The main characters are:
Carl Anderson, Linda Anderson, Mary Banks, Police Constable (PC) Grant, Melissa, John, Tom Parker, Bill Parker
Carl Anderson : a businessman. He lives and works in London.
Linda Anderson : Carl’s wife. She buys the house by the sea.
Mary Banks : the owner of the Ancient Mariner pub in Little Moreton.
Police Constable (PC) Grant : the young policeman in Great Moreton
Melissa : a friend of Linda’s
John : a journalist and old friend of Carl’s – they went to university together
Tom Parker : he lives in a car on the beach in Little Moreton.
Bill Parker : Tom’s brother and a taxi driver in Little Moreton.
The summary
Carl was in the pub the Jolly Sailor. Carl saw there his old friend John from the university. Carl and John were both unhappy. Carl told John about Linda: Carl was always working, even in the weekends. The flat was always full with Linda’s friends, but it was good so. It was Linda’s idea to buy the house by the sea. It was going to be a place were they could go to together at weekends Carl found it a good idea.
When the house was completely ready, Linda wanted Carl to go down and see how pretty it was looking. Unfortunately Carl had an important meeting in Paris and he couldn’t go to the house.
Linda was the next few weeks very angry with Carl. Then, one evening, she didn’t come home from work. She phoned Carl that she would stay with her friend Melissa.
Carl was angry, but he didn’t know what to do. He wanted Linda to come back. On Friday phoned Carl Melissa’s house.
Carl asked Linda to go to the house by the sea in the weekend so they could talk. Linda said that she would come after her office party that evening and she would meet him in the house.
Carl could pick up Linda from the station, when Linda was on the station she could ring up Carl in the pub.
For the first time in months Carl left work early and drove to little Moreton.
On the way he stopped and bought champagne
He arrived and put his bag in the bedroom. Linda had left clothes and shoes behind. It was like a real home to her.
Carl went to put the champagne in the fridge. Linda had forgotten to empty it before she left. There was cheese and eggs. Carl thought they would smell horrible, but they didn’t. That was a little strange.
Then Carl read the newspaper. One story in the newspaper interested Carl. It was a story about a woman’s body, or part of it, that was found in the river Deben near Woodbridge. Carl knew were the river was.
Carl decided to go to the pub Ancient Mariner and to wait for Linda’s phone.
He was there the whole day. He talked with Mary Banks the owner from the pub and he eats food and drinks. Then the phone rang… It was for mad Tom, he was not in the pub, and 5 minutes later came mad Tom. It was a large man, with a lot of black hair that fell over his eyes and he was rather dirty. . Mary told Carl that Tom drives a taxi, but nobody trusted mad Tom. Carl thought about Linda.
Carl was worried, he goes home maybe Linda was there…no. He goes to the station but Linda was also not there. Carl says to himself she’s enjoying herself and just forgot the time. Carl goes to the pub. It was closing time but he walked to the pub and heard a voice “ who’s there” Carl gave an answer. Carl was allowed near inside. Mary and Carl talked about Linda and mad Tom. Tom used to live in the house Linda and Carl bought. Tom had to move out when his father died.
Mary was sure Tom wouldn’t hurt Linda.
Mary asked Tom to stay the night. It was 7 o’clock when Carl woke up, Carl couldn’t sleep. Carl goes to the beach, Carl walked on the beach and found a pair of shoes, and maybe the shoes are from Linda thought Carl. Carl goes to the pub. Meanwhile Mary has told the postman about Linda. The postman saw Linda yesterday on the Woodbridge. When Carl heard that. He thought Linda was dead, he looked at the shoes, the shoes were size 4 and Linda had size 4. He goes to the beach.
Carl saw an object at the beach; it looked like a body but is was a fish. Then he found a shoe. It had blood on it, and it was the same shoe as in the car on the beach
Carl goes to the pub and told everything what he saw.
He told Mary that he thought the fish was Linda.
Mary tells him to phone to London and find out where she really is.
Carl phoned the flat, but there was nobody there. He phoned to Melissa too and her answer phone was still on.
Carl was worried. He thought something has happened to his wife.
Mary called PC Grant, the policeman in Moreton
In the car home Carl thought about everything, maybe was Linda in the house by the sea, but there was nobody. The policeman arrived a few minutes later. Carl told about Linda and gave him a picture, he told about the shoes too.
Carl asked the policeman about Tom Parker, he lost his father and thinks that his father will come back.
The policeman is sure Tom wouldn’t hurt anybody.
Carl is sure Tom has been in the house.
The policeman told Carl to keep the house locked and goes.
Carl thought he could phone to London, but he first wanted a bath and clean clothes. Carl goes to the bedroom in his bed was blood … Carl screamed and cried He goes slowly to the bed and looked. It’s been the dead fish from the beach. Carl goes to the pub he told about the fish to Mary. Mary phoned the doctor and the police. The doctor gave pills. Mary tells the story to the police. Then Mary goes to work and the police told Carl that Tom dropped the fish in his bed. Tom thought that the fish was not a fish but his father.
Carl phoned Linda’s parents, but the parents from Linda didn’t know where she was. Her mother only knew that Linda felt unhappy.
Carl asked Mary about Tom ‘s girlfriend. Mary told about her, she was called jenny. She didn’t loved Tom, she loved Bill his brother. A few weeks later she was found dead in a river. Carl en Mary goes to the house by the sea. There was a letter for Carl. Carl watched the letter and saw that the letter was from Linda.
Carl thought that someone has made her write the letter. She could be dead. Carl didn't know what to do. Mary and Carl told the police about the letter.
Carl goes back to London. He tries to talk with Melissa, but Melissa was very angry with Carl.
In the kitchen of his flat he found two dirty cups in the ink. Carl was sure he had not left them there. On the wardrobe he found a yellow dress. Carl was sure she had come back to the flat during the weekend
The telephone rang, it was Mary; she wanted to see if Carl was all right.
A few days later the Great Moreton police rang up. They discovered a body on the beach. It was the body of Tom Parker.
The police asked Carl to come to Little Morton. When Carl arrived in the evening he don’t go the house by the sea he goes to the pub. Carl and Mary have a conversation about Tom. Carl goes to the police station. Carl gives answers up the questions of the policeman. Carl told about Linda. When he saw her for the last time.
Carl goes to the house by the sea. Carl heard a sound in the house, and Carl said, “ Who’s there?” Linda answered. Carl was happy but Linda said we must talk. Linda tells him why she wants a divorce. She loves someone else, Bill Parker.
Linda tells her story. She met the man in the house by the sea. When she came there she forgot about her life in London
The dead of Tom Parker was her fault too.
Tom was in love with Jenny. When she drowned Tom was very unhappy. He spent a lot of time down on the beach looking out to sea. He slept in a car. Than he began to come to the house. His father old house. When he saw Linda he thought it was Jenny. When Linda got of the train at Woodbridge Tom saw her. He knew then it wasn’t Jenny. He took his brother’s taxi and drove to Little Moreton to wait for Jenny at the house. That’s when Tom saw Carl. He wasn’t well. When he saw the fish on the beach he wanted it to be his father. He somehow knew his father wasn’t coming back, so he went out to sea to find him. That’s when he drowned.
Linda goes to the police to tell them everything.
John and Carl talked about Linda till the pub closed. Carl left and after he turned the corner the barman came out of the pub with a bag in his hand. The bag was from Carl. John looked in the bag. There was the yellow dress and the yellow shoes.
Not long ago, John is married, he is very happy. His wife found later the bag in a cupboard. John tells the story about Carl and Linda to his wife. So they never forget how easy it is to lose thing you love.