitting room area. Despite having been converted years ago, he'd found the old pictures of the mom and pop carpentry shop it'd once been and hung them back up on the walls. The group peered around him to get a better look at the pictures.

"This is where Padraig Walsh spent his last night," Matteo announced. "This area used to be the storage room for wood, tools, and paint. His last night alive was spent sanding wood in this very room. Although unconfirmed, there are rumors that he got into a minor altercation with a customer that night, and that it may have been his killer."

The group had turned their attention back onto him as he spoke, eyes wide as they took in his words. As they watched him now, he let my eyes dart to the left briefly before refocusing on them. Two of them had turned to follow Matteo's gaze, searching for whatever had caught his attention.

When Matteo saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye, he didn't look this time. A girl let out a surprised noise.

"Mr. Russo, do you live here with anyone?" she asked nervously.

Matteo shot her a confused look. "No, it's just me. Why?"

"Oh, I, um, I just...thought I saw someone move into that room over there," she said, fidgeting.

The man behind her snorted. "I was looking and I didn't see anyone. Your mind's playing tricks on you."

"There's not even anything in there," Matteo said dismissively. "Just a junk room. Now, as I was saying, this is where Padraig Walsh spent his last night alive. He worked down here with his brother and sister, bringing whatever the carpenters needed and doing menial tasks like sanding wood or washing paint brushes. The shop closed at 8 p.m., but by the time they'd cleaned everything up, it was closer to 10. Padraig went upstairs to sleep. He shared a room with both of his siblings, but his brother had left that night to stay with their neighbor, as he was being paid to help him run errands at dawn. Padraig and his sister went to sleep together. At some point in the night, his parents stated that his sister had a nightmare and came into the room to sleep with them, which was a common occurrence. That left Padraig alone in the room."

They were all focused on him again, though he saw the girl's gaze flicking back to the junk room. He let the tension grow a little before continuing his story.

"The lock to the shop was broken when the cops arrived. Whoever did it had been quick and quiet, used to breaking and entering," Matteo said, speaking slower, letting their anxiety for the conclusion grow. "At just after 3 in the morning, the killer entered Padraig Walsh's room and brutally murdered him. With thirteen stab wounds and a slit throat, the police ruled it a personal attack on him. It was determined that his face was smothered with a pillow as he was stabbed, muffling his screams. The killer likely let him suffer from those wounds before finally slitting his throat. His bed and the floor were so soaked in his blood that they said the smell lingered for years."

Some of them glanced up, as if they expected to see Padraig's blood soaking through the ceiling. Matteo waited until their attention was back on him before continuing in that same slow, eerie voice.

"Padraig Walsh's killer was never found," he said. "But the investigation uncovered information that Padraig was involved with the Westies, and that he may have crossed the Italian mafia. Some even say it was Mad Dog Sullivan who was hired to kill him for his acts against the-"

Matteo didn't get to finish his sentence; instead, a loud crash came from the junk room. It was loud enough that even Matteo jumped in surprise. The girl who'd been watching that area squealed in surprise, a few others in the group letting out little yelps.