Hilda Hopkins, Saints And Sinners #6

By Vivienne Fagan

Even tucked away in a convent, knitting scarves for the Nuns to earn her keep, Hilda is but one mere coincidence away from death and drama! This time she is arrested, then abducted and then she absconds from the clutches of a murderous gang of bank robbers, all the time accompanied by her arch nemesis, PC Barbara Grey! While the body count climbs, Hilda walks away from a motorway pile up and narrowly avoids... well, read on and find out how many more Hilda can put to rest without even unraveling her machine knitted garrotte!Hilda Hopkins, machine knitting serial killer and government assassin is once again bouncing from misadventure to misadventure, always staying just one row ahead of her pursuers!

• Language: English
• Publisher: StreetWise Publications
• Release date: Dec 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465944689

Vivienne Fagan

Vivienne Fagan lives in London and is a retired Civil Servant and former serving member of the Intelligence Corps. She is an award winning machine knitter and mother of three who knows just how to do away with Hilda's next victims!

Book preview

Hilda Hopkins,

Saints and Sinners

A Hilda Hopkins Crime Thriller

Vivienne Fagan

StreetWise Publications

Published by StreetWise Publications

Suite 1/22 Waikanda Cres, Whalan, NSW 2770 Australia

All Rights Reserved.

http://streetwiseworldpublications.info

http://lulu.com/spotlight/perrygamsby

‘Hilda Hopkins, Saints And Sinners‘ first published 2011

Copyright Vivienne Fagan 2011

Fagan, Vivienne 1948-

Cover Illustration by V.Fagan

ISBN 978-1-4659-4468-9.

Other Hilda Hopkins Crime Thrillers:

‘Murder, She Knit’ #1

‘Bed And Burial’ #2

‘Domi Knit Rix’ #3

M.I. Knits’ #4

For Queen And Country #5

Smashwords Edition, License Statement

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental and unintentional. The publisher, author and their officers and assigns assume no responsibility for the misuse of wool or knitting machines. No yarn was harmed in the writing of this story.

Chapter 1

You want me to go and live in a convent full of nuns, Sir Ambrose?

Hilda Hopkins stared across the table at her boss, totally dismayed.

Sir Ambrose Possnet-Meysey went to stand by the window and gazed out over the sands, watching the white horses as the sea crashed onto the fringes of the beach. It was very peaceful here at Smuggler’s Refuge, the isolated seaside cottage which Hilda rented, but he was afraid that it was also too easy for her to be tracked down. After all, it hadn’t taken him long to find her after her headlong flight from his home, Carpe Diem. Although of course, he reflected, he did have the advantage of knowing about Smuggler’s Refuge.

You have saved my life three times now, Hilda, I do feel some responsibility for you. But even I cannot influence Scotland Yard not to track you down and arrest you themselves, he smiled, turning back to face her.

But nuns Sir Ambrose? I rather had my fill of nuns at the Grammar School you know. Besides, I haven‘t been to church since I got married in one.

Don’t worry about that, replied Sir Ambrose, The Order of the Sisters of Piety run a small community for people of any Faith, or no Faith. You will not be expected to attend Mass, nor to go to Confession, unless of course you feel you must?

Sir Ambrose looked down, regarding the dour, toad like figure sitting across the room from him. Confession in Hilda’s case would take quite some considerable time, he reflected, the woman was a serial killer after all. Her latest kill to be fair, had been done in self defence. Alan Galswood, also known as the Pie-Man, the leader of an anarchist group, Patriotism in England, (usually shortened to PIE), had invaded Sir Ambrose’s home looking for the man in order to kill him. What he had found was Hilda, along with a colleague, Clarice Leverson, and in his rage at being thwarted, the Pie-Man had attempted to kill them instead. Clarice had escaped to the Nursery Suite and secreted herself under a bed, but Hilda had met the man full on, sending him flying over the banisters to his death with a couple of well aimed hits from a rather beautiful, and very expensive, art deco statuette.

Hilda had winkled Clarice out from beneath the bed and the pair had fled from the scene just as Sir Ambrose had arrived at the front gates along with PCs Clive Barcroft and Barbara Grey, old adversaries of Hilda’s. Clarice had borrowed her cousin Lettice’s van to drive to Sir Ambrose’s house in Wiltshire, much to the annoyance of Lettice’s mother. Clarice and Hilda scrambled over the high wall surrounding the house, retrieved the van from a lay-by and headed off into the night.

Clarice had been in something of a state. She had been thrown in at the deep end in this adventure. Hilda had left her working undercover for a couple of days in a girls’ school, only for her to discover that the school itself was linked very closely to PIE. Clarice had already escaped death twice, once when the Staff at the Section were slaughtered in a massacre instigated by Galswood, and later when a member of PIE had tried to assassinate the two women as they fled towards Smuggler’s Refuge. Using her wits, the young woman had managed to report to the temporary Head Quarters of the Section, as MI Zero, the Government department which she and Hilda worked for, was known to its members.

Clarice had driven Hilda away from there fully aware that the older woman was in the grip of a blood lust. Clarice had been terrified. Although she got on well with Hilda, she had recognised that Hilda was being driven by powers deep within her and Clarice feared for her own life. It had taken some time for Hilda to calm down. Clarice had found a small restaurant, and over a shared meal, she had seen the red which had suffused Hilda’s face gradually fade away to a more normal colour. The woman’s eyes had calmed too, the fanatical glint had gone from them, to be replaced by fatigue. Hilda confessed that she did feel absolutely exhausted.

Once back in the car, Hilda had fallen into a deep sleep, her body held upright by the seat belt, her head resting comfortably on a cushion which she had picked up off the back seat. Clarice had taken the opportunity to drive straight back to Midchester to restore the van to its rightful owner.

Lettice Leverson had not been happy to meet Hilda Hopkins again. She had come out to the road when Clarice had knocked on her door, and looked down at Hilda, still contentedly snoring away in the front seat.

Do you want me to call the police? she asked quietly.

Clarice looked down at the older woman, and bit her lip.

No, she decided, she saved my life Lettice, at least twice. I can’t be the one to send her to prison. If she gets caught all well and good, but I’m not going to make them a present of her.

She looked defiantly at her cousin. Lettice was used to doing as she was told, making her own decisions was a struggle for her.

What do you want me to do Clarrie? I can’t invite her into the house, Mother wouldn’t like it.

Don’t call me Clarrie, sighed Clarice. Can you drive her to the railway station? Give her some money for a fare, Clarice was unaware of the money belt which was permanently wrapped around Hilda’s waist, I don‘t suppose Auntie Sylvia would mind too much if I impose myself on the pair of you for a couple of days. Just until I hear from work?

That shouldn’t be a problem, replied Lettice, she gestured towards Hilda, that would be. But yes, I’ll take her, if you come with me that is, she added hastily. Lettice had no intention of being anywhere on her own with Hilda Hopkins.

It had been done. Hilda had returned to Smuggler’s Refuge by a somewhat circuitous route, only to find Sir Ambrose sitting on her door step, waiting patiently for her.

Chapter 2

Hilda had settled into the Community remarkably well. Sir Ambrose had