the stones were intimately connected with the balance between life and death , a latent power to be used for good or evil . certainly the nun 's death at varanasi had resulted in miracles . joseph pulled out one of the loose leaves from the book he was reading . it was a page from a diary in latin script with a translation beside it . from the middle ages , it described a brother in the church murdering another for one of the
stones

in the precise spot where she 'd left them on his back years earlier . '' she 's a witch . they have ways to make you believe something that 's not real . she could have put a spell on you when she saw you in conlan 's mind . '' '' she did something to me during the probe , but not a
spell

'' it was the way it lost : with three votes in favour and two opposed ! '' bob scratched his head in puzzlement . '' if that was the vote , what prevented it from passing for heaven 's sake ? '' '' the dean . as chairman he exercised his prerogative , and voted against to produce a tie-vote ! '' '' i thought a chairman can only vote to break a tie , '' replied
bob