Vow of Obedience by Veronica Black Read Free Book Online Page A

coming in later today. I’d better get on. Nice seeing you.’
    ‘Right, let’s get it over with then.’ Sister Joan gave her companion an encouraging smile as they got out of the car, with Sister David glancing nervously around as if she feared someone might arrest her for loitering.
    ‘You go first, Sister,’ she whispered as they went in, to be greeted by the desk sergeant with what Sister Joan was glad to see was unaffected friendliness.
    Sister David who would have wilted under officialdom or died of embarrassment had he been over-hearty not only perceptibly relaxed but even ventured on a small joke as they were wiping their fingers after their prints had been taken.
    ‘I do hope those are destroyed afterwards. I may embarkon a criminal career and your already having my fingerprints might be inconvenient.’
    ‘Don’t worry, Sister. We’ll make it easy for you.’ Detective Sergeant Mill, coming in, rubbing the cold out of his well-shaped, ungloved hands, smiled at her. ‘Sister Joan, good morning. You drove here by way of the school?’
    ‘I took the other track past Farrer’s Field,’ she said.
    ‘The area’s still cordoned off. I want the building and the moor immediately surrounding it combed inch by inch. I’ll be able to get out of your way in a week or so. I assume you’ll be using the building for something or other now that the school’s closed?’
    ‘Not until we find out the details of the Tarquin Trust. I don’t know what Mother Prioress has in mind.’
    ‘I got the list of pupils from the register in your desk,’ he said. ‘Has anyone offered you a cup of coffee yet?’
    ‘We didn’t expect it. You must be awfully busy.’ Sister David, suddenly aware that she was chatting to a member of the opposite sex, fluttered into silence.
    ‘Not too busy to thank you for coming in so promptly. Sergeant, bring an extra chair in, will you? And three coffees. Sisters.’
    He held open his office door with a small show of gallantry.
    ‘Have there been any developments?’ Sister Joan asked, seating herself. ‘We’re going to call on the parents, just to leave flowers and express our sympathy if you can give us the address. Oh, have you met Sister David?’
    ‘Detective Sergeant Alan Mill, Sister. Do sit down.’ His manner changed slightly as he spoke to Sister David.
    Sister David sat on the edge of the chair and accepted the coffee with a murmur of thanks.
    ‘You asked about progress.’ He seated himself at his desk and frowned down at the papers on it for a moment. ‘It’s early days yet as they say. The father identified his daughter late last night down at the morgue. Father Malone had already prepared the family. We just had the pathologist’s report. She was strangled with a wire; specks of metal embedded in her skin and then the wire was taken off. She wasn’t interfered with in any way. According to the doctor the girl was still a virgin. That was some slight comfort to the parents, though little enough. Now we’re trying to find outwhere the dress she was wearing came from.’
    Sister David looked a question.
    ‘She was wearing a white wedding dress with a wreath of leaves on her head,’ Sister Joan said.
    ‘She must have obtained the dress from somewhere,’ Detective Sergeant Mill said. ‘There was no label in it but it was clearly new. Then there’s her dressing-gown, slippers and nightie – she must have taken those in a bag of some sort. The Pendons will have to be asked about that later on. I’m unwilling to intrude on them but it’s unfortunately necessary.’
    ‘Perhaps Sister David or I could mention it?’
    ‘In the course of conversation? That would be very helpful. Oh, you wanted the address. I have it here.’ He scribbled it on a piece of paper. ‘I’ve a couple of men rounding up your former pupils for fingerprinting. Merely for elimination but the Romany families may kick up a fuss. Funny, ironic, isn’t it? As soon as fingerprinting techniques