Pieces of a Lie
Page 34
‘Hello there, Spirit,’ he said.
The husky regarded him with luminous eyes as he caressed the animal’s luxuriant coat and felt the beat of his heart beneath the pewter fur that thickened and darkened around his powerful shoulders. He’d never bought into Forbes’ claims the dog was a figment of her imagination, but when he saw it outside the police station, he’d been more relieved than he’d ever admit. Linc grinned and he could swear the dog smiled back.
Mina set aside the urn and knelt to bury her face in the fur of her dog’s neck.
‘Thank you, Spirit,’ she said. ‘I think I’m going to be okay now.’
When she got to her feet, clutching the urn to her chest, tears glistened on her cheeks.
The husky pricked up his ears and turned his head toward the shore, as though he’d heard a call or dog whistle far behind him. He took two bounds away then returned to Mina and rubbed his head against her hand. Then he raced away, his coat rippling as he ran, looking uncannily like the dog etched on the watch. As the distance between them widened, Spirit appeared to grow less substantial until it seemed he had vanished before he reached the end of the jetty. It was just an illusion. It had to be. A mirage caused by distance and the thermal haze of summer though the breeze held the kiss of autumn.
Mina smiled as if she could read his thoughts. ‘Shall we?’
Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded and pushed the watch deep into his jeans pocket. They turned to face the great expanse of ocean. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, kissed the top of her head and vowed to make damn sure they had forever in the two of them.
‘Bye, Dad,’ she said. ‘I hope your heart takes you somewhere great this time.’
She released his remains to the wind. The ashes danced and swirled in the current, moving out to sea, rising higher and higher until they were lost in the clouded blue sky.
Acknowledgements
Writing may be a solitary activity, yet the journey is buoyed by the wings of others.
I owe a huge debt to Carol LeFevre. Thank you for the beauty of your words, your friendship and guidance, and for the generous gift of your skill and time. I can never repay you for all that you’ve done. I only hope that this novel, and the others to come, do justice to your mentorship and coaching.
My gratitude goes to Senior Constable 1st Class Richard Emsley. Thanks for not saying no when I bailed you up while dog walking and for graciously answering all of my questions—all for the price of a decent coffee. Gratitude too goes to Mr Peter Quigley of Megaw and Hogg. Your easy company and wealth of insight made a huge difference to my understanding of antiques. The fact you found my plot plausible was a great relief! Any mistakes in police procedure or the business of antiques are entirely mine.
To my regular writing possie, Claire Laishley and Pamela Mosel: thanks for all the laughter, insights and gentle shoves that got me here. Love and appreciation to Diane Hester, Alison Manthorpe, Mary Gudzenovs, Helen Van Rooijen and Kathy Blacker, the Eyre Writers novelists, who took a chance on this ring-in, held my hand in the early days and have been there ever since.
As always, there are many others who have supported my journey: critique partners and writing friends, friends made through yoga or dog-walking, and of course, my family. To my editors, Robb Grindstaff and Kirsten Jamieson—thanks for wrangling those errant commas, repeated words and the annoying vagaries of the English language.
And finally, thanks to all those authors whose beautiful words keep me inspired and longing to improve.
About the Author
Rowena Holloway is an Australian writer of novels and short stories. Before settling on writing as a career, Rowena apprenticed as a hairdresser, played at receptionist in an engineering firm, indulged her love of learning by obtaining a handful of degrees, including a PhD in business, and was a tenured university lecturer. All of which convinced her fiction writing was preferable to the real world. Her first foray into novel writing, under the working title Out of the Abyss, was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Her short stories have been included in the Stringybark anthology Yellow Pearl and the 2011 Anthology of Award Winning Australian Writing.
Rowena also tracks down leading authors and interviews them, and reviews fiction across a range of genres.
Connect with Rowena
Website: http://www.rowenaholloway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rowenahollowayauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RowenaHolloway
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Author's Note
When it came to publishing this novel, one of the biggest decisions was whether to use spelling consistent with the Australian setting or to follow overseas spelling conventions. I decided to be true to the setting, and my birthplace, and stick with Australian spellings. I also wanted to show the colour of our language, our penchant for nicknames and the multicultural nature of our country.
Until the mid-twentieth-century settlement in Australia was predominantly European. Today, we are vastly multi-cultural yet our governance and legal system still follow those of Britain, as do our conventions for the English language.
In Australia, an elevator is a lift, a sidewalk is a footpath, colour has a U, organisation is spelled with an S even though it sounds like a Z, and everything—and everyone, just about—has a nickname. It’s what marks us as Australian. Most often these are derivations of a name: Davidson is called Davo, Warren is called Woza, and so forth. Sometimes these nicknames are ironic. A red-haired man will be called Bluey, a large man will be called Tiny, and someone who is funny will be called a Dag. Nicknames may also be clever. For example, a man with perfect teeth will be called Hollywood and a man who never buys his mates a beer (who never ‘shouts’) will be called Whisper. We’ll even give someone a nickname that is longer than their real name. Place names don’t escape the nickname treatment—MacDonalds is called Macca’s, Freemantle, is called Freo, The Holdfast Shores Pub is called The Holdy.
Early readers commented on my use of nicknames and opinion was divided. Once again, I decided to be true to the character of my fictional town of Failie and those who live there, though I did weed out one or two my US editor queried.
I hope my decisions enhance, or at least don’t detract, from your enjoyment of Pieces of a Lie.
All That's Left Unsaid
In the dark chasm of Italy’s past, some things are best left buried.
“All my life, I waited for my mother’s affection. Now I must compete with a dead woman.”
When Harriet Taylor learns her mother once lived in Italy, a secret kept for thirty years, she accepts the challenge to determine if the remains known only has the Positano Skeleton belong to her mother’s long lost friend. Yet how can she probe old secrets when she doesn’t speak the language and no one wants to talk to a foreigner about the skeleton or the past? Then a homeless man hands her a photograph and she must decide how much she will risk to discover the truth.
Because a mother’s silence can be deadly.
Available now http://rowenaholloway.com/shop-books
Praise for All That’s Left Unsaid
“…plenty of surprises and a very clever twist at the end… the final scene brought me to tears.” Sandy Vaile, suspense author
“…a spectacular story in every sense of the word – as dramatic and as breathtaking as the setting of Positano, on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.” Jenn J McLeod, author
“This was a great mystery that kept you guessing to the very end! I was never able to figure out who was lying and who was telling the truth. Everything all came together nicely in the end.” Amy on Goodreads
“Loads of twists and turns. Love the flavours of Italy.” Susan G on Goodreads
“This was a fabulous, on the edge of your seat read. Loads of gorgeous, b
eautifully written detail and a fabulous cast of well written characters.” Tamara M on Goodreads
Ashes to Ashes
Ex-pat Aussie Charlotte Ashe is sick of being the weather girl/travel reporter for her London television station and outing a corrupt developer is the perfect opportunity to prove her worth. Then she finds Allie, her informant and best friend, murdered. Certain she knows who did it and why, Charlotte sets out to find justice for her friend. But she hasn’t reckoned on her powerful attraction to the corrupt developer or the secret that will put both their lives in danger. Exposing the truth behind Allie’s death may cost Charlotte much more than her career.
Nothing is as it seems in this suspense-filled tale of love, friendship and betrayal.
Available 2106