Fractured Souls

By Desley Polmear

Miriam O’Connor’s father was a hot head and it got him into trouble. She adored him and wondered for years why he abandoned her and her six year old twin siblings after their mother died on her 13th birthday. Where was he? Does he ever think of the family he left behind? Was he still alive? Despite the early set-backs, Miriam made a good, successful life for herself after her Aunt Daisy took in the trio and raised them as her own.
From pre WW2, Wales, UK, to the turn of the century in Sydney, we are taken on Rhys Collins’s journey of adventures, strife and multiple identities. As he encounters people from all walks of life, and turns his hand to different jobs, he often wonders about his growing children he left behind in Wales, his place of birth. But his transgressions, and encounters with people on the wrong side of the law make him afraid to find out.
Will Miriam and her siblings find their missing father before he becomes completely lost in the constant dramas of his own making?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Nov 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669885078

Desley Polmear

Desley Polmear now resides in a coastal village in the mid north coast of NSW. Desley is a high-energy person whose interests have covered the arts, music, theatre, writing and travel. ‘Just before midnight’ is a sequel to her first book, "Unlocked Secrets" which Desley published in 2012 during those “idle” moments between these interests. This zest for living has gained her many close and much-loved friends around the world and her empathy for people has helped many in their difficult moments. Michael Davies - Author

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Copyright © 2021 by Desley A Polmear.

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.

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

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 12/16/2021

Xlibris

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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

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

Chapter 83

Chapter 84

Chapter 85

Chapter 86

Chapter 87

Chapter 88

Chapter 89

To all my family and friends.

CHAPTER 1

I t had been years he’d been on the run living with lie after lie while searching for work just to survive. It had been twenty seven years since he had murdered Ed White. In a hot-headed moment, his life went topsy-turvy. Most people have a life plan, as did he, but plans can change in an instant. At sixty one years of age, and even at this stage in his life, he was still hiding from the police. He often wondered if the case was still open because there’d been no talk of it for years in the newspapers or on the TV news. He’d held many jobs travelling from Brisbane to Charleville, Cunnamulla, Griffith, and little towns all the way to Sydney. When he drove to Griffith, NSW, he found a job working in a chicken farm for over two years until he got involved in the drug scene. When he met Mandy Hinds, she was lonely, and so was he. What he didn’t know was that she was dealing in heavy drugs, which involved dangerous people. He made a lot of money over the next two years, but in the middle of the night, he decided to exit the scene. Once again, he looked over his shoulder wherever he went.

In 1934, his birth name was Lewis Harri Edwards. After he was released from prison in his twenties, no one wanted to know him. He changed his name to Rhys Robert Collins, and after that, life worked . . . until 1968.

There were quieter times now for Rhys Robert Collins to slow down and live a simple life, like swimming and walking the beach. He found comfort in the little things, and he realised if he were caught now, he’d cop it on the chin. He was prepared to do his time if he were charged with the murder. Since 1968, while long days and nights on the run, he’d continuously thought of his children who he left behind in Wales, UK. How did they turn out? Did they miss him like he missed them? He’d lived with shame and guilt for the past twenty seven years, knowing he’d never be able to travel to Wales to see his family grow.

He met a man, Justin Jenkins, who offered him temporary accommodation, which was situated at the back of his mansion in Palm Beach, Sydney.

Once Rhys stepped inside, he was gobsmacked. It was a mini-mansion. In return for his keep, he was expected to entertain Justin’s guests by playing the piano at his house parties, which consisted of politicians, lawyers, doctors, cops, and many ordinary folk. Party drugs and booze was always the highlight.

He’d found his peace, and most days he walked the beach, watching happy people, some swimming, walking, talking. He was alive and wanted to enjoy every moment because he knew if the cops caught up with him, he’d lose his freedom.

CHAPTER 2

L ewis Harri Edwards was born in Porthcawl in South Wales in 1934, and when he turned eleven years of age, he was sent off to Christ College, an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged eleven to eighteen in Brecon, Mid Wales, about 30 miles north of Cardiff. It was where his father went to school. For weeks, Lewis cried wanting to go back home to his mother, Mary. He missed her terribly, but he couldn’t say he missed his hot-headed father, Thomas Edwards. He reckoned his father wanted him out of the way. At this early age, he wanted to be home with his mam, but all the crying in the world wouldn’t convince his father to change his mind. All Lewis wanted was to go back to his old school, which was close to home. He could come home to his mam’s home-baked afternoon tea. She always asked about his schoolday, what sports he played, who he played with, that sort of thing. His much-older sister, Daisy, was working. His father told her often how much he loved her, but Lewis never heard the words once said to him.

Sometimes, when his father came inside, his mam shushed Lewis off to his room where he blocked his ears to the yelling. After, his mam came and sat on his bed and told him stories about his grandparents. ‘When we first married, we stayed with your grandparents in Tenby, but after a short while, he didn’t get on with them, so we moved here, well away from them.’

His father worked on the trawlers. He was gone early evening and home mid-morning, so the only time Lewis spent time with him happened after school. Being around him wasn’t pleasant, with his mood swings and his short fuse. When his father was happy, he was happy, but when his father had a red face and slammed the doors, Lewis bolted to his bedroom.

If Lewis looked gloomy, he got a slap across the face. If his outside jobs were not done on time, he got a beating. His father had big thick hands, and the marks on his face stayed for days. Sometimes his face was split open from the knuckle-duster his father wore on his finger. His mother took him aside and bathed his injuries while tears ran down his face. She pulled him in. ‘Don’t upset your father and you won’t get hurt.’

That wasn’t true because one day he was sitting, reading, and his father came up to him and lifted him high in the air. ‘You lazy good-for-nothing, get out there and mow the lawn. No kid of mine is going to waste time reading when there’s work to be done.’ He threw him across the floor and kicked him in the ribs. ‘Now get up and do what I told you to do!’

His mother also encouraged him to practice the piano away from his father’s eyes.

He settled into boarding school, but his elder sister, Daisy, had already been working for a few years. He overheard his mother tell the neighbour one day, ‘Lewis wasn’t planned, he was a big mistake, and his father didn’t want him.’

He’d never forgotten what he heard that day.

When he begged his father to go to the local school, the subject was closed. He spent five years at boarding school and rarely went home in the holidays. He missed riding his horse, Misty, but his mother rode him weekends in the fields. She said she enjoyed being out in the fresh air as it gave her a feeling of peace. His mother would often come and take him out for the day then go straight back home again. She never spoke of his father, and he never asked. The only time he saw him was when he delivered fish to the boarding school. In class, he glimpsed him through the window as he wheeled the boxes to the kitchen with a long face.

His mother pulled him out of school at the age of sixteen after his father died. ‘We can’t afford the fees. You’ll have to get a job to help out now that the breadwinner is no longer with us.’

As if he cared about the death of his father, he didn’t really know the man. He was happy to help his mother keep the wolves from the door. He was under the impression that he was the head of the house now. At sixteen, he set off looking for work.

CHAPTER 3

L ewis found a job working as a commercial fisherman. He’d learnt quickly that in this industry, a good catch could bring in a good sum. He started out as a deckhand and worked his way up through the ranks by taking the required exams and gaining the experience to climb the ladder. He needed many skills, including net-making, marine engineering, fish-sorting, navigation, health and safety, and cooking. All of which make fishing a varied and interesting career. Deep-sea fishing took him away for weeks at a time, and most times he was at least 20−30 miles from the mainland. It was hard at times, but it came with rewards. He had one good year that enabled him to purchase a decent vehicle. Fishing meant working unsociable hours in sometimes-dangerous conditions, but of course, the money was good if the boat had a good trip. He sent a guy off to hospital after decking him at the local pub. He was dismissed there and then.

Then he found another job. He arrived in Brixham, Devon, where he boarded a fishing trawler. He’d go out on the trawlers early evening and return the following morning. This is where he belonged, out to sea with mates.

On one of his days off, he met Olive Beddoe inside Coney Beach Amusement Park, Mid Glamorgan. It was towards the end of March, and he was with his mate, Garth, and she was with her friend, Jessica. They spent the day together, enjoying the fast rides, which overlooked the beach. After, they sat together eating ice creams.

Olive was smitten with Lewis’s dark eyes, olive skin. When the guys went off to get drinks, the girls chattered. ‘Lewis is so handsome,’ said Jessica. ‘Do you like him?’

Olive blushed, nodding.

‘I like Garth too. I’ll have to go home soon. Otherwise, I’ll cop it if I get home late again,’ said Jessica. ‘My dad is a detective, and he’s always drumming into us about getting home before dark. You girls don’t know what sinister characters are lurking out there, he’d repeat. He never stops harping. The other thing he harps on is manners. It drives my mum mad because she said she heard him say it the first time.’ She burst out laughing, and they all joined in.

‘Fancy a walk to the lighthouse?’ Lewis asked Olive.

‘Shall we all go?’ she asked, locking her arm through Jessica’s.

‘Okay, I’ll just grab my jacket,’ said Lewis.

They all walked out to the lighthouse and cuddled on the cold concrete stairs looking down at the rolling waves. The chilly air brought them in close.

‘Where are you from Olive?’ asked Lewis.

‘I live with my parents in Llanelli. My parents are living in the same house where my father grew up, and when his parents passed away, we all moved into the family home. And you?’

‘Porthcawl.’

‘Do you live with your parents too?’

‘I’m at sea most of the time. And when I’m not, I stay with a mate in Brixham in one of the fishing shacks. I try to go and see my mum when I have time.’

‘Don’t you get lonely out at sea all night?’

‘Are you kidding? It’s what I love, being out in the big wide ocean. And don’t forget, I’m working hard. It’s not cruisy.’ He put his arm around her and leant in close. ‘What do you do?’

‘I’m a hairdresser. I left school early and did an apprenticeship. All I wanted was to leave school and earn some money.’ She laughed. ‘I could’ve done better for myself, as I got good marks at school, but I was after money. I was at that age where I knew everything and my parents didn’t know a thing.’

Lewis chuckled. ‘Me too . . . I hated school. As soon as my father died, Mum pulled me out of boarding school, and I went looking for work. She couldn’t afford the school fees, but that suited me.’

‘How about we go to the harbour and watch the sunset over the water? It’s a beautiful sight,’ said Jessica.

In the harbour later, they strolled along the waterfront and gazed at the boats bobbing up and down in the marina. Olive pointed out the reflections in the water to the group. ‘How beautiful,’ she said. ‘It’s like the colours of the rainbow.’

That’s when Lewis pulled Olive aside and kissed her on the lips. He pulled back and made eye contact. ‘Can I see you again, Olive?’ He loved her sparkling eyes and cheeky grin. When she stood next to him, she fitted under his arm.

She didn’t answer straight away. ‘Okay.’ She looked down at the water before turning to him. ‘I’d like that.’

‘Perhaps we can swap phone numbers. The next day I have off, I’ll find a phone box and call you. Maybe we can meet up at the beach and have lunch somewhere.’

Lewis had listened to the guys on the boat all boasting about the women they’ve had over the years. Some were married and were having extra on the side. He’d never even kissed a girl before, except for Penny Sharp in grade 4, when she leant in and kissed him on the cheek. He remembers wiping his cheek after, and he got teased about that for weeks.

Olive wrote her home phone number for Lewis on a scrap of paper she ripped out of her notebook, pictures of pink roses in the corner.

‘I’ll call you for sure,’ said Lewis.

‘Want to do the same, Jessica?’ Garth asked.

She scribbled her phone number down on another of Olive’s pages from her notebook. ‘Be polite when you call because if my father answers the phone, he’s been known to hang up if you have no manners. I remember my elder sister crying herself to sleep when she missed out on a call from her new boyfriend.’

‘Ohhhh!’ said Garth. ‘I’ll remember that.’ He laughed, and then the others followed.

CHAPTER 4

T he following year inside All Saints Church Llanelli, Lewis looked into Olive’s eyes and said the words she wanted to hear. Jessica and Garth stood by as witnesses. Lewis looked across to where his mum sat in the front row. She was all dressed up in her blue skirt and matching jacket with a patterned blouse, her blond hair pulled back showing her beautiful round face. Her wide smile filling her face said it all. She was over the moon when he told her about his forthcoming marriage. When she met Olive for the first time, she pulled Lewis aside and told him that Olive was one to hang on to.

In February the following year, in 1955, little baby Miriam was born. Lewis couldn’t stop looking at his new daughter. It wasn’t planned to fall pregnant so quick after marrying, but here she was, this little button-nosed miracle. Before he went fishing early evening, he spent time nursing her while Olive prepared the dinner.

‘I hate to leave her. She’s so tiny and dependent on both of us.’

‘You’ve got the best job running off to work. The evenings are the worst time with Miriam. It’s difficult getting her all settled.’

Lewis put his newborn in the cradle and kissed Olive on the lips before slipping out the door. Before he reached the car, he heard the long lingering cry from his baby daughter. I guess Olive was right. He did cop it easy heading off to the open seas while she was left to care for Miriam alone.

CHAPTER 5

A t his twenty-first birthday celebrations, Lewis spent hours drinking in the pub with his mates. An argument took place with a stranger, and they soon ended up in the street surrounded by a noisy crowd, egging them on. He threw punch after punch until the man hit the ground, blood oozing from his head. Lewis turned his back and left him there on the pavement to bleed to death. He staggered home with sleep on his mind. The police caught up with him the following morning, and in court a month later, the judge told him the news that shocked him. He’d be spending the next five years behind bars. The charge was manslaughter.

After Lewis was sent away, Jessica told Olive about a live-in job as a housekeeper for the local socialite, Mrs Emily Craddock. The two women hit it off straight away.

Olive had her own quarters and a nanny who also cared for the wealthy family’s children. It was hard work and long hours. She had Saturdays off, so she caught two buses with her baby and a pram and went to visit her husband. She raised their daughter and sat tight waiting for his release date. She saved from her earnings so that when Lewis came out of prison, she would have money in the bank. Her parents had been given a home, so and it’s something she wanted to achieve. She wanted her own place to call home. She loved Lewis but wondered, after waiting all this time, if he would ever change his ways. Could he shake off the short fuse that always led him into trouble?

CHAPTER 6

O live left her job after five years and moved away to Leckwith, west of Cardiff. She wanted to begin a new life with her husband, but when he arrived home from prison, he seemed like a stranger. He was cautious, forever looking over his shoulder. On the positive side, gone was the