Eva was found not guilty, when the three guards swore that they had been there the whole time and that she had shot her husband in self-defence. They didn’t want to lose their jobs, after all, and now Eva was in charge.
Malcolm persuaded Eva to drop the planning application and keep the two houses exactly as they were. She sold one of them to the Managing Director of Malcolm’s university. In fact she liked Highgrove Park so much that she moved into the other house herself. She said she really liked the view of Hampstead Heath and the burial mound.
Trevor Williams got lucky. Before Cynthia had time to hand the threatening notes over to the police, the story of the Russian involvement in the Highgrove Park shootings was all over the newspapers and TV.
Cynthia burned all the notes and persuaded Trevor to resign from his position as Head of Camden Planning. “How can anyone be happy in a position like that?” she said to him. “It would drive anyone mad.” Trevor agreed.
He also agreed to marry Cynthia, since she had gone to the trouble of proposing to him. And the next week he won the lottery again. Not quite the full £3 million he’d hoped for, but enough to set up a very successful business advising people on how to put in planning applications.
Angela persuaded Malcolm to resign his chairmanship of the Residents’ Association, and Malcolm was more than happy to do so. He persuaded Eva to take over from him. So for the first time the Residents’ Association had a chairman who knew exactly how to deal with outrageous planning applications, particularly ones put forward by Russian gangsters.
And Nigel the dog continued to pee on his favourite tree, unaware of everything.
Quick Reads
Quick Reads are brilliantly written short new books by bestselling authors and celebrities. Whether you’re an avid reader who wants a quick fix or haven’t picked up a book since school, sit back, relax and let Quick Reads inspire you.
We would like to thank all our partners in the Quick Reads project for their help and support:
Quick Reads would also like to thank the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Arts Council England and World Book Day for their sponsorship and NIACE for their outreach work.
Quick Reads is a World Book Day initiative.
Other resources
Enjoy this book? Find out about all the others from www.quickreads.org.uk
Free courses are available for anyone who wants to develop their skills. You can attend the courses in your local area. If you’d like to find out more, phone 0800 66 0800.
For more information on developing your basic skills in Scotland, call The Big Plus free on 0808 100 1080 or visit www.thebigplus.com
Join the Reading Agency’s Six Book Challenge at www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk
Publishers Barrington Stoke (www.barringtonstoke.co.uk) and New Island (www.newisland.ie) also provide books for new readers.
The BBC runs an adult basic skills campaign. See www.bbc.co.uk/raw.
About the Author
Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, north Wales, and was a student at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He is best known for his work with the comedy group Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Terry was one of the directors of the film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He wrote, directed and starred in The Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life, Erik the Viking and The Wind in the Willows. He has also made many television programmes, including Crusades, Medieval Lives, Barbarians and The Great Map Mystery.
Terry wrote the screenplay for Jim Henson’s film Labyrinth and is the author of many children’s books. These include Fairy Tales, Fantastic Stories and The Saga of Erik the Viking. He also wrote the academic works Chaucer’s Knight and Who Murdered Chaucer? Trouble on the Heath is his first book of fiction for adults.
Copyright
Published by Accent Press Ltd – 2011
ISBN 9781907726200
Copyright © Terry Jones 2011
The right of Terry Jones to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, The Old School, Upper High St, Bedlinog, Mid-Glamorgan, CF46 6RY.
The Quick Reads project in Wales is a joint venture between the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Books Council. Titles are funded as part of the National Basic Skills Strategy for Wales.
Printed and bound in the UK
Cover design by www.unreal-uk.com