“You didn’t see the papers online, watch the local news on TV?”
“Mike, I was sleeping most of each day. As soon as I got a bit better, my dad whisked me off to our cottage in Campbell River. He knew I needed the seclusion.”
“Then you went back to being Agneta?”
“That’s right. When I fully recovered I helped dad out in his office – as you discovered. He was already getting sick with stomach cancer by then and needed me. After he died, mum sold our house, moved to Campbell River and retreated into herself. She was never the same again. It all happened so fast it created another crisis point in my life. In the end I decided to go back to being ‘Emma Virtanen’ again.”
She paused; must have read the puzzled expression on my face.
“It was a strange time in my life, Mike. The death of my best friend, the death of my father; losing both of them and losing you too. Most of that was my own fault. I’d a lot of guilt and shame to deal with. I can’t explain it but it just seemed so much easier to be someone else, this fictional creation. I still had the identity documents I’d got at UBC under my Virtanen name. A year or two later I couldn’t imagine myself being anyone else.”
*
We sat there for a long time, neither of us speaking, until the sun began to set.
“Time to be getting back,” I said.
We stood up and I held her hand.
“What are you thinking, Mike? What about us?”
Sometimes actions are better than words. I pulled her to me, felt the warm softness of her body pressed tightly against mine, and showed her what I had in mind.
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Acknowledgements
My research for this novel came from many diverse sources, including a number of accounts of famous heists. Two books proved particularly valuable: Gentleman Thief: Recollections of a Cat Burglar by my fellow Ulsterman, Peter Scott, and Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell. In Meaner Things I adapted and fictionalised the basic strategy of one of Peter’s many daring heists, and did the same with technical elements from the real diamond heist described in Flawless.
Needless to say, Meaner Things is entirely a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of my imagination or used in a completely fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
My sincere thanks go to my family, friends and writing colleagues who helped me with this novel.
In particular, I am very grateful to Margaret Hume for beta-reading the entire manuscript, correcting typos and factual errors, and presenting me with a multi-page typewritten summary of her thoughts on plot and characterisation. This went far above and beyond the call of friendship! The novel is considerably better because of Margaret’s insightful commentary.
I am also grateful to Fairview Writers’ Group for faithfully reading the manuscript, chapter by chapter and line by line, during the months of writing it. The group members’ comments and detailed critical feedback led to plot improvements, character refinements and dozens of smaller changes, again resulting in an appreciably better book.
My wife Joanne provided her usual selfless encouragement throughout the long writing process. I am supremely grateful to her and to my son Brendan for their unwavering love and support.
Joanne and Brendan, as always, I dedicate this book to both of you.
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