Rupert watches, as Ben’s boyish face contorts into an expression of horrified bewilderment. Slowly, it dissolves into a white blur, until all that remains are his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes that are now, lifelessly, watching him from the watery gloom.
“NOOOOOOO!
Ashley Marshall awoke from her nightmare to a bedroom filled with sunshine.
A year had passed since Rupert Harrison’s death, and the same dream had stalked her sleep, periodically, ever since.
She thought about her fiancé as she stepped into the shower, and wondered what their life would have been like, had she not lost him that night to the lake.
It had been very difficult for Ashley to come to terms with the fact that Rupert had given his life for hers.
Detective Sergeant Mark Warner had risked his to free Rupert from the clutch of the weed that had anchored him beneath the water, but to no avail.
She missed Rupert.
She desperately missed the one man who had truly loved her, the one who had given her more than his money ever could.
Rupert Harrison had made a will, and apart from a trust fund for the upkeep of Kenning Hall, and some donations to friends and a few distant relatives, Ashley had inherited everything.
And she deserved it.
During the past year, she had worked tirelessly to ensure that Harrison Publishing remained one of the biggest, and most successful, publishing houses in the world.
She continued in her vein of publishing highly controversial fiction and non-fiction, and a sensation-hungry public had rewarded her for it.
Not even the over-dramatised hour long special about the Harrison dynasty, which won an award for Abigail Palmer, dented hers or the company’s popularity. If anything, it enhanced it; bringing to the world the plight of a woman who had come from a background of pitiless tragedy, and had made good.
Ashley was busy rinsing her hair, so she didn’t notice the bathroom door creak open, but she did feel the cold breeze shift the steam around the room.
Her eyes snapped open, and she stiffened as a shadow appeared behind the opaque glass of the cubicle door.
“Ash, I bought us some croissants from the bakery, and I’ve made tea.”
“I’ll be right there,” she called.
Rachel Harper had moved in with Ashley shortly after the events at Kenning Hall.
The subject of what actually took place that night was often thought of, but never discussed, along with the happenings at Heron Heights, which had ceased as suddenly as they had begun.
The ladies concluded that they were good for each other, because they each empathised with how the other was feeling, albeit for different reasons.
It was a fitting arrangement. One they both knew wouldn’t last forever but, for now, it worked.
An hour later, they were sharing cake and hot chocolate outside a café, off Oxford Street.
The air was winter crisp, and the sun was shining brightly in a pale blue sky.
They reminisced about the past year, consciously selecting topics they knew would make them laugh, for they had decided that today would be a happy day.
They often did this, and it had helped them through some of the more difficult times. They covered a variety of subjects, including Harrison Publishing, where Rachel now worked as an IT manager.
Then, as had also become customary, Rachel teased Ashley about Detective Sergeant Mark Warner, with whom Ashley had remained close. Which in turn, prompted Ashley to mention police officer Bass, and tease Rachel about how relationships born of stressful situations seldom worked.
“Who said I’m interested in him for his relationship potential,” Rachel said, winking.
“You’re so bad.”
They chatted happily for most of the day, but paused when they walked by a bookshop window display.
A cardboard stand, sporting the Harrison logo, stood amongst a sea of hardback books, bound in blue.
The author’s name, Jackie Harris, stood out in gold lettering upon the faded emblem of the London Metropolitan Police. Underneath it, the title read, ‘INSIDE THE MET - A true story.’
Like the events that it chronicled, the book attracted a lot of media attention, and this helped push it onto the bestseller list.
It was printed from the manuscript that Jackie Harris had entrusted to her lawyer, to be released to Ashley Marshall in the event of her death.
Rachel and Ashley hugged each other.
It was an emotional moment for both of them. The book was a milestone on the road to the rest of their lives, and it would probably be a bumpy one, but together they knew they were going to make it.
***
In a hotel room, on a small island, thousands of miles away, angry eyes read the Financial Times’ article about the new Chief Executive Officer of the Harrison Group.
Then, the reader promptly flung the tablet across the room. It bounced off the dresser, and landed on the floor, face up, with a smiling photo of Ashley Marshall.
The lawyer swore.
Adam Lewis had failed.
He had risked everything for this plan. A plan that he had meticulously constructed many years before, and that imbecile had failed!
Now, he had nothing.
But this wasn’t over.
Harrison Publishing, the company to which he had devoted the best part of his life, would be his one day, along with the entire Harrison Group.
It was only a matter of time.
Until then, he needed money, but nobody from the consortium that he had assembled, the very men and women who had profited greedily from events that he had orchestrated, were returning his calls.
They were distancing themselves from him. He knew the drill.
James Howard was alone for now, but that would change soon.
Very soon.
Acknowledgements
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - John F Kennedy
I’m so very grateful to everyone at a Different Angle, who have supported me throughout this book’s journey, from manuscript to print. In particular, I’d like to thank those who have actively contributed to its realisation.
UNSPEAKABLE FOCUS/READER’S GROUP
My heartfelt thanks to all members of the Unspeakable reader’s group, for giving so generously of their time and opinions!
(In no particular order)
Francesca Marturano-Pratt, Anna Pratt, Tamanda Flynn, Calvin Everdell, Matthew Ainslie, Slavka Salajova, Karen Harber, Renee Owens and Jane Ransom.
Special thanks goes to Anna Pratt, as always, for being my conscience.
YOU, THE READER
If you’re reading this book, there’s a good chance you bought it. I’m obviously very grateful for that. Thank you!
On the other hand, if you borrowed this book from somebody else. Even better! It means they thought it was good enough to pass on.
Thank you so much for taking the time.
Without you, my words would be but meaningless
letters, arranged on a page.
If you enjoyed Unspeakable, please be sure to leave a glowing review on Amazon, so that others may enjoy it also. If you didn’t enjoy it, there are other books to choose from.
Take a look on the following pages…
COMING UP FOR AIR (NON FICTION)
True stories you’ll have to read to believe.
“If you are, or were in a relationship, this book is not only
for you, it’s about you!”
AVAILABLE NOW
NIMBUS (FICTION)
NEW and revised ‘Hell on Earth’ edition
“There’s something in the rain, and it wants the darkest you to come out.”
THE DELUGE BEGINS, MARCH 2016
Discover more at
www.tonymarturano.com
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Unspeakable Page 47