The Broken II: Tainted Trail

  Amazon PAPERBACK

  © Copyright 2020

  A.L Frances

  The right of A.L Frances to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All Rights Reserved

  No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the publisher, or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended).

  Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 978-0-9601051-1-3 (paperback)

  ISBN 978-0-9601051-4-4 (ebook)

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Amazon is an imprint of Ruby Rose Publishing House.

  www.RubyRosePublishingHouse.com

  First Published in 2020

  Amazon

  Printed & Bound in Great Britain

  Author’s Note

  My purpose for writing the series of The Broken novels extends above and beyond just wanting to write a gripping close to home story.

  On occasions, I’ve picked up books and been unable to visualise what the writer has so beautifully written for me. Then, when I’ve found a book I’ve loved and read it to the end, the sense of achievement is immeasurable. I believe everyone should embrace this emotion when they read.

  My desire is for you to feel just as wonderful when you reach the end of this novel, as I’ve written this wholeheartedly for you!

  Dedication

  I wrote this for you…

  A. L. Frances

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1: Replay

  Chapter 2: The Truth Hurts

  Chapter 3: The Enemy

  Chapter 4: See You on the Other Side

  Chapter 5: Power

  Chapter 6: Who Are You Calling Chicken?

  Chapter 7: Murderer!

  Chapter 8: Guess Who?

  Chapter 9: Your Soul is Mine

  Chapter 10: The Hunt is On!

  Chapter 11: Loyalties

  Chapter 12: Has Anybody Seen My Daughter?

  Chapter 13: Let Me Help You

  Chapter 14: You Know What to Do

  Chapter 15: Catch Us if You Can

  Chapter 16: Secrets!

  Chapter 17: Getting Warmer

  Chapter 18: What’s the Big Secret...?

  Chapter 19: Secrets to the Grave

  Chapter 20: The Call You’ve Been Waiting For

  Chapter 21: Maintain the Odds 7/7 at 7

  Chapter 22: Expand the Empire

  Chapter 23: It’s All Your Fault!

  Prologue

  How easy is it to go from having everything you have ever wanted, to having nothing? One day you wake up and you have it all, and then, in the very same twenty-four-hours, you lose everything in more ways than one. You lose your freedom, your family, your career, your sanity, your reason for living, your very existence, everything! It doesn’t matter how big or small the loss is, it’s gone, with no likelihood of returning any time soon. That said, how would you feel...? Before you answer, consider this: you cannot escape fate, there’s no way of getting around it – your final destination can rarely be changed, your soul has signed a lifelong contract, whether you accept this path or not.

  You see, your journey into life truly begins to unfold as you grow. The premeditated pathway, which has been carefully constructed and perfectly aligned for you, can sometimes have a freakishly unconventional way of presenting you with challenges. Here’s the thing: the cards which you are dealt can ensure that you, the lucky recipient, receive all your wishes and hearts desires, experiencing the great satisfaction of all that this blessing has to offer. A sense of joy, happiness, laughter and love. But, hang on a minute – these are the same cards that can, by a twist of fate, lead you, the unlucky recipient, to soul-destroying and unfortunate circumstances. You may believe these negative and sometimes traumatic moments in your life are completely out of your control – but are they? Or do you, without knowing, actually build the path and welcome them in…?

  Our unlucky protagonist from the first instalment of The Broken suffers the brutal death of his wife due to a horrific event that he witnesses but is unable to prevent. It becomes apparent years later that this murderous unresolved incident stems from a tangled web of deceitful, impure intentions. To then lose his only child to the same calculated and cruel entity that is connected to the death of his wife is the ultimate blow.

  And if that isn’t bad enough, now he’s the main focus of an investigation into the disappearance of his daughter. The authorities have now also decided to reopen the case regarding the death of his wife, a death which they themselves initially wrote off as an unfortunate accident. They’re now suggesting that this is, in fact, a potential murder case, a crime which they’re also trying to pin on this broken man. It will be tricky for him to prove his innocence as it is reliant on his daughter somehow appearing alive and well, but it isn’t impossible. He knows she isn’t dead. Her body is still very much alive. It’s her soul that has been captured and cursed. Now, the question is, what do you think you would do?

  Your current situation is very isolated. You have support from no one. There isn’t one person in the world that believes a single word you’re saying. Everyone has turned their back on you – the only reason you haven’t been sectioned is that no one cares enough to protect you. Your friends and family are treating you as though the offences the authorities are alleging you have committed are the truth. They all believe you perpetrated such awful crimes and killed the people you not only loved but lived for. And add to that mental anguish, the claim that it is you who disposed of your own child’s body, due to the fact that its whereabouts to date remain unknown. You’re left with nothing and no one. You’re being hissed at in the street and physically abused each time you try to defend your word, and now, the next twisted challenge life has presented you with, which you face alone, is that there is only one way for you to clear your name, seemingly one, almost impossible, way… You must hunt down the evil entity who ruined your life and kill it. Not only this, you somehow have to reveal its true intentions to the world and pray that you can save your daughter’s soul and free her from the evil shackles she’s been cunningly strapped into in the process. It won’t be easy and all you have available to you is hope in your heart and a trail that’s almost freezing cold. Are you feeling brave enough yet? Bearing all of this in mind, which path do you believe you would you choose:

  Live and accept the hands of fate by spending the rest of your life in prison for crimes you didn’t commit?

  Begin the hunt with the faith that you can not only clear your tainted name but at the same time free your daughter from the evil that possesses her soul?

  Choose death. After all, why help the world that turned its back on you? Align your own fate and give your soul to the afterlife. Take the secrets of this cruel sadistic entity’s true catastrophic intentions to the deathly grave with you.

  Well, here’s how one man faced that exact dilemma, and the question is, what path will Matthew Honey s
elect…?

  Chapter One

  Replay...

  The Honey residence stands tall on the dark beachfront. The garden is overgrown and neglected. Inside, the entrance is completely unrecognizable. A family picture that was once proudly displayed in the doorway now lies face up on the floor, the glass is shattered. In the photo, Matthew, Lauren and Evelyn Jade Honey stand side by side with radiant smiles, glowing features. They appear to be the perfect happy family unit.

  The temperature is sub-zero and a strong, sinister vibration trembles throughout the building. Resembling a horrific murder scene, this house is no longer a home. The walls showcase where gaping holes have been whacked through them. Embedded deep with grime and stained with huge splatters of blood, these same once bright walls that held happiness within this household now possess secrets that would make an innocent and playful soul curl up and beg for mercy. The tall, dark, intimidating looking walls give away the realities of the events which have taken place inside this once loved family home. It’s clear to see that sickening and terrible things have happened here, things that could scar a mind forever.

  Standing alone in the day room is a huge, eccentric golden frame, the remains of a once beautiful mirror. This previously treasured décor item has nothing but tiny shards of glass left hanging around the edges. Sitting directly in front of it, next to the huge window, is a dark wooden rocking chair. The seat is empty and worn.

  Continuing the theme, the thick curtains, which are closed tight, were no doubt expensive, but their golden colour now barely shows through the filth. Suddenly, the wooden rocking chair begins to rock unaided, creaking as it moves back and forth in time with the unnerving vibration which continually manifests throughout the house.

  Alongside this unannounced energy, a powerful stench is taking ownership of the room. It is so vile it would turn your insides. If this wasn’t bad enough, the carpet throughout the dayroom is coated with matted hair, dust balls and dead insects – even Mother Nature’s tiny creatures cannot tolerate this foul environment. Knotted deep within the mess are layer upon layer of skin-piercing shards of glass, most of which is stained with the same dried blood.

  Standing within the shadows of the hallway is a spiral staircase that leads to the darker and higher points of this unloved house. Coated with thick smears of the same blood, it’s certainly not a stairway that you would want to walk up alone. It’s almost impossible to process how this formerly happy family home, which was filled with laughter and love, has now become the complete opposite. It’s been tainted by evil and remains quiet and cold, a real-life house of horrors.

  And yet this house is not, in fact, empty. The sound of girly, slightly out-of-tune singing is coming from one of the rooms upstairs. It gradually echoes throughout the building, the tone at odds with the heavy atmosphere. The soundwaves of the melody are sweet and angelic, with a detectable hint of happiness. The voice, an innocent female voice, is familiar and known.

  Upstairs, the hallway is dark and eerie. All the doors are closed; all, that is, except for one. The office door is wide open. All the books have been thrown on the floor and the wooden bookcase in which they were once proudly showcased has been smashed to pieces. The dark oak wooden desk, positioned in the centre of the room, remains strong and is without a single scratch. Standing on top of the desk, also untouched, is a computer. The computer is switched on and pre-recorded footage is playing on the monitor. The volume is turned up to the maximum. The footage is of Evelyn Jade Honey. It’s replaying the morning of the seventh of July on a loop. The date when Matthew Honey last saw his daughter. Looking her usual radiant and innocent self, Eve is sat at the desk in her bedroom, her violin on her bed. Through the computer speakers you can hear her distorted voice singing along to pop music on the radio as she writes an entry in her red leather diary.

  As the footage continues to play, a sudden rustling sound comes from inside the office, accompanied by a groan. Behind the open door, sprawled out on the floor with a litre bottle of vodka in his hand, wearing faded black ripped jeans with a grey t-shirt that’s never seen soap and is drenched with blood, lies Matthew Honey, a broken man. Beaten within an inch of his life, his appearance is devastating – his eyes are deep purple, his nose inflamed and broken, his body covered in lacerations and bruises. This once strong family man who had everything is now a fraction of the man he was. He has passed out from the amount of alcohol he’s consumed. Just above his head, hidden amongst all the books, mess and sharp shards of wood, is his black 9-mm pistol and it’s loaded.

  Matthew moans out loud in agony as he wakes. He releases his grip on the bottle of vodka and pulls out his mobile phone, which is vibrating in his pocket. The screen is completely smashed and is flashing like a strobe light. It’s a call from an undisclosed number. Before he has time to press the accept button, the caller hangs up. His arms feel heavy. He drops them to the floor with a huge sigh as he reaches for his broken ribcage to support himself as he sits up. Achieving this with an immense amount of discomfort and difficulty, he looks over at the computer and sees the footage of Evelyn Jade playing. Instantly, tears begin uncontrollably welling in his bruised and swollen eye sockets. As the drops of sorrow descend his broken features, his phone begins to ring again. Reaching over and grumbling out in pain, Matthew manages to grab it and answers with a husky and dry voice, “Ello”.

  “Mr Honey, it’s Kelly. Where are you?”

  “Go away.”

  “Mr Honey, this is serious. If you don’t get to Lymington Police Station in the next hour, a warrant is going to be issued for your arrest.”

  “Kelly, you seem to think I care. Why’s that?” The long silence indicates that she doesn’t know what to say next. “My point exactly. Goodbye, Kelly.”

  But before he puts the phone down, she speaks once more. “Mr Honey – please, if you go to prison now for breaching your bail conditions, how will you prove your innocence?” There is a brief silence as Matthew processes her words. “You know Chief Inspector Lamont has been after you for months. Please, don’t give him the satisfaction of not only bringing you in, but arresting you and locking you away.” More silence. Kelly pleads one final time, “Mr Honey, listen, I believe something did happen to Evelyn Jade, and I believe that it wasn’t you who did it. Please don’t give up on yourself and your daughter.”

  “Wait – you… believe… me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m a good judge of character. Also, I’ve been a criminal PA to Mr Johnson for many years now. Working at his law firm has allowed me to witness many things, Mr Honey, and I know a genuine honest man when I see one. Don’t give up on your daughter. If you don’t get to the bottom of it, who else will? Only you know the truth…”

  With the footage of Evelyn Jade continuing to play in the background and the tears still falling down his face, Matthew feels a deep sense of comfort from this young woman’s words. His head starts to spin from the shock. Falling back, Matthew drops the phone on the floor next to his ear. After he doesn’t respond for a while, Kelly shouts, “Mr Honey… Mr Honey… Shall I tell Mr Johnson that you’ll attend the station?”

  Closing his eyes and breathing in deep, he hears Kelly’s words vibrate through the speaker. Matthew picks the phone back up and replies, “Yes.” He then instantly ends the call.

  Matthew’s thoughts race at a hundred miles per hour. He doesn’t know what to think, feel or do. After all these months, this is the first person who has said, true or not, that they believe him. That they believe he didn’t kill his daughter or wife. He’s been constantly beaten for defending his word, verbally abused for not admitting what others believe to be true, and now, he has a single fragment, a tiny, speck-of-glitter-sized glimmer of hope, because someone believes not only in him, but in what he says. Lying back, utterly drained, Matthew peers at the mess just above his head. Seeing a shimmer from the pistol hiding in the midst
of the chaos, he slowly reaches up and holds the destructive weapon in his hand.

  “End it all… How easy would that be?”

  With a crazed expression, no longer in control of his thoughts, Matthew places the pistol against his temple. He squeezes the trigger slightly with his forefinger. He breathes rapidly, the torturous and cruel side of his mind teasingly whispering words, goading him to do the unthinkable.

  “Do it, Matthew… Do it… Pull the trigger… Do it… Now!!”

  Tears stream from his eyes and mucus gushes uncontrollably from his nose. He squeezes the trigger that tiny bit tighter and tighter. Just as the bullet is about to release, Matthew throws the pistol across the room. He puts his head into his hands and sobs out loud. His mind continues its unkind ways, his internal voice persistently whispering destructive and cruel words.

  “Pathetic. You’re so weak. You couldn’t save your family and now you can’t do the one decent thing and kill yourself for your sins…”

  Picking the bottle of vodka up from the floor, he throws it across the room and shouts, “Just shut up!”

  The bottle hits the wall and smashes, its contents splashing everywhere. Sharp shards of glass from the bottle now coat the layers of filth on the ground. Screaming out in frustration as a red mist takes over his thoughts, Matthew stumbles up onto his feet. Gaining control of his balance, he begins throwing everything in his proximity around the room. His rage is short-lived and soon he runs out of breath. An immense sense of pain hits as the red mist abates and the reality of his physical broken state takes over. Falling to the floor, Matthew positions himself with his back against the desk, slightly curled over.

  Emotionally and physically exhausted, he puts his head down and weeps. Blood trickles down his enflamed and wounded knuckles. As he tries to gather his thoughts, he whispers to himself, “Just stop, please, I beg you. I can’t take it anymore, I’m tired.”