Ann se Oorlog: Ann se Oorlog

By Hannah Howe

Met haar man weg op ‘n geheime sending, maak Ann Morgan gereed vir nog ‘n dag as sekretaresse by Trevor Bowman se privaat-speurder agentskap.  Maar hierdie dag sal nie soos enige ander dae wees nie.  In vier-en-twintig uur, sal Ann se lewe handomkeer verander wanneer sy ‘n moord ontdek, ‘n aanteklike wewenaar ontmoet, Speurder Inspekteur Max Deveraux, en hy konfronteer die moordenaar in ‘n web van versoeking en misleading.

• Language: Afrikaans
• Publisher: Goylake Publishing
• Release date: Aug 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781071563045

Hannah Howe

Hannah Howe is the bestselling author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series (Sam's Song, book one in the series, has reached number one on the amazon.com private detective chart on seven separate occasions and the number one position in Australia). Hannah lives in the picturesque county of Glamorgan with her partner and their two children. She has a university degree and a background in psychology, which she uses as a basis for her novels.Hannah began her writing career at school when her teacher asked her to write the school play. She has been writing ever since. When not writing or researching Hannah enjoys reading, genealogy, music, chess and classic black and white movies. She has a deep knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century popular culture and is a keen student of the private detective novel and its history.Hannah's books are available in print, as audio books and eBooks from all major retailers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, iBooks, etc. For more details please visit https://hannah-howe.comThe Sam Smith Mystery Series in book order:Sam's SongLove and BulletsThe Big ChillRipperThe Hermit of HisaryaSecrets and LiesFamily HonourSins of the FatherSmoke and MirrorsStardustMind GamesDigging in the DirtA Parcel of RoguesBostonThe Devil and Ms DevlinSnow in AugustLooking for Rosanna MeeStormy WeatherDamagedEve’s War: Heroines of SOEOperation ZigzagOperation LocksmithOperation BroadswordOperation TreasureOperation SherlockOperation CameoOperation RoseOperation WatchmakerOperation OverlordOperation Jedburgh (to follow)Operation Butterfly (to follow)Operation Liberty (to follow)The Golden Age of HollywoodTula: A 1920s Novel (to follow)The Olive Tree: A Spanish Civil War SagaRootsBranchesLeavesFruitFlowersThe Ann's War Mystery Series in book order:BetrayalInvasionBlackmailEscapeVictoryStandalone NovelsSaving Grace: A Victorian MysteryColette: A Schoolteacher’s War (to follow)What readers have been saying about the Sam Smith Mystery Series and Hannah Howe..."Hannah Howe is a very talented writer.""A gem of a read.""Sam Smith is the most interesting female sleuth in detective fiction. She leaves all the others standing.""Hannah Howe's writing style reminds you of the Grandmasters of private detective fiction - Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker.""Sam is an endearing character. Her assessments of some of the people she encounters will make you laugh at her wicked mind. At other times, you'll cry at the pain she's suffered.""Sam is the kind of non-assuming heroine that I couldn't help but love.""Sam's Song was a wonderful find and a thoroughly engaging read. The first book in the Sam Smith mystery series, this book starts off as a winner!""Sam is an interesting and very believable character.""Gripping and believable at the same time, very well written.""Sam is a great heroine who challenges stereotypes.""Hannah Howe is a fabulous writer.""I can't wait to read the next in the series!""The Big Chill is light reading, but packs powerful messages.""This series just gets better and better.""What makes this book stand well above the rest of detective thrillers is the attention to the little details that makes everything so real.""Sam is a rounded and very real character.""Howe is an author to watch, able to change the tone from light hearted to more thoughtful, making this an easy and yet very rewarding read. Cracking!""Fabulous book by a fabulous author-I highly recommended this series!""Howe writes her characters with depth and makes them very engaging.""I loved the easy conversational style the author used throughout. Some of the colourful ways that the main character expressed herself actually made me laugh!""I loved Hannah Howe's writing style -- poignant one moment, terrifying the next, funny the next moment. I would be on the edge of my seat praying Sam wouldn't get hurt, and then she'd say a one-liner or think something funny, and I'd chuckle and catch my breath. Love it!""Sam's Song is no lightweight suspense book. Howe deals with drugs, spousal abuse, child abuse, and more. While the topics she writes about are heavy, Howe does a fantastic job of giving the reader the brutal truth while showing us there is still good in life and hope for better days to come."

Book preview

ANN se OORLOG

VERRAAD

ANN se OORLOG

VERRAAD

Hannah Howe

Goylake Publishing

Copyright © 2017 Hannah Howe

All rights reserved.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Goylake Publishing, Iscoed, 16A Meadow Street, North Cornelly, Bridgend, Glamorgan. CF33 4LL

ISBN: 978-0-9933827-7-2

Printed and bound in Britain by Imprint Digital, Exeter, EX5 5HY

Hierdie boek is ‘n werk van fiksie.  Name, karakters, besighede, organisasies, plekke en gebeurtenisse is of ‘n produk van die skrywer se verbeelding of fiksie.  Enige ooreensteming met regte mense, lewendig of dood, gebeurtenisse is bloot toevallig. 

Hannah Howe se boeke is beskikbaar in druk, as eBoeke en audio boeke

Ann’s War

Betrayal

Invasion

Blackmail

Escape

Victory

The Sam Smith Mystery Series

Sam’s Song

Love and Bullets

The Big Chill

Ripper

The Hermit of Hisarya

Secrets and Lies

Family Honour

Sins of the Father

Smoke and Mirrors

Stardust

Mind Games

Digging in the Dirt

A Parcel of Rogues

Aan my familie, met liefde

Hoofstuk 1

Ann tel die reistas op en sit dit op die kwilt-kombers neer; sy het die kwilt self gemaak, elke blokkie met weggooi stukkies gestop voor sy alles aanmekaar gewerk het. Sy kyk in die kamer om haar rond vir nog goed om in die tas te pak. Die tas behoort aan haar man, Emrys. Sy wonder wat hy nog gaan nodig hê vir sy rit, vir sy volgende missie – ‘n haarborsel, tandeborsel, skoon hemp, onderklere, beursie.  Dan stop sy en skud haar kop; nee, nie sy beursie nie, regulasies verbied dit. Ann was nooit seker presies waar Emrys gaan, of wat hy op hiedie missies doen nie – hy was verbied om haar te vertel.  Maar, sy het wel geweet dat sy opdragte noodsaaklik was in die oorlogspoging.  Sy het haarself gesus met daardie kennis, met die geloof dat Emrys se geheime missies, belangrik was, ‘n noodsaaklike rat in die wiel wat uiteindelik hierdie lang, hartseer, bloedige oorlog  tot  ‘n einde sou bring. Wel, sy het probeer om haarself te sus met die wete, want die waarheid was dat angs en voorgevoel aan haar siel geknaag het, en haar senuwees dun geskaaf het tot op die rant van ineenstorting.

Ann kyk na Emrys se lessenaar.  Daar was ‘n kalender op die tafel, met vandag se datum, 24 Maart 1944.  Die kalender was reg langs Ann en Emrys se troufoto.  Nou drie maande getroud, kan Ann elke oomblik van haar troudag gedurende Kersfees onthou. Inderdaad, die dag skyn in haar geheue, helderder as enige ander dag ooit, vantevore of daarna.

Ann tel die foto op en kyk daarna met ‘n glimlag.  Met sy gekartelde ligte hare en skerp blou oë, het Emrys aantreklik gelyk.  Hy het windmakerig ook gelyk, in sy RAF Luitenants uniform.  Emrys het die uniform as sy formele drag gedra; hy het by die RAF aangesluit toe die oorlog uitgebreek het, op die 3de September 1939, en het sy hoogs geskoolde en hoogs betalende beroep as elektriese ingeneur vaarwel toegeroep.  Emrys was ‘n boffin, ‘n baie slim en intelligente man.  Hy kon intelligente sirkels om Ann hardloop, alhoewel hy nooit so opgetree het nie; ten alle tye, in enigiemand se teenwoordigheid, het hy sy talente sonder vermaak en baie  nederig vertoon. 

Ann kyk na haarself in die foto, na haar gevormde gesig, na haar blou oë en heuning-blonde hare.  Sy glimlag vir haar trourok, gemaak van valskerm fluweel.  Streng gesproke het sy die wet oortree deur die valskerm-fluweel trourok te dra.  Maar, danksy Emrys se werk, het die owerhede dit oorsien.

Ann sug.  Haar troue was ‘n gelukkige geleentheid; ten spyte van die rantsoenering en soberheids wette, het die dag het niks kort gekom nie – Emrys se kontakte en haar ouers wat die plaaslike kruidenierswinkel besit het, het  daarvoor gesorg. 

‘n Krakende vloerbord trek Ann se aandag af; die vloerbord net buite haar kamerdeur kraak altyd wanneer Emrys daarop trap, maar dit maak geen geluid onder Ann se ligte gewig nie. 

Alles gereed? vra Ann. Sy draai om en kyk na haar man. 

Emrys loop die kamer binne.  Hy omhels en soen sy vrou.  Alles gereed, sê hy.  Ek is so gereed soos wat ek ooit sal wees.

Ann tel die tas op en gee dit aan Emrys.  Sy sê, Ek het alles gepak, ten minste, alles waaraan ek kon dink.

Emrys glimlag. Al is hy oppad oorlog toe, lyk hy ontspanne. Hy sê, Ek sal net vir ‘n dag of twee weg wees; ek is binnekort weer terug.

Ek weet, sug Ann.  Maar ek het alles gepak, net vir ingeval. Sy draai haar trouring senuagtig om en om haar vinger. Sal sy dit waag om die vraag te vra? Ja, sy moet.

Waarheen gaan jy?

Jy vra altyd. lag Emrys, " terwyl jy weet dat ek jou nie mag sê nie.

Maar jy sal veilig wees, sê Ann.  Sy probeer om kalm te klink en te lyk. Maar haar stemtoon veraai haar.

So veilig soos hierdie huis, glimlag Emrys.  Hy kyk op in die dak, na die twee honderd jaar oue soliede eikehout balke.  Dan staar hy by die venster uit, na die familie motor.