A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 21

This is the 10th year in a row I’ve run this series in April.

Today’s story: Nuns Accused Of Embezzling Half A Million Dollars From Catholic School To Gamble In Vegas.

Two longtime nuns at St. James Catholic School in Torrance allegedly embezzled as much as $500,000 in tuition, fees and donations, perhaps spending some of the money on trips and gambling at casinos while telling parents the school was operating on a shoestring budget.

Bank records show Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Lang were embezzling from the school for at least 10 years.

Kreuper, who retired as the school’s principal earlier in 2018, handled all tuition checks and fees. She allegedly withheld some checks and deposited them into a secret account only she and Chang were aware of.

In real life, the nuns reportedly used the “the embezzled funds for lavish vacations and trips to the casino.” But my mind went to the hit 1992 movie Sister Act: When a worldly singer witnesses a mob crime, the police hide her as a nun in a traditional convent where she has trouble fitting in.

What if the convent is losing money? Indeed, there are only two nuns left in this local order and have been told they are to be shut down because they are over $200K in arreras. Our Protagonists — Sister Magdalene and Sister Miriam — have lived in this place for four decades, their entire adult lives. The thought of being transferred to a bleak new environment — a rival convent — scares the bejeezus out of them.

Deep in prayer, they receive a vision from God (or so they think): As Jesus miraculously multiplied the fish and loaves to feed hundreds of followers, so, too, will the sisters multiply the meager funds left in the convent’s savings accounts — a mere $3,218.68. How to do that?

Go to Vegas, baby! Recalling another hit movie Rain Man:

The good sisters have to dress the part of civilians and hit the craps table. Empowered by prayer and divine intervention, they run their winnings up to $50K. In the process, they attract the attention of other bettors who sniff a hot streak. Also, the casino authorities who are suspicious of them. Meanwhile, the sisters get a wish fulfillment dose of secular living which challenges their respective belief systems.

It all leads to a high-stakes poker game for Sister Magdalena and a high-stakes blackjack game for Sister Miriam. Will they make the money they need to save their beloved convent or not? And if they do, will they choose to remain nuns?

There you go: My twenty first story idea for the month. And it’s yours. Free!

Here are links for all the previous posts in this year’s series:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20

Each day in April, I invite you to join me in comments to do some brainstorming. Take each day’s story idea and see what it can become when we play around with it. These are valuable skills for a writer to develop.

See you in RESPONSES to hear YOUR take on this story idea. And come back tomorrow for another Story Idea Each Day For A Month.