The Dark Side of Paradise

The devastating telephone call in the night, leaves Catherine reeling at the news of her beloved sister's suspicious death in Samoa. Searching her sisters belongings and her memory for clues to the events that lead up to the tragedy, Catherine uncovers a sinister plot, and with the help of David Harris, the New Zealand police detective, will they uncover the truth?

Sneak Peak

The Dark Side of Paradise 

Chapter One:

The Telephone Call

Why is it that the ringing of the telephone in the early hours of the morning makes one so uneasy? Probably because one is usually in a deep sleep, and it takes several moments to decide if you are dreaming or really awake. 

Then there is the other problem to remember where one is, well that may not happen to people who stay in the same bed, or the same house. But to someone who is travelling so much, you have to remember where you are, which side of the bed is the wall, or you will try and go through the wall to put your feet on the ground.

This I have done many a time, and the wall gives a loud crack as I try unsuccessfully to push through it. That is why it is a good idea to sleep with a torch under the pillow. So the first reaction is to find the torch, turn it on and then sit up and see exactly the layout of the room.

Very few rooms have a table light, usually the only light is near the door for some reason. Probably as it is easier to turn a switch on as you enter a room, but you have to re-cross the room to turn it off again.

More modern houses have a light over the bed, so the golden rule is to take notice of the layout of the room before you go to bed. Of course if you’re travelling this is most important as there is always the fear of fire.

The regular traveler usually looks for a rear room to be away from street noises, and a room near the ground. The stairwell is another important factor. Nearly all hotels say, do not use lifts in an emergency instead use the stairs. 

So who wants to run down twenty or more flights of stairs in the dark? Anyway by this time you will have all the floors below you using the same stairs so you may as well forget about it.

The ringing continued and instead of thinking ‘is this all a dream’, my arm slid under the pillow for my torch. Good I realized that I was in my own bed, putting my feet to the carpet and taking a deep breath, I wandered out into the study. 

I think a telephone by the bed is an excellent idea, except when wrong numbers call during the night, better to take it off the hook.  This is another dangerous situation as you would not be able to take an urgent call, which this one maybe now. ‘Oh dear who is ringing at this time?’ goes through my mind.