Suzie's Gift E-Book

Jodie A. Samuel

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 255

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Suzie's Gift is a tale of self-discovery and adventure, woven into adolescent interactions. Suzie is having recurring nightmares when she wears a pair of pyjamas her grandmother bought her at a local charity shop. She soon realises that the girl she is seeing is not only real, but trying to communicate with her. The story unravels as she, her friend Melissa, her mum Jill and grandmother Rose set out to uncover what happened. Suzie can finally confront the truth about herself – that her gift allows her to see through the eyes of those who need her help the most. For now, though, Suzie's job is to find out what happened to Louise and finally bring answers to her mother Sarah and other loved ones. Can she do it and keep her own family safe at the same time? Dive into Suzie's Gift to find out.

Leseprobe

Imprint

All rights of distribution, also through movies, radio and television, photomechanical reproduction, sound carrier, electronic medium and reprinting in excerpts are reserved.

© 2024 novum publishing gmbh

Rathausgasse 73, A-7311 Neckenmarkt

[email protected]

ISBN print edition: 978-3-99131-934-4

ISBN e-book: 978-3-99131-935-1

Editor: Chris Beale

Cover photos: Nexusplexus, Inna Tarnavska | Dreamstime.com

Cover design, layout & typesetting: novum publishing

www.novum-publishing.co.uk

Suzie's Gift

The jacket lay on the ground beside her, as she sat with her back against the wall; her hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat slowing with each gulping breath.

That time it had seemed so real – but how could it be?

The man had been there, his lined face leering over her for just a moment before he was gone.

She’d seen him before. Today. Here!

The urgency began to set in as she struggled to stand. She had to get help, now. Before it was too late.

1

Both mobiles went off together.

‘Hi,’ chimed Melissa, at exactly the same time as Suzie reached for her own phone and uttered the same greeting.

Suzie and Melissa were in their local café; it was only 6.10pm but already it sounded like the guys had had a drink. Melissa was on the phone to Max, while Suzie spoke to Simon. The four of them had been friends since primary school and now, at eighteen, were all excited about their forthcoming year at university. Despite the years that had passed, all four still got on really well; they even still vetted each other’s girlfriends and boyfriends – not that anything serious had ever developed. 

‘Oh, my God! You’re kidding,’ said Suzie at the same time as Melissa started laughing down the phone at Max. At that exact moment, as if on cue, both Simon and Max walked into the same café the girls were in and greeted them with big grins on their faces. Melissa jumped up and screeched.

‘£48,000! You?’ causing the customers around them to turn their way and frown at the commotion.

‘Yes,’ said Max, unable to lose his wide grin as the girls shushed each other and settled back down. ‘Can you believe that it’s all down to our Suzie here?’ he continued, sitting down next to Suzie and putting his arm round her.

Max suited Suzie; with his blond hair and blue eyes, he was a good 6’ tall. Everyone thought they were a good match, with her brunette, shoulder-length hair, big brown eyes, and gorgeous figure, complemented by an olive complexion. They would have been the perfect couple. Not in their eyes though – it was never going to happen.

Simon and Melissa were totally different by comparison. Simon, 5’8”, had black hair, green eyes, and a hot temper; whereas Melissa had lovely auburn hair, only 5’3” and had a white complexion that looked more suited to an albino rabbit.

‘You remember that night last September when we decided to do the Ouija board?’ said Simon.

Melissa interrupted him, ‘You mean you decided to do the Ouija board. And even then, it was only after you knew about Suzie!’

‘Yes, yes, okay then. Not that it really matters whose idea it was! All that matters is that it worked.’

‘What worked?’ said Suzie. ‘All I remember is you two boys acting about. You asked about ghosts, spirits, and football. I mean, honestly, you’re like a stuck record sometimes! Do you ever think about anything else?’

‘That’s just it; we asked the Ouija board loads of serious stuff, and then at the end, before we finished, we asked it who was going to win the football Premiership.’

‘Yes,’ said Suzie, nodding. ‘And then you thought I’d made it all up. In fact, I seem to recall you referred to the answer I gave as “absurd”!’

‘Yes, well, good job I didn’t go on my instincts and went with what Simon said.’

‘What are you talking about?’ said Melissa.

‘Well, the board spelt out that Derby would win the Premiership, but considering they’d only just moved up from the Championship the previous season by play-offs, there seemed absolutely no way they were going to win the Premiership,’ said Max.

‘Well, we thought you were messing about, but then Simon here said, “What the hell! Let’s put £25.00 on Derby to win.” And that was it.

I’m not saying we forgot about the bet we put on. We just didn’t think much else about it. We always thought it was the worst £25.00 we ever spent,’ shrugged Max.

‘Then suddenly time had passed. Derby was in eighth place, and it hit us that they may actually have a chance,’ butted in Simon, earning a light shove from his friend.

‘I can’t believe you didn’t tell us,’ grumbled Suzie, clearly outraged. ‘We could have had fun keeping an eye on them as well. Better still, we could have put a bet on them ourselves.’

‘I know,’ said Simon. ‘I must admit it’s been pretty intense these last few months, especially when it looked more and more like they were really in with a chance.’

‘The crunch came when they reached fourth place, and there were only three games left to play,’ cut in Max, continuing his story. ‘To cut a long story short, there were only six points between Derby and Chelsea…’

‘Can you just get to the point?’ said Suzie, her disgruntlement easing away as the boys’ mood became infectious.

‘You jammy gits!’ exploded Melissa, as the boys whispered in hushed tones that they had, just that afternoon, found out that Derby had taken the Premiership title. ‘How much again?’

‘Well, we’ve got to go see the bookies on Monday, but we reckon about £48,000.’

All four stared at each other for a second and then burst out laughing. Attracting the unwanted gazes of their neighbouring customers for the second time in the last few minutes, Suzie put a hand on Max’s arm and squeezed it.

‘Can you imagine what you can do with that money?’ said Suzie.

‘Honestly, we’ve done nothing else. But let’s face it, without Suzie we wouldn’t have put the bet on in the first place,’ said Max, Simon nodding in agreement. ‘Half of it is yours.’

2

Monday morning came around and the long-awaited visit to the bookies brought even more good news. It wasn’t £48,000 as first thought, but an incredible £58,600. The guys went straight round to Suzie’s, where both girls were sat catching up on their favourite TV show.

‘Oh my God,’ said Melissa slowly, while Suzie stared at the cheque in disbelief. ‘What are you going to do now? Have you given it any more thought?’

‘Well, like we said on Saturday, the first thing we’re going to do is share it with you two, especially you, Suzie. After the year you’ve had, at least something good has come out of it,’ said Max knowingly.

Suzie turned away a little, trying to hide the pained look that she knew would only result in fresh waves of sympathy and awkwardness.

‘The family is at peace; I don’t need money to remind me of that.’

‘Yes, I didn’t mean that, Suze, sorry, I just meant with the stress you were under…’ Max tailed off, feeling awful. He really hadn’t meant to put it like that. In fact, he didn’t really know what to say to her at all about what she’d been through. How could he when he didn’t really understand it himself?

‘It’s okay. I know what you meant. And anyway, I got through it, didn’t I?’

‘You’ve got to laugh, haven’t you?’ said Simon, turning to Max and digging his elbow into his friend’s ribs as they once again started reeling off ways to spend their windfall.

Simon always was the one to diffuse an awkward conversation, and Suzie found herself thankful for the change in topic. As her friends carried on discussing their big win, her mind wandered, just for a moment, to the family she had become so close to and what they had lost.

‘Remember the guy who took our money off us when we put the bet on?’

Suzie snapped back to the present as the face of the pale girl faded once again from her mind.

‘He all but laughed in our faces,’ continued Simon, ‘telling us we might as well just give him the £25.00 and let him keep it for us. You know, it’s a pity he wasn’t still working there today when we picked up the cheque – we could have given him £25.00 as a tip.’

At that moment, Suzie’s Mum, Jill, walked into the kitchen where all four were seated. ‘I thought I heard voices.’ She smiled, looking over at the boys. Jill had known Max and Simon since they were just three-foot-tall; always stopping by her house in search of snacks or a playdate with her daughter and her friend – or, as was often the case, both.

‘Yes, great thanks, Mrs. Lloyd,’ chimed the boys, earning themselves a smile and a mock-stern nod from Jill.

‘You know to call me Jill, boys. I’ve known you how long?’ She knew they’d never change, and she loved them for it, but Mrs. Lloyd felt so formal that sometimes she couldn’t help herself.

As she put on her coat and gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek, Jill could tell there was something in the air. Something the teenagers weren’t telling her – but she knew better than to pry.

‘We should all decide what we want to spend it on,’ said Max once the door had closed behind Jill. ‘We’ve worked it out, and it comes to £29,300 for you two, and the same for us boys. Not bad, eh?’

Suzie was quiet while Max, Simon and Melissa began contemplating what they were going to do next. Max and Simon wanted to spend their share on a gap year travelling around Europe – something they had been talking about and fantasising about since the group was fourteen years old and had just come back from their first school trip in Belgium. Melissa’s plan was far simpler: spend, spend, spend…

‘Come on, Suzie,’ probed Max, bringing her back to the present. ‘What about you? Any grand plans or ideas?’

‘What, sorry hhmm – no, not really. After what’s happened lately, I think I’m going to keep it aside and use it for travelling expenses. Maybe work with the police like they want me to.’

‘Are you seriously going to do it then? Work for the police?’ asked Simon carefully. ‘That’d be pretty cool.’

Suzie nodded slowly. ‘Oh yes, I’ve thought about it quite a lot and it scares me, but I think I’ve got to do it. I’m not sure I have a choice!’

All three of them agreed with Suzie. After all, she’d been on one hell of a journey, and they were nothing if not loyal to her decision.

***

They’ve taken me into a separate room now; told me I have to tell them who it was I saw. I think they’re pulling together some photos, I’m not sure yet. Bernard said it wouldn’t be too much longer, but I’m so thirsty, and I’ve been in this room for ages.

I’m not sure if they believe me – Bernard said he’d look after me and make sure I wasn’t on my own, but what if the man sees me? I don’t yet understand what I saw, but I’m starting to realise that it might be a bit more serious than I thought.

It was like the jacket was showing me something. Okay, I know that sounds ridiculous, utterly absurd, but I don’t know what else to say. You know the phrase ‘if walls could talk…’ – well, what if THINGS could talk?

What would they say? What can they see?

Am I going mad?

3

As she got ready for bed that night, Suzie let her mind run back over the day’s events. The boys’ win, the conversations about how they’d spend their money; Max’s comments about her experience the summer before…

He was right. The last twelve months had been virtually unforgettable, and she was still learning how to deal with it. It was always there, and she knew now that she could handle it – but that didn’t mean she understood what it was or why it was there.

She knew now, after giving herself plenty of time to think about it, that working with the police was definitely what she wanted to do. She wanted to help, and she knew that she had the power to do just that. What had happened to her was bizarre and unlikely to ever completely make sense, but what did that matter? Over the last few months, Suzie had received so many letters from people not just locally, not just in the UK, but worldwide. People who wanted her to help them. She’d opened a few of the letters, but after the upset of reading them, decided to leave the rest for a while. One day soon, very soon, she would have the guts to open them all, but for now she knew she had to take it one step at a time.

Returning to Epping was the one step she wasn’t yet ready for. But no matter how hard she tried to make plans and occupy her free weekends, she knew she couldn’t avoid it forever.

4

Jill had been brought up in Epping, only leaving the town when she’d met Suzie’s Dad, Eddie. Eddie was a brickie and worked all over Britain – he lived on the road, going where the job took him. It was on one of these jobs working on a new housing estate near Jill’s home that they met.

It had been a classic case of love at first sight, and she dropped everything to follow him around the country; marrying him within a couple of years and welcoming their first child a mere twelve months later.

Suzie didn’t remember a great deal about her childhood – but she did recall that it had felt perfect. Until she was seven, walking home from school with her friend and friend’s mum and walking through the red front door into a world she didn’t recognise, that is.

A world where her dad was gone.

Eddie had been killed in a car accident on his way home from work. Suzie knew everything there was to know about the accident, but really, most of that came from the articles she had slaved over as a teenager, rather than her memories. Now, that day felt like a story from someone else’s life, something she read about in the paper, or maybe from a movie she saw as a child. It wasn’t her life. Eddie was a happy but increasingly distant memory now, and Jill was the only steady thing in her life.

Jill and their new life in Leeds. Yet, despite being so settled and so happy, they would still go back to Jill’s hometown in Epping to visit Jill’s mother – Suzie’s Grandmother – Rose, every few months.

Rose was what her local neighbours called a ‘sweet older woman’, caught up in her own life but all too happy to offer an opinion on yours if asked. Going down to Epping was nice, but it never failed to bring up painful memories for Suzie, and she often found herself just staying in, sitting with her mum and her grandma and swapping tales and stories from their day-to-day lives.

Little did she know that spending time at Grandma’s was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

***

His face was lined and rugged, weather spots marking his cheeks and a cruel glint in his eye that I couldn’t get out of my mind. His greying brown hair was hidden under a beanie hat, but I spotted a few tufts sticking out around his neck. I always was perceptive.

They made me look at the photo for what felt like hours, but could only have been a few seconds before I nodded and turned away. I’m on my own now, waiting to be told what to do next. They wouldn’t let Bernard in with me, and the look on his face as I walked into the windowless room was nothing short of pitiful. I wonder what he’s doing now; whether they’re quizzing him too?

He doesn’t understand this any more than I do. I saw this man – and yet how can I have? I wasn’t there. Was I?

The police don’t get it; they think I’m mad. Just the mad admin assistant trying to make a name for herself; that’s what they’ll all be saying. But something I said must make sense; otherwise, why would they be listening?

The jacket sits in the evidence room now, safe and sound in a clear plastic bag and ready to be sent off for evidence. I feel a stab of something that seems a little like jealousy. What I’d do to be back; safe in my evidence room away from all this trouble.

5

Twelve months earlier…

The journey from Leeds to London passed by without incident, and pretty soon the girls were stretching their legs and prodding Jill awake. She had fallen asleep listening to her audio book, and while the girls clearly found it quite amusing, she herself felt a slight wave of irritation at herself for allowing her mind to switch off for so long, missing goodness knows how many pages and chapters. Where on earth had she dropped off, and how was she going to work out what she had missed?

She shook off her irritation as they stepped off the train into the cooler air – she hadn’t realised how stuffy it had been on the train, no wonder she’d fallen asleep – and saw her mother, Rose, waving from behind the ticket barrier.

As Jill caught up to Suzie and Melissa, Rose’s face broke into a grin. “Suzie, my love, you’ve grown! And Melissa, it’s so wonderful to see you again!” Then, as she turned to Jill, “Hello, love,” with a smile.

Jill allowed herself to be enveloped in her mother’s hug while the girls picked up their bags and broke away, chattering and pointing towards the recently opened Harry Potter shop with excitement.

When Melissa and Suzie had asked Jill if Melissa could join them for a few days in London, she hadn’t hesitated to agree. After years growing up around Epping Forest and the surrounding neighbourhoods, she knew how much there was to explore and enjoy; bittersweet memories that constantly reminded her of the fact that Suzie was growing up and experiencing her life without the joy that siblings could bring. Losing her husband the way she had, Jill had long since given up on ever having another child, and now, with her daughter fast approaching her twenties, she knew that the friendships she held dear were really the only siblings she needed.

While Jill’s head was caught in the past for those few short moments, Suzie and Melissa were very much in the present, planning day trips to London, nights out in Epping, and all the walks they wanted to do while they were “down South” – as Melissa put it.

Rose looked on happily. She had met Melissa on quite a few occasions over the years while staying up in Leeds, and she liked her. The two girls were good for each other, and Rose knew that Jill was happy that Suzie had found someone she felt as close to as she might a sister. Even now, as she glanced at her daughter while they made their way out to the car, Rose could see she was deep in thought, but knew better than to disturb her daughter’s train of thinking. The loss of Eddie had hit them all hard, but Jill had never really gotten over it. How could she?

Jill’s mind was brought back to the present as they arrived at Rose’s jeep. A blazing orange colour that her mum described as “jazzy”, Jill chuckled as Melissa pointed towards the car in amazement, and Suzie popped open the boot with a laugh.

‘Grandma always has been ahead of her time!’ she said through her laugh. Rose winked at her.

The two of them had always been close, despite the vast generation gap, and Jill knew that at some point over the next few days, her mum would take Suzie aside to do their usual – catch up, have a gossip, and exchange any worries that Suzie didn’t feel like she wanted to tell her mum. It was the same every time they visited, and Jill found that, actually, she was glad that her mum and her daughter had such a close relationship. With it just being the two of them so much of the time, knowing someone else cared about Suzie as much as she did was sometimes all she needed to feel safe.

***

By the time they pulled into Rose’s drive, Jill was ready for a little peace and quiet. The girls hadn’t stopped laughing and pointing out the window for the entire journey, noting the various sights and road names – and even a group of boys they must have found attractive, given the lowered voices and giggles. Jill needed a cup of tea.

It was already 3.30pm, and no sooner had they got through the door than Rose was putting the kettle on. In a whirlwind of long hair, teenage perfume and summer dresses, Suzie and Melissa shot past Jill, dropped their bags in the guest bedroom, and turned back towards the front door.

‘Just taking Melissa down to the Mall and Town Street,’ said Suzie, kissing her mum on the cheek and giving her grandma a quick wave.

‘We’ll be back soon, but I’ve got my mobile with me if you need us for anything!’ she called as the door closed behind them.

Peace at last.

As Rose bustled around the kitchen making tea and organising stuff for dinner, Jill moved up the stairs to unpack, pausing for a moment before she opened the door to her old bedroom and took in the familiar surroundings. Still her room; the same bay window overlooking the garden, framed by pale cream curtains dotted with small flowers. The only difference now was that instead of her posters displaying the Bay City Rollers and Starsky and Hutch, there was now a subtle hint of lemon wallpaper, candles and white-framed pictures of delicate flowers. Her room – but from a lifetime ago.

As Jill went back downstairs and into the living room, she saw Rose had finished in the kitchen and now sat surrounded by bags of clothes. Rose often did this – stocking up on charity shop goodies for her and Suzie to try – and Jill always found herself immensely grateful for her mother’s generosity. It was easy to forget to buy new clothes for herself, and she knew that Suzie’s taste in fashion was always dipping in and out of various trends and styles. Keeping up with it required a full-time job and extra income, and without Rose’s frequent charity shop splurges, Jill knew that Suzie would soon become tired and disinterested in whatever already sat in her wardrobe at home.

Rose showed Jill what she’d bought. Knowing Suzie was interested in becoming a fashion designer one day, she knew that a good pattern or unique fabric was more important than an accurate fit, and that if her granddaughter didn’t like what she pulled out of the bag, she was sure to turn it into something fabulous!

Rose and Jill were just finishing their second cup of tea and opening the third bag of clothes when the girls arrived home. With a rush of laughing and cheery voices, they ran straight upstairs to unpack their bags, reliving stories of the things they had seen on their short trip to stake out the Mall.

The room the girls were to sleep in was at the back of the house, overlooking the woods in the distance. Rose had put two single beds in there when Suzie was small, as she had wanted to stay in the same room as her mum, and the beds had never moved since. Rose looked forward to her visitors, and liked to keep the room exactly as they might expect it, should they choose to turn up to see her any day. Goodness knows they were always welcome.

Her husband, Philip, had died a mere five years earlier, but with the loneliness that she now faced most days, it felt like longer. They were all devastated when he’d suffered the fatal heart attack, but the loss no doubt hit Suzie the hardest. While Rose and Jill felt a slither of gratitude that his short-lived suffering was at least now over, for poor Suzie, the loss of her grandad simply became an unbearable reminder of when her dad had died, and it had taken her a long time to move forward.

Much like with her grandma, Suzie was close to Philip, and he played true to the role, spending copious amounts of time with his granddaughter whenever she came to visit. Rose smiled as she remembered his dark grey head of hair, flecked with white but still going strong – even as his brother – her brother-in-law – slowly turned completely bald. Whenever Philip smiled, it seemed to reach from ear to ear, and his laugh could fill a room tenfold. Everyone loved him – he truly was one of those people that would do anything for anyone.

Since his passing, Jill and Suzie had tried hard over the years to convince Rose to go and live with them, but she wouldn’t budge. Rose and Philip had been in Epping since they first married, and she wasn’t going to give that up for anything in the world. Not even more time with her family. Epping was their home, and leaving just wouldn’t feel right. And after all, Jill had to respect her mum for that – it’s exactly what she did herself, too.

6

As Suzie led her friend up the stairs and through the house she thought of as her second home, she found herself regarding the walls and décor as if with a fresh set of eyes. The old-school charm she had once seen was slowly being replaced with a dire need for some tender love and care, and Suzie felt her eyes drawn to cracks in the ceiling and pieces of peeling wallpaper. There was no doubt about it, the house needed a good lick of paint – or six – but it still felt like home, and Suzie was happy to be there.

As she opened the door to her and Melissa’s bedroom, she smiled as she spotted the knitted square quilted blanket her grandma had made for her many years ago, bringing back happy – if slightly eerie – memories of the good times gone by. Suzie had faced a lot of loss in her life so far, but she also had some wonderful memories, and she knew deep down that she was lucky.

After unpacking their bags, the girls headed downstairs to finally join Jill and Rose, who had by now finished going through and re-bagging the charity shop clothes. As she popped the kettle on for yet another round of tea, Rose pointed out the bags to Suzie and said she was welcome to pick and choose whatever she wanted.

‘There might even be something in there for you too, Melissa. There’s no way any of it will fit me anymore!’ she chuckled as she set the kettle down on the stove.

The girls settled down on the retro carpet that covered the living room floor and tipped the bags out one by one – earning exasperated looks from Jill and Rose, who had just spent a good half an hour sorting everything back into bags. A scrap of lilac material caught Melissa’s eye, and she held it against herself, eliciting a new fit of giggles from Suzie as she tried to work out how it went on. Eventually realising the top was designed to sit on one shoulder, Melissa regarded the item before handing it to Suzie.

‘This one’s for you. You’ve got the shoulders for it.’

It looked brand new and was obviously a one-off design; even the label gave nothing away, simply stating “RANDOM” in block capitals.

‘Wow, Gran, you’ve done really well with all these,’ said Suzie, as she dug out a knitted dress that was the perfect colour to match Melissa’s hair and handed it to her friend.

Rose nodded eagerly. ‘Yes, love, I know. Did you know that they even get celebrity clothes in sometimes? For all we know, some of that could have been worn by Lady Gaga – or maybe royalty!’

The girls laughed. ‘Yes, Mum, I hear the Royal Family particularly enjoy a trip to Epping,’ chuckled Jill as she too started rifling through the piles of clothes once again, drawn in by the enthusiasm of the two girls.

After scanning the piles and identifying one or two items that Rose insisted could well have come from the closet of Lady Gaga – ‘or that other singer, Pink is it?’ – they ended up with a pile of keepers, a pile of “to be redesigned”, and a pile to take back to the shop.

It was only as they carried the final garments upstairs to the girls’ room that they realised they were all hungry, having not eaten since breakfast – hours ago! They had been so wrapped up in discovering clothes from the past and discussing the types of people who might have once owned them, that they had completely forgotten their stomachs.

The girls decided, once dinner was over, to stay in that night and go out the next night, carefully planning a route back down to the Mall and Town Street – which may have been only three streets away from Rose’s house, but still passed by at least three decent pubs and bars where the girls could show off their new outfits and maybe meet some new people.

Though the night was young, the journey from Leeds had exhausted the girls, and not long after dinner they excused themselves and headed back up the stairs, desperate to try on their new clothes once again and start pulling together some killer outfits for the following night.

***

They’ve told me there was no clear motive.

“Wrong place at the wrong time,” one policeman said, as he led me out of the interview room and towards the staff room. “We’re investigating what you said, but we can’t let you leave. Not yet.”