THE SENTINEL

By Tessa Harvey 


    He could not see past the wasted years. How he had drifted from country to country restless, sent here, there, everywhere because he was single and available.

    John could still vividly recall the brief letter. She, Eliza, could not even phone or allow him to visit her and try to understand - until he finished his training. That was the promise. Not long, really. 

    He had been faithful, certain then of her love. But the man with the silver tongue, the looks, the charm had won. The bitterness was the man was fake.

    The ambulance was at the local hospital already, Whitehaven, the nearby seaside town and harbour.

    Knowing he would have to wait, John Dixon rang the school where the letters in the glovebox had shown Sylvia's workplace - or was she still a student? She was listed as Sylvia Tyson.

    A woman answered. "Ashfield School Office!" He explained where he was, and why - just cold, brief facts. The principal came on the line. She was quick to comprehend, intelligent and sensitive. She did not know Theodor was listening, Sylvia's little brother.

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