Disclaimer- Crossing Jordan is the property of Tim Kring, Tailwind Productions et al. We have made no money .Consider yourselves disclaimed
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
He stood back from arranging her body and observed his handiwork. She finally looked like a lady in death, even if she hadn't behaved like one in life. He gently placed the yellow rose on her chest and folded her hands over it. 'Perfect', he thought, 'The picture of propriety.'
He truly enjoyed this part of his task, the moment when they belonged solely to him. His perfect creations, cleansed of all their flaws and immodesty; beautiful, irreproachable ladies. He preferred to remember them this way, rather than how they'd been when he'd selected them, deceitful and wicked.
Every one had been just like Mary, the first one. Her death had been a wonderful accident that had shown him what his life's work was to be. When he'd confronted Mary with her betrayal, she'd begun screaming vile names at him. He'd pushed her away and then tried to stop her fall when she'd stumbled but her head had struck a rock and the sickening wet crack told him the damage was done. At first he'd been filled with remorse and fear. He'd hidden her body in one of the old graves on the green and placed the rose he'd bought for her in her hands.
As time passed and her body wasn't discovered, the fear had faded. Three years later he'd met an old friend of Mary's, who'd told him that everyone thought she'd run off with the musician she'd been dating. He'd realized that by accidentally ending her life he'd saved her from the shame and degradation of the path she had chosen and the remorse left him.
It was then he knew that he must continue the work he'd found that night. So he began to look around him and saw so many women like Mary who tried to pass themselves off as ladies while living depraved and iniquitous lives. Society turned a blind eye to their wanton and licentious behavior but he could not. It was his sacred duty to punish and redeem them, to remove their destructive influence and turn them into object lessons for others while cleansing them of the taint of the despicable lives they lived.
After Mary had been found there was no need to hide them any more so the last five he'd placed where everyone could benefit from the wonderful and uplifting sight of their redemption. No one would ever figure out that he was the author of these object lessons anyway so the risk of detection was very slight.
Detection would ruin all his lovely plans and end his mission because society was not ready to accept the justness of his work. But someday they would throw off the spell woven by these iniquitous Jezebels and hail him as a visionary and hero.
Until that time he would continue to work in secret and the next target had crossed his path today. The satisfaction of dealing with her would be great indeed. She and all the women who worked with her were tramps; she merely hid it behind a job title and a modest suit while the ones who served the drinks in that cesspool were more blatant in their depravity.
After her, that foul-mouthed medical examiner would meet him and begin her cleansing.