The Flowers on The Devil's Grave

By Kemal Kinali

Secrets will come out eventually, so are they worth covering up?

Left for dead in his own house, math teacher Benjamin Cohen wrestles with amnesia and blackouts.

His wife, Helen, who immediately called 911 and saved his life, found him on the floor when she came home from work one night. She now works extra hours at the hospital, while Benjamin, not being ready to get back to teaching, fights the recurring blackouts and the guilt of keeping a secret from his wife. All the while, he searches for the unknown assailant who left him to die. But what he doesn’t know is that the attacker intends to finish the job.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kemal Kinali
• Release date: May 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310998607

Kemal Kinali

I'm a Turkish guy, born, raised and living in Denmark. I'm a trained firefighter but currently studying to become a police officer. I love reading, writing, freerunning and fitness.

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The Flowers on The Devil’s Grave

Kemal Kinali

Smashwords edition, copyright 2014

Kinali, Kemal

The Flowers on the Devil’s Grave

© 2014, Kemal Kinali

Self publishing

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Prologue

The funeral was a week ago and my shoulder still ached. Pain lanced down my body and I clenched my teeth to fight it. Making a left-turn, I touched the package in the seat next to me.

Finally, I am ready.

Sun lit the graveyard, and Alex waited for me inside the gate. For a moment, I sat and thought, sinking into that dark place once again. I shook my head to clear away the bad thoughts and focused on remembering to bring the package when I got out of the car.

Sometimes I still forget things. Mostly unimportant things, but sometimes important things, too. I can live with forgetting, but it hurts when it’s something to do with Alex. When I realized I had forgotten his eleventh birthday four days ago, my heart sank. I found out the day after, when I asked him if we had celebrated. He said it wasn’t a big deal, but I’d walked away to hide my tears. I don’t want his life to be this way.

What hurt him the most, however, happened yesterday. I had forgotten about everything that had happened in the last few months. It took him hours to convince me that Helen wasn’t with us anymore and that I was somewhat sick. He cried as I kept calling Helen’s phone until it finally hit me.

I’m worried every day. Maybe it’s going to pass as I learn to live with it. Maybe—in time—it will even fade away completely, but there’s no way to know. I don’t even know if I can ever go back to teaching. Feeling regret doesn’t help me; I can’t go back in time. All I can think about is how I should’ve known better, when I still had the chance. Maybe I could’ve stopped the devil from taking her from me.

I don’t really know where to start, but I have to start somewhere, so I’ll start from how, what I remember as a good day, suddenly turned into the worst day of my life and everything started falling apart…

Chapter One

We finished eating and went to my place.

I locked the door behind me and ran upstairs to Ana. She had already gotten out of her tiny clothes. I admired her beautiful, naked skin. I felt so alive. The night was young and ours. She pulled me down towards her and we kissed. She was hot. Both sexy and warm. I kissed her all over. We kindled the most passionate flame that burnt for a long time. As our illicit embers cooled, I drifted, content…

Suddenly, I jolted awake. I felt oddly warm all over. I tried to raise my head but could only hold it for a second. A cool breeze drifted over me, and I looked. I was now downstairs, by the open front door. How did that happen? I lifted my right arm. Blood covered it! A rustle outside drew my attention to the door, and I noticed a man with his back to me outside our house. There, on the sidewalk. I desperately tried to focus on the man, but I couldn’t keep my head up, nor could I talk. Fear and confusion combined with the metallic smell of blood filled up my nostrils, making my stomach turn. But before I could throw up, I must’ve passed out…

Chapter Two

I blinked and came awake. It felt as if I had slept for days. Dry mouth, ugh! I stretched my neck, trying to work the crick out of it. Was it morning? The muscles in my neck complained. Odd, because if it was morning, then I would be asleep in bed. I felt around me. Nope, I was on the couch. A glance at my watch showed it still said the 14th. That meant it was still Thursday. I absently rubbed at the ache pressing against my temples. I did not remember much from the last couple of hours. I looked at my silver Timex again: almost 8:20 p.m.

I’d had another blackout!

Helen! I yelled.

Dad. You're up! Alex answered right away. Mom left. She had to help a man with his heart.

I hadn’t noticed my son on the single couch behind me. He was watching TV in his pajamas, looking cute with his hair hanging in his eyes. He’d gotten the brown hair from me and his blue eyes from his mother, a perfect blend. Brown hair with blue eyes was rare. He would be a heartbreaker one day.

Oh, hey, kid. I didn't see you there.

Well. It was Thursday night and I didn’t know how I had spent my day. Oh God! Had I even gone to work that morning? Do you remember at what time I came home from work, son?

Alex kept a thinking-face for a solid thirty seconds before he answered.

I don't know, Dad. You were here when Mom and I came home. I remember, because I saw you writing a letter.

It sounded as if I’d missed work yet again, and it was getting more and more embarrassing every time I had to apologize to Mr. Lawrence for the same matter. And what letter was he talking about?

Dad? Alex said, his voice hesitant.

While yawning and stretching, I turned my head towards him. He looked down and moved his lips a few times before the words escaped.

Did you pass out again? he asked carefully and looked up.

He had never seen me pass out, but we had explained it to him in case it happened in front of him one day. It was Helen’s idea, and she thought that it wouldn’t be as frightening to him if he knew what was going on. She was probably right.

I did, son, but I’m okay. See? I gave him a big smile, because that was enough proof of happiness. The smile returned to his lips as he sat