Angela’S Torment

By Sue Heaven

The tragic death of a young man leaving behind a wife and child whom he loved so much

The torment of a young, beautiful, women and that of her unborn child

What secrets will a neglected, stately home reveal?

Who is the ghostly apparition captured on a photo

What journey will Rosie and Sarah need to travel in order to reveal the truth?

Why cant the young man Rest in Peace until justice is done

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Feb 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781499090321

Sue Heaven

Sue was born in Barnstaple, Devon in 1966. She attended the Park Grammar School and North Devon College, the latter where she achieved a Diploma in Business Studies. After a move to Gloucestershire in 1983, she worked in the insurance industry before writing ‘Angela’s Torment’ her first novel which is a realization of a childhood dream. She now lives with her son in Drybrook, within the beautiful Forest of Dean.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Sue Heaven.

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.

Cover photo courtesy of David J Carr

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 02/05/2015

Xlibris

800-056-3182

www.Xlibrispublishing.co.uk

641545

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 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Epilogue

For my dear mum, Margaret, and my special son, Vincent, whom I love so much.

Chapter 1

With the sunrays shining through the gap in the curtain, Rosie awoke to the sound of the alarm clock, alone in the king-sized chrome bed that she and Darryl had shared and which they had bought two years ago. She was feeling the loneliness now, with the empty space next to her, and missing the early morning cuddles and the overwhelming feeling of complete fulfilment. The painful memory came back to haunt her—the knock on the door and the police officers standing there, telling her that her Darryl had been killed in a car crash.

She broke down, falling to the floor in a crumpled heap and crying hard, uncontrollable tears rolling down her cheeks, droplets falling to the floor. The woman police officer knelt down beside her, placing her arm about her. She helped her to stand and helped her to walk to the settee in the sitting room. The other male officer went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea while the woman police officer tried to console her.

The tragedy happened twelve months ago—the car crash on a cold, dark night. Darryl swerved to avoid the child who had run on to the road, only to hit a lamp post. The child who had lived that fateful night was walking with her mum; they were on their way back from a school concert. The young child, Leoni, became distracted by something across the road, and she ran out on to the road straight into the path of Darryl. She was six years younger than Sarah, her daughter.

The time was 7.15 a.m., and she got out of bed, stepping into pink fluffy slippers that she left in the same place each night and slipping into a pink fluffy dressing gown before opening the curtains. The sunlight shone through the trees. The Forest of Dean is such a beautiful place, especially in summer. Their own home was backed out on to natural woodland. After taking a shower, Rosie put on her clothes and went to check on Sarah.

‘Morning, Sarah, love, it’s time to get up. School today, remember,’ It was such hard work trying to get Sarah out of bed. ‘I’m going downstairs now. Cereal and toast will be ready in fifteen minutes, and your school uniform is on the chair.’

‘Okay, Mum, I’ll be down in a minute.’

When walking through the living room to the dining room, for a brief fearful moment, Sarah thought that she saw her dad standing by the chair, then vanishing as quickly as he appeared.

‘Mum, I’ve just seen Dad standing by the chair.’

‘Don’t be silly, love, your dad passed away twelve months ago. Now come and sit down and eat your breakfast.’

Thinking about her daughter, Rosie was aware of the equal pain that Sarah must be feeling following the loss of her dad; she had loved him so much, and they used to always do things together. She thought that Sarah imagining the presence of her dad could be a way of dealing with her grief. Upon finishing her breakfast and brushing her teeth in the bathroom, Sarah picked up her book bag and went with her mum to school.

Later that same day, on returning from school, Sarah asked, ‘Can I take Hudson for a walk, Mum?’

‘Yes, but only if you have done your schoolwork.’

An hour later, Sarah had finished her schoolwork, and she went to the broom cupboard to fetch Hudson’s lead. The Alaskan malamute bounded into the hall upon hearing the jingle of his lead. Sarah slipped the lead over his head and secured it, and grabbing a warm jacket, she slipped it on while keeping hold of Hudson.

She loved taking Hudson for a walk and remembered the time she spent with her dad on many a walk with Hudson. It was at these times that she felt close to her dad. She remembered her mum’s words when leaving the house that dinner would be ready in one hour, and she decided that she had enough time to walk down the woodland path to Cannop Ponds, her favourite place. She walked through the gate along the path, passing the picnic tables. The sun shining through the trees and the huge pond with the sunlight dancing on the water were a beautiful sight in summer. She could see the resident swans protecting their young cygnets and thought how lovely to experience the beauty of life and creation.

She allowed Hudson off his lead, and he bounded alongside the pond before reaching the bridge, where he stopped and looked at something, pawing at the ground. She looked up, and she saw someone standing on the bridge. Fear gripped her, and she was alarmed to see her dad before her for a second time that day. She hesitantly walked closer to him and became startled to hear him speak.

‘Sarah, please don’t be frightened, but it is important that you listen to me. I need you to be aware of an important matter, but I can’t directly tell you what it is. I can only give you clues for you to solve. The first clue is A tale of two people holding hands by the pool, one of whom will be a fool.’

She listened to his words carefully, her fear subsiding. Then as suddenly as he appeared, her dad vanished.

She had not realized that Hudson could also see the ghostly figure and did not notice he had disappeared. She searched the surrounding area for a while, and becoming worried at his disappearance, she ran back home as fast as she could to raise the alarm that Hudson was lost. Opening the back door, she was relieved to see him and ran up to him and patted his head; big fluffy paws landed on her shoulder. Sensing that something was wrong, Rosie asked Sarah what was troubling her.

‘I have seen Dad again, Mum, down by the bridge at Cannop Ponds. And he spoke to me, he spoke to me, Mum.’

Lost for words after hearing what Darryl had said to Sarah, she thought it best to make a note of the clue.

Chapter 2

On checking her watch, Rosie remembered that she was meeting her brother, Charlie, at the Rotunda for coffee. She grabbed the car keys and walked out of the house, closing the door. She opened the car door and started the engine and drove a few miles to the nearest town and parked her car in the supermarket car park. She got out and locked the car and walked the short distance to the coffee shop. On spotting Charlie by the bar, she dashed over and greeted him with a hug and a smile. Like Rosie, Charlie had fair layered hair except his was short and not long.

‘How are you bearing up, sis?’

‘It’s getting better, Charlie, but I’m concerned about Sarah. She keeps seeing the ghost of her dad. To be honest with you, I am really worried. Do you think I should take her to see a counsellor?’

‘I think it could be Sarah’s way of dealing with the loss of her dad, but keep an eye on it all the same.’

They ordered a light lunch and drinks. ‘Do you know, Charlie, I miss him terribly. I now have no one to share my thoughts with, no one to hold me, no one to care for, no one to look after me, and if it wasn’t for Sarah, I don’t know what I’d do. Can you come and stay with us for a week? I would really love it if you could.’

‘Okay, I will. Anyway, I could do with a break myself. I’ll go home and get some gear together, and I’ll see you in a couple of hours.’

They hugged and kissed each other goodbye. Rosie got into her car and went to collect Sarah from school. Waiting at the school gates, when Rosie arrived, Sarah spotted her mum’s car and went across to it. She opened the door and climbed in, hugging her mum before they set off.

‘Guess what, Sarah, I have some good news. Uncle Charlie is coming to stay with us for a week,’ said her mum gleefully.

‘Oh, that will be cool. I like Uncle Charlie.’

Within twenty minutes, they had arrived home, and Rosie parked the car carefully on the drive, leaving enough room for Charlie’s black Toyota with the ultra-light alloy wheels to be parked next to her own. They both got out of the car.

‘Do you want a nice cup of tea? I’m gasping for a brew. I’ll prepare us some dinner when Uncle Charlie arrives.’

Within two hours, Uncle Charlie had arrived, and on hearing him, Sarah came running down the stairs; she jumped up and gave him a big hug, nearly throwing him off balance. Then Rosie appeared in the kitchen doorway.

‘Why don’t you both take Hudson for a walk while I prepare dinner? It will be a good hour before it is ready,’ mentioned Rosie.

‘What a great idea. That will give us time to chat about old times, won’t it, Sarah?’

Opening the broom cupboard in the hallway, Sarah retrieved the lead from its hook and placed it around Hudson’s neck and tenderly stroked his head. They walked along the road and crossed the Coleford Road to the slip road leading to Cannop Ponds, chatting along the way about the fun that they had when Darryl was alive.

When they reached the bridge, Sarah suddenly said, ‘This is where I saw Dad, Uncle Charlie, right here by this bridge. I really did see him, Uncle Charlie.’

With tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, Sarah started to cry uncontrollably at the memory of him. Holding her against his chest, Uncle Charlie comforted her by stroking her hair and back with his other hand.

‘Come on, love, Darryl will always be close to you. He does not like it when you are sad. Come on, where has that smile gone? That’s better. I think it is time we make our way back home. I’m sure dinner will be ready by now, and I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely starving.’

A smile appeared on Sarah’s face, a beaming smile, and Charlie, being aware that the feeling had passed, walked back along the path beside her.

After eating dinner, Sarah went up to her room to watch television and do her schoolwork. This gave Charlie time to talk to Rosie about the incident by the bridge.

After explaining what had happened, he said, ‘I really do think you and Sarah would benefit greatly by taking a holiday. I can look after Hudson while you are away.’

‘You’re right, Charlie. We both need a break.’

Chapter 3

‘Good morning, my love, what a lovely day to be going on a holiday.’

The time was 8.40 a.m., and Rosie walked over to the window and drew back the lilac curtains to allow the early morning sunrays to flood in.

‘Mum, I am so excited about the holiday, and I can’t wait to board the plane.’

On walking to the door, Rosie turned around and smiled at her daughter. ‘Neither can I, love, neither can I. Breakfast will be in fifteen minutes, and your clothes are on the chair.’

With the kettle whistling in the background, Sarah picked up a small photo of her dad that had been prominently placed on the sideboard with the other photos in their different types of frames.

‘Can I take this one with me, Mum? It’s a photo of dad and me.’

‘Of course, you can, love. It’s not going to take up that much room in the suitcase.’

Dishing out the fried eggs, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms on to plates, Rosie thought the breakfast would give them energy for the day ahead. In the flight bag, she had packed bananas and yogurts to eat before they boarded the plane.

Waving Charlie and Hudson goodbye at the front door, Rosie and Sarah climbed into a waiting taxi that would take them directly to the airport, the driver placing their luggage in the boot. As usual, they had to wait a while before boarding the plane, and they had fun browsing through the airport shops. Rosie purchased some perfume, and Sarah tried on hats in another shop.

‘That really suits you, Mum. What about this one on me?’

On hearing the flight number being called, Rosie looked across at Sarah and said, ‘That’s our flight number, love. I think it’s time we board the plane.’

In four hours, they had landed at Rhodes Airport and were at the carousel, looking for their luggage. They soon discovered the luggage by the brightly coloured ribbon that Rosie had tied to their luggage. Within two hours, they were in their apartment in Lindos, drinking ice-cold juice cocktails and planning what they were going to do during their two-week holiday. The time was 7 p.m., and they decided that it was a good time to eat their evening meal. Having been cooped up on the plane for the better part of the day, Rosie felt it a good idea to take a stroll down the hill into Lindos town.

The resort of Lindos was so quaint, with eating areas at the rooftop and gardens overlooking the sea. They chose to eat in one of these rooftop restaurants. Rosie ordered a lamb dish for both of them, followed by a dessert of honey and wheat with a hint of orange.

‘This is so lovely, Mum. After our meal, can we explore the town?’

‘That’s a good idea. Perhaps we can have a cocktail in one of the Captain’s Bars. They do alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.’ On saying this, Rosie smiled at her daughter and paid the bill. Leaving their table, Rosie smiled at the waiter, and they walked across the room and down the steps to the street below.

The last of the donkeys were being led through the narrow streets back to their pens at the edge of town after spending the day taking holidaymakers to and from the Acropolis. Rosie and Sarah stopped and looked at a few gift shops on their exploration of the town. They both purchased beautiful, brightly coloured sarongs and sun hats to wear on the beach the next day. They had planned to alternately spend their days relaxing on the beach and, on other days, exploring the quaint town.

In thirty minutes, they had reached the Captain’s Bar.

‘Do you know, Sarah? This is the first bar your dad and I visited on our honeymoon eleven years ago.’ She smiled at her daughter with a tear in her eye and a lump in her throat, desperately holding back the tears and trying not to spoil her daughter’s holiday by being sad. ‘I think we ought to look at the cocktail list and choose our cocktails. I know what I’m having.’ And she chose a non-alcoholic one for Sarah.

Sitting next to her mum, enjoying her drink, Sarah stated, ‘I’m looking forward to spending a day on the beach tomorrow.’

‘So am I. We’ll spend a day on the beach, and the next day we could take a donkey ride to and from the Acropolis.’

After two cocktails, they decided to leave the Captain’s Bar, and they took a slow stroll up the hill back to their apartment. The exotic floral fragrance lingered in the warm night air as they walked.

Before Sarah went to sleep, she picked up the photo of her dad in its gold frame and whispered, ‘Goodnight, Dad, I wish you were here with us.’ She kissed the glass before putting the photo down.

Waking up bright and early, Sarah jumped out of bed and peered out the window. The sun was shining bright, and Sarah beamed an excited smile. She ran through the apartment to find her mum packing their lunch. Within the next half hour, they were finding a spot on the beach. They had applied sun cream before leaving the apartment and walking to the beach. Rosie had packed a rucksack, which she carried over the shoulder to the beach. They chose a suitable spot. Taking the beach towels from the rucksack and placing their beach towels on the sand, Rosie removed her shorts and T-shirt to reveal a leopard-print bikini, and she lay down on the towel to soak up the warm sunrays.

‘Mum, can I explore the beach? I promise I won’t wander too far.’

On walking through the waves, Sarah thought what a lovely place Lindos was. Her troubled mind felt at peace, clinging to the fact that her dad loved Lindos as well. She collected shells in a bag, thinking she could make something with them, her feet splashing through the gentle waves. Then up on the beach where people did not wander because of the harsh, spiny grass, something caught her eye; the sun glistened on something metallic. She walked closer to the glistening object, thinking it was probably an old ring pull from a can. Part of the object was covered in sand; she uncovered it and discovered a gold bracelet with dainty purple semi-precious stones. She picked up the old bracelet and placed it into her bag along with the shells.

With the sun high in the sky, she felt very hot, so she decided to walk back to where her mum sunbathed.

‘Did you find anything exciting on your travels?’

‘I did, Mum. I found this lovely bracelet.’ Taking the item from her bag, Sarah showed her mum the bracelet.

Taking the bracelet from Sarah, Rosie examined the bracelet carefully and noticed an engraving of a name on the inside of the