This book is no longer available. I am in the process of rewriting it.
From Phillipa Mitchell who assisted me with the book:
“I cannot tell you how proud I am to have worked on this book with the most incredible client. From start to finish, the Universe opened up the time for me to be able to take on this project which, under “normal” circumstances, would never have happened. And, as a further universal thumbs up, Amazon, who usually takes 2-3 days to approve a new book, approved it in 2 HOURS this evening.
This is a powerful work. Laura’s mother put it together after her daughter’s tragic suicide. It’s gut-wrenchingly sad.“
From Gregg Davies who designed the cover for the book:
“This book moved me deeply, from the first page right through to the moments before her tragic fall from the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa. To bear witness to the inner workings of the mind of this deeply troubled soul, a soul who was too fragile for this world and its expectations of her, left me feeling hollow inside. My heart goes out to Laura’s mother, Leona, who had to somehow summon the strength to gather her daughter’s written notes and letters together and find some way to read between the lines to make sense of something that seemed so senseless. Hauntingly sad and beautifully put together, this book will change you.”
20 March 2018, my post on Facebook.
“It has not been easy to edit, compile and write an introduction to ‘LAURA’S VOICE Whispers from an Angel’. It is a very personal story.
The tragedy of her death still echoes daily in my life, and her family’s lives.
Working with the very talented team of Phillipa Mitchell and Gregg Davies, this book was completed within days. I am very grateful to both of them for their extremely hard work and compassion and love for Laura. We all felt her with us on this journey, looking over us, checking what we were doing, even screaming at Phillipa.
Laura…my beautiful angel…”
Comments under my post:
Phillipa Mitchell
You’re incredibly courageous to have put this book together, Leona. It’s heartbreaking to piece together the memories of a human being who is no longer here and whose life ended so tragically. May her memory be immortalised between these pages. Thank you for trusting Gregg and I to add the finishing touches, it has been the greatest privilege. I’m sure that Laura is smiling now. I can’t hear any screaming at the moment, so she’s clearly happy with the end result 
Gregg Davies
I second every word Phillipa said above, and thank you and Laura for choosing us to work on her story. There’s been something special about this project and process, and it’s impact, since receiving your very first email Leona.
Leona Sykes
Thank you Gregg. I have included you in my response to Phillipa’s message. Laura definitely chose both of you to join on this journey. I could not believe how quickly you created the book cover. And it was so perfect, there weren’t any changes. It is very striking and I am very happy with it. I am sure that Laura is too. 
Elizabeth Bonnet
Much love and respect..such an achievement..I salute you Leona…and ..your duet co- team.. libbs
Leona Sykes
Thank you my earth angel for always being here for me and for reading the manuscript and endorsing Laura’s book. I know that you were deeply touched by what Laura wrote.
Elizabeth Bonnet
profoundly…and privileged to be a part of HER final journey..alongside you..Libby
Alain Vallot
Félicitations ma chère Léona quant à la finalisation de ce livre , important pour toi particulières pensées Gbisous..
Leona Sykes
Merci Al … et pour votre soutien dans ma tristesse au fil des ans. Ce livre devait être le deuxième livre. Je suis toujours occupé à écrire le ‘premier livre’. Mais je suis très heureux que le livre de Laura ait enfin été publié. C’est très, très triste. Merci encore Al
*******
From Laura
July 2014. Doha, Qatar.
So, my journey began with a man…Mubarak…
A man who opened me up to a world,
maybe an awakening,
that made me question everything in this world.
I feel like he has turned my life upside down,
for I feel confused, lost yet found,
but don’t know where to start.
Where your beliefs, religion, life, the world is questioned.
What is truelly right, and what is wrong?
Rules.
What are they?
To guide us or, to control us?
To live by them or to live by our own truth.
My soul is connected to him, yet I am not sure he is the devil himself,
or my angel and light,
as clashes between dark and light.
They say it is within the heart that truth and treasures lie,
yet to follow your heart can be your biggest downfall.
Love is truth,
yet it is also deceit and betrayal!!!
*******
INTRODUCTION – 2nd Edition
by Leona Sykes
My daughter Laura was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 1 July 1976, and spent her childhood years in South Africa and Portugal. After qualifying as a beauty therapist and masseuse in Johannesburg she left South Africa for Abu Dhabi in 2007, living mainly in the Middle East until her death by suicide in Dubai on 16 November 2014. She fell to her death from the At the Top Sky observation deck on the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa. She was thirty-eight years old. Her death was concealed by the government of Dubai but on 18 May 2015, an article written by Rob Davies of the Daily Mail was published.
“Exclusive: Heartbroken woman leaps to her death from the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – after relationship turns sour.”
Later in the day, the Dubai police through the government-controlled media, issued a statement: “No suicide at the Burj Khalifa, says Dubai Police. Official clarifies that woman killed herself from a building in Jumeirah Lakes Towers.”
Jumeirah Lakes Towers is 24,6 kilometres away from the Burj Khalifa.
As the story unfolded Rob Davies suggested that I publish the first page of the forensic report which was issued by the government of Dubai, onto my Google+ page.
“Circumstances: having received the phone call from Operations Office at Dubai Police, I moved to the balcony of third floor at Burj Khalifa on 16/11/2014, to find…”
Other international news agencies followed the story. A couple of the headlines.
“The final moments of Laura Nunes. Has the mega-rich Emirate, Dubai, been caught in a huge lie about the circumstances of the death of a tourist from a popular attraction.”
“Is Dubai trying to cover up woman’s death from top of the world’s tallest building? Mystery surrounds the tragic death of a woman who is said to have committed suicide from the world’s tallest building.
I was effectively called a liar by the Government of Dubai. The forensic report proved that the Government of Dubai was lying.
The Daily Mail was not interested in publishing a follow-up story in spite of the coroner’s report and a travesty of the truth.
I still had no closure.
On 7 November 2016 I received a message from Mark Saunokonoko on the Facebook page I had created for Laura, Laura Vanessa Nunes – The Cover-Up, upon my return from Dubai. He was an investigative journalist and was interested in writing the follow-up story that no other journalist or news agency was interested in pursuing.
On the third anniversary of Laura’s death, the story was published for 9news Australia.
“How rich Gulf emirate Dubai covered up woman’s suicide from top of Burj Khalifa.”
“A Freedom of Information request lodged with Portugal’s Foreign Ministry targeting communications inside their embassy in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, proved more fruitful. Portuguese emails obtained by Nine under Portugal’s freedom of information laws confirmed that Laura had jumped from the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa.” “The police called us on the morning of 17November and informed us of her death,” Camara told Nine. In response to how he knew Laura had leaped from the 148th floor, Camara said: The information was given to us when we asked where it had happened.”
I finally had closure.
*******
Extracts from Laura’s book.
Page 43, 19 December 2009. Zighy Bay, Oman.
“Your Eyes…
I have lost myself in them yet something real I have found…
deep.
They are going on for miles on end
on and on.
Will I find my way back
or will I be lost forever?”
*******
Page 51, March 2010, Dubai
“I am not strong enough to hold on anymore!!!
Your love I feel inside me
and in my heart you will always be
but sometimes to love someone enough
is to know when to let them go!!!”
*******
Page 60, 27 April 2010, Dubai.
“And the truth is that the darkness I feel
is not about me, but about us.
It is the darkness that surrounds you
which brings out the stillness in me
and awakens me.”
*******
Page 66, 3 June 2010, Saudi Arabia. Laura speaking about Dubai.
“Follow your heart, so I follow my heart.
It swirls with energy when it thinks of being back with you.
Like adrenaline that rushes through me, nudging me and pushing me to go back and to be reunited once again!
Dubai, I love you, but fear keeps me from you!!!”
*******
From Laura’s Voice Whispers from an Angel, page 22, 4 October 2009. I think it is beautiful. She was at the Royal Court of Bahrain at the time.
“The colours of the notes of a piano are black and white
that play the tunes of a rainbow to your soul.”
*******
REVIEWS
“Absolutely heart-wrenching to see inside the feelings and thoughts that a vulnerable and loving soul was experiencing before choosing to end their life on this planet. Even more, tear-jerking to know a mother waded through these experiences and relived her daughter’s pains a word at a time in an effort to try and find closure.
Big respect to both Laura and Leona for putting together something so touching and deeply spiritual. Thoroughly blessed to have been able to play a small role in the process.”
Phillipa Mitchell
Interview with Sara-Jayne King on Cape Talk, 13 June 2018 – Laura took her own life
The interview with Sara-Jayne King had been disastrous, or so I thought. I had not realised that my healing process had scarcely begun. Laura’s book, Laura’s Voice Whispers from an Angel, was going to be the second book…the first book was the story, before Laura’s death, Laura’s death and after Laura’s death, but I couldn’t face it. I was not ready to write it. Instead, I was determined to put together Laura’s book, written by her posthumously, to introduce her to the people that had been following her story since the Daily Mail published the expose about her death on 18 May 2015. My deadline was the end of April. It was published on 21 March. I had achieved my goal. For the next few months, I was going to take a break from Laura before I continued with her story. So Laura and I went into hibernation in a box called a block. When Sara-Jayne was interviewing me I didn’t realise that I was still in a state of shock and the mental block to her death was still there. I hadn’t moved beyond Laura’s death or tried to deal with my own feelings and guilt about Laura. I put the podcast of the interview on my Facebook and the feedback from my Facebook friends was very positive.
Elizabeth Bonnet
An amazing interview..
Sara-Jayne..hugely professional but with an edge of real-felt sincerity throughout..
Leona…I know how unsure you were..to go thro with this..another brave..necessary move ..(i felt)in your incredible.. heartbreaking journey .
Almost drew no breath..quietly listening..to your responses.
I salute your courage..another very difficult moment for you..reliving your pain..(in a short time too)…to an audience who one day will know Laura’s full story..
IN LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP..ALWAYS.
Leona Sykes
Thank you Libby…as always you are there for me in love, support and friendship, and I value your advice. You have been with me on this journey with Laura for all these years, often on a daily basis, and you have been patient with me. Not easy for you either. Thank you for giving me the courage to post the interview. I was not sure about it as you know. I felt that Laura’s book needed to be published to keep interest in her story alive until I could finish and publish the second book, the full story.
Leona Sykes
When I was in Dubai in March 2015, at the suggestion of Laura’s friend from South Africa, Julian Naidoo, I informed Laura’s facebook friends about her death. They couldn’t believe it and were in shock. One of her friends from Alain came to visit me at the hotel as he was concerned that I was on my own, and another friend phoned me a few times to make sure I was OK in Dubai. Their compassion towards me was deep and sincere. I am fortunate to now have a number of her friends as my facebook friends.
Sue Frame
I have just listened to this now, Leona… Terribly sad and I hear so much unresolved issues – “listening” between the lines… How do you ever come fully to terms with a tragedy like this, but you are incredibly brave and have a great zest for life which carries you on. Sending much love to you and I may get to see you soon. 
Leona Sykes
Dear Sue. Thank you. It is still very raw. I need to unblock the blocks and work through my relationship with Laura, and her death. It will be difficult to ‘move on’ without coming face to face with Laura in honesty. I look forward to seeing you when you’re next in Cape Town.
Jan Ludik (Jan’s comments which he posted on his facebook page).
A heart wrenching book about a tragic, all consuming love affair and the agony when love ends. Experience the flights of joy and moments of doubt, an attempt to understand love and it’s effect on lovers. Recommended if you want to relive a familiar, but challenging love, something we all experience and not always capable of handling.
Love unfortunately comes with an expiry date and as unwilling as we are, because of it’s magnificence to accept this fact, the disappointment when love unilaterally ends, can be devastating.
Leona Sykes
Thank you Jan for coming to the interview with me. Your gentle, caring presence is always calming.
Karin Van Dongen-Antonsen
Thanks for sharing Leona I was sorry I had to miss the radio talk because I was not in SA but now at least I heard it. Must have been quite difficult and unnerving. It is hard to put that whole story across in a few minutes … you did well xxx
Leona Sykes
Thank you Karin. It was a very difficult interview for me and I’m sure it was for Sara-Jayne too. I realise how little I have healed up to now even though I’ve come a long way. Lots of blocks remain. I haven’t really thought of Laura beyond her death and the circumstances of her death that’s why I couldn’t think of happy memories with her. Thank you for your support xxx
Mina Barbara
I am listening to it right now
“Thanks for sharing Leona I was sorry I had to miss the radio talk because I was not in SA but now at least I heard it. Must have been quite difficult and unnerving. It is hard to put that whole story across in a few minutes … you did well xxx”
Phillipa Mitchell
“Loved this interview Leona! You handled it so well and what I loved the most, as sad as it was, is that you didn’t pretend to feel things that you couldn’t, or say things to hide what you really meant. You were honest and vulnerable and made no bones about yours and Laura’s relationship. Super proud of you.”
Elizabeth Bonnet
EXACTLY…agree…well said…Libby
Leona Sykes
Thank you Phillipa Your read me well. It is not easy to expose my vulnerabilities…and the second book will be a lot harder as I delve deeper…before Laura’s death, Laura’s death, after Laura’s death…
Laura Vanessa Nunes 