Bonus Content—the Outtake
Well, hello there. I hope you enjoyed that.
How would you like some bonus content? You would? Then you are in the right place.
As you write new drafts of a book, certain chapters, certain scenes, and certain characters fall by the wayside, never to be seen again.
Usually, this is a good thing. New scenes are written, plots are tightened. Do I miss Tony Curran’s brother Dean from draft one? Not really, he was nothing but trouble, though he did make a good early suspect. Dean ended up in the Philippines, and you can draw your own conclusions from that.
But there was one particular scene I cut that I really loved, and I thought you might find it interesting and fun to read. I think it might have been the very last scene we cut.
Here’s the background:
Shortly after the murder of Tony Curran, the gang are looking into the possibility that it was a contract killing. They decide to investigate the possibility that someone, maybe even Ian Ventham, had hired a contract killer to commit the murder.
To this end, Elizabeth is trying to find a hit man they can speak to. Purely for background information, you understand. You know Elizabeth well enough by now to know that’s exactly the sort of thing she would do.
In this previous scene, the gang are having a fairly fruitless discussion on how one might find such a person, when Ibrahim reveals he may be able to help . . .
“Any other ideas on finding a hit man?” says Elizabeth.
“The dark web?” suggests Joyce.
“Thank you, Joyce,” says Elizabeth.
“Well, I know a hit man,” says Ibrahim.
“You know a hit man?” says Ron.
Ibrahim nods. “Well, a hit woman. But I don’t think she’s still at it. Now she’s just the type who might hire a hit man.”
“Ibrahim,” says Elizabeth. “How do you know a hit woman?”
“I can’t tell you that without compromising patient–doctor confidentiality.”
“Would she come and speak to us, do you think?” asks Elizabeth.
“Well, she is often tied up with business and the like, but I will ask.”
“We wouldn’t need a great deal,” says Elizabeth. “I think I have a good handle on contract killing, but we’re lacking a bit of local knowledge. Who kills who in Kent, and for how much?”
Ibrahim nods, and takes out his phone.
“And also, is she single?” asks Ron.
And all of that leads on to the scene you are about to read. It was one of my favorites because I love it when the gang are all together, when they’re bouncing off one another and when, as so often, they are doing something they really shouldn’t.
So, with thanks to you for reading, here’s a scene where the Thursday Murder Club meets a real-life hit woman.
Enjoy!