ROMANTIC SUSPENSE : DEATH WHISPERED SOFTLY Read online

  DEATH WHISPERED SOFTLY

  ----Oliver Anderson & Maddie Grace

  This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author. Copyright © 2013 Oliver Anderson & Maddie Grace. All rights reserved.

  This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  New York! An intoxicating city where one could get lost in the midst of the excitement of Wall Street, the glitz of Broadway, and the serenity of Central Park. Where just about anything can happen, and it does.

  And New York was the city Sherman Kingsbury chose to live and accomplish his dream. Kingsbury was a well-known self-made millionaire who owned a chain of cafes spread throughout the cities of New York and New Jersey.

  With his keen eye for business he was smart to realize that the heavily populated cities of New York with their booming businesses, overworked employees, and Wall Street Executives simply couldn’t do without coffee! He knew from experience that coffee was the “fuel” that powered working individuals and helped them get through their day. And when the New Yorkers needed a coffee break, Kingsbury wanted to make sure they got their fill at his café. To achieve this, Kingsbury had a vision of establishing a string of cafes all over the Big Apple, especially in the commercial areas which teemed with offices and businesses.

  Working tirelessly for years, Kingsbury finally accomplished his dream at the age of fifty-six, when he became the proud owner of thirty upscale strategically located cafes which served several kinds of coffees, teas, delectable sandwiches, and plenty of other good stuff which could give Starbucks a run for their money.

  New Yorkers loved the coffee and the ambience of Kingsbury’s cafes, and before he knew it, word of mouth had spread like wildfire about his delicious fare and amazing coffees.

  His customers enjoyed quality entertainment – and the much needed relief – as they took a break from their busy days. And soon enough Kingsbury’s cafes became the most popular place for New Yorkers to take their coffee break.

  Through sheer hard work, perseverance, and clever utilization of his creativity, Kingsbury had succeeded in realizing his vision – establishing a chain of cafes, which in turn made him remarkably wealthy, fulfilled and proud.

  Kingsbury had everything a man could want from life. He had a kind, caring, and loving wife Sarah, with whom he had spent thirty years of his life. Kingsbury was crazy about his wife and simply adored her. Their life and love was one that most people longed for. They had only one child, Grace—the apple of their eyes.

  But as fate would have it, Sarah passed away at the age of forty-three, falling victim to a tragic car accident, leaving her broken-hearted husband and their fifteen year old daughter Grace behind to grieve after her.

  Sherman Kingsbury was a man of great inner strength and he knew that even though he wanted to cry out in anguish for the loss of Sarah, he could not allow it to consume him.

  He had to be strong, not only for his painstakingly established businesses and employees that relied on him, but also for his darling daughter Grace, so that she may not be too traumatized by the searing loss of her mother. For he had lost his wife and his teenaged daughter had lost her mother, someone she desperately loved and needed.

  From the very day Sarah passed away, Sherman Kingsbury became both, mother and father to Grace. His wife’s sudden and unanticipated death brought him even closer to his daughter, and Kingsbury left no stone unturned in raising his daughter exactly as his wife would have liked him to. He made sure he spent quality time with Grace each day, and provided her with the education, love and attention his beloved Sarah would have been proud of.

  Sherman Kingsbury’s courage, resilience, and love prevailed over the tragedy. Grace was able to get over her mother’s tragic demise, and get on with life – thanks to her father’s steadfast and resolute efforts. Time passed, and eight years after Sarah’s death, Grace received her Masters of Business Administration from a prestigious school of management, and she joined her father’s business soon after.

  Kingsbury was more than glad to have his smart and able daughter help him out with his business. He enjoyed an exceptional rapport with his daughter and soon they became well-matched and like-minded business partners. They worked in tandem forming an incredible synergy, which invariably culminated in (further) growth and profit.

  Kingsbury soon realized that his daughter was much like him in business – sharp, creative, hardworking and smart. She was quick to spot opportunities for growth and expansion, while being exceedingly prudent and frugal with the finances.

  Within a couple of years of Grace joining her father’s business, Sherman Kingsbury’s company had grown exponentially, and so did his company’s profits.

  Sherman Kingsbury’s net worth had trebled from fifteen million dollars to forty-five million dollars in less than two years due to Grace’s keen business sense and assiduous efforts. This made Kingsbury awfully proud of his daughter’s business acumen, and adept administrative skills.

  But not all was glowing in Grace Kingsbury’s life. As successful as she was in business, Grace’s love life was as placid as a lake, neither exciting nor thriving. Although she had dated in the last few years, she never found anyone that fit the picture she had formed in her mind of a true and magical love. A love that would make her heart skip a beat; a love and a companionship in which she would feel a deep connection. And although she was deeply involved in her father’s vast and flourishing business, Grace was suffering the pangs of loneliness from a loveless life.

  Ironically, it was Sherman Kingsbury who was the cause for her loneliness. Grace was so obsessed with her father’s enigmatic personality, that she wanted her man to be much like her father—smart, elegant, witty and wise. However the men she dated, although nice people simply waned in comparison with her father. And hence in spite of being remarkably beautiful, successful, and rich, Grace had no man to share her life with. This made her feel utterly empty at times.

  Her beauty was mesmerizing and turned many a head as she walked by! She had soft wavy brown hair that adorned her shoulders. She had sharp features and high cheek bones – which she inherited from her mother. Her complexion was pink and flawless, and she had dreamy violet colored eyes that were deep set and hypnotic. Her eyes sharply enhanced her beauty. Many women were jealous of her looks, but she was neither arrogant nor vain about her looks, her wealth, or achievements. In fact she was friendly, down-to-earth and humble. Humility came naturally to Grace due to the adroit teaching of her wise parents

  “Grace, fewer things have caused a greater fall of man than pride. Remember always my daughter pride is a deadly emotion which often places itself between people and their goals. Be mindful of this truth always my child, throw pride out of your life, and replace it with humility and prudence” her wise father would teach her.

  But paradoxically her attributes were now working against her. Grace was so utterly absorbed in her work that it didn’t leave her much time for a personal life. Besides, it was not easy for a girl of her beauty, affluence, and prowess to find a man who could complement her and not be suspect to taking advantage of her.

  But Grace was not disheartened. She knew that time was on her side, she was barely twenty-five and a lifetime
lay ahead of her. She was confident that eventually she would find a man who’d meet her expectations and capture her heart. But the future was still far away, and each day Grace found herself coming home to a painful silence, feeling extremely lonely. The agonizing silence increased as time went by, leaving Grace unbearably lonely.

  CHAPTER II

  It was a beautiful fall day; the sun was shining and the reflection off the windows of the towering buildings nearby sparkled like diamonds. The magnificent view afforded Grace – who was at her office – an opportunity to forget her dreadful loneliness, which had threatened to engulf her existence, but provided the tranquility to admire the glorious splendor of New York’s early autumn landscape.

  On this day however, barely a week after she had celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday, Grace received a phone call that not only disturbed her moment of serenity, but would shake the very foundation of her world. It was one of those calls that froze time and space. A phone call which would be forever engrained on her heart, one she would never forget her entire life.

  “Is this Miss Kingsbury?” A lady’s calm but solemn voice on the phone greeted Grace. The moment she heard the lady’s voice she instinctively knew something bad had happened.

  And when the lady on the phone identified herself as a nurse from a nearby hospital, it only confirmed her apprehensions, and she braced for the bad news.

  “Ms. Kingsbury; Grace, your father has suffered a massive heart attack. I am afraid his condition is rather precarious. You must come here as soon you can.” Mr. Kingsbury, a generous benefactor of the hospital was well known by the staff and although it unusual for a nurse to go onto detail over the phone, Grace was also like family to the head nurse that made the call.

  Grace stood motionless as she listened to the nurse explain that while the chauffeur was driving her father to his office, he was struck with a searing pain that ripped across his chest. He had struggled for breath and a heavy sweat had broken out on his forehead.

  “Mr. Kingsbury knew something was terribly wrong and ordered his chauffeur to take him straight to the hospital. He was well acquainted with many of the doctors here and knew this would be the place to get expert care. Your father was such a fine man Miss Kingsbury…”and her well controlled voice trailed off.

  Was such a fine man? Why was the nurse talking about her father in past tense? Grace wondered angrily. Was it possible that her father had… No it couldn’t be!

  Grace was even scared to think about her father in that way. And she was much too frightened to ask the nurse. So she put down the phone – her hands trembling.

  The last moments of Sherman Kingsbury had been as dramatic as his life itself. While he was on the way to the office, where Grace was waiting for him, he had suffered a massive heart attack. In what seemed like the longest ride of his life, Kingsbury’s steel like demeanor was reduced to that of a helpless child. He knew something bad was happening to him, something life threatening. His thoughts turned almost instantaneously to his most precious possession, Grace! What about his Grace? But even before Kingsbury could arrive at the hospital, he had lapsed into unconsciousness and by the time a doctor could see him, he was already dead.

  Kingsbury, who had never lost to a business rival, was no match for the deadly heart attack which claimed his life in a matter of minutes, leaving his grief-stricken daughter to take care of herself along with the vast and flourishing business he had left behind.

  Her father’s death was the second major tragedy that had accosted Grace Kingsbury, turning her life upside down and thrusting her into the throngs of a business empire and a huge legacy.

  Although Grace was deeply affected by her mother’s unexpected death, it was her father’s death that hit Grace real hard. She suddenly realized she was all alone! She was in great awe of her father. She didn’t just love and admire him, she simply adored the man. He was the ultimate hero in the eyes of his beautiful daughter. Everything about him was perfect to her. Sherman Kingsbury was admired by many for his business skills, his vision, and foresightedness. But it was not her father’s business triumphs or skills that Grace revered, but it was his humility, kindness and unpretentiousness which Grace really adored. The man was humble to the bone—despite his prominence.

  She was also tickled by his child like antics when he had the occasional drink! Everything about Sherman Kingsbury seemed to be picture perfect in the eyes of his loving and devoted daughter. The man seemed to overflow with wisdom and knowledge, and shared it generously with his appreciative daughter. Sherman Kingsbury was thus not only Grace’s father but he was her hero and best friend as well. Grace felt horribly alone, now that he was gone. “How can I deal with life without him?” She pondered broken-heartedly. “There is no one to teach me; none to hold my hands in my grief and loss, and no one to comfort me”

  Although Grace was a competent businessperson herself, she had great trouble coping with her father’s death. Although she was not shattered, she was considerably shaken up by his death. It sent her into the pits of melancholy. And within a month of his death, Grace found herself struggling with grief and despair. It wasn’t long before she fell into the depths of depression that threatened to uproot her life, and the business, which her father had so painstakingly built.

  But in spite of her circumstances, the brave girl was acutely aware that she would deeply disappoint her father—wherever he was—if she let his legacy, his business crumble. And she was determined not to let her father down. This determination, arising out of her love for her father, enabled her to manage the business…his business, which bonded them together and keep it going.

  Although surrounded by the demands of the business she found herself falling deeper into the deafening silence that was her life. She started cutting down her hours at the office and was now spending more and more time alone, consumed with the memories of her father and mother, thoughts that brought her great joy and deep pain.

  She was quite bewildered how God (or was it fate?) could possibly have been so cruel to take away the two persons she loved with all her heart and soul, and who mattered to her the most.

  She remembered that her father had taught her (and kept reminding her consistently) that the only way one could be competitive and successful in life was by being tough, practical and prudent. He had taught Grace that although emotions were a fine trait of the human race, it were (negative) emotions, like fear, pride, anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, which caused the downfall of many a man. “If one wants to be successful, one has to elect prudence, practicality, and diligence over sentiments and feelings.” “Emotions are the greatest enemy of profit and success my child” her father would reiterate from time to time, as if he had a premonition, that something would happen to him, leaving his daughter alone to face the unkind and unforgiving world– all by herself.

  In these moments of profound emotional upheaval, Grace remembered her father’s words affectionately and tried her best to live by prudence and level-headedness—as her father would want her to—rather than allowing the emotions of grief, loneliness, and bitterness to inundate her life.

  But hard as she tried, Grace struggled with her emotions and she couldn’t completely overcome her loneliness. She longed more and more for the love and company of a man, the man she had dreamed of so often, her prince charming. The success, the wealth, the power—that came with a business empire— was unable to fill the void felt in her heart and in her life.

  How could she cope with her wretched lonesomeness, she would ponder. She tried many things to dilute her sorrows and reduce her emptiness, but nothing worked well enough. None except one…

  Grace sought the comfort and sanctuary of one of her company’s Cafes situated in a deserted part of the city, where there was hardly anybody after nine pm. She frequented this café each evening after ten pm. After a long and arduous day’s work, Grace found refuge in this lonely café – away from the hustle and bustle of the city. She found relief and solace from her emo
tional torment, as she played the piano placed in the corner of the café, for hours and hours, over five or six cups of coffee, and couple of brandy shots, until she was too tired to play. The music would somehow envelop her troubles and help her forget her grief.

  She would then pick her fatigued self-up and drive home, which was ten miles away, get into bed and fall into a deep sleep—caused by sheer exhaustion.

  Grace was extremely grateful to her father for according her everything: love, education, wisdom, business and mentoring. But she had no idea it would be this lonely café situated in a sleepy part of the city that would one day become her sanctuary and save her life…literally.

  Ironically, when her father had decided to open a café at this deserted place, it was Grace who had passionately tried to dissuade her father from opening the café in this part of town. It was located in a deserted area and one could hardly spot a soul on the street after nine pm. “Who will come to this desolate café?” she would ask her father. But stubborn as he was, he somehow felt that it had promise and obdurately stuck to his decision assuring her “My daughter you may not see it today, but someday you will realize how profitable it was to set up this café. One of these days it will prove to be more treasurable than some of the other cafes we own. “When you establish a business, you don’t just look at the present Grace, but you also look at the future—and I see a good future here” he would affectionately say.

  With a wry smile Grace realized how prophetic those words had proved to be. Indeed in these moments of grief and despair, this little café had become more precious to her than any other thing in the world. “Daddy did you know this too?” Grace would ask her father, looking up at the night’s sky blanketed with stars—here she felt closeness to him.