Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 22

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

I need a plan.

This lark of making it up as I go is getting a little more difficult because I had an idea where this was leading, and now it seems to have hit a brick wall.

We have a friend in hiding with a mysterious diary, we have a mother who is missing, we have an agent of sorts following Jack around in the hope it will lead to the mysterious diary, and we have said agent and Jack looking for Jacob.

Why?

In my book, you don’t go looking for trouble.

What these two intrepid adventurers should be doing is trying to find Jack’s mother.

That, of course, leads to the other important question, who has her, if anyone does?

OK, so let’s let loose the diary’s owner, a man named McCallister, who coincidentally is father to both Jack and Jacob.

What’s in the diary?

This needs some background, and it needs to have the seeds of the plot sown earlier in the story when Jack was investigating who Jacob was. He would find out who Jacob’s father was, and likely his own.

A part of the current plot is that McCallister calls Jack and wants to exchange the diary for his mother. So that will mean McCallister has her.

I had considered that perhaps her sister was holding her captive, but why would she after all these years?

So, from her…

The call from McCallister, Maryanne needs to draw on her organisation’s resources to find McCallister (he was in jail but escaped, ok the back story is being virtually written on the fly) because of what’s in the diary, and he needs it to stay alive. What’s in it? One would have to presume it had something to do with his life before producing children, and that was as a politician.

So, was he a corrupt politician, or did he know of one, or two, maybe? Politics can be dangerous, as well as lucrative.

As they say, the plot thickens!

More tomorrow.

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 26

And yet it took so long

It might well be the lament of the person who was the principal behind the operation.  It was meant to take a few weeks, then leave as though nothing happened.

That might have happened if the building hadn’t been loaded up with CCTV coverage, most of which only a few knew about, and certainly not those who were in on the operation.

Yes, someone forgot the drug made it’s victim paranoid on top of everything else.

And, taking on someone like Agatha, who had learned from dealing with her father that she always had to be one step ahead of everyone else, was probably a sin in itself.

Never, never, underestimate your enemy.

And yet another slice of what could be called dumb luck, it was not anticipated that Agatha would fall down those stairs and end up in a coma.  Not for long, but just long enough, before succumbing to her injury.

To say that was not supposed to happen was an understatement.

It brought in the police, a very, very close inspection of the people inside the operation, and word, it brought back her husband, Michael, and he was looking for vengeance.

Words today, 1,601, for a total of 47,515

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 25

Well, that wasn’t what was expecting.

There has to be a motive, means and opportunity.

In any investigation, suspects can have the means and the opportunity, but often it’s hard to find a motive.

And until you start scratching below the surface, there can be a point where the perpetrator can begin to believe they’ve got away with it.  Especially when there are so many other convenient suspects.

The first clue, if it could be called that, is that Agatha was slowly poisoned.  It was not something she would be overly aware of, other than the perpetual fatigue, nor was it a poison that would show up in the run-of-the-mill blood tests.

You have to be looking for a very specific substance, and even then, it’s difficult at best, because it is often used for heart troubles.

Fatigue is generally treated as fatigue.  Doctors do not often look beyond the obvious and prescribe something they believe will fix the problem.  That, of course, is rest.

The thing is, what happens to Agatha was not meant to be part of the ‘punishment’.  She was simply supposed to be removed from her position of running her charity, to take time away while others ran it, using the organisation as a cover for another purpose.  Once.

Words today, 1,804, for a total of 45,914

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 19

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

Jack finally gets to spend those moments with Rosalie that were so tantalisingly close before he left.

The question is, would he dared to do so if it had not been for the events that had just occurred. There always seems to be an element of danger that spurs people on to do things they might not necessarily do if life had not taken a particular turn.

But, it was everything he expected, and more.

Of course, as advised yesterday, there are problems, not of their making but of the intrepid Maryanne, who reveals herself now as an agent working for an organisation that is equally after the package that Jack’s mother had left in Rosalie’s safekeeping.

And ironically it is Rosalie who captures Maryanne in the act of trying to steal it.

So, if an effort to keep it from everyone Rosalie agrees to leave with the package and tell no one where she is. Not until Jack decided what he was going to do with it. One possibility is to use it to get his mother back, but like all ransom exchanges, it never turns out the way it’s supposed to.

So, Maryanne is going to have to come up with a convincing plan to get Jack onside, but the lies and deception are not a very good start in forming trust.

It’s an interesting premise, and beyond the raw writing, I fear it will need some more work to get it where I want it to be.

More tomorrow.

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 24

And if I didn’t have an alibi…

The first meeting with the police on a murder investigation can go well or it can go badly.  Michael’s first meeting with Detective Chief Inspector Davis and Detective Sargeant Bains went badly, but that was more to do with his short temper and the fact they were wasting time on him.

There was no possible way he could have done anything, but the police were more interested in the fact he didn’t show up anywhere in official documentation, and Michael had to admit his passion for staying off the grid, was only going to make matters difficult.

Being escorted to an interview room at the nearby police station was the last thing he expected.  Perhaps it was the sudden discovery that someone had deliberately and callously killed her that made him angry, and it was always going to be directed at someone.

Why not the police.

His friends had said that it might not be a good idea to give them a hard time.

Good advice, given at the wrong time.

Words today, 1,671, for a total of 44,110

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 19

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

Jack finally gets to spend those moments with Rosalie that were so tantalisingly close before he left.

The question is, would he dared to do so if it had not been for the events that had just occurred. There always seems to be an element of danger that spurs people on to do things they might not necessarily do if life had not taken a particular turn.

But, it was everything he expected, and more.

Of course, as advised yesterday, there are problems, not of their making but of the intrepid Maryanne, who reveals herself now as an agent working for an organisation that is equally after the package that Jack’s mother had left in Rosalie’s safekeeping.

And ironically it is Rosalie who captures Maryanne in the act of trying to steal it.

So, if an effort to keep it from everyone Rosalie agrees to leave with the package and tell no one where she is. Not until Jack decided what he was going to do with it. One possibility is to use it to get his mother back, but like all ransom exchanges, it never turns out the way it’s supposed to.

So, Maryanne is going to have to come up with a convincing plan to get Jack onside, but the lies and deception are not a very good start in forming trust.

It’s an interesting premise, and beyond the raw writing, I fear it will need some more work to get it where I want it to be.

More tomorrow.

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 18

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

I have been writing away from home. We promised to take our granddaughters away for a few days during the school holidays, and so I’ve had to rough it, writing at the kitchen table with the sounds of a Nintendo Switch going off in my ears, when we’re not out trying new food and swimming or playing mini gold.

It’s a bit hard to get in the mood.

But, our main character, Jack, is back home, having got away from Maryanne, and knowing he has a package to get from Rosalie, he invites her out to dinner.

Dinner is pleasant, and a rapport develops into something else when he invites her back to his place.

And, of course, it’s probably too much to expect the romance will go as smoothly as it should, and something will come along to liven it up.

At some point, we will discover another of Rosalie’s hidden talents acquired from an undisclosed past life, not related to the romance aspect. If that sounds a little strange it probably is but I don’t want to give away the plot just yet.

More tomorrow.

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 23

A rather interesting suspect list

Michael had drawn up his suspect list, but he knew that list was not going to be exhaustive.

He would be at the top, the spouse always was, and for extra emphasis, he wrote it in capitals.

Lady Adria would be there, her best friend, it would be easy to slip her the poison, but why?

The General, there was a piece of work, and probably his number one candidate, but again, motive?

Genevieve? He didn’t like her, and the feeling was mutual. The fact Agatha was about to literally pull the rug out from under her was reason enough, but she hadn’t been there long.

The Office PA – She had the means but not the motive, but then, stranger things had happened with people least likely to …

The other PA – Again plenty of opportunity, but why?

All six members of the charity staff. It could be one of them, but it was unlikely. Again opportunity, but no motive.

The board members. No!

Her father. Well, his money was on the old man. She had surpassed him in popularity and in achieving accolades for her work whereas he was constantly beating off the reporters accusing him of all manner of infractions. Motive and means, and one of his businesses dealt in poisons.

The boyfriend who wasn’t. If the boy was as dumb as he tried to make people believe, then maybe, but Agatha had picked him for a reason, and it wasn’t longevity. He had no reason to want her dead, considering he was making the most of her free accommodation.

The children, if only for a moment. They hated her, but that was normal. Neither would want to see her dead. It was a little odd they were not more upset though.

Monte, though only as guilt by association. Definitely no.

The IT expert. She was an enigma wrapped up in a puzzle. She had information and wasn’t going to share it. Yet.

There had to be more, people she associated with, friends, and or enemies. The police would add everyone and then remove them one by one.

It was a passing thought, but Michael knew if he could use field interrogation techniques, he could shorten that list dramatically, and very quickly.  Perhaps he still might, if the opportunity arose, depending on the policeman assigned to the case and whether he was willing to share.

He would wait and see what happened.

Words today, 1,732, for a total of 42,439

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 18

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

I have been writing away from home. We promised to take our granddaughters away for a few days during the school holidays, and so I’ve had to rough it, writing at the kitchen table with the sounds of a Nintendo Switch going off in my ears, when we’re not out trying new food and swimming or playing mini gold.

It’s a bit hard to get in the mood.

But, our main character, Jack, is back home, having got away from Maryanne, and knowing he has a package to get from Rosalie, he invites her out to dinner.

Dinner is pleasant, and a rapport develops into something else when he invites her back to his place.

And, of course, it’s probably too much to expect the romance will go as smoothly as it should, and something will come along to liven it up.

At some point, we will discover another of Rosalie’s hidden talents acquired from an undisclosed past life, not related to the romance aspect. If that sounds a little strange it probably is but I don’t want to give away the plot just yet.

More tomorrow.

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 22

The investigation begins

Detective Chief Inspector Davis and Detective Sargeant Bains step into the frame as the investigating officers.  The Chief Inspector had been expecting his last year before retirement to be one of the cases that required more time completing the paperwork than investigating, and Sargeant Bains under his watchful eye because of past misdemeanours that nearly had him sent back to uniform.

Both had read the case notes and the Chief Inspector had queried the delegation of the case to him because it was the sort of case the fast tracker would seize upon.

It got a very severe reprimanding look, along with the statement ‘There are eyes above both our paygrades watching this with very keen interest, so don’t muck it up’.

That, of course, meant there was going to be high-level interference, that it had gone to a fast-track inspector who wisely wanted nothing to do with it.  Maybe his retirement would come early.

Davis may have thought the interference was going to come from the victim’s family, he was well aware of who her father was in the scheme of political and other arenas, but he hadn’t known about or met Michael yet.  That was going to be the highlight of that first day.

For both of them.

Words today, 1,867, for a total of 40,407