Category: Action/Thriller Publisher: Writers-Exchange
Type: Fiction
Copyright: 12 August 2018
Jane is no ordinary detective. She can communicate with the ghosts of murder victims. Not wanting to be dismissed as mentally unstable, she must keep her secret from all but her husband and her senior officer, using each victim's information to subtly direct her team in the right direction on each case.
Chief Superintendent Jane Doe of the Cold Case Squad, has a formidible list of special, unsolved cases littering her desk.Taking a break is a luxury she doesn't often allow herself. however, during a rare weekend off, she catches a news story involving a dead body wrapped in a plastic shroud. The gruesome doscovery was made iin the cliffs below the point Lonsdale Lighthouse --- directly near the entrance to the Port Philip Bay in Victoria, Australia. Rough weather combined with unusually heavy, high tides washed away the grave, leaving it partially covered in rocks and seaweed. The coroner estimates that the body had been buried fere for at least a year. The lst thing Jane needs is another case to hit her already groaning desk, but something eerie took place in Cadavers' Cave and she may be the only one who can solve a mystery equally troubling and tragic.
Excerpt
Early in the morning, down the southern coast at Point Lonsdale, an English couple, Mary and Frank Hudson, had finished a delicious country breakfast of bacon and eggs with baked beans and toast.
Frank stretched his arms over his head, "Well, love, it's time for us to venture out into that cold weather and walk off some of this food."
Mary laughed. "We'd better get our water proof parkas, scarves and gloves, dear. It looks like our weather back home in Liverpool...cold, wet and windy!"
"Right oh! Let's go back to our room and rug up. I'm keen to explore the beach behind the lighthouse today. The manager said it's a very rugged coastline."
Ten minutes later, Mary and Frank stepped out the front door of the guest house.
A southerly icy wind swept around their faces.
"Brr, I reckon that's coming straight of the Antarctic, love," called out Frank, raising his voice to be heard over the howling wind.
"At least the rain has stopped and the sun is beginning to peek through those clouds. Time to explore the back beach, as requested, sir!" She grinned at her husband.
"Steady on old girl, we're on holidays, not at work. No formalities needed here. The Police station in Liverpool is thousands of miles away."
They walked up the road towards the lighthouse. It stood majestically at the top of the headland, overlooking the western side of the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The entrance was commonly called by the locals as 'the Rip' and was a 3 kilometre wide entrance where the ships were guided through the dangerous narrow stretch of water by a local pilot.
"Ooh, look, Frank, an American tanker has just come through the rip!"
Frank looked through his binoculars. "It's called the Virgo Sun... and it's not American, it's flying a Liberian Flag. She's heavy too!" He looked at the App on his iPhone. "Destination Geelong, gross tonnage 59164..."
"I believe you, Frank," giggled Mary. Her husband loved to watch ships going to and fro back home, using the app to identify the ships. "You're a true ship spotter, love." She put her arm through his and guided him down the pathway that led to the rugged beach below.
They were now sheltered by the large headland beside them. Mary opened her guide book. "Look Frank, if we go around the rocky beach ahead of us, we'll be able to see the cave where a convict escapee, called William Buckley, was adopted by the local Aborigines and with whom he lived for 32 years. He is thought to have lived in this cave beneath Point Lonsdale lighthouse."
"Trust you to find some interesting historical fact about this place, love. Okay, let's go and explore the cave, or I'll never hear the end of it!"
He put his arm around her and they stepped onto the hard sand as Mary continued to read aloud from her precious travel guide. "Point Lonsdale was named in 1837 after Captain William Lonsdale, the first police magistrate of Port Phillip. A pilot service for ships passing through The Rip was established beneath Shortland Bluff in 1838. A signal station was established at Point Lonsdale in 1854. The operator, Captain Preston, built a house there. His nearest neighbours were two kilometres away. After a stone lighthouse was constructed at Queenscliff in the 1860s, the old wooden structure it replaced was rebuilt at Point Lonsdale in 1867. It was superseded by the current structure in 1902."
"Look up to the top of the cliff. Isn't she a beauty?" He pointed to the imposing white lighthouse towering above them. "And she's still operational too. I must book a tour of the tower later today. There are half hourly visits from 9 am to 1pm."
"Why not? You like your lighthouses and ships and I like places with history..." Mary started to read from her travel guide again. "Did you know that during the construction of the current lighthouse over a century ago, a crowbar penetrated a thin layer of rock and ended up in the hideaway cave of William Buckley...?"
"You're kidding, love... No, you're not. But that's really interesting... Ah, look, there's the cave!" Frank pointed to the entrance nearby.
"Oh, Frank... we can't go in. It's closed with an iron gate!"
"Bloody shame, Mary. There's not even a plaque relating to William Buckley. Oh well, love, there's another nice cave for you to explore down there. Shall we have a look?"
"Of course! You won't be able to drag me away from here until I see inside it."
The couple struggled against the strong southerly wind that was blowing in from the south, straight off Bass Straight. Heavy rain had fallen overnight, leaving everything pristine. It was low tide, revealing a lot of rock pools, their water shimmering and rippling in the wind.
Frank approached the cave first. "It's dark in here." He pulled out his tiny travel torch. "Ah, that's better. What an Aladdin's cave this is."
They both walked over the hard sand, dodging small sandstone rocks. The cave was protected from the wind by the adjacent headland.
Mary pointed with her travel torch. "Frank! What's that over there? See, it's half submerged in the sand. It looks like something large has been wrapped in lots of plastic... A large dog?"
"Or something half exposed, Mary. See, there is a pile of rocks on top of it, and the water from the high winter tides and wild weather has brought the water up into the back of the cave, undermining where it's been buried."
Jack got closer, then held Mary back, "Pew! Whatever it is, there are some torn sections in the plastic, probably made by natural predators... It's beginning to pong!"
"Oh my God, Frank, it's a body! Quick, let's get out of here."
"You're right, old girl. Let's go. Take care; the local police won't like us messing up this crime scene."
"Frank, we're on holiday... and we're not on duty!"
"Sorry, love, I can't help it."
"I'm calling 000."
"Why not 999?"
"The emergency number in Australia is 000... Hello? Police please...thanks...hello my name is Frank Hudson. My wife Mary and I are currently standing near the base of the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse cliff. We have just discovered a partly exposed body, wrapped in plastic and tape, located in a large cave below the lighthouse. Am I sure it's a body? Sir, I'm a Sergeant in the CID in Liverpool, England." He spoke into the phone with an air of frustration, "The body smells quite decomposed too. I think it's been here for quite some time. I can't imagine why it hasn't been discovered here before now. Mind you, I think it was buried a while ago and hidden by rocks on top of it. The very high tide this winter seems to have undermined the grave area. We can only partially see some of the plastic shroud showing from beneath these rocks. Yes. We'll wait for you to come." Frank finally hung up and looked at Mary.
"Well. So much for getting away from work for a quiet holiday Down Under, love." He gave Mary a hug. "Let's sit in the sun on that nice rock over there while we wait for the cavalry to arrive."
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