The Defilers

Virgin was my mother. For a long time I thought that made me special. I used to brag about it to my cousins until Aunt Gladys spoiled it by telling me Our Lady was the mother of all

where she taught me how to iron my Holy Child Parochial School uniform.
Other girls at Holy Child took ballet or Irish dancing, but Dad put me in karate lessons along with my boy cousins. They called me a showoff, but Dad called me his “little ninja girl.” Sometimes I tagged along when he and the other detectives taught karate in Roxbury and Mattapan as an outreach to keep kids from

karate in Roxbury and Mattapan as an out

was eleven Dad was trying to solve a rash of

called me his “little ninja girl.” Sometimes I tagged along when he and the

plenty to eat and, frankly, more attention than I wanted

the bad guys.
Gran and Aunt Gladys looked after me when I wasn’t at

ugh he was hardly ever home.

brain cancer when I w

I used to brag about it to my cousins until Aunt