She steps over the groundskeeper, Jed Sherman. Next to him is an empty bottle of moonshine. It was full when Sister Augustine left it by one of the graves last night. Since the incident with the soil last spring, Jed’s ramblings of the dead rising from hell have echoed all over Shallow Creek, but all the devils Sister Augustine has ever known were aboveground—not beneath. But still, she’d rather Jed press his nose up against his favorite vice than discover any more of St. Mary’s secrets.
Still asleep, Jed scratches his stomach and grunts as he rolls over. Sister Augustine’s lips curl in disgust. Before her students’ doting-parents arrive, she’ll have to ensure he is safely hidden away. She grabs Jed’s feet and drags him behind a bush and drops the bottle beside him. She wipes her hands an
