The Restless Soul

By Mario Sergio

THE RESTLESS SOUL


Some unwanted and unexpected notoriety
engulfs the sleepy town of Burley Falls




Can a dead man kill? Yes he can. Not only he can, he will again and he gives a warning, unless injustices and a crime are solved quickly.

Some people are taking the warning seriously and others just dismissing it as another ghost story.

A community is up in arms and the police have no clues as to what is going on or what action to take.

Ah! Yes, there is Father Nicholas, the local church pastor and he has a hunch!

To stop further killings, is to give the dead man what he is demanding.

BUT HOW and WHY!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469137735

Mario Sergio

MARIO SERGIO Born in Italy, Mario landed in Canada at the age of eighteen. At the age of twenty-one, he started his own business; soon it became a social service agency on four wheels. It was a natural passion for Mario to help those in need. In 1978, he entered municipal politics, serving for eighteen consecutive years. Elected in 1995 to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, Mario continues serving a multiethnic constituency today. Over the last few months, Mario challenged himself writing this book. Mario and Rose live in Toronto. They have two sons and four grandchildren.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Mario Sergio.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011962755

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4691-3772-8

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4691-3771-1

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4691-3773-5

All rights reserved. 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 permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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107562

Dedication

Grandpa, you should write a book, one of my granddaughters said.

Yes, Grandpa, you should write a book, another granddaughter echoed.

So I picked up the challenge, and I wrote my first book.

To my four grandchildren who inspired me and planted the seed

for this book, I thank you and love all of you so very much.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 1

In this little town of Burley Falls, life has been on the quiet side with not much happening. Actually, that’s how the people here like it. They would describe it, tranquil.

On the edge of Lake Belmont, Burley Falls is enjoying above-standard lifestyle, healthy neighborhood, expensive homes, and above all—very proud to boast—perhaps the lowest accident and crime rate in the country.

The death of a twenty-nine-year-old woman last week didn’t even make the local paper, especially since it was declared natural causes. To the east of Burley Falls, in the much larger city of Belmont, maybe the national newspaper may have had a blurb somewhere on page 35.

It’s Friday late afternoon, and from his office on Brant Street, the second in command of station 31, homicide crime inspector Chris Elliott, had put his last remarks on Hilda Bonner’s file and is leaving for the upcoming long weekend, the first of the season, the so-called Victoria Day weekend.

An avid fisherman loving the outdoors, Chris had it all figured out how to spend the three-day-long weekend at the cottage. His wife, as usual, would get the cooler and supplies, and his son, Tim, would look after the fishing gears, making sure the tackle box had the latest lures and the fishing rods were ready with a fresh ten-pound test line.

That’s how they would all participate in sharing the chores, and of course, Chris would drive and make sure that the ’98 Buick station wagon was in top condition and plenty of gas for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Healey Lake.

Chris is a very meticulous man, so he wants to make sure that everything is ready to leave early on Saturday morning to avoid the rush. Furthermore, he doesn’t like to deal with the nerve-racking traffic. As a responsible father, he likes to take his time and is always very considerate in making sure that all the family enjoys a safe and pleasant trip.

This comes normal to Chris. As a police officer, he has been trained to be a leader, and in his eighteen years on the force, he has fully demonstrated to conduct himself with the utmost respect for others while showing the highest degree of duty for the position he holds. He is a devout Christian, terrific volunteer, and community event participant and organizer.

Healey Lake sunsets are bright and sharp with a mixture of colors blending perfectly with the serenity of calm waters and tall green motionless pines. This is how it should always be, Chris whispers to his wife, Alba, as he is cleaning the grill after the first BBQ of the season. Tim is already on the dock. This is feeding time, he says. Maybe I’ll get last year’s pike.

Chris… Chrissie… Ben is on the phone.

It’s six forty-five p.m. on Saturday evening! What can Ben be calling for at this time? Chris wonders.

Just to give you a heads-up, Chris, I just visited the Morley family as their son was found dead in their garage this morning. Our first look at it shows no physical sign, no harm, no drugs… It seems quite natural… The next couple of days, we will have the usual checkup routine, autopsy, and so forth, and I’ll go over it with you on Tuesday.

Chris didn’t say much to Ben other than listening, so it was easy to brush off Alba’s Is everything OK? Chris was OK and continued to enjoy an almost-perfect weekend. Tim didn’t catch his pike, but while trolling on Sunday afternoon, Chris helped him net a couple of beautiful pickerels.

No steak tomorrow but BBQ pickerels.

Whoa! This is great, Dad!

It surely is, son, calmly answered Chris.

The ride back home Monday afternoon was forecasted very slow, but Chris was prepared for it, for he knew the traffic would be heavier than normal. By 9:00 p.m. Monday evening, the family was safely back home and very satisfied.

You have been awfully quiet, mused Alba. Something on your mind or just a bit tired?

Yeah, well… actually I was thinking about the call, and I am a bit anxious to go in tomorrow and take a look at this new case.

That was Ben’s call, right?

Right, Chris answered. As usual, Chris and Ben are on time, early for their first coffee.

Chris, I have not given much information out yet, but according to the medical report, it appears Todd died quickly, probably of sudden heart failure.

Ah, some coincidence, Ben, with Hilda Bonner if I remember well… we had a similar circumstance.

Well, Chris, before I’ll answer the local newspaper some time tomorrow, I was hoping to have some real definite cause of death.

Let me go over the files tonight, and let’s talk about it tomorrow.

By the way, Chris, the funeral for Todd is at Saint David’s tomorrow at ten a.m. May be a good idea if we both show up.

Be there, Ben.

Good morning, Chief, Lisa Le Cler from Burley Daily News. Can I get a comment or two on Todd’s death?

Usual, Lisa, our thoughts and prayers go to the family, wife, and daughter, Melany, sudden death took the life of a young man, and our community shares in this loss.

Chief, if I may, our community is not used to such news, and I wonder if you have any conclusive evidence, reasons as to the cause of death. It seems a bit unusual that two very young people die suddenly and with no real explanation. Can you explain, Chief?

Lisa, the autopsy and the medical report do suggest it was natural cause, and that has been confirmed.

What about you, Inspector Elliott, do you have anything to add?

No, Lisa, Chief Noble has answered your questions, and I don’t think there is anything to add.

Ben, we should have Dr. Grant in and pick his brain a bit. Sorry to say, Chief, but I find his conclusion of ‘natural death’ a bit unsettling.

You go ahead, Chris, may not be a bad idea.

It is now 3:00 p.m., and Chris thinks that a cup of coffee at the Hot Spot Café (the local preferred coffee house) on the way to Dr. Grant’s office is exactly what he needs. Lucky for Chris, Dr. Grant himself is enjoying a coffee and his favorite tart. I keep remembering telling my late wife that unless she improved her baking, I would continue to hit the Hot Spot. God bless her soul. She never did! he muses to Chris.

Actually, Doc, I was on the way to see you and talk a bit about what has happened recently in our area.

Sure, Chris, have your coffee, and I will fill you in.

I have to tell you, Chris, that I as a doctor am a bit uncomfortable that not only Todd Morley but Hilda Bonner as well showed no signs of harm, no physical abnormality, just maybe a breathing problem.

How is that, Doc?

Well, I couldn’t come up with any other medical conclusion. As to the total lack of any physical evidence… like if something, someone sucked their lungs dry.

What do you mean by that, Doc?

Well, here we are, let’s go in, and maybe let’s take a look at both files. Sit down here in my little boardroom. Dr. Grant was well respected by all his community for his many years serving Burley Falls and its eleven thousand residents. He was well reputed as a qualified and thorough doctor throughout the region.

OK, Chris, let’s see. This is the most recent, Todd Morley, thirty-two years old, active in the local football team, my patient for a long time, and I never treated him for anything other than the eight stitches he needed a couple of years ago.

Sorry, Doc. What is this in here, possible… but very unlikely… unable to breathe.

Let me explain, in simple words it means that Todd was able to exhale but was not able to inhale.

What are you saying, Doc? Are you saying that someone suffocated Todd?

No no no, Chris, don’t jump to conclusion. There is a total lack or absence of damage to the respiratory apparatus, therefore suffocation is out of the question. You breathe in, breathe out, then all of a sudden you pass out. Can’t breathe out anymore. Natural, natural!

What about Bonner?

"Same case. Very unusual, but similar, exactly the same. We all knew Hilda, young, athletic, three days a week