Beneath the Coal family’s flawless facade lies a dynasty on the verge of
collapse. Luna Parks’ fragile marriage, riddled with secrets, ignites further
turmoil when an unwelcome guest arrives on the farm. Meanwhile, the
Fletchers tighten their sinister hold over Clanwilliam, forcing the advocate
to become the last line of defence. As Cameron Coal faces an impossible
choice, love threatens to become both salvation and downfall. Against
South Africa’s tumultuous rural backdrop, power, corruption, and legacy
collide. With every twist, loyalties fracture, the truth unravels, and the cost
of justice grows higher. Who will survive when betrayal meets destiny?
Prologue
If the ocean could speak, the waves would scream louder.
His hand stuck out slightly above the water, too far to see and too cold to stay under. He was trying to reach out, to seek help. All he could think about were his girls. His life was not supposed to end like this; he could feel his soul leaving his almost frozen body. Flashbacks to all the years he had spent in these waters that were now claiming his last breath. So many years spent out here; surely, he could still save himself? But he couldn’t fight any longer; something was dragging him down …
With every scream, the icy water pulled him down further. His toes were turning blue and his body sinking like a heavy trunk.
There she was, just staring right back at him.
Her eyes searched around for a moment and the touch of the screaming child brought her back.
‘I can hear it. The waters. It’s dark! He is in there!’ the little girl called out, her voice breaking with every word.
Yet, she stayed silent.
‘Please!’ The little girl tried pulling the woman closer to the water.
‘Hush!’ the woman said harshly.
They watched him being swallowed, the ocean unsympathetic and rough; the night had come to take what it was owed. The darkness hovered over them like a thick blanket. The little girl was in a panic, tortured by the echoes of the waves and the wind. She had never felt like this before; she was an unwelcome visitor. Death was roaming around her. Mia called out for her father, not knowing where he was. Desperate pleas as she screamed from her belly. Screams that could tear down mountains. She wanted to see his face, but that hope was taken by the firm hand of the one who stood beside her, motionless.
Hands stretched out into the wind. Her body trembling with fear. The overwhelming feeling of terror. Mia couldn’t feel his hot breath anymore. All she could hear was his voice in the distance, slowly fading with the waves. She knew Luna was right there, but she was saying nothing. Mia begged her, but the woman didn’t move. The sand was covering Mia’s feet, pulling her back. She wanted to run to him, but she didn’t know where to go. She fell onto the sand and tried searching for direction with her hands, but it was like searching for sugar among broken glass.
The waves were now a violent roar. Her father was being consumed by them, turning into a mannequin. It was as if time had stopped, waves eating at her from all sides; she, too, could be taken by them. She had no thoughts other than the deep desire to save him. Yet his dear wife just looked on.
‘Help him!’ she cried out. ‘Why don’t you help him? Find him, Miss Parks!’
But the woman did nothing. It was as if she was waiting for his demise. She stood there as if she were watching the sunset and not her drowning husband.
‘Please! Please help him!’
Cam had called for her, but his pleas went unanswered. His last breath was captured by the waves as they took all that he was. The ocean wanted him, to consume him, to pull him under.
“He held up the picture with his left hand, trying not
to attract attention to the scars on the back of it.”
Chapter 1
How sweet was the sound of freedom when no one spoke.
One year after the Coal wedding
Rondebelt Hotel bar, Clanwilliam
The beer he tasted on his lips was the symbol of his freedom, he thought as he scoped the room. Why was he here again? He couldn’t tell. It had been just two hours since his release from prison for illegal gun possession, which had somehow been his saving grace. It had kept him out of sight during the investigation into Amora’s death. He would carry her death on his shoulders and, once again, the police were stuck with a cold case. No suspects. Life had continued as if no one cared about him.
He took another slow sip of his beer and then went through the plastic bag that contained his belongings, taken away on his arrest. An old Fossil watch that his sister had given him, a year before her suicide, his wallet, which contained a group picture of his days at the Navy base with Ryan and Cam. They had once been an untouchable trio. He held up the picture with his left hand, trying not to attract attention to the scars on the back of it. The right hand was worse; the searing heat of the flames had consumed most of the skin.
As Seth looked at the picture, Amora was still on his mind. This was the same bar where he had first met her. His father, Sly, had said little about his arrest, but Cam had made a point of telling everyone about it. Seth shook his head in anger and placed the picture on the bar counter.
‘Egotistical animal,’ he said under his breath. He pulled out the keys to the boarding house from the plastic bag and put them in the pocket of his leather jacket.
The barman glanced at Seth, who nodded a request for another beer. When it came, he and the barman started talking about Sly’s gun shop and the new nurses who were now staying at his boarding house. Getting bored, Seth moved on to another topic.
‘That nurse, the one who’s married to Captain Coal … Does she ever come here?’ He rubbed the beer glass gently, trying not to seem too inquisitive. The young barman looked around to check if anyone was listening.
‘Well, sir, she doesn’t drink. I don’t know much about her, but she is a lovely lady, always carrying around her baby. She shows her off like a trophy or something.’
‘Oh. You don’t say. So, they did have that baby after all,’ Seth said coldly.
‘Everyone in town knows baby Emily,’ the barman said. ‘Nurse Luna is very kind; she doesn’t really socialise, but we see her around from time to time. Once, John Coal brought the baby here and she nearly lost her mind; she almost killed all of us. She is a feisty one.’ The young man giggled at the memory but didn’t notice the disgust on Seth’s face.
‘What about Cameron Coal? When did you last see him?’ Seth asked outright. The young man looked at him, too scared to ask about the bruise on his face and the dusty leather jacket he was wearing. It wasn’t unusual for people to ask about Cam, but this man wasn’t like the many drunk farmers the barman served. He was creepy; his eyes were dark, his voice hard and stern. He looked battered and worn out and as if he couldn’t afford the beers he was drinking.
The barman tried not to trigger him, but something about the man increased the barman’s need to hold back the information he sought. The way in which he kept his gaze on him made him rethink his answer. He certainly wasn’t a regular. But what the hell, Cameron was a good man. So, the barman brushed off the shivers.
‘The famous captain … funny that you mention him today. I saw him on the television news this morning. I think they were taking in a new consignment of Navy cadets. The captain was interviewed about their training, and he thanked the people of Simon’s Town for their support. He also talked about his wife and children. He is a proud man. He gave a good speech overall; I wouldn’t mind being like him one day.
‘He is a hero to us, the young people of Clanwilliam. We don’t have many men like him here, so we all look up to him. Even though we haven’t seen much of him lately. I think they’re going back to sea again soon. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live on the ocean for months at a time. They are undertaking another research trip as far as I know; I can’t remember exactly what he said towards the end of the interview.’
“The barman felt as if old rubber was cutting into his skin;
he looked at Seth with fear in his eyes.”
All Seth could hear was how forgotten he had become. No one bothered to ask him about his service in the army and Navy; he was equally worth celebrating. Not that the barman knew who Seth was, of course, but still … Seth had made Cameron what he was.
Seth took another long sip of his beer and looked around him. The Rondebelt Hotel bar was busy, as the heat of the summer had driven many of the locals into the air-conditioned room. Young and old were lined up at the bar, waiting to be served.
Seth felt lost; he had not come back here since Amora’s death and his time in jail did not help his current state of mind. He had thought that Cam would help get him released, but he had left him in the lurch once again. No one can truly explain the nature of jail and he didn’t really want to talk about it. His own father never visited him either; all he did was send him a few bars of soap and cigarettes once a month. So, here he was, a fallen Navy officer.
‘It’s a busy day around here,’ Seth said. ‘It wasn’t like this when I was here last.’
‘It’s just another day, sir. People drink to forget their problems. We take what we can get.’
‘How many people work here?’
‘Are you from around here? I haven’t seen you here before, but I do work shifts. You don’t look too good, if I may say so.’
Sweat was running down Seth’s face. He was hiding his one hand under the bar counter and feverishly sipping his beer with the other.
‘Around, yes. Jobs?’ He tapped his leg under the counter so many times that it caught another patron’s attention.
‘You are a little old to work here,’ the barman said. ‘I doubt Mrs Rose will give you a job. Besides, men like you work in Cape Town. This is a small town; I doubt you will get a good job if you are not connected in some way. What can you even do?’
The young man laughed as he watched Seth finish his second beer. There was no way he would fit in here. He looked like a thug; a lost, bedraggled cat. Yet, strong and big enough to move a truck.
‘You say that Mrs Rose runs this place? Where is she now?’ Seth asked curtly. He had too much on his mind to entertain the young man’s salty words.
‘She pops in from time to time, but mostly at night when the girls arrive.’
‘What girls?’ Seth looked around; he couldn’t see any female waiters.
‘The dancers. They come on Fridays and Saturdays. Entertainment. You know.’ The barman winked at Seth. Seth reached out and grabbed his arm, almost pulling him down. The barman felt as if old rubber was cutting into his skin; he looked at Seth with fear in his eyes.
‘Find me something to do around here. Plumbing, security, even management. This place needs me.’ It was a demand.
‘Sir, I don’t own this place.’ The barman’s voice broke into a panic. ‘We are not hiring new staff right now. I also just started here a couple of months ago. Business is not that good during the week. Try the garage or somewhere else in town. And let go of my arm. I have a job to do.’
He jerked his arm away and surveyed the damage. Seth had gripped him so hard that his wrist had turned red. At that moment, visuals of Amora hit Seth like a ton of bricks. Her big eyes magnified by her huge round glasses, her loud voice and her larger-than-life personality … The memory disturbed him; she was always with him, and he was sick of it. Side by side with his dead sister. Their ghosts kept him awake at night.
Extracted from The Advocate by Jackie Phamotse, out now.
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