by Huw Thomas
Glasgow stepped back.
Part of him wished he had ignored the hunch. Isaiah Van Hulle was certainly dead but in many ways it might have been easier if the killer’s body was never found. The sewer was a good final resting place. If it had not been for Glasgow remembering a conversation from the previous day, he might never have thought of looking here.
Glasgow had a very good idea who had taken vengeance for the death of Stacey Cole and the other women taken by Van Hulle. He sighed. He was unsure, though, if it were a case he would ever be able to prove — or one he even wanted to prove. He also had a suspicion that few jurors would be willing to convict Nelson Cole of murder when they knew what Isaiah Van Hulle had done.
‘Boss?’
Glasgow glanced over his shoulder. ‘Yeah. In a minute.’
He considered the situation. It looked like they had two missing women alive: Louise Brent and the runaway Latvian who was snatched after getting off the train. With Vigil Security as a link, there was also a fair chance of finding out who else Van Hulle had taken and their fates.
It was a pity the journalist had got caught in the middle. Glasgow had not trusted Danny Harper when he saw him at Cole’s gym. Something about his story just had not rung true. It was a shame, though: paying a bit more attention to the man might have given him a lead on Van Hulle in time to stop last night’s madness. But at least Van Hulle had been stopped. Harper might not have managed to lead the police to the killer in time but someone had been clearly been paying attention.
Glasgow knew he would have to speak to Nelson Cole in due course. Probably on the record as well as off the record. But there was no rush. There was plenty to keep every policeman in the city busy for quite a while. Time enough for Cole to make sure his sister got a decent burial.
And to perfect his alibi.
‘Come on,’ said Glasgow. ‘Not much we can do here for now. We’ll call it in. Then… well, I don’t know about you guys but I could really do with some breakfast.’
Epilogue: Return To Light
Saturday, 9.12am:
Rebecca walked slowly out of the hospital room. The corridor outside seemed like an alien land and she made her way along cautiously. She felt shattered, light-headed and overwhelmed by emotion.
A couple of passing nurses gave her sympathetic glances but kept moving, intent on their own missions. At the swing doors through into the visitors’ area she paused, still absorbed in her cocoon of barely-controlled emotions, briefly lost and not quite able to believe.
But then she gave the doors a push and went through. At her entrance, several pairs of equally tired eyes looked up but Rebecca could not meet their inquiry now. She headed straight for the small, white-haired woman curled on a chair not designed for long-term comfort.
Crouching beside the older woman, Rebecca reached under her coat and found one of the thin, liver-spotted hands. She took it in hers and stroked it, part of her not wanting to wake the sleeper.
It only took a few seconds, though, before the older woman twitched awake from her uneasy slumber. She shuffled and made to sit up. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, dear, I must have dropped off. I only meant to close my eyes for a few seconds but…’
She smoothed her skirt and looked around, worried by what others might think about her sleeping in such a situation. ‘I really didn’t mean to go to sleep. I didn’t think I could. It’s just…’
‘May.’ Rebecca interrupted gently. ‘May.’
‘I’m sorry, dear. Would you like me…’
‘May!’ Rebecca gave a short, fragile laugh.
‘What is it?’ The older woman looked startled by the sound. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing?’
Rebecca shook her head, unable to speak for a moment, tears forcing their way out of the corners of her eyes and gathering into a flood. It had been five days since the accident. Five nightmare days since Danny came off his bike. Five days of barely leaving the side of his hospital bed. Five days of being able to do little more than hold his hand, talk to him and pray to any gods that would listen.
She paused for a moment then rubbed her eyes dry. She touched the backs of her fingers to her nose and sniffed as she fought to control her emotions. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of the engagement ring on her finger and was unable to stop herself smiling.
But May Harper saw only the tears. ‘What is it?’ There was alarm in the older woman’s voice now, her attention suddenly focussed.
‘May!’ Rebecca spoke in gulps. ‘He… squeezed… my hand. Danny… he squeezed it!’
‘What!’
‘Yes.’ She nodded. ‘Just a while ago. He squeezed it. Not just once. Three times!’
The older woman began to get up. ‘I’ve got to see him.’
Rebecca nodded. ‘You can but…’
‘But?’
‘He’s sleeping! They said he’s not in a coma anymore. He’s just sleeping, just normal sleep.’ She laughed again. ‘He even said something in his sleep and then he started snoring.’
She clutched her prospective mother-in-law’s hands in hers. ‘Danny’s going to be okay, May. He’s going to be okay.’
# # #
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed Waking Broken.
This book was first published under the title Thin Ice in 2012. However, some readers found the original ending too abrupt and were a little confused by what had happened.
In autumn 2013 I decided to take another look at the ending. I haven’t changed what happens but have added an extra chapter that - hopefully - explains things a bit more clearly and allows the reader to draw all the threads together and understand what happened to Danny Harper. Both of him.
While revising the ending, I also took the opportunity to revise the rest of the text. Partly picking up a few typos and grammatical errors that had slipped through but also trimming some unnecessary words and sentences in order to let the action flow even better. (Well, that was my intention.)
Please note: I am a British author and write using British English spellings not American English. Having said that, I take full responsibility for any typos, grammatical errors and other mistakes of fact or continuity that have escaped the editing process.
If you did like the book, please consider posting a review on Amazon as this really helps independent authors like me get noticed by other readers.
You can also contact me via my blog at http://hdthomas.wordpress.com/ or through my Facebook page.
I’m also delighted to have a new cover to go with the new title, courtesy of talented photographer Teija Härmäaho of Moodphoto. If you want to see more of her work, Teija’s blog is at http://moodphototeija.wordpress.com/
About the author
Born in a small town in Southern England in 1965, Huw Thomas has worked as a journalist, PR consultant, gardener and teacher.
As well as being a writer, he’s a keen cyclist. In 2011, Huw and his wife Carolyn completed a 10,000-mile tandem ride in aid of the charity ShelterBox.
Other Books
The Tale Of Findo Gask — winner of the UK Undiscovered Authors prize 2005
The Vault — published in aid of ShelterBox
Fractured Lives (short stories)
Writing as William Webster:
Pagan’s Sphinx
Turn the page for more information about the books above:
Also By
Huw Thomas
The Tale Of Findo Gask
Winner of the UK’s Undiscovered Authors Prize 2005 — the story of an extraordinary thief who will capture your heart as he strives to make sure an uncaring world never forgets his name.
‘a close look at the feral side of mankind… yet… a curiously tender work’
From stealing cigarettes to saving drowning dogs and snatching an opera diva’s tiara, Findo Gask tells the story of a rollercoaster life in the underbelly of modern Britain. It’s also the story of a lonely boy trying to find love and earn respec
t.
Findo Gask is born into poverty. His mother is a drug addict and he grows up surrounded by the worst kind of underworld lowlifes.
Growing up an unregistered child with no official identity, Findo soon learns how to keep his head down, slip in and out of places unobserved, and run from trouble — perfect talents for a thief.
Initially, Findo steals to survive but — as he gets older and his exploits more audacious — theft becomes a way of asserting his identity and shouting out his name to anyone who will listen… including Abby McGee, the girl who steals his heart.
The Tale Of Findo Gask is a story about a boy with no official identity but a burning desire to prove himself; someone who does what others would love to do if they had no morals… or weren’t frightened of getting caught.
The Vault
A story of hidden secrets, childhood drama and murder…
Adam Strong has two main problems in life: how to keep the gang from the local council estate out of the woods where he has built his den and how to get the new girl at school to notice that he exists.
But the ancient woods next to Compton Fosse contain more dangers than just the risk of a beating from the town’s teenage psycho. Hidden in Hobthrush Wood is the key to a mystery that weaves four disparate stories into a single web.
The mansion: A gang of professional robbers mount a night raid on the secluded country home of a reclusive billionaire.
The dead: Three decaying bodies, wrapped in plastic and chains, are found lying at the bottom of an ornamental lake.
The convict: A sex offender is released from prison but breaks his parole and goes on the run after giving into temptation once again.
The ghost: Two boys fleeing a vicious bully stumble across the entrance to a system of underground tunnels containing an eerie secret.
The Vault is published in aid of the disaster relief charity ShelterBox, which will receive 50% of all royalties.
Fractured Lives
A collection of seven short stories dealing with both the serious themes in life and the not-so-serious.
Fractured Life: Everything is going perfectly for young journalist Danny Harper — a new flat, a career on the up and the girl he loves about to marry him. Then he wakes in hospital to find none of it’s true. The original short story that forms the beginning of Waking Broken.
Kingmaker: Pulling the sword from the stone? That’s the easy part. What comes next is the challenge.
The Uninvited: It was a happy home once but now the strangers won’t go away.
Standing At Rest: There’s one tomb in the cemetery of Our Lady of Tears that’s different from the rest. According to local legend, its story is one of love, betrayal and immeasurable sorrow.
Monkey Madness: For Nathan Wild, escaping into flights of fantasy is much more preferable than working in a hotel kitchen. The trouble is, his boss keeps interfering and telling him he needs to work harder.
Sometimes Nathan thinks he'd enjoy life more if he joined the monkeys in the zoo enclosure behind the hotel.
Understanding The Message: Sometimes life gets too much and there is no way back to reality.
Coming To Life: The source of a writer’s inspiration can be a mystery even for the author.
Writing as
William Webster
Pagan’s Sphinx
A battered journal left by the lone survivor of a plane crash provides a tantalising clue to an ancient mystery…
After years of leading overland expeditions all over the world, Ben Drummond is trying to settle down in England and forget the woman who broke his heart.
But he is summoned to Oxford by maverick archaeologist Dr Sarah Pagan, who believes she has discovered the whereabouts of a lost statue. Pagan believes the statue — of an ancient sphinx — could be even older than the Pyramids.
Proving its existence would turn conventional history on its head —allowing Pagan to vindicate herself and reclaim her lost reputation.
Pagan wants Ben to lead an expedition that will take her team deep into the desolate landscape of the Western Sahara.
Their first hurdle is to find the unmarked wreck of the crashed plane — but Ben soon realises they are not the only ones on the trail. A gang of art thieves have got wind of Pagan’s quest and are trying to follow the team so that they can loot the site for themselves.