Broken Windows
Page 29
Next to them are my good friend Dolores – my ex-art teacher from Madrid – and her beautiful granddaughter Maria, who looks serene and stunning in a simple red dress. With them is Sandy, who runs the estate coffee shop, and a few of the estate workers.
On the other side of the aisle, Alexandros stands proudly with his son Milos and daughter Dorika. I’d taken over the job that their mother had set out to do, and returned a valuable Torah to the Kahal Shalom Synagogue in Rhodes after her tragic and untimely death. I blow Dorika a kiss, and she blows one back to me.
Josephine giggles.
Inspector Joachin García Abascal, my boss and friend, smiles at me, and I assume that the petite brunette with the pretty smile at his side is his wife, Maria. Chief Inspector Mulhoon stands with them. He must have known all along about the wedding plans and he deliberately kept me in London. I can’t help but smile at their duplicity.
In front of them, Monika, Adam, Joe, and Lisa are dressed in their most elegant suits. For the first time since I saw them in Morocco, the Parks look relaxed and happy. Monika’s hair is tied in colourful braids and Adam’s hair has been cut in a fashionable buzz cut.
Sandra Worthington, the film director, looks dazzling in green chiffon, and Claudia, wearing a purple robe and matching turban, looks exotically sophisticated. With them – and it only dawns on me now – Keith and Matt are in matching tuxedos and bow ties. I’d never realised they were an item. They’re smiling, fashionable and smart, and I’m filled with a sense of hope for the future.
‘She may be the reason I survive … The why and wherefore I’m alive …’
I glance at the best man standing beside my future husband. Peter, the ex-SAS hero who saved my life. He returns my smile. My friend for life. I’d been thrilled when the two men in my life had become best friends, and developed a common interest in gadgets and technology. Behind Peter, his wife Aniela is holding their three-month-old baby Zofia. They hadn’t gone to Scotland at all. That had all been another ploy arranged by this lovely group of family and friends.
Behind them is Marco’s friend and business partner, Lorenzo, and his daughter Franchi, who I’d last seen in Sardinia. Curly haired with sparkling blue eyes, I guess Lorenzo is too shy to be the best man. Franchi, who manages her father’s beach bar, is wearing a purple dress and has dyed her hair shocking pink. She’s with Mario her boyfriend, who has tied his long hair back into a ponytail. They had been instrumental in nursing Marco back to health and helping him trap his brother Roberto in an elaborate plot to find the family jewellery and in particular the rare and valuable necklace the Ruby Pear.
On the other side of the aisle, Stella – Marco’s sister – is dressed in a stunning red traditional Indian sari and is with her husband Gurjit. Their daughter Tina and her husband Joe, also wearing traditional Indian suits, were married here eighteen months ago, before I met Marco – I laugh in delight. They, too, had tricked me in saying they would stay in India for Christmas and, in the front row, Rosa Chedwell, Marco’s mother, looks radiant in a classic grey and pink suit.
I smile at Glorietta Bareldo. My friend and the world-famous soprano, here with her loving husband, Bruno, who gives me a gallant bow with a nod of his head and a cheeky wink.
‘She may be the reason I survive …’
I kiss Josephine’s cheeks, and she takes her place beside Simon, her partner – and my oldest friend – who beams happily at me.
‘Me, I’ll take her laughter and her tears … And make them all my souvenirs …’
I’m overwhelmed. Never could I have imagined, growing up, that I would be so lucky to have a wonderful family, amazing friends, and a man like Marco who loved me. Standing side by side, I look into his eyes, and like mine, they fill with tears.
‘For where she goes, I’ve got to be … The meaning of my life is she …’ Glorietta’s voice fades.
‘You look beautiful,’ Marco whispers.
I grin at him, unable to speak, his fingers brushing mine.
‘Surprised?’ he asks.
I wipe my eyes before taking a deep breath. ‘Surprisingly, speechless.’
This is my life. This is my forever.
He.
THE END.
Janet Pywell’s Books:
Mikky dos Santos Thrillers:
Golden Icon – The Prequel
Masterpiece
Book of Hours
Stolen Script
Faking Game
Truthful Lies
Broken Windows
Boxsets
Volume 1 – Masterpiece, Book of Hours & Stolen Script
Volume 2 – Faking Game, Truthful Lies & Broken Windows
Other Books by Janet Pywell:
Red Shoes and Other Short Stories
Bedtime Reads
Ellie Bravo
For more information visit:
website: www.janetpywell.com
blog: janetpywellauthor.wordpress.com
All books are available online and can be ordered through major book stores.
If you enjoy my books then please do leave a review from wherever you purchased the book. Your opinion is important to me. I read them all. It also helps other readers to find my work.
Thank you.
Ronda George Thriller
Ronda George, a well-known private chef to celebrities and royalty, is employed by wealthy international businessman Friedrich Schiltz to cater for his second wife’s birthday in Scotland with their family and close friends.
But, unknown to anyone, Ronda’s ex boyfriend has left – taking her life savings – and her confidence has taken a real blow.
When Inspector Joachin García Abascal asks for Ronda’s help to be his ‘eyes and ears’ in the spectacular Calder Castle in Aberdeen – she can’t say no.
Coping with her past demons, Ronda spies on the family members who are hiding dark secrets. Siblings from both of Herr Schiltz’s marriages have separate agendas. His first wife was murdered five years ago and when the murder weapon, a missing gun, appears – the stakes are raised and no one can be trusted.
Could its sudden appearance be related to a valuable diamond ring?
Who is hiding the deadliest secret of all?
About the Author
Janet lived in Spain and worked in the travel and tourism industry for over twenty years. She managed her own marketing company in Northern Ireland, where she studied for her MA in Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. She uses her experiences of living and travelling abroad and knowledge of locations as an integral part of the scenes in her novels.
To add authenticity to her novels, Janet has studied a variety of courses including, Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds, Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime, and Forensic Psychology. She combines her passion for writing, history, and cultural heritage, and loves to see people maintain deep-rooted traditions. Her exciting international crime thrillers are expertly researched and keep you turning the pages.
As well as working on her next book, Janet is also a lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University on the Creative and Professional Writing course.
You can connect with me on:
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