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In a word: Incline

When you first think of this word, it is with a slippery slope in mind.

I’ve been on a few of those in my time.

And while we’re on the subject, those inclines measured in degrees are very important if you want a train to get up and down the side of a mountain.

For the train, that’s an incline plane, the point where traction alone won’t get the iron horse up the hill.

Did I say ‘Iron Horse’?  Sorry, regressed there, back to the mid-1800s in the American West for a moment.

It’s not that important when it comes to trucks and cars, and less so if you like four-wheel driving; getting up near-vertical mountainsides often present a welcome challenge to the true enthusiast

But for the rest of us, not so much if you find yourself sliding in reverse uncontrollably into the bay.  I’m sure it’s happened more than once.

Then…

Are you inclined to go?

A very different sort of incline, ie to be disposed towards an attitude or desire.

An inclination, maybe, not to go four-wheel driving?

There is another, probably more obscure use of the word incline, and that relates to an elevated geological formation.  Not the sort of reference that crops up in everyday conversation at the coffee shop.

But, you never know.  Try it next time you have coffee and see what happens.

Featured

Writing about writing a book – Day 2

Hang about.  Didn’t I read somewhere you need to plan your novel, create an outline setting the plot points, and flesh out the characters?

I’m sure it didn’t say, sit down and start writing!

Time to find a writing pad, and put my thinking cap on.

I make a list, what’s the story going to be about? Who’s going to be in it, at least at the start?

Like a newspaper story, I need a who, what, when, where, and how.

Right now.

 

I pick up the pen.

 

Character number one:

Computer nerd, ok, that’s a little close to the bone, a computer manager who is trying to be everything at once, and failing.  Still me, but with a twist.  Now, add a little mystery to him, and give him a secret, one that will only be revealed after a specific set of circumstance.  Yes, I like that.

We’ll call him Bill, ex-regular army, a badly injured and repatriated soldier who was sent to fight a war in Vietnam, the result of which had made him, at times, unfit to live with.

He had a wife, which brings us to,

Character number two:

Ellen, Bill’s ex-wife, an army brat and a General’s daughter, and the result of one of those romances that met disapproval for so many reasons.  It worked until Bill came back from the war, and from there it slowly disintegrated.  There are two daughters, both by the time the novel begins, old enough to understand the ramifications of a divorce.

Character number three:

The man who is Bill’s immediate superior, the Services Department manager, a rather officious man who blindly follows orders, a man who takes pleasure in making others feel small and insignificant, and worst of all, takes the credit where none is due.

Oops, too much, that is my old boss.  He’ll know immediately I’m parodying him.  Tone it down, just a little, but more or less that’s him.  Last name Benton.  He will play a small role in the story.

Character number four:

Jennifer, the IT Department’s assistant manager, a woman who arrives in a shroud of mystery, and then, in time, to provide Bill with a shoulder to cry on when he and Ellen finally split, and perhaps something else later on.

More on her later as the story unfolds.

So far so good.

What’s the plot?

Huge corporation plotting to take over the world using computers?  No, that’s been done to death.

Huge corporation, OK, let’s stop blaming the corporate world for everything wrong in the world.  Corporations are not bad people, people are the bad people.  That’s a rip off cliché, from guns don’t kill people, people kill people!  There will be guns, and there will be dead people.

There will be people hiding behind a huge corporation, using a part of their computer network to move billions of illegally gained money around.  That’s better.

Now, having got that, our ‘hero’ has to ‘discover’ this network, and the people behind it.

All we need now is to set the ball rolling, a single event that ‘throws a cat among the pigeons’.

Yes, Bill is on holidays, a welcome relief from the problems of work.  He dreams of what he’s going to do for the next two weeks.  The phone rings.  Benton calling, the world is coming to an end, the network is down.  He’s needed.  A few terse words, but he relents.

Pen in hand I begin to write.

 

© Charles Heath 2016-2019

The 2am Rant: There are so many things I haven’t done

Does it really matter, you ask?

Perhaps not, but now seems to be an appropriate time, nearing the age of 72, to take stock.

We have achieved a lot in the last twenty or so years once the children have grown up and can look after themselves.

Unlike a lot of more modern couples who are travelling in their 20s and 30s and then having children, we chose to do it the other way around.

To me, it seemed easier to deal with teenagers when we were in our 40s rather than our 60s.  With the benefit of hindsight, I can truthfully say we were right.

We were older and wiser when we travelled and more aware of the dangers around us, sometimes overlooked or ignored by a youthful devil-may-care attitude.

But, in saying that ….

No, I don’t think I’ll be getting to see Mt Kilimanjaro, observing the wild animals in the Serengeti, climbing Mt Everest, or seeing the ancient pyramids.

But, if it is ever possible before I die, I still want to go to the Greek Islands, and, Santorini is at the top of my travel bucket list.

We’ve been to London.  We’ve been to Paris and Euro Disney.  We’ve been to Rome and seen the ancient ruins.  We’ve been to Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace, and, particularly for us, a visit to Swarovski crystal world, near Innsbruck, we’ve been to Salzburg, and been on the Sound of Music tour.

We’ve been to Florence and loved it, we’ve been to Venice and loved that too, and we’ve spent a few days in the heart of Tuscany, and want to go back for longer, much longer.

In fact, that’s the second item on the travel bucket list.

We’ve also been to Singapore and Hong Kong, at first out of necessity as an airline stopover, but then we went back to see the city and tourist, and non-tourist attractions.

I will not forget staying at the Hong Kong Conrad Hotel as a Diamond Hilton Honors member.  Oh, the memories.

We’ve also stayed on the French Riviera, in a timeshare apartment in Antibes where every morning when out back you had a view of the shimmering Mediterranean if the sun was out.

Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo, the billionaire’s yachts in Antibes harbour, Monte Carlo, and ‘that’ casino, taking the same drive along the coast as Grace Kelly did in To Catch a Thief, and feeling like James Bond arriving for a new adventure, minus the half-million-dollar sports car.

But now, crashing back to earth with an extremely hard thump ….

Travel in the future is looking difficult for both of us, not only financially but from a health aspect.  We are both not as sprightly as we used to be.

Yet given the restraints and if it is at all possible, aside from the Greek Islands and Tuscany, the next items on the list are:

Germany, visiting both Berlin, from a Cold War aspect, the Brandenburg gate springs to mind, and Munich at the time of the Octoberfest.  As a beer drinker that is also high on my bucket list.

Scotland, more so since we’ve started watching Outlander, and besides being a beer drinker, I am also partial to a good Single Malt, the Whiskey Trail.

Ireland, because my wife’s previous name was Murphy and at some point, in the long distant past some relatives emigrated to Australia, and she would like to visit the country of her forebears.

But with the current state of the world, our health issues, and that all-important requisite money, or the lack of it, perhaps it’s time to visit other parts of our own country.

Perhaps it’s time to do a culinary trip, particularly down south.  It’s practical, achievable, and safe.

And it’s a big country.

What I learned about writing – Emotional Responses

Have you found yourself writing a passage where you have either burst out laughing or shed a tear?

Sometimes, when we are writing certain emotional scenes, that depth of feeling required might actually be a response to something that may have happened to you.

I never thought I could write comedy, because I didn’t believe I had that sort of humour in me. And yet, not so long ago, I was writing a scene where the lines were not meant to be comedic, but just the way the words were going on paper caused me to smile. It was actually something that made me want to write more, if possible, to feed off that first line.

It didn’t quite come as I expected, but over a few days working and reworking, the whole scene came off better than I’d expected, and I was hoping the reader got it.

The same goes for more serious stuff, and I did eventually lean on some of my own feelings on the subject.

But when I was writing it, it was sad, yes, but it didn’t evoke an emotional response.

When I came back to it a few days later, for some odd reason, it did. I actually found tears in my eyes, and I realised that it did hark back to an event where, at the time, it hadn’t affected me, but with more of the story, it did.

Now, writing about my family history and finding out a lot of things I didn’t know about my parents and grandparents, those emotions sometimes run so high that it’s not possible to write. I wonder, when someone finally gets around to reading it, they might have the same feelings.

365 Days of writing, 2026 – 122/123

Days 122 and 123 – Writing Exercise

…

Create and explore a character and put it in a situation

…

I should have known that something was afoot.

Sunday lunch was abuzz with the upcoming presentation for a multi-million dollar housing and parkland project on land that the city had no idea what to do with

My father, the owner of Davidson and Sons Realty and Investment Corporation, was transitioning from small-time to the major leagues.

He had thrown me a plan of the land and told me to turn it into something he could sell.  At the time I thought about it, wondering why he didn’t give it to the wunderkind son, Theodore Davidson III, the Harvard MBA graduate that could do no wrong.

Oh, and at his graduation party in the swankiest restaurant in town, with people whose names were whispered in the corridors of power, my father said he was going to take us into the statisphere.

He took himself, my sister Eileen, and my parents.

Number three son was staying firmly planted on the ground.

I took the plan and figured this was my chance to prove to him that I was everything but as good as my brother.

Of course, I was kidding myself.

I was never going to reach that stratosphere my brother lived in.  The fifteen-million-dollar penthouse apartment, the top-of-the-range sports car that was more expensive than my modest apartment, and suits that cost more than my car.

I didn’t have the same qualifications.  I went to college and studied architecture and art.  I was more interested in art and then artefacts, enough to add archaeology to the list of degrees.

No point having a graduation party for me.

Eileen graduated at the bottom of her law degree class and got celebrated like she had come first.  I guess I wasn’t one of the beautiful people.

My mom said it was a pity I hadn’t been blessed with good looks, though I would not have called myself ugly.  I chose to dress down and had this University professor thing going.

Dad said I could be the back room genius.  Yes, had used those exact words.

But he had promised that when I handed him the final plans and ran through the presentation for the next week’s meeting with the city representatives, I could present it.  He even sent me to the tailors for a proper suit.

Until…

Eileen said what I knew she was going to say.  “I think you’re making a mistake letting Richard do the presentation.  We need someone who represents who we are, and who’s going to take us forward.

I’d heard Theo and her talking about a strategy.

It had to be about one thing only.

“Dad promised.  If I did the work, I’d get the presentation.”

We all look at him.

“I did.  And as you know, my word is my bond.”

I sat back and relaxed.  Just a little.  I knew my brother and sister far better than they thought I did.  They had taken it too calmly. 

…

I had a Monday morning visit with my grandmother at her house, a hundred-mile drive up into the hills.

It was a fabulous old house with twenty-five bedrooms, servants, a dozen-car garage with vintage cars, and a ballroom that hadn’t been used in years

She came from a family that had money, but over time, successive men had lost it one way or another.
My mother had married into a wealthy family based on that fortune, and it had created the first of many problems.

I was too young, being the last of the children, but as far as I knew, the marriage had survived, but there was something about the house that no one wanted me to know about.

For years, I put it down to big people stuff.

I would have liked to stay, but there was a presentation tomorrow.

After I arrived, we had tea on the back patio.  It overlooked a garden that was rumoured to be originally designed by Capability Brown.

My grandmother looked particularly unhappy.  I would not have said I was her favourite, but she had spent the most time with me when I was younger.

She said I was like a stray dog.  I never understood why.

After the usual health and weather questions, she asked, “How successful will this presentation be?”

It was odd that she was interested in anything my father did.  She did not like him, and at times barely tolerated him.  Or Theo.  But Theo was an ass.

Eileen rarely came.

“It sells itself.  It ticks all the boxes.  Why?  You rarely want to know what the business is about.”

“There was an article in a magazine.  When people start using words like stratosphere, though wonder if they can’t see past the glossy cover and see what’s underneath.”

” I don’t have a glossy cover.”

“But the rest of them do.  I look at your father and Theo, and I wouldn’t trust them at all.  Your Aunt Matilda hated him.  She has more class in her little finger than he ever will.”

That was vicious, but I’d come to realise, in the case of being overlooked and undervalued, even being treated with contempt by my own family, she was right.

But saying this to me was a risk.  If I were to repeat it, there would be consequences.  I’d heard the muted discussion coming from Dad’s study.  Turning the old girl’s shack into a mountain resort.  It was worth billions if it was done right.

The only lament, she could not be moved.  Or would not be swayed into selling her heritage.

“I would never sell this place, Gran.  Never.  This is the very personification of my heritage.  I love this place.  You know,” I said, without realising I was sounding and acting silly, “I would love to hold a ball in the ballroom.”

When I realised I was being silly, I looked over and saw her eyes were watering.

I asked, concerned, “Are you alright?”

“I am.”  She dabbed at her eyes with a monogrammed handkerchief.  “It’s what I have wanted, but I don’t have the energy to make it happen.”

We had this conversation once.  A few months back.  When she told me, Dad was trying to convince her to let him use the property as collateral for a project.  It was just dead money, he said.

She had refused.

It was why he had been angry for a while now.  And Theo.  Plans, no doubt, to make themselves rich at the expense of a relative.  I didn’t want to believe it of them, or that mom would let them, but she never seemed to put up a fight about anything, including protecting me.

Gran had asked me to draw up a plan that would turn the property into a resort, a different resort, one that had an equestrian centre at its heart.

My grandmother loved horses, had a few, and had taught me to ride practically before I could walk.  It was she who convinced me to play polo, and we had the makings of a polo field in the west paddock.

She remembered. “Did you get those plans we discussed drawn up?”

“I did.  I went to see Westerby at the equestrian centre, and he was very excited about the prospect.  Just the other week, he said the powers that be were looking at where they could set up a centre to start training Olympic hopefuls, and if we can put something together…”

“Good.  I’ll have a talk with him soon.  After you sort out this new development.”

My phone dinged.  A message.  From Daisy, my assistant back at the office.

A URL.

I selected it, and it took me to a news page where my father and Theodore, beaming from ear to ear, the city representatives behind them were making an announcement.  Smiles all round.

I listened to the speech for about a minute, then cut it off.

“What is it?”  She asked.

I guess my disappointed expression gave it away.

They had deliberately moved the presentation ahead so Theodore could take the honours.  I just noticed in the background, still on the screen, he had rebranded the whole project as his, with no mention of me.

No wonder no one said boo when Dad said I was still doing the presentation.  They were all in on it.

“Theo just stole my thunder and my job.  He’s going to be the project manager.”

“What about you?”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “Now I have the time to devote myself to your equestrian centre.”

“Won’t you have to continue working on the reclamation?”

“Apparently not.  Theo obviously has it all under control.”

I opened my phone and went to a specific email sitting in the drafts folder.  I had hoped that I would never have to send it, but I’d finally had enough of being taken for granted.

I dated the documents and sent them to HR.  Effective immediately, I had resigned.

“Can I stay here.  I don’t think I’m going to be very welcome at home.”

“Of course.  I have a few friends coming for dinner, and Father Giles can be, well, you know him as well as I do.”

…

I left my cell phone in my room, and had a long and convivial dinner with old friends that I had known from my childhood days, when I was a far more frequent and regular guest.

It was better than sitting at a table where there were four people on the same page and a ghost sitting in isolation.  As the years passed, I felt less like a member of that exclusive club and more like a visitor on the outside looking in.

Except…

When I went back to the room, I could see my cell phone beaming like a beacon in the night, and dinging about once every twenty seconds.

The first message was from Theo. I’d say, when they asked the first question, one of many he couldn’t answer.  He hadn’t spent the time with me in the development phase, as he was supposed to, and didn’t bother prepping before the presentation.

There were seven hefty binders or accompanying documents that needed to be read and understood before giving the presentation.  It was slides and talking points, and using big words that covered trends and projections, and buzz talk.

The devil was in the details.

Theo was never interested in details, just concepts.

My guess, he would have told them any questions would be answered by the technical lead.  Me.  If only I could be found.

Fourty four messages before one from my father.

“Where are you?”

I might have been at work if they had not moved the presentation and told me.  Or not, if this was what they’d planned all along.

I was not being vindictive; I was just going about my business, which they were fully aware of.

There were missed calls from each of them, mother included.  I had heard Grans’ cell phone ringing, and the house phone, but she had seemed unperturbed.

I went to sleep with a clear conscience

..

When I went downstairs for breakfast, out on the patio, Gran was sitting looking out over the lawns, down to the fountain where I used to make wishes.

None ever came true.

Sitting beside her was Susannah, a neighbour’s daughter who used to be as frequent a visitor as I had been a long time ago.

She had also been Eileen’s best friend until Eileen betrayed her.  It ruined any chance I had with her.

About a week ago, she had sent me an email asking if I was the Richard she used to know once upon a time.  I had replied yesterday and said I would be visiting Gran this week.  She had not replied.  Perhaps the old wounds had not healed.

Or they had.

She had the gift of never aging.  I wished I were a more attractive proposition, but we can’t have everything.

“Susannah?”  I sounded surprised.  I was.

“Rich.  What a pleasant surprise.”  She got out of her chair, came over and gave me a hug like she actually cared about me.

Then she stepped back.  “Martha tells me your family finally showed their true colours.”

That was a step and a half for Gran.  She had never publicly or privately called them out. 

“It’s my misguided attempt to try and get some recognition from them, and not getting past the wunderkind Theo.  I work hard, and can’t get any traction.”

“Martha says you quit.”

“Perhaps it’s the only way.”

“What did your father say?”

“Haven’t gone home and haven’t answered any calls, texts or emails.  Not ready yet.”

“I’m staying for a few days.  You can talk to me about anything.  You know that?”

“Thank you.”

The serving girl brought over a cup of coffee and put it on the table.

Then we heard a booming voice coming towards us.  “I’ll have one of those “

I yelled back, “Get it yourself, Theo.  She’s not your slave.”

She looked at him, then me.  “He’ll get it himself.”

Martha nodded, and the girl left.

He shook his head.  The privilege oozed out of him.  I’d seen him deal with waiters and waitresses.  Someone needed to teach him some manners.

“Any reason you’re here, Theo.  Shouldn’t you be working with the new clients?”

He’d completely ignored Susannah.  She seemed amused, with no intention of going anywhere.

“We need you back in the office.  The family is taking a break to celebrate the successful conclusion.  I closed the deal, Richard.  You would have made a mess of it.”

“And yet you seem to think I won’t now?”

“Don’t be a pompous twit.  You know everything there is to know about it.  You’re just not fit to run it.  Or anything.”

As insulting as ever. Had he tempered his approach, I might have thought twice about not going. Not now.

He looked around, perhaps expecting a cup of coffee to magically turn up.

“I resigned, Theo.  Effective 10am yesterday.  The project is yours.”

“Dad says you can’t resign.”

“Tell him to read my contract.”

“What contract?”

“The one he forced on me and got your daft sister to draw up.  I was the only one of us he insisted sign.  I added a few clauses in the revised draft, and she signed it without reading it.  Both of you were painted with the same brush.  Stupid is as stupid does, Theo.”

“Rubbish.  You’re not that clever.”

I smiled.  “Then take me to court.  Goodbye Theo.  Go sort out the mess your father and sister created.”

He jumped up and pulled out his cell, and a few minutes later, we could hear him yelling at Eileen.

Both Gran and Susannah had watched the exchange with half smiles.  His badgering and bullying had no effect, but then, he hadn’t realised just how much trouble they were in.

“You didn’t deliberately set them up?” Susannah asked.

“No.  All the information is there.  Everything that was discussed, the planning, the requirements, the costings and a project plan.  They just have to know where to look and how to interpret it.  I told them that if I were the project manager, it would all work like clockwork.  They didn’t listen.  Appearances mean more than practicality.  I don’t think Theo’s ego could stand letting me run such a large project.”

Theo came back and thrust his cell phone in my face.

“Dad wants a word.”

I could imagine.

I didn’t need to put it to my ear. “You cannot resign.  Your family.  You’re in charge of the office while we’re gone.  Now get back here.  You have meetings to prepare for.”

I took a deep breath. “I resigned.  I do not work for you or anyone.  Maybe I’ll pursue a career in pizza making.  Pizzas can’t stab you in the back or lie to your face.  It’s time to see how far into the stratosphere Theo can take you, Dad.  You don’t need me.  You never have.  Have a nice day.”

I held out the phone for Theo to take it back.  I think he finally realised I was not coming back.

“Look, Richard.  This is not my fault.  Dad did this.”

“No, you did this.  You could have told him this was my turn.  But no, your ego couldn’t have that.  Well, here’s your chance to show Dad just how good you are.  You’ve never needed me, Theo.  No one in that family has.”

“Screw you, Rich.  You’ll be back, and then we’ll see what’s what.”

He snatched up his phone and stomped off.

He didn’t get that cup of coffee

…

Daisy was kept on, transitioning from my assistant to being the custodian of the documentation. Dad had the sense to realise she was the only one who knew where everything was. At least he promoted her and doubled her salary, though I don’t think he did it without a push.

Dad had to hire four new planners, architects and an engineer that were not in the original budget, and would make a hefty dent in the profit margin.

He had asked, politely, once more that I should return, given a title and double the salary, but not as project manager.

I refused.

Then he offered me the project manager position. It was too late. I wasn’t going back.  I didn’t want the hassle of listening to my brother whining the whole time.

The Davidson and Sons Realty and Investment Corporation very subtly changed to the Davidson and Son Realty and Investment Corporation.

I didn’t care.

I left the city and went to live with Gran, taking on the project of turning the family estate into a special resort for Equestrians, and becoming the perfect training establishment for future Olympians and polo players.

The family thrived without me.

I thrived without them.

About a year after the parting, a newspaper headline broke the story that my mother had had an affair and that I had been the result of it.

Dad had been caught unawares in the middle of a big and delicate negotiation, and the story blew his opportunity out of the water.

The thing was, he knew.  So did Theo and Eileen.  Mom had believed they didn’t, but I could see it had been the case.  They had always treated me as different.

It wasn’t much later that Dad was caught cheating himself, and not just with one woman, but several.  The difference between us and the rest of the new wealthy, Susannah said, was that they could keep their dirty linen in the linen basket.

Mom got divorced and came home.

Theo and Eileen stayed with Dad.

I got married to Susannah.  It seemed inevitable.  She had never really held Eileen’s pettiness against me.  She was just waiting for the day that payback became a bitch.

…

©  Charles Heath  2026

Searching for locations: The Glory Grand Hotel, Zhengzhou, China

Like all the hotels we’re staying in, it has an impressive foyer.  You walk in, and you think on appearances, it’s going to be 5 stars, and not the 3 and a half rating on TripAdvisor.

Pity then that it all goes downhill from there.

We have a corner room and no bathroom.

Have you ever stayed in a hotel that has rooms with no bathroom?  Yes, it’s a first for us too.  Still, this is China, and I suspect if you complain, there’s always a worse room to put you in.

For us, it’s just going to be an amusing situation we’d bear and give it a one-star rating on TripAdvisor for the hotel.

And just a word of warning, if you decide to book the hotel directly, make sure you don’t get a corner room.

At least everything else was reasonably ok.  Ok, not so much, the safe doesn’t work.

This doesn’t augur well for the rest of the tour in this particular place.

Before we leave, some photos of our room, and the lack of a bathroom.

Separate doors for shower and toilet, and on the other side of the passage, the washbasin

Feng Shui seems to have been forgotten when planning this room.

The next morning we discover that other rooms do have bathrooms but they’re small.  Some have neither tissues or toilet paper, another has a faulty power socket and cannot recharge the phone, and I’m sure there are other problems.

All in all, it seemed very odd to have the toilet and shower on one side, and the wash basin on the other side of the passage.

In a word: Page

We as authors always like to see two little words in every review, page turner.

Alas, sometimes they’re not, but usually this applied to non fiction simple because they’re reference books. Then another two words apply: boat anchor.

The good stuff is usually over the page.

Page in this instance refers to a leaf in a book, which generally has many pages.

Then the is a page boy, not what you’d find lurking around these days but were more common in days past, but refers to a boy in training to become a knight, or an errand boy for a nobleman.

These days a page boy opens doors and runs messages in a hotel.

Another variation is being paged over the P.A. system, always a major cause of embarrassment because you and everyone else thinks your in trouble.

Of course, before there were mobile phones, there were pagers, and sometimes in the deathly silence of the classroom, it went off. Definitely not advisable to have one on you if you are trying to sneak up on someone. Same goes for the modern equivalent, the mobile phone.

For the person who uses a word processor, you are familiar with pages, and having the software generate page numbers, of course, not for the title page, and a different numbering for other pages like an index, before the story starts.

Complicated? Sometimes.

And many years ago a boss of mine often used to say I needed to turn over a new page, and it did make much sense to me. That might have been because I was young and stupid. But, later on I realised what he was really saying was that I needed to turn over a new leaf.

Kind of strange, but then a lot saying are.

And did I?

Eventually.

And just to end on a high note, Paige is also the name of a girl, I think, and one I’ve decided to use in a story.

The story behind the story: A Case of Working With the Jones Brothers

To write a private detective serial has always been one of the items at the top of my to-do list, though trying to write novels and a serial, as well as a blog, and maintain a social media presence, well, you get the idea.

But I made it happen, from a bunch of episodes I wrote a long, long time ago, used these to start it, and then continued on, then as now, never having much of an idea where it was going to end up, or how long it would take to tell the story.

That, I think, is the joy of ad hoc writing, even you, as the author, have as much of an idea of where it’s going as the reader does.

It’s basically been in the mill since 1990, and although I finished it last year, the end-to-end timeline will be exactly 30 years.  Had you asked me 30 years ago if I’d ever get it finished, the answer would be maybe?

My private detective, Harry Walthenson

I’d like to say he’s from that great literary mould of Sam Spade, or Mickey Spillane, or Philip Marlowe, but he’s not.

But I’ve watched Humphrey Bogart play Sam Spade with much interest, and modelled Harry and his office on it.  Similarly, I’ve watched Robert Micham play Phillip Marlow with great panache, if not detachment, and added a bit of him to the mix.

Other characters come into play, and all of them, no matter what period they’re from, always seem larger than life.  I’m not above stealing a little of Mary Astor, Peter Lorre or Sidney Greenstreet, to breathe life into beguiling women and dangerous men alike.

Then there’s the title, like

The Case of the Unintentional Mummy – this has so many meanings in so many contexts, though I imagine that back in Hollywood in the ’30s and ’40s, this would be excellent fodder for Abbott and Costello

The Case of the Three-Legged Dog – Yes, I suspect there may be a few real-life dogs with three legs, but this plot would involve something more sinister.  And if made out of plaster, yes, they’re always something else inside.

But for mine, to begin with, it was “The Case of the …”, because I had no idea what the case was going to be about, well, I did, but not specifically.

Then I liked the idea of calling it “The Case of the Brothers’ Revenge” because I began to have a notion there was a brother no one knew about, but that’s stuff for other stories, not mine, so then it went the way of the others.

Now it’s called ‘A Case of Working With the Jones Brothers’, I have finished the first three drafts, and I am at the editor for the last reading.

I have high hopes of publishing it in mid-2026.  It even has a cover.

PIWalthJones1

Searching for locations: The Pagoda Forest, near Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China

The pagoda forest

After another exhausting walk, by now the heat was beginning to take its toll on everyone, we arrived at the pagoda forest.

A little history first:

The pagoda forest is located west of the Shaolin Temple and the foot of a hill.  As the largest pagoda forest in China, it covers approximately 20,000 square meters and has about 230 pagodas build from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Each pagoda is the tomb of an eminent monk from the Shaolin Temple.  Graceful and exquisite, they belong to different eras and constructed in different styles.  The first pagoda was thought to be built in 791.

It is now a world heritage site.

No, it’s not a forest with trees it’s a collection of over 200 pagodas, each a tribute to a head monk at the temple and it goes back a long time.  The tribute can have one, three, five, or a maximum of seven layers.  The ashes of the individual are buried under the base of the pagoda.

The size, height, and story of the pagoda indicate its accomplishments, prestige, merits, and virtues. Each pagoda was carved with the exact date of construction and brief inscriptions and has its own style with various shapes such as a polygonal, cylindrical, vase, conical and monolithic.

This is one of the more recently constructed pagodas

There are pagodas for eminent foreign monks also in the forest.

From there we get a ride back on the back of a large electric wagon

to the front entrance courtyard where drinks and ice creams can be bought, and a visit to the all-important happy place.

Then it’s back to the hotel.

An excerpt from “Mistaken Identity” – a work in progress

The odds of any one of us having a doppelganger are quite high. Whether or not you got to meet them or be confronted by them was significantly lower. Except, of course, unless you are a celebrity.

It was a phenomenon remarkable only for the fact that, at times, certain high-profile people, notorious or not, had doubles if only to put off enemies or the general public. Sometimes we see people in the street who look like someone we knew and make the mistake of approaching them like a long-lost friend, only to discover an embarrassed individual desperately trying to get away from what they perceive as a stalker, or worse.

And then sometimes it is a picture that looms up on a TV screen, an almost exact likeness of you. At first, you are fascinated, and then, according to the circumstances and narrative that is attached to that picture, either flattered or horrified.

For me, one turned to the other when I saw an almost likeness of me flash up on the screen when I turned the TV on in my room. What looked to be my photo, with only minor differences, was in the corner of the screen, the newsreader speaking in rapid Italian, so fast I could only translate every second or third word.

But the one word I did recognise was murder. The photo of the man on the screen was the subject of an extensive manhunt. The crime, the murder of a woman in the very same hotel I was staying, and it was being played out live several floors above me. The gist of the story, the woman had been seen with and staying with the man who was my double, and, less than an hour ago, the body had been discovered by a chambermaid.

The killer, the announcer said, was believed to be still in the hotel because the woman had died shortly before she had been discovered.

I watched, at first fascinated by what I was seeing. I guess I should have been horrified, but at that moment it didn’t register that I might be mistaken for that man.

Not until another five minutes had passed, and I was watching the police in full riot gear, with a camera crew following behind, coming up a passage towards a room. Live action of the arrest of the suspected killer, the breathless commentator said.

Then, suddenly, there was a pounding on the door. On the TV screen, plain to see, was the number of my room. I looked through the peephole and saw an army of police officers. It didn’t take much to realise what had happened. The hotel staff identified me as the man in the photograph on the TV and called the police.

Horrified wasn’t what I was feeling right then.

It was fear.

My last memory was the door crashing open, the wood splintering, and men rushing into the room, screaming at me, waving guns, and when I put my hands up to defend myself, I heard a gunshot.

And in one very confused and probably near-death experience, I thought I saw my mother and thought what was she doing in Rome?

…

I was the archetypal nobody.

I lived in a small flat, I drove a nondescript car, had an average job in a low-profile travel agency, was single, and currently not involved in a relationship, had no children, and, according to my workmates, no life.

They were wrong. I was one of those people who preferred their own company; I had a cat, and travelled whenever I could. And I did have a ‘thing’ for Rosalie, one of the reasons why I stayed at the travel agency. I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but one could always hope.

I was both pleased and excited to be going to the conference. It was my first, and the glimpse I had seen of it had whetted my appetite for more information about the nuances of my profession.

Some would say that a travel agent wasn’t much of a job, but to me, it was every bit as demanding as being an accountant or a lawyer. You were providing a customer with a service, and arguably, more people needed a travel agent than a lawyer. At least that was what I told myself as I watched more and more people start using the internet, and our relevance slowly dissipating.

This conference was about countering that trend.

The trip over had been uneventful. I was met at the airport and taken to the hotel where the conference was being held with several other delegates who had arrived on the same plane. I had mingled with several other delegates at the pre-conference get-together, including one whose name was Maryanne.

She was an unusual young woman, not the sort that I usually met, because she was the one who was usually surrounded by all the boys, the life of the party. In normal circumstances, I would not have introduced myself to her, but she had approached me. Why did I think that may have been significant? All of this ran through my mind, culminating in the last event on the highlight reel, the door bursting open, men rushing into my room, and then one of the policemen opened fire.

I replayed that last scene again, trying to see the face of my assailant, but it was just a sea of men in battle dress, bulletproof vests and helmets, accompanied by screaming and yelling, some of which I identified as “Get on the floor”.

Then came the shot.

Why ask me to get on the floor if all they were going to do was shoot me? I was putting my hands up at the time, in surrender, not reaching for a weapon.

Then I saw the face again, hovering in the background like a ghost. My mother. Only the hair was different, and her clothes, and then the image was going, perhaps a figment of my imagination brought on by pain-killing drugs. I tried to imagine the scene again, but this time it played out without the image of my mother.

I opened my eyes and took stock of my surroundings. What I felt in that exact moment couldn’t be described. I should most likely be dead, the result of a gunshot wound. I guess I should be thankful the shooter hadn’t aimed at anything vital, but that was the only item on the plus side.

I was in a hospital room with a policeman by the door. He was reading a newspaper and sitting uncomfortably on a small chair. He gave me a quick glance when he heard me move slightly, but didn’t acknowledge me with either a nod or a greeting, just went back to the paper.

If I still had a police guard, then I would still be considered a suspect. What was interesting was that I was not handcuffed to the bed. Perhaps that only happened in TV shows. Or maybe they knew I couldn’t run because my injuries were too serious. Or the guard would shoot me long before my feet hit the floor. I knew the police well enough now to know they would shoot first and ask questions later.

On the physical side, I had a large bandage over the top left corner of my chest, extending over my shoulder. A little poking and prodding determined the bullet had hit somewhere between the top of my rib cage and my shoulder. Nothing vital there, but my arm might be somewhat useless for a while, depending on what the bullet hit on the way in or through.

It didn’t feel like there were any broken or damaged bones.

That was the good news.

On the other side of the ledger, my mental state, there was only one word that could describe it. Terrified. I was looking at a murder charge and jail time, a lot of it. Murder usually had a long time in jail attached to it.

Whatever had happened, I didn’t do it. I know I didn’t do it, but I had to try to explain this to people who had already made up their minds. I searched my mind for evidence. It was there, but in the confused state brought on by the medication, all I could think about was jail, and the sort of company I was going to have.

I think death would have been preferable.

…

Half an hour later, maybe longer, I was drifting in and out of consciousness. A nurse, or what I thought was a nurse, came into the room. The guard stood, checked her ID card, and then stood by the door.

She came over and stood beside the bed. “How are you?” she asked, first in Italian, and when I pretended I didn’t understand, she asked the same question in accented English.

“Alive, I guess,” I said. “No one has come and told me what my condition is yet. You are my first visitor. Can you tell me?”

“Of course. You are very lucky to be alive. You will be fine and make a full recovery. The doctors here are excellent at their work.”

“What happens now?”

“I check you, and then you have another visitor. He is from the British Embassy, I think. But he will have to wait until I have finished my examination.”

I realised then she was a doctor, not a nurse.

…

My second visitor was a man, dressed in a suit, the sort of which I associated with the British Civil Service.  He was not very old, which told me he was probably a recent graduate on his first posting, the junior officer who drew the short straw.

The guard checked his ID but again did not leave the room, sitting back down and going back to his newspaper.

My visitor introduced himself as Alex Jordan from the British Embassy in Rome, and he had been asked by the Ambassador to sort out what he labelled a tricky mess.

For starters, it was good to see that someone cared about what happened to me.  But, equally, I knew the mantra, get into trouble overseas, and there is not much we can do to help you.  So, after that lengthy introduction, I had to wonder why he was here.

I said, “They think I am an international criminal by the name of Jacob Westerbury, whose picture looks just like me, and apparently, for them, it is an open and shut case.”  I could still hear the fragments of the yelling as the police burst through the door, at the same time telling me to get on the floor with my hands over my head.

“It’s not.  They know they’ve got the wrong man, which is why I’m here.  There is the issue of what had been described as excessive force, and the fact that you were shot had made it an all-around embarrassment for them.”

“Then why are you here?  Shouldn’t they be here apologising?”

“That is why you have another visitor.  I only took precedence because I insisted on speaking with you first.  I have come, basically, to ask you for a favour.  This situation has afforded us an opportunity.  We would like you to sign the official document, which basically indemnifies them against any legal proceedings.”

Curious.  What sort of opportunity was he talking about?  Was this a matter that could get difficult and I could be charged by the Italian Government, even if I wasn’t guilty, or was it one of those hush-hush type deals, you do this for us, we’ll help you out with that?  “What sort of opportunity?”

“We want to get our hands on Jacob Westerbury as much as they do.  They’ve made a mistake, and we’d like to use that to get custody of him if or when he is arrested in this country.  I’m sure you would also like this man brought into custody as soon as possible, so you will stop being confused with him.  I can only imagine what it was like to be arrested in the manner you were.  And I would not blame you if you wanted to get some compensation for what they’ve done.  But.  There are bigger issues in play here, and you would be doing this for your country.”

I wondered what would happen if I didn’t agree to his proposal.  I had to ask, “What if I don’t?”

His expression didn’t change.  “I’m sure you are a sensible man, Mr Pargeter, who is more than willing to help his country whenever he can.  They have agreed to take care of all your hospital expenses, refund the cost of the Conference, and travel.  I’m sure I could also get them to pay for a few days at Capri or Sorrento, if you like, before you go home.  What do you say?”

There was only one thing I could say.  Wasn’t it treason if you went against your country’s wishes?

“I’m not an unreasonable man, Alex.  Go do your deal, and I’ll sign the papers.”

“Good man.”

…

After Alex left, the doctor came back to announce the arrival of a woman, who had announced herself as the publicity officer from the Italian police. When she came into the room, she was not dressed in a uniform.

The doctor left after giving a brief report to the civilian at the door. I understood the gist of it: “The patient has recovered excellently, and the wounds are healing as expected. There is no cause for concern.”

That was a relief.

While the doctor was speaking to the civilian, I speculated on who she might be. She was young, not more than thirty, conservatively dressed, so an official of some kind, but not necessarily with the police. Did they have prosecutors? I was unfamiliar with the Italian legal system.

She had long, wavy black hair and the sort of sultry looks of an Italian movie star, and her presence made me more curious than fearful, though I couldn’t say why.

The woman then spoke to the guard, and he reluctantly got up and left the room, closing the door behind him. She checked the door and then came back towards me, standing at the end of the bed. Now alone, she said, “A few questions before we begin.” Her English was only slightly accented. “Your name is Jack Pargeter?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“You are in Rome to attend the Travel Agents Conference at the Hilton Hotel?”

“Yes.”

“You attended a preconference introduction on the evening of the 25th, after arriving from London at approximately 4:25 pm.”

“About that time, yes. I know it was about five when the bus came to collect me, and several others, to take us to the hotel.”

She smiled. It was then that I noticed she was reading from a small notepad.

“It was ten past five to be precise. The driver had been held up in traffic. We have several witnesses who saw you on the plane, on the bus, at the hotel, and with the aid of closed-circuit TV, we have established you are not the criminal Jacob Westerbury.”

She put her notebook back in her bag and then said, “My name is Vicenza Andretti, and I am with the prosecutor’s office. I am here to formally apologise for the situation that can only be described as a case of mistaken identity. I assure you, it is not the habit of our police officers to shoot people unless they have a very strong reason for doing so. I understand that in the confusion of the arrest, one of our officers accidentally discharged his weapon. We are undergoing a very thorough investigation into the circumstances of this event.”

I was not sure why, but between the time I had spoken to the embassy official and now, something about letting them off so easily was bugging me. I could see why they had sent her. It would be difficult to be angry or annoyed with her.

But I was annoyed.

“Do you often send a whole squad of trigger-happy riot police to arrest a single man?” It came out harsher than I intended.

“My men believed they were dealing with a dangerous criminal.”

“Do I look like a dangerous criminal?” And then I realised if it was mistaken identity, the answer would be yes.

She saw the look on my face and said quietly, “I think you know the answer to that question, Mr Pargeter.”

“Well, it was overkill.”

“As I said, we are very sorry for the circumstances you now find yourself in. You must understand that we honestly believed we were dealing with an armed and dangerous murderer, and we were acting within our mandate. My department will cover your medical expenses and any other amounts for the inconvenience this has caused you. I believe you were attending a conference at your hotel. I am very sorry, but given the medical circumstances you have, you will have to remain here for a few more days.”

“I guess, then, I should thank you for not killing me.”

Her expression told me that was not the best thing I could have said in the circumstances.

“I mean, I should thank you for the hospital and the care. But a question or two of my own. May I?”

She nodded.

“Did you catch this Jacob Westerbury character?”

“No. In the confusion created by your arrest, he escaped. Once we realised we had made a mistake and reviewed the closed-circuit TV, we tracked him leaving by a rear exit.”

“Are you sure it was one of your men who shot me?”

I watched as her expression changed to one of surprise.

“You don’t think it was one of my men?”

“Oddly enough, no. But don’t ask me why.”

“It is very interesting that you should say that, because in our initial investigation, it appeared none of our officers’ weapons had been discharged. A forensic investigation into the bullet tells us it was one that is used in our weapons, but…”

I could see their dilemma.

“Have you any enemies that would want to shoot you, Mr Pargeter?”

That was absurd because I had no enemies, at least none that I knew of, much less anyone who would want me dead.

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Then it is strange, and will perhaps remain a mystery. I will let you know if anything more is revealed in our investigation.”

She took an envelope out of her briefcase and opened it, pulling out several sheets of paper.

I knew what it was. A verbal apology was one thing, but a signed waiver would cover them legally. They had sent a pretty girl to charm me. Perhaps using anyone else would not have worked. There was potential for a huge litigation payout here, and someone more ruthless would jump at the chance of making a few million out of the Italian Government.

“We need a signature on this document,” she said.

“Absolving you of any wrongdoing?”

“I have apologised. We will take whatever measures are required for your comfort after this event. We are accepting responsibility for our actions and are being reasonable.”

They were. I took the pen from her and signed the documents.

“You couldn’t add dinner with you on that list of benefits?” No harm in asking.

“I am unfortunately unavailable.”

I smiled. “It wasn’t a request for a date, just dinner. You can tell me about Rome, as only a resident can. Please.”

She looked me up and down, searching for the ulterior motive. When she couldn’t find one, she said, “We shall see once the hospital discharges you in a few days.”

“Then I’ll pencil you in?”

She looked at me quizzically. “What is this pencil me in?”

“It’s an English colloquialism. It means maybe. As when you write something in pencil, it is easy to erase it.”

A momentary frown, then recognition and a smile. “I shall remember that. Thank you for your time and cooperation, Mr Pargeter. Good morning.”

…

© Charles Heath 2015-2021

365 Days of writing, 2026 – 122/123

Days 122 and 123 – Writing Exercise

…

Create and explore a character and put it in a situation

…

I should have known that something was afoot.

Sunday lunch was abuzz with the upcoming presentation for a multi-million dollar housing and parkland project on land that the city had no idea what to do with

My father, the owner of Davidson and Sons Realty and Investment Corporation, was transitioning from small-time to the major leagues.

He had thrown me a plan of the land and told me to turn it into something he could sell.  At the time I thought about it, wondering why he didn’t give it to the wunderkind son, Theodore Davidson III, the Harvard MBA graduate that could do no wrong.

Oh, and at his graduation party in the swankiest restaurant in town, with people whose names were whispered in the corridors of power, my father said he was going to take us into the statisphere.

He took himself, my sister Eileen, and my parents.

Number three son was staying firmly planted on the ground.

I took the plan and figured this was my chance to prove to him that I was everything but as good as my brother.

Of course, I was kidding myself.

I was never going to reach that stratosphere my brother lived in.  The fifteen-million-dollar penthouse apartment, the top-of-the-range sports car that was more expensive than my modest apartment, and suits that cost more than my car.

I didn’t have the same qualifications.  I went to college and studied architecture and art.  I was more interested in art and then artefacts, enough to add archaeology to the list of degrees.

No point having a graduation party for me.

Eileen graduated at the bottom of her law degree class and got celebrated like she had come first.  I guess I wasn’t one of the beautiful people.

My mom said it was a pity I hadn’t been blessed with good looks, though I would not have called myself ugly.  I chose to dress down and had this University professor thing going.

Dad said I could be the back room genius.  Yes, had used those exact words.

But he had promised that when I handed him the final plans and ran through the presentation for the next week’s meeting with the city representatives, I could present it.  He even sent me to the tailors for a proper suit.

Until…

Eileen said what I knew she was going to say.  “I think you’re making a mistake letting Richard do the presentation.  We need someone who represents who we are, and who’s going to take us forward.

I’d heard Theo and her talking about a strategy.

It had to be about one thing only.

“Dad promised.  If I did the work, I’d get the presentation.”

We all look at him.

“I did.  And as you know, my word is my bond.”

I sat back and relaxed.  Just a little.  I knew my brother and sister far better than they thought I did.  They had taken it too calmly. 

…

I had a Monday morning visit with my grandmother at her house, a hundred-mile drive up into the hills.

It was a fabulous old house with twenty-five bedrooms, servants, a twelve-car garage with vintage cars, and a ballroom that hadn’t been used in years

She came from a family that had money, but over time, successive men had lost it one way or another.
My mother had married into a wealthy family based on that fortune, and it had created the first of many problems.

I was too young, being the last of the children, but as far as I knew, the marriage had survived, but there was something about the house that no one wanted me to know about.

For years, I put it down to big people stuff.

I would have liked to stay, but there was a presentation tomorrow.

After I arrived, we had tea on the back patio.  It overlooked a garden that was rumoured to be originally designed by Capability Brown.

My grandmother looked particularly unhappy.  I would not have said I was her favourite, but she had spent the most time with me when I was younger.

She said I was like a stray dog.  I never understood why.

After the usual health and weather questions, she asked, “How successful will this presentation be?”

It was odd that she was interested in anything my father did.  She did not like him, and at times barely tolerated him.  Or Theo.  But Theo was an ass.

Eileen rarely came.

“It sells itself.  It ticks all the boxes.  Why?  You rarely want to know what the business is about.”

“There was an article in a magazine.  When people start using words like stratosphere, though wonder if they can’t see past the glossy cover and see what’s underneath.”

” I don’t have a glossy cover.”

“But the rest of them do.  I look at your father and Theo, and I wouldn’t trust them at all.  Your Aunt Matilda hated him.  She has more class in her little finger than he ever will.”

That was vicious, but I’d come to realise, in the case of being overlooked and undervalued, even being treated with contempt by my own family, she was right.

But saying this to me was a risk.  If I were to repeat it, there would be consequences.  I’d heard the muted discussion coming from Dad’s study.  Turning the old girl’s shack into a mountain resort.  It was worth billions if it was done right.

The only lament, she could not be moved.  Or would not be swayed into selling her heritage.

“I would never sell this place, Gran.  Never.  This is the very personification of my heritage.  I love this place.  You know,” I said, without realising I was sounding and acting silly, “I would love to hold a ball in the ballroom.”

When I realised I was being silly, I looked over and saw her eyes were watering.

I asked, concerned, “Are you alright?”

“I am.”  She dabbed at her eyes with a monogrammed handkerchief.  “It’s what I have wanted, but I don’t have the energy to make it happen.”

We had this conversation once.  A few months back.  When she told me, Dad was trying to convince her to let him use the property as collateral for a project.  It was just dead money, he said.

She had refused.

It was why he had been angry for a while now.  And Theo.  Plans, no doubt, to make themselves rich at the expense of a relative.  I didn’t want to believe it of them, or that mom would let them, but she never seemed to put up a fight about anything, including protecting me.

Gran had asked me to draw up a plan that would turn the property into a resort, a different resort, one that had an equestrian centre at its heart.

My grandmother loved horses, had a few, and had taught me to ride practically before I could walk.  It was she who convinced me to play polo, and we had the makings of a polo field in the west paddock.

She remembered. “Did you get those plans we discussed drawn up?”

“I did.  I went to see Westerby at the equestrian centre, and he was very excited about the prospect.  Just the other week, he said the powers that be were looking at where they could set up a centre to start training Olympic hopefuls, and if we can put something together…”

“Good.  I’ll have a talk with him soon.  After you sort out this new development.”

My phone dinged.  A message.  From Daisy, my assistant back at the office.

A URL.

I selected it, and it took me to a news page where my father and Theodore, beaming from ear to ear, the city representatives behind them were making an announcement.  Smiles all round.

I listened to the speech for about a minute, then cut it off.

“What is it?”  She asked.

I guess my disappointed expression gave it away.

They had deliberately moved the presentation ahead so Theodore could take the honours.  I just noticed in the background, still on the screen, he had rebranded the whole project as his, with no mention of me.

No wonder no one said boo when Dad said I was still doing the presentation.  They were all in on it.

“Theo just stole my thunder and my job.  He’s going to be the project manager.”

“What about you?”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “Now I have the time to devote myself to your equestrian centre.”

“Won’t you have to continue working on the reclamation?”

“Apparently not.  Theo obviously has it all under control.”

I opened my phone and went to a specific email sitting in the drafts folder.  I had hoped that I would never have to send it, but I’d finally had enough of being taken for granted.

I dated the documents and sent them to HR.  Effective immediately, I had resigned.

“Can I stay here.  I don’t think I’m going to be very welcome at home.”

“Of course.  I have a few friends coming for dinner, and Father Giles can be, well, you know him as well as I do.”

…

I left my cell phone in my room, and had a long and convivial dinner with old friends that I had known from my childhood days, when I was a far more frequent and regular guest.

It was better than sitting at a table where there were four people on the same page and a ghost sitting in isolation.  As the years passed, I felt less like a member of that exclusive club and more like a visitor on the outside looking in.

Except…

When I went back to the room, I could see my cell phone beaming like a beacon in the night, and dinging about once every twenty seconds.

The first message was from Theo. I’d say, when they asked the first question, one of many he couldn’t answer.  He hadn’t spent the time with me in the development phase, as he was supposed to, and didn’t bother prepping before the presentation.

There were seven hefty binders or accompanying documents that needed to be read and understood before giving the presentation.  It was slides and talking points, and using big words that covered trends and projections, and buzz talk.

The devil was in the details.

Theo was never interested in details, just concepts.

My guess, he would have told them any questions would be answered by the technical lead.  Me.  If only I could be found.

Fourty four messages before one from my father.

“Where are you?”

I might have been at work if they had not moved the presentation and told me.  Or not, if this was what they’d planned all along.

I was not being vindictive; I was just going about my business, which they were fully aware of.

There were missed calls from each of them, mother included.  I had heard Grans’ cell phone ringing, and the house phone, but she had seemed unperturbed.

I went to sleep with a clear conscience

..

When I went downstairs for breakfast, out on the patio, Gran was sitting looking out over the lawns, down to the fountain where I used to make wishes.

None ever came true.

Sitting beside her was Susannah, a neighbour’s daughter who used to be as frequent a visitor as I had been a long time ago.

She had also been Eileen’s best friend until Eileen betrayed her.  It ruined any chance I had with her.

About a week ago, she had sent me an email asking if I was the Richard she used to know once upon a time.  I had replied yesterday and said I would be visiting Gran this week.  She had not replied.  Perhaps the old wounds had not healed.

Or they had.

She had the gift of never aging.  I wished I were a more attractive proposition, but we can’t have everything.

“Susannah?”  I sounded surprised.  I was.

“Rich.  What a pleasant surprise.”  She got out of her chair, came over and gave me a hug like she actually cared about me.

Then she stepped back.  “Martha tells me your family finally showed their true colours.”

That was a step and a half for Gran.  She had never publicly or privately called them out. 

“It’s my misguided attempt to try and get some recognition from them, and not getting past the wunderkind Theo.  I work hard, and can’t get any traction.”

“Martha says you quit.”

“Perhaps it’s the only way.”

“What did your father say?”

“Haven’t gone home and haven’t answered any calls, texts or emails.  Not ready yet.”

“I’m staying for a few days.  You can talk to me about anything.  You know that?”

“Thank you.”

The serving girl brought over a cup of coffee and put it on the table.

Then we heard a booming voice coming towards us.  “I’ll have one of those “

I yelled back, “Get it yourself, Theo.  She’s not your slave.”

She looked at him, then me.  “He’ll get it himself.”

Martha nodded, and the girl left.

He shook his head.  The privilege oozed out of him.  I’d seen him deal with waiters and waitresses.  Someone needed to teach him some manners.

“Any reason you’re here, Theo.  Shouldn’t you be working with the new clients?”

He’d completely ignored Susannah.  She seemed amused, with no intention of going anywhere.

“We need you back in the office.  The family is taking a break to celebrate the successful conclusion.  I closed the deal, Richard.  You would have made a mess of it.”

“And yet you seem to think I won’t now?”

“Don’t be a pompous twit.  You know everything there is to know about it.  You’re just not fit to run it.  Or anything.”

As insulting as ever. Had he tempered his approach, I might have thought twice about not going. Not now.

He looked around, perhaps expecting a cup of coffee to magically turn up.

“I resigned, Theo.  Effective 10am yesterday.  The project is yours.”

“Dad says you can’t resign.”

“Tell him to read my contract.”

“What contract?”

“The one he forced on me and got your daft sister to draw up.  I was the only one of us he insisted sign.  I added a few clauses in the revised draft, and she signed it without reading it.  Both of you were painted with the same brush.  Stupid is as stupid does, Theo.”

“Rubbish.  You’re not that clever.”

I smiled.  “Then take me to court.  Goodbye Theo.  Go sort out the mess your father and sister created.”

He jumped up and pulled out his cell, and a few minutes later, we could hear him yelling at Eileen.

Both Gran and Susannah had watched the exchange with half smiles.  His badgering and bullying had no effect, but then, he hadn’t realised just how much trouble they were in.

“You didn’t deliberately set them up?” Susannah asked.

“No.  All the information is there.  Everything that was discussed, the planning, the requirements, the costings and a project plan.  They just have to know where to look and how to interpret it.  I told them that if I were the project manager, it would all work like clockwork.  They didn’t listen.  Appearances mean more than practicality.  I don’t think Theo’s ego could stand letting me run such a large project.”

Theo came back and thrust his cell phone in my face.

“Dad wants a word.”

I could imagine.

I didn’t need to put it to my ear. “You cannot resign.  Your family.  You’re in charge of the office while we’re gone.  Now get back here.  You have meetings to prepare for.”

I took a deep breath. “I resigned.  I do not work for you or anyone.  Maybe I’ll pursue a career in pizza making.  Pizzas can’t stab you in the back or lie to your face.  It’s time to see how far into the stratosphere Theo can take you, Dad.  You don’t need me.  You never have.  Have a nice day.”

I held out the phone for Theo to take it back.  I think he finally realised I was not coming back.

“Look, Richard.  This is not my fault.  Dad did this.”

“No, you did this.  You could have told him this was my turn.  But no, your ego couldn’t have that.  Well, here’s your chance to show Dad just how good you are.  You’ve never needed me, Theo.  No one in that family has.”

“Screw you, Rich.  You’ll be back, and then we’ll see what’s what.”

He snatched up his phone and stomped off.

He didn’t get that cup of coffee

…

Daisy was kept on, transitioning from my assistant to being the custodian of the documentation. Dad had the sense to realise she was the only one who knew where everything was. At least he promoted her and doubled her salary, though I don’t think he did it without a push.

Dad had to hire four new planners, architects and an engineer that were not in the original budget, and would make a hefty dent in the profit margin.

He had asked, politely, once more that I should return, given a title and double the salary, but not as project manager.

I refused.

Then he offered me the project manager position. It was too late. I wasn’t going back.  I didn’t want the hassle of listening to my brother whining the whole time.

The Davidson and Sons Realty and Investment Corporation very subtly changed to the Davidson and Son Realty and Investment Corporation.

I didn’t care.

I left the city and went to live with Gran, taking on the project of turning the family estate into a special resort for Equestrians, and becoming the perfect training establishment for future Olympians and polo players.

The family thrived without me.

I thrived without them.

About a year after the parting, a newspaper headline broke the story that my mother had had an affair and that I had been the result of it.

Dad had been caught unawares in the middle of a big and delicate negotiation, and the story blew his opportunity out of the water.

The thing was, he knew.  So did Theo and Eileen.  Mom had believed they didn’t, but I could see it had been the case.  They had always treated me as different.

It wasn’t much later that Dad was caught cheating himself, and not just with one woman, but several.  The difference between us and the rest of the new wealthy, Susannah said, was that they could keep their dirty linen in the linen basket.

Mom got divorced and came home.

Theo and Eileen stayed with Dad.

I got married to Susannah.  It seemed inevitable.  She had never really held Eileen’s pettiness against me.  She was just waiting for the day that payback became a bitch.

…

©  Charles Heath  2026

Coming soon – “Strangers We’ve Become”, the sequel to “What Sets Us Apart”

Stranger’s We’ve Become, a sequel to What Sets Us Apart.

The blurb:

Is she or isn’t she, that is the question!

Susan has returned to David, but he is having difficulty dealing with the changes. Her time in captivity has changed her markedly, so much so that David decides to give her some time and space to re-adjust back into normal life.

But doubts about whether he chose the real Susan remain.

In the meantime, David has to deal with Susan’s new security chief, the discovery of her rebuilding a palace in Russia, evidence of an affair, and several attempts on his life. And, once again, David is drawn into another of Predergast’s games, one that could ultimately prove fatal.

From being reunited with the enigmatic Alisha, a strange visit to Susan’s country estate, to Russia and back, to a rescue mission in Nigeria, David soon discovers those whom he thought he could trust each has their own agenda, one that apparently doesn’t include him.

The Cover:

strangerscover9

Coming soon