There are times you might have been wronged by someone and you find it hard to just let it go. An eye for an eye is not a solution. The only way out is to forget, move on and regard it as an unfortunate lesson learnt. There are times you might have done something you wish you could go back in time to undo it but it will not be possible. If you have wronged someone, given a chance you may wish to show your remorse but you may not be able to. The only way is to acknowledge the worst thing you have done and try to do the right thing from now on. How often people are so intent on their monetary gain or financial wealth, they do whatever it takes to get there. It may be out of a need or just simply greed.
Years ago, I had acted for a client who had allowed his business partner to take care of their business accounts and as it turned out his partner had been dishonest. A decade on, their partnership accounts were in disarray and his partner had failed to provide proper bookkeeping records. We then wrote to his partner asking for details of the cheques and money paid out from the partnership. When his partner was unable to provide the information, we obtained bank statements and some of the cheque images from their bank. My client was co-signatory of those cheques and he had a very simple signature.Some of his signatures had not looked like his. In order to send these cheques for handwriting examination, you will need to produce some fifteen or twenty of his signatures of the corresponding period for investigating into authenticity of his signature. Even then, it might not be conclusive. They are subcontractors. It would not be possible to produce those specimen signatures except to get the bank to release those cheques made to him during the partnership. We lodged a complaint to the bank advising them of the possibly forged signature and asked the bank to suspend the firm account. As he acknowledged that he had pre-signed some of these cheques based on what his partner had represented to him, he would not have a good case against the bank for releasing the money without proper mandate since there is some degree of contributory negligence on his part. In fact to get the bank to release some of the physical cheques that were made payable to his partner, we had to file an application to the court before the bank was willing to release those cheques. When the action was finally litigated, the judge ruled in favour of my client because he had believed my client’s narratives. Client was discontent with not being able to get all the money left in the firm account. Due to lack of proper book keeping records, parties were unable to render true account of all the cheques and payments made during the partnership period. It was pointless to spend good money to go on a paper trail in appointing an accounting firm to audit the accounts when there are no bookkeeping records. Our client had been intent on seeking justice in court and did not comprehend why I could not do more. Despite my efforts in explaining to him that you need to produce documentary evidence to show the misdeeds and to some degree he had to acknowledge that there was neglect on his part and it had taken him too long to look into the affairs of the firm. In criminal law, intent is crucial element in determining guilt but in civil cases such as a partnership dispute, a proper accounting record is necessary.
Whatever happens, it is a matter of intent. I remember clearly what my pupil master (RIP) said to me when I first began my pupillage. Whatever you do, you must be able to look at yourself in the mirror every day. Yes at the end of the day, we must be able to look at ourselves in the mirror.
You are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego is an entertaining read if you like to read whodunnit stories and escape or locked room mysteries. Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor has never revealed his real name . He has sent out invitations to six published writers to an exclusive mystery retreat on his private island called Wolf Harbour Island along the coast of Maine. Mila del Angel has been hired to organise and run the event. Mila has never met Alastor who seems to know that she has an axe to grind with one of the invited authors. She does not know how Alastor knows all about her and why she gave up becoming a writer. Mila agrees to assist Alastor in co-ordinating the event as it is an opportunity for her to take a revenge on a ghost from her past.
The invited writers are Thomas Fletcher, a psychiatrist turned writer;Rodrigo Sandoval and Olivia, a writing couple;Violet Blake, a young debut writer; Ashton Carter, a Chinese American author writing paranormal thriller and Cassandra Hutchinson who is in her early seventies, the oldest in the group. Rumour has it that Cassandra is a black widow, she is on her third husband.
These six bestselling thriller writers gladly accept their invitations as they are very keen to meet Alastor. Everyone of them has to sign NDA to prevent them from disclosing to the public who Alastor is. Things turn sinister when one guest is found dead and the remaining guests find themselves getting trapped on a secluded island. They become suspicious of Mila’s hired kitchen staff Taryn and Curt and also Mila. While Mila has been regularly communicating with Alastor through her smartphone, she is still clueless as to how and why things are turning out to be mayhem and nightmarishly dangerous.
Alastor tells Mila that all the guests have to do is to own up their wrongs if they want to live. But there is a serial killer among them, and Mila has a problem convincing the guests to trust her. These thriller writers are caught up in a real life whodunnit and they have to unmask the killer and find out if Alastor is one of the invitees. As they try to figure out how to get out of the island alive, they continue to play games, trope-fuelled riddles amidst some scares supposedly plotted by their host. At the manor, there is a museum where Alastor displays all the iconic costumes, artifacts such as knives of alarming shapes and sizes, props, masks and objects he has collected over the years.
The story is narrated in the respective voices of each character, hence at times, the switch in the point of views can be a little confusing but they tell necessary backstory to each character. On the first night of their arrival, the guests are given a riddle to solve as they are served a massive raw fish the length of an arm on ice. The fish’s grayed skin is matte like a shark and it is missing its scales and eyes. What has to do with scales, is blind, and cold? Cassandra suggests’ an eye for an eye’ Rodrigo says actual justice doesn’t go an eye for an eye and the cold platter does not fit. Then is it justice , best served cold? Finally Fletcher has the answer.
In Rodrigo’s narrative,
‘ Fletcher killed his drink, the golden swirl disappearing down his throat. “Usually, it’s revenge.“‘
The invited guests receive artifacts that offer hints about the secrets they keep. As the story progresses, it gradually reveals the ghost that is trapped in every character and some of their occupations before they turned published writers . At the beginning of the novel we get to know that Rodrigo wants to forget what he did to become partner at the law firm. As he could not remedy his mistakes without getting formally disbarred, he decided to quit law practice and exiling himself into his writing career. Then there is twenty-four year old Violet whose debut wasn’t hers. Are these invited writers somehow are connected in her theft? Intriguing indeed.
J.R. Alastor has written a book on writing and it is due to be released the following week. Every guest is given a copy of the book entitled ‘The Ink in Your Veins : On Writing Fear’. Between the narratives by the characters, there are excerpts from Alastor’s book. Here are some sample passages.
‘WHY AUTHORS WRITE
Some authors are natural-born storytellers; they grow up telling stories ( usually tall ones).For others, writing is a form of therapy, a way to rewrite regret, to share with others what you wish you had known. To change the ending of a story, you’ve already lived.‘
‘ My last advice is not to run from pain, nor the people who have caused it. In fact, I highly recommend you keep a little anti-acknowledgments list, as it were, of people you’d love to thank for making life difficult. For making you who you are, whether by spite, defamation, negligence, or indiscretion. What better way to give life to your words, than drawing on your experience?
And who knows? Maybe you’ll have a chance to set things right, someday.‘
Aside from horror and suspense, there is humour in the story particularly in how the story ends.
Ande Pliego is an imaginative debut author. Here is an excerpt of You are Fatally Invited from Novel Suspects.
Bookaholic Macchiato 