The Tower Grave Read Online Free PDF Page A

Dad,” he said grinning.
                  Holly’s head whipped around as she saw her father and she smiled.
                  “Dad!” she said. “What are you doing here?”
                  “Oh I just popped in. What boyfriend is this, Hol?”
                  “Robbie,” she said quietly, turning red.
                  “Is he in your class?”
                  “No, Dad, he’s left school,” she said rolling her eyes, making John smile.
                  “Left school?” he asked.
                  “Only just, John,” Sophie added. “He’s sitting his GCSE’s. Anyway, he’s a nice boy.”
                  “Mum, he’s gorgeous,” Holly said, walking out the door.
                  “Hol, wait, Daniel?” John said, gathering them in. “I need to speak to you please.”
                  The three of them walked outside to the garden leaving Sophie sitting still in the kitchen with a nervous look on her face. As he went through the back door to their patio, John looked back and caught a reassuring smile from her. He smiled back thankfully. She approved. The one person whose approval he had always required, and she did, of a job that shook him with fear. Feeling better, he sat the kids down and started.
                  “I just wanted to talk to you before I go away. I’ve been sent on a work job and will be away for a little bit. Not for long though!” he added quickly as he saw their faces drop. “And not like before either, I promise. It’s just a short one. I’m on a training course not far away, and I’ll be in touch and able to visit throughout that. But it’s when I’m away afterwards that I wanted to talk to you about. It’s only for the day but a lot can happen in a day. And this job, well it’s particularly difficult, particularly dangerous. I just want you both to know I love you very much and you’re the most important things in the whole world to me. You two and your mum.”
                  “Why are you talking like that?” Holly asked as her eyes filled with tears. “You’re not going to die or anything, are you?”
                  “No, Hol, I’m not. But if anything happens, just know I would never take a risk of losing you, or you losing me, unless I had no choice. And in this I have no choice. This is for us; in the long run at least. Now don’t be upset, it will be fine, and it’s only for a day. Let’s just spend some time together, eh?”
                  Together the three of them walked across the road outside their house and down to the estuary seafront and beach where they watched the kite-surfers ride the air as though they were puppets lifted and dropped by God. They walked for hours in the evening sun talking about school and friends while the joggers and cyclists shot past in their haste. With the days at their longest, they stayed out until the air turned cooler then spent the rest of the evening together at their favourite Italian restaurant nearby. While they were out, Sophie sat in her bedroom looking through the divorce paperwork she had prepared for the next time she saw John. Caught by the unexpected prospect of losing him forever and the emotions that came with it, she slowly put them back into their envelope and replaced them in her drawer. ‘They could wait,’ she thought as she blew through her cheeks and pushed the drawer closed.
                  Later as the four of them said goodbye, John struggled to hold a strong face to ease the parting and was thankful that Steve had remained at work. The children wept gently as they shared a cuddle; then as he turned to Sophie, she leant forward, kissed him once on the lips and smiled, her eyes glistening.
                  “Take care of yourself, ok?” she asked. “These kids need