Read Online Sister Eve and the Blue Nun by Lynne Hinton - Free Book Online
Authors: Lynne Hinton
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residential quarters to administrative offices, with the nuns forced out. “And the dining hall is on the other side of the main entrance. I don’t know if you saw anything down there when you came in.”
He shook his head. “No, it was dark and quiet. Only saw the one monk, young guy, tall, blue eyes. He said he had been awake awhile and was watching everything out the window.”
The description he gave sounded to Eve a lot like Brother Anthony, and she wondered what he was doing in the dining hall and where else he had gone. She thought about the time and guessed that it had been more than an hour since she had last seen the monk.
“He was the one who told us the head honcho lives down here.”
Eve nodded again and then stopped herself from speaking for a moment. “Yes, that is true,” she finally responded, trying to figure out a way to leave the conversation and find Anthony. “Father Oliver is the vice superior of the abbey, and this is indeed his room.”
“Which he’s not in?” Boots asked.
“Right, which he’s not in,” Eve replied.
“So, besides this main building, chapel, offices, dining hall, and residence wing, what other buildings are on the property?” Detective Bootskievely wanted to know.
And finally here was the out she was looking for. “The guest quarters,” she answered. “If you just go out the main entrance like you came in and head left, you can’t miss them. I’m sure everyone must be down there.”
“Uh-huh. Guess you’re right,” the man responded. The toothpick moved to the other side of his mouth and he reached up and took it out. “You tell your daddy Boots said hey. Maybe I’ll come over to Madrid sometime and take him out to lunch.”
“I’m sure he would love that,” Eve responded.
She felt the officer studying her.
“You don’t want to go down there with us? You don’t want to know what’s going on?” Boots asked.
She turned away and shook her head. “I don’t want to get in anybody’s way,” she said, trying to smile.
“Good nun response, I guess,” he replied.
“I guess,” she answered, nodding again.
“All right, good to see you, Sister.” And the older officer turned to walk away.
Detective Lujan, still not having said anything but his name, peered at Eve and gave a slight smile. “It was nice to meet you, Evangeline.” And then he paused. “I don’t think he’s still in the dining room. He seemed to be in a hurry, to pray, maybe.”
Eve was stunned and was about to explain she didn’t know who he was talking about, but before she could say as much, he turned and followed the other officer, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
ELEVEN
“Anthony,” Eve whispered. After checking the young monk’s room and finding it empty, she made her way to the dining room without running into any of the other monks or any other police officers. She chose not to switch on the lights, keeping herself and the room in the dark.
“Anthony,” she whispered again as she headed from the dining area toward the kitchen. She quietly pushed open the swinging doors, calling out his name once more. There was no one around.
Eve stood in the familiar space where she had spent so many hours when she lived at the abbey. Of all the rooms at the monastery, the offices and the gathering spaces, the chapel and the gardens, the kitchen had always been a place where Eve felt completely at home. Even though there were far better cooks than she among the residents at the monastery, she had come to love the work that was done in this place. Baking bread, making soups and stews, roasting chiles, and even brewing beer—there was so much about cooking and preparing meals that Eve loved.
Here, even if silence was being observed, the men and the women, the nuns and the monks, worked together like musicians in an orchestra, stirring and measuring, peeling and tasting, and this gift of creating the community’s shared meals was a very high honor for the nun. If
He shook his head. “No, it was dark and quiet. Only saw the one monk, young guy, tall, blue eyes. He said he had been awake awhile and was watching everything out the window.”
The description he gave sounded to Eve a lot like Brother Anthony, and she wondered what he was doing in the dining hall and where else he had gone. She thought about the time and guessed that it had been more than an hour since she had last seen the monk.
“He was the one who told us the head honcho lives down here.”
Eve nodded again and then stopped herself from speaking for a moment. “Yes, that is true,” she finally responded, trying to figure out a way to leave the conversation and find Anthony. “Father Oliver is the vice superior of the abbey, and this is indeed his room.”
“Which he’s not in?” Boots asked.
“Right, which he’s not in,” Eve replied.
“So, besides this main building, chapel, offices, dining hall, and residence wing, what other buildings are on the property?” Detective Bootskievely wanted to know.
And finally here was the out she was looking for. “The guest quarters,” she answered. “If you just go out the main entrance like you came in and head left, you can’t miss them. I’m sure everyone must be down there.”
“Uh-huh. Guess you’re right,” the man responded. The toothpick moved to the other side of his mouth and he reached up and took it out. “You tell your daddy Boots said hey. Maybe I’ll come over to Madrid sometime and take him out to lunch.”
“I’m sure he would love that,” Eve responded.
She felt the officer studying her.
“You don’t want to go down there with us? You don’t want to know what’s going on?” Boots asked.
She turned away and shook her head. “I don’t want to get in anybody’s way,” she said, trying to smile.
“Good nun response, I guess,” he replied.
“I guess,” she answered, nodding again.
“All right, good to see you, Sister.” And the older officer turned to walk away.
Detective Lujan, still not having said anything but his name, peered at Eve and gave a slight smile. “It was nice to meet you, Evangeline.” And then he paused. “I don’t think he’s still in the dining room. He seemed to be in a hurry, to pray, maybe.”
Eve was stunned and was about to explain she didn’t know who he was talking about, but before she could say as much, he turned and followed the other officer, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
ELEVEN
“Anthony,” Eve whispered. After checking the young monk’s room and finding it empty, she made her way to the dining room without running into any of the other monks or any other police officers. She chose not to switch on the lights, keeping herself and the room in the dark.
“Anthony,” she whispered again as she headed from the dining area toward the kitchen. She quietly pushed open the swinging doors, calling out his name once more. There was no one around.
Eve stood in the familiar space where she had spent so many hours when she lived at the abbey. Of all the rooms at the monastery, the offices and the gathering spaces, the chapel and the gardens, the kitchen had always been a place where Eve felt completely at home. Even though there were far better cooks than she among the residents at the monastery, she had come to love the work that was done in this place. Baking bread, making soups and stews, roasting chiles, and even brewing beer—there was so much about cooking and preparing meals that Eve loved.
Here, even if silence was being observed, the men and the women, the nuns and the monks, worked together like musicians in an orchestra, stirring and measuring, peeling and tasting, and this gift of creating the community’s shared meals was a very high honor for the nun. If
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