A VOW OF DEVOTION an utterly gripping crime mystery

by Veronica Black

  ‘Where vocations are concerned it’s quality not quantity,’ Sister Joan quoted. ‘You’re sure about this?’

  ‘Very sure. I was engaged, you know,’ Bernadette said, lowering her voice. ‘He was such a nice person and I was very fond of him but being with him wasn’t enough.’

  ‘Was his name Julian?’

  ‘Yes, it is! How did you guess?’ Bernadette looked at her in surprise.

  ‘I’m psychic,’ Sister Joan said bluntly, thinking of the two young men who had travelled down to the area. Had they hoped to see Bernadette and persuade her out of her resolution? And had they changed their minds and gone away, leaving the girl to live her life as she wished? Then young Julian must have loved greatly. Sister Joan reminded herself to include young Julian in her prayers and turned to Bernadette again.

  ‘Go upstairs and have some refreshments. I have a task to perform before I join you,’ she said.

  Sister Teresa’s bouquet lay on the bench by the chapel door. She picked up the sheaf of lilies and tiny, creamy rosebuds and carried them outside into the spring sunshine. Sister Elizabeth’s grave had a coating of short grass starred with daisies. She laid the flowers on it as Sister Teresa had requested and stood with bent head.

  ‘Sister Joan?’

  ‘Detective Sergeant Mill, how good to see you! Did you come to the ceremony?’ Turning at the sound of his voice she smiled at him.

  ‘I didn’t come to the ceremony. Not much in my line.’ He spoke almost curtly.

  ‘You’d look silly in a white dress,’ she said mildly.

  ‘Indeed I would! I wish Sister Teresa all the best, however. I came over to tell you that I’ve had a letter from Sylvia Dacre.’

  ‘How is she?’

  ‘Trying to rebuild her life. She really loved that nasty little piece of work.’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ Sister Joan said soberly. ‘What happens now?’

  ‘Magdalen Cole is trying to convince everybody she’s insane. It won’t wash, you know. She’ll get a hefty prison term, the longer the better as far as I’m concerned. You’ll have to give evidence but we’ll make it as low key as possible. That won’t be for months yet. Sylvia Dacre didn’t realize how dangerous Magdalen was until she got on her bike and came up to deliver that letter — well, rose, to the young woman. Magdalen told her that she’d killed Sister Elizabeth and Miss Dacre rode off in a blind panic. That must have been hard for her. Finding out that the person you’ve been wooing back with roses is a killer. I’ve a lot of sympathy for her.’

  ‘So have I,’ Sister Joan said. ‘Poor lady.’

  ‘So!’ He stood back a little, frowning slightly, then said abruptly, ‘What I really came to say was that my wife and I — well, we’ve decided to try to have another go at the marriage for the sake of the boys. I haven’t very high hopes but I’ll be doing my best. I wanted you to know.’

  ‘I’m truly delighted!’ Sister Joan’s face lit up. ‘Oh, I know you’re both doing the right thing. I do wish you both every happiness.’

  ‘Happiness? Well, maybe there’s a spark still to blow on. I’m grateful for your friendship, Sister.’

  ‘And I for yours, Detective Sergeant Mill. If you’ll excuse me now I have to get back to the celebrations. My best wishes.’

  She had taken a couple of steps as he bent to the flowers and broke off a short-stemmed white rosebud.

  ‘Flowers for a nun?’ she said lightly as he handed her the bloom.

  ‘A rosebud for a pretty woman,’ he said. ‘It’s a shame it won’t ever grow into a full petalled rose.’

  ‘I’ll put it on the altar,’ Sister Joan said. ‘It’ll bloom there. God bless.’ And turning again, her step light, she went swiftly towards the chapel.

  THE END

  ALSO BY VERONICA BLACK

  SISTER JOAN MYSTERY SERIES

  Book 1: A Vow of Silence

  Book 2: A Vow of Chastity

  Book 3: A Vow of Sanctity

  Book 4: A Vow of Obedience

  Book 5: A Vow of Devotion

  FREE KINDLE BOOKS

  Do you love mysteries, historical fiction and romance? Join thousands of readers enjoying great books through our mailing list. You’ll get new releases and great deals every week from one of the UK’s leading independent publishers.

  Join today, and you’ll get your first bargain book this month!

  Click here to start getting lovely book deals!

  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

  @joffebooks

  Thank you for reading this book.

  If you enjoyed it please leave feedback on Amazon or Goodreads, and if there is anything we missed or you have a question about, then please get in touch. The author and publishing team appreciate your feedback and time reading this book.

  www.joffebooks.com

  We’re very grateful to eagle-eyed readers who take the time to contact us. Please send any errors you find to corrections@joffebooks.com. We’ll get them fixed ASAP.

  A SELECTION OF BOOKS YOU MAY ENJOY

  THE MURDERER’S SON

  BY JOY ELLIS

  UK www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LWY0PUJ

  US www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWY0PUJ

  What if your mother was a serial killer?

  A BLOODY KILLER SEEMS TO HAVE RETURNED TO THE LINCOLNSHIRE FENS

  A gripping crime thriller by the bestselling author of the Nikki Galena series.

  Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer. Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes.

  Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder.

  But DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Fenland police soon discover that there is a lot more to Daniel than meets the eye. He has no memory of the first five years of his life and is obsessed with who his real mother is.

  With no evidence to hold him, Jackman and Evans are forced to let him go, and in a matter of days Daniel has disappeared and the lonely Lincolnshire Fens become the stage for more killings.

  In a breathtaking finale, the truth about Daniel’s mother comes to light and DI Jackman and DS Evans race against time to stop more lives being destroyed.

  Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the shocking ending.

  MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL

  BY FAITH MARTIN

  UK www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0763RXLRV

  US www.amazon.com/dp/B0763RXLRV

  DISCOVER THE MILLION-SELLING SERIES NOW.

  MEET DI HILLARY GREENE, A POLICE WOMAN FIGHTING TO SAVE HER CAREER.

  Not only has she lost her husband, but his actions have put her under investigation for corruption.

  Then a bashed and broken body is found floating in the Oxford Canal. It looks like the victim fell off a boat, but Hillary is not so sure. Her investigation exposes a dark background to the death.

  Can Hillary clear her name and get to the bottom of a fiendish conspiracy on the water?

  This crime mystery will have you gripped from beginning to end.

  MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL is the first in a series of page-turning crime thrillers set in Oxfordshire.

  HE IS WATCHING YOU

  BY CHARLIE GALLAGHER

  UK www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KKK5N7W

  US www.amazon.com/dp/B07KKK5N7W

  DISCOVER AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING RACE-AGAINST-TIME THRILLER FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR CHARLIE GALLAGHER.

  A young woman’s body is left in a metal container in a remote location. The killer is careful to position her under a camera that links to his smartphone. He likes to look back at his work.

  HE IS WATCHING HER. BUT SHE ISN’T DEAD.

  So he will return to finish the job.

  Detective Maddie Ives is new to the area. She is handed a missing person report: a young woman with a drink problem who’s been reported missing fifteen times. It looks like
a waste of time. But DS Ives has a bad feeling about the woman’s disappearance.

  DI Harry Blaker is called to the hit-and-run of an elderly man left to die on a quiet country road. There is no motive and it looks like a tragic accident. But he’s been working Major Crime long enough to know that something isn’t quite right. The two officers find their investigations intertwine and they will need to work together.

  BUT THEY MUST WORK FAST. TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE WOMAN IN THE CONTAINER.

  GLOSSARY OF ENGLISH USAGE FOR US READERS

  A & E: accident and emergency department in a hospital

  Aggro: violent behaviour, aggression

  Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets

  Allotment: a plot of land rented by an individual for growing fruit, vegetable or flowers

  Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)

  Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings

  A level: exams taken between 16 and 18

  Auld Reekie: Edinburgh

  Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.

  Barm: bread roll

  Barney: argument

  Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids

  Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle

  Benefits: social security

  Bent: corrupt

  Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)

  Biscuit: cookie

  Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town

  Bloke: guy

  Blow: cocaine

  Blower: telephone

  Blues and twos: emergency vehicles

  Bob: money

  Bobby: policeman

  Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)

  Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead

  Bun: small cake

  Bunk: escape, i.e. ‘do a bunk’

  Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant

  Buy-to-let: buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit

  Charity shop: thrift store

  Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket

  Care home: an institution where old people are cared for

  Car park: parking lot

  CBeebies: kids TV

  Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments

  Chemist: pharmacy

  Chinwag: conversation

  Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food

  Chips: French fries but thicker

  CID: Criminal Investigation Department

  Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)

  Clock: punch

  Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake

  Cockney: a native of East London

  Common: an area of park land or lower class

  Comprehensive school (Comp.): high school

  Cop hold of: grab

  Copper: police officer

  Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit

  CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward

  Childminder: someone who looks after children for money

  Council: local government

  Dan Dare: hero from Eagle comic

  DC: detective constable

  Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block

  Deck: hit (verb)

  Desperate Dan: very strong comic book character

  DI: detective inspector

  Digestive biscuit: plain cookie

  Digs: student lodgings

  Do a runner: disappear

  Do one: go away

  Doc Martens: heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole

  Donkey’s years: long time

  Drum: house

  DS: detective sergeant

  ED: emergency department of a hospital

  Eagle: boys’ comic

  Early dart: to leave work early

  Eggy soldiers: strips of toast with a boiled egg

  Enforcer: police battering ram

  Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)

  Estate agent: realtor (US)

  Falklands War: war between Britain and Argentina in 1982

  Fag: cigarette

  Father Christmas: Santa Claus

  Filth: police (insulting)

  Forces: army, navy and air force

  FMO: force medical officer

  Fried slice: fried bread

  Fuzz: police

  Garda: Irish police

  Gendarmerie: French national police force

  Geordie: from Newcastle

  Garden centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold

  Gob: mouth, can also mean phlegm or spit

  GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community

  Graft: hard work

  Gran: grandmother

  Hancock: Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s

  Hard nut: tough person

  HGV: heavy goods vehicle, truck

  HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents

  Home: care home for elderly or sick people

  Hoover: vacuum cleaner

  I’ll be blowed: expression of surprise

  Inne: isn’t he

  Interpol: international police organisation

  Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services

  Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, applied to any strong woman

  ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital

  Jane Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous

  JCB: a mechanical excavator

  Jerry-built: badly made

  Jungle: nickname given to migrant camp near Calais

  Lad: young man

  Lass: young woman

  Lift: elevator

  Lord Lucan: famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.

  Lorry: truck

  Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased

  Luftwaffe: German air force

  M&S: Marks and Spencer, a food and clothes shop

  Miss Marple: detective in a series of books by Agatha Christie

  MOD: Ministry of Defence

  Mobile phone: cell phone

  MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area

  MRSA: A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

  Myra Hindley: famous British serial killer

  Naff: lame, not good

  Naff all: none

  National Service: compulsory UK military service, ended in 60s

  Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent curtain

  NHS: National Health Service, public health service of UK

  Nick: police station (as verb: to arrest)

  Nowt: nothing

  Nutter: insane person

  Nursery: a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale)

  O level: exams taken between 14 and 16

  Old bag: old woman (insulting)

  Old Bill: police

  OTT: over the top

  Owt: anything

  Pants: noun: underwear adjective: bad/rubbish/terrible

  Para: paratrooper

  Pay-as-you-go: a cell phone you pay for calls in advance

  PC: police constable

  Pear-shaped: gone wrong

  Petrol: gasoline

  Pictures: movie

  Pillbox: a concrete building, partly underground, used as an outpost defence

  Pillock: fool

  Pips: police insignia indicating rank

  Piss off: as exclamation, go away (rude), can also mean annoy.

  Pissing down: raining

  Playing field: sports field

  Pleb: ordinary person (often insulting)

  Portakabin: portable building used as temporary office etc.

  Post: mail

  Planning Department: the local authority department which issues licences t
o build and develop property

  PNC: police national computer

  PSNI: Police Service of Northern Ireland

  Prat: silly idiot

  Premier League: top English soccer division

  Proms: annual concerts held at the Albert Hall

  Public analyst: scientists who perform chemical analysis for public protection purposes

  RAF: Royal Air Force

  Rag: newspaper

  Ram-raiding: robbery where a vehicle is rammed through a shop window

  Randy: horny

  Recce: reconnaissance

  Red Adair: famous oil well firefighter

  Resus: resuscitation room

  Right state: messy

  Ring: telephone (verb)

  Roadworks: repairs done to roads

  Rozzers: police

  RSPB: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

  RTC: road traffic collision

  RV: rendezvous point

  Royal Engineers: British army corps dealing with military engineering etc.

  Rugger: rugby (posh American football)

  Sarge: sergeant

  SCO19: Specialist Crime and Operations Specialist Firearms Command

  Scrote: low life

  Section: to have someone committed to a mental hospital under UK mental health laws

  Semi: semi-detached house, a house with another house joined to it on one side only

  Shedload: a large amount

  Shop: store

  Shout the odds: talk in a loud bossy way

  Sickie: day off work pretending to be ill

  Sixth-form college: school for high school students in final two years

  SIO: senior investigating officer

  Skell: tramp or homeless person

  Skip: a large open container used for building waste

  Slapper: slag

  Smackhead: heroin addict

  Snout: police informer