By Karen McCarraher
Bone Whispers by Rosalind Brackenbury is the story of 70-year-old Nessa who has come to Dorset, England to oversee repairs to her grandmother’s summer house. Just after she arrives, the local paper reports that human bones were found on the beach at the base of a cliff. Nessa seems to feel a little niggling in her brain. She thinks she should know something about this but just can’t put her finger on what. As the days go by, the paper reports that the bones were identified as that of a woman, approximately 30 years old.
Nessa begins to think back to her childhood summers spent here at the beach. She, her younger brother, and her cousin Anabelle would leave the house early and play on the beach or on the moor. No one ever stopped them as long as they were home for meals. They met two boys who lived in the nearby village—Roger and Ted. They all played together—games such as “spy.” They liked to follow a certain young couple who visited on the weekends. One day, Nessa went to the hotel looking for Roger (who lived there because his father was the manager). He was not home but on her way out, she ran into the young couple that they used to follow around playing “spy.” The young woman introduced herself as Magda and asked Nessa for directions to one of the local beaches. Eleven-year-old Nessa began to think that this couple weren’t spies at all; but she would not tell her playmates because she was afraid they would laugh at her. One day the group of five was on the moor, near the cliff edge. They saw the young couple going down to the beach. The woman laid on the sand and the man on top of her (they were making love but the children, being children, did not realize this). They began dropping pebbles and clumps of dirt down on the couple just for fun. All of a sudden, the cliff edge gave way and rocks and dirt tumbled down. The children stepped back just in time. When they looked down, all they could see was a pile of dirt. Anabelle made them all swear to secrecy. Everyone went home and she reminded them they were never there. Some villagers heard the rumble and came out to the beach. They rescued a young man who was unconscious and sent him to the hospital. Unfortunately, he died without regaining consciousness. That was the last time Nessa saw Roger or Ted. The summer was almost over and they went home. The next summer they were not allowed to play with the two boys.
Nessa began thinking more and more about that summer. She also remembered when she went to London for Anabelle’s older sister’s wedding. She tried to talk to Anabelle but she said she did not remember anything like that and they were never a part of anything like it. Life went on; Nessa went to college; got married; got divorced; went to the United States and married a man she met there and never returned to England until now. Her conscience was bothering her. She realized she knew whose bones had been discovered. It was Magda. She was unsure what to do. She went to the village to see if either of the boys still lived there. Roger had moved away but she found Ted. She asked him if he remembered that day. He told her a shocking story. It seems that Anabelle, although she had sworn them all to secrecy, told her parents who told the police. The police arrested Ted and he was tried for starting the avalanche. He spent three years in reform school.
Nessa was in a quandary. Should she go to the police and confess her own part in the accident? Should she tell them she knew the name of the deceased? They could check the hotel records to find her last name. What do you think she should do dear reader? The answer is in the final pages of this book.
Author Rosalind Brackenbury was born in London, England and grew up in the UK. She has been writing all her life and has published novels and poetry. She lives in Key West for with her American husband of over thirty years. She has a daughter and a son, both of whom live in the UK.
Bone Whisperers is published by Epicenter Press and available from amazon.com.