The Case of the Sin City Sister
ACCLAIM FOR
SISTER EVE, PRIVATE EYE
“Lynne Hinton grabs you and doesn’t let go until the last page is turned. I hope, no, I pray we haven’t heard the last from Sister Eve, private eye.”
—P
HILIP
G
ULLEY
,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE
H
ARMONY SERIES
“Lynne Hinton has created a marvelous character in Sister Eve Divine. This nun-turned-detective will keep an enduring hold on your heart and mind long after the case is solved and the roar of her Harley fades into the desert air.”
—M
ARK DE
C
ASTRIQUE
,
A M
URDER IN
P
ASSING
“Lynne Hinton’s reverently irreverent Sister Eve is my new hero. This is not just a well-crafted, page-turning mystery—this is a grounded, believable and enlightened examination of family dynamics, internal emotional and spiritual struggles and the choices human beings make. The characters are complex and multi-dimensional—readers will find themselves relating to them with ease. An absolute joy to read.”
—M
AGGI
P
ETTON
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
Q
UEEN
’
S
C
OMPANION
AND
H
EAVEN
’
S
D
AUGHTER
“In
Sister Eve, Private Eye
, Lynne Hinton has once again created a central character who is fascinating, flawed, funny, and compellingly human: Sister Evangeline Divine, the Harley-riding Benedictine nun . . . With her signature combination of warm, folksy characters and down-home style, Hinton strikes just the right note with
Sister Eve
—a blend of humor, suspense, wit, and incisive flashes of philosophical insight.
Sister Eve
is a winner.”
—P
ENELOPE
J. S
TOKES
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
B
LUE
B
OTTLE
C
LUB
, C
IRCLE OF
G
RACE
AND
S
AINT
S
OMEDAY
“Although
Sister Eve, Private Eye
is laced with humor, this eponymous nun neatly sidesteps the potential pitfalls of cuteness. Lynne Hinton writes with grace and compassion and I look forward to learning where she’ll take Sister Eve next.”
—M
ARGARET
M
ARON
, E
DGAR AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF
T
HE
B
OOTLEGGER
’
S
D
AUGHTER
“With keen insight into the life of one who has used her life’s calling for God, Hinton paints a complex and realistic heroine who is sure to win the hearts of readers. Fans of
The Mitford
series and
Murder She Wrote
are certain to soak up every page of this well written and delightful novel. I can’t wait to read Sister Eve’s next adventure in this series.”
—M
ICHAEL
M
ORRIS
,
AUTHOR OF
M
AN IN THE
B
LUE
M
OON
ACCLAIM FOR
THE ART OF ARRANGING FLOWERS
“Will leave you with a contented sigh and a hopeful heart.”
—
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
K
AREN
W
HITE
“I devoured this book. There is art and beauty in this story that will linger after the final scene.”
—D
EBBIE
M
ACOMBER
, #1
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
R
OSE
H
ARBOR IN
B
LOOM
AND
S
TARRY
N
IGHT
“An expertly penned and tender tale about the blossoming of hearts amidst the storms of loss and grief.”
—R
ICHARD
P
AUL
E
VANS
, #1
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
AND
USA T
ODAY
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
ALSO IN THE DIVINE PRIVATE DETECTIVE AGENCY MYSTERY SERIES
Sister Eve, Private Eye
Copyright © 2015 by Lynne Hinton
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-4016-9148-6 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hinton, J. Lynne
The case of the Sin City sister / Lynne Hinton.
pages cm. -- (A Divine Private Detective Agency mystery ; 2)
Summary: “When Eve’s biological sister goes missing, the nun heads to Las Vegas to track her down before it’s too late. Years ago, Eve heard God’s call to become a nun, but her recent stint moonlighting at her father’s detective agency invigorates her so much that she’s wrestling with her vocation. She’s working with him on a case involving a miner in New Mexico when alarming news develops: her sister Dorisanne is missing. The authorities won’t act without evidence of a crime, but Eve knows something suspicious -- and possibly deadly -- is afoot. Challenged to put her newfound gifts as a PI to the test, Sister Eve heads west to Las Vegas to uncover clues about her sister’s whereabouts. What nefarious scheme has Dorisanne become involved in? Is her life in danger? And what is Dorisanne’s estranged husband hiding? Sister Eve will discover there’s always more going on in Sin City than meets the eye”-- Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4016-9147-9 (softcover)
1. Nuns--Fiction. 2. Private investigators--Fiction. 3. Missing persons--Investigation--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.I457C37 2015
813’.54--dc23
2014044565
15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
This story is about the bond between sisters, so since I have the best sister in the world, it only makes sense that I would dedicate this book to her.
To my sister, Sharon Bender, I am grateful and blessed to have you in my life. If you ever go missing in Vegas, I will find you.
CONTENTS
A
PRIL
19, 1889
Caleb Alford stood on the rustic, wood-paneled porch of his childhood home and placed the small piece of turquoise in the front pocket of his jacket. The air was still, quiet. He took in a long breath, strapped on his canvas pack, and stepped down. He walked down the front steps and along the dirt path all the way to town without ever looking back.
It was four o’clock in the morning as he set out, the darkness thick, stars and moon barely lighting the way, the night a long woolen blanket pulled across the eastern North Carolina farmland he had called home all of his life.
His pack was heavy, making the walk a bit slower. He had everything he would need: an extra pair of work pants, two winter shirts, thick wool socks, a leather vest, a new pair of long johns, biscuits, dried beef, two small apples, and the roll of dollars he had saved for fourteen months. He had a few tools—a small pick and
two tin pans—roped to the bottom of the pack, along with a lantern given to him by his father, a sleeping mat, a pair of gloves, and a map drawn and labeled by Judah Gardner that included every detail the old man could recall. Mr. Gardner, a comrade of his uncle, had just returned from the mines. He had quite a story to tell, and Caleb Alford wanted to hear it all.