A Vision of Song

By Will Mobbs

Unhappily married to a crime boss, she still benefitted heavily when he was murdered, managing in time to divest herself of the whole complex, unsavoury set-up. A desire to move well out of the city brought about a total rethink of their life plan. A re-kindled interest in structural architecture threw up the seeds of hope for the massive tract

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Heron
• Release date: Feb 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781739894733

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AVOS_eCover.jpg

Copyright © Will Mobbs

Published by Blue Heron Press

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-7398947-2-6

eBook ISBN-13: 978-1-7398947-3-3

Printed in the United Kingdom

All rights reserved in all media. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the author and/or publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The views expressed by the characters in this book are not the views of the author.

Cover design and layout by www.spiffingcovers.com

Also by Will Mobbs:

Prequel by the same author; Fatal Checkout

Contents

Precis

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Precis

On the dazzling expanse of grassland flowing down to Lake San Antonio, the ‘Stud’ development began, and as their confidence in a happier, more fulfilling life grew, the couple married on an exotic Fijian island. At this point, their lives became inextricably involved with a blind girl and a daunting commitment to help her. This grew to be an all consuming need within, which brought to the surface, instincts which to date, had never figured in their thinking. Into a life and lifestyle offering little, and compounded by an affliction to which there was no medical solution within reach, physical or financial, Rita Jardine became a saviour, rising to the crisis which presented itself. In the process a bond, bordering on maternal developed, which far surpassed any expectations she could imagine. Distance, and logistics presented changing, diverse obstacles to overcome, whilst on this side of the Pacific, their professional commitment was growing equally as fast, managed in their absence by a carefully selected and highly capable, hard working, close-knit young professional team.

* * *

Preface

Mark and Rita Fallon are unlikely people to enter the difficult and challenging world of ‘Top End’ horse breeding. Thrown together in the glitzy world of performing music, fate smiles on them and Rita comes into a massive amount of money. They now embark on a glamorous life in the exclusive equestrian field rapidly taking shape in the mountains south of San Francisco. Setting up a strong, diverse operational network enables them to extract and utilize information and expertise they quickly incorporate into the venture.

Reaching a predetermined stage in its growth, the time approaches to arrange their wedding, planned for Fiji, before the construction schedule at the Stud fully occupies Mark. This proves to be a huge undertaking in itself and though often discussed, very few definite details are laid down. A far more pressing arrangement is a dinner Rita has instigated by way of a ‘thank you’ for staff members.

It is due in days…

Chapter 1

During breakfast, Mark reminded Rita of their first riding lesson late in the afternoon, suggesting they use the Jeep, especially since it still contained the drawings. The ride down in the elevator found them back in discussion about Travis and his application. In the office, they both decided to be present when the call went through; Penny answered, saying Travis was outside hooking up the horsebox and she would call him in. A few moments passed and he came on sounding slightly breathless. Swift hellos and Travis abruptly asked Mark what he thought of the contents of his package. Mark was forthright about how impressed they were, and would like him to come on board, subject to agreement on terms. Mark was relieved to have discussed the broad structure of this with the breeder from whom he was buying the mare for Rita.

With his advice for guidance, aware of Travis’s current earnings, Mark said outright, ‘I don’t want to haggle Travis, so out of respect for your honesty we’re offering a 25% raise on your current wage, and hopefully you can start soon.’

There was momentary quiet then Mark heard Penny give a little shriek before Travis just said, ‘Great! I can start four weeks from today.’

Mark gave Rita the thumbs up. ‘We can work on accommodation locally until your house on the Stud is ready. The plan is for you to have the same Jeep as Rita, and both will have the Stud Logo and number discreetly on the side and tailgate. They should be done by your arrival date. How does that sound to you?’

‘Just great, and thanks! I’d appreciate a written offer a.s.a.p. so I can submit it to my boss.’

‘No problem Travis, welcome aboard. This should be a hell of a ride; I’ll get it off to you today.’

As Mark replaced the receiver, he bumped his fist on the desk in annoyance, realising he had left the papers with Travis’s address in the bedroom. He sat and compiled an offer letter with Rita and left her to arrange its typing while he went home to retrieve the papers. He also charged her with phoning the Jeep garage to order the next Jeep, to be delivered, same spec and colours, with the sign-writing done.

In the Jeep, Mark was enjoying the traffic free, mid-afternoon journey to the apartment, utilising the time and deciding how best to split his productive hours between drawing up the plans and putting them into practice, overseeing the physical redevelopment of The Stud and his lesser role finalising the wedding set-up. As part of this he decided to call a site meeting with Alex, Rudi, the site contractor and the development architect, who was yet to see the job. As soon as he passed Travis’s details to Chrissie, he put these thoughts to Rita. The time had come for them to leave for the afternoon and Chrissie had cleared with Alex to send Travis’s letter by certified mail, ensuring its delivery by the fastest means. There was much discussion in the car; it was refreshing to have something different to think about until they got to the horses. Their session was only a little more than an hour, but it flew by. They enjoyed it greatly, but experienced unaccustomed stiffness well into the following day.

Rita threw together a simple meal, which enabled them to talk during its preparation. Rita showed Mark her sketched ideas of her vision of the house. They were ambitious while practical and he set about adjusting the scale and perspective, including his ideas. Considering this was a first draft, he felt pleased and told Rita he looked forward to running it past the architect at the meeting on Friday.

‘By the way, do you want to be present?’

She said yes, pouring some wine as Mark put on some long-neglected Nat King Cole.

Come morning, Mark had said he wanted an early start on the drawing so after a sparse breakfast, beat the bustle into the city, and was hard at it even before Alex arrived. It was his intension to complete his preliminary drawings to present as full a picture as necessary to get the best out of the Friday meeting. Alex came to the door and excusing his intrusion, asked Mark questions about Travis, whose employment he endorsed. Around mid-morning Rita, breezed into the office and couldn’t help a quick ‘hello’ to Mark, before leaving him in peace to check with Chrissie on the progress for the Saturday evening gathering.

They were still with the coffee as Mark called the surveyor’s to suggest he come to the office in the morning for a catch-up now the drawings were more complete. Rita advised she had given the go-ahead for cabs on the Saturday for them all. Alex had arranged with the cab firm for him to be brought back to the club after Carol was dropped at home, as Saturday was the one night he had to be available. On reflection, since Alex had been in charge, there had been only one serious bit of trouble that required police action, unlike the days before Mario Fantoni held the reins.

There was no problem getting up next morning, but Rita offered to drive in to be on the safe side. Mark raised the point of accommodation for Travis to get Rita’s take. She suggested it could be easier to find somewhere out of town, towards the farm, and maybe the landscape contractor might throw light on it later.

Rita parked next to an unfamiliar white Comaro, which had to belong to the architect. What was more of a surprise was the amazingly handsome young man who came out of Chrissie’s office with the girl close behind. She introduced him and as she said his name, her eyes glazed as he spoke to Mark first and then Rita.

They went into Rita’s office and before being asked, Chrissie offered coffee, to which he just said, ‘Black. No sugar, thanks!’

The coffee materialised and she placed it in front the young Jason Duvall. He thanked her. The other coffees were passed out and Chrissie left in an almost trance like state. It had not gone un-noticed and Rita later said to Mark, it would be just great if they were to ask Jason to the dinner, and sneakily put him next to Chrissie.

Back to the meeting and Mark was congratulated on the clarity and balance of his plans. They talked in general about how the Stud should shape up. Fairly soon it seemed right to think about getting on the road and on Mark’s invitation, Jason accepted a ride to the farm. From behind, Jason spoke to Chrissie, thanking her for looking after him when he arrived.

‘My pleasure!’ She said with a with a huge smile.

He raised his hand. ‘Mine too!’

From the trunk of the Comaro, Jason retrieved equipment that must have been his usual operational outfit and asked if he could put it in the back of the Jeep. Mark took some and Jason was pleased to hear him name it all as he handled it. As they pulled out of the car park, Mark answered about the club and the business setup, Rita took note of how Chrissie watched intently through the window. They were on the big hill leaving the city when Rita asked about Jason’s qualifications and where he studied, which he readily answered.

They swung off the main highway and Rita was amazed at the difference since the access road had been cleared. They all got out, and while Jason scoured the extremes of the property through binoculars, Mark rattled off photos of a very different panorama. In the Jeep, the improved roadway got them to the barn quickly, where Rudi and the contractor waited. Rita handed out the plans while Mark made introductions, after which Jason took notes. He had his own detailed maps and when they had looked round the area of the barn, he asked to see where the old corrals stood. Mark pointed out how much land needed to be looked at and suggested a driven tour, after which maybe a spot of lunch to discuss what had come to light.

The contractor agreed, so it was decided he and Jason would use his pickup so their collective expertise could analyse the general lay of the land and proposed building areas. This enabled Rudi to put his provisional ideas to Mark and Rita while on site. It made his thoughts easier to take in. They concentrated initially on the wooded area where they planned to have the main house, taking guidance from Rudi on the garden layout to suit the soil and natural shrubbery. Rudi had walked through the trees on one of his trips and had thoughts on certain trees he felt should be thinned to enhance the growth of the thick copse. It was a bigger stand of trees than Mark had imagined, so when they came out on the far side, the Jeep was some distance. Once there, the other two waited, studying a drawing on the tailgate of the pickup.

Jason smiled and remarked on what a huge bit of land it was. He pointed to the drawing. ‘Have you been looking at where the house will be?’

‘Hopefully,’ said Mark. ‘We feel it will offer the greatest privacy.’

‘Exactly! We’ve just been talking about it. In fact, I noticed it’s your intention to build more than one house as well as additional accommodation up the hill, so how many houses?’

Before Mark could reply, Rita said, ‘Three’. She looked at Mark. ‘There’s Rudi, Travis and us!’

Jason looked back at the plan. ‘Well, look, with the size of the woods, you could build all three around it with gardens and garages, without seeing one from another. It would be the feasible way of installing all roadways, services and drainage at far less cost.’

He looked from one to another and asked if the lunch Mark had mentioned was still on, as he could murder a coffee. The contractor opted out as he needed to get back to his yard and felt he and Jason had completed the basics. Jason put his stuff in the Jeep and once they were passing the old barn, they could see the pickup getting on with it down the access road.

Lunch was simple but enjoyable, at the same roadhouse where Mark and Rita had gone with Alex and Carol on their first trip to the old farm. Rita commented how long ago it seemed. Coffee bolstered everyone’s spirits while they threw in worthwhile observations and Jason remarked how helpful Rudi would be throughout development. Mark was sure Rudi’s familiarity with the contractor would be an advantage, and once Travis came aboard, this combination of youth and expertise made him more hopeful. Jason asked if Rudi was around as he could be useful when the surveying got under way. Mark gave the two free rein to link up as often as necessary, including organising the contractor, getting lunch at the roadhouse, and transport out from the city, unless Jason preferred to zip out in the Comaro.

He said he’d think on it, whereon Rita told him about the Comaro she ran until recently. She had offered to have an extra barn key cut. It was time for everyone to say goodbye and separate, but they had hardly reached the highway when Jason mentioned the necessary contract for the build; Mark explained in-depth about Travis joining them in four weeks and he wanted him there before taking that step. Jason agreed and said he would draw up the details and submit the draft in a few days.

They were nearly at the club when Rita leaned forward, to put her hand on Jason’s shoulder. He swivelled and she asked if he was busy Saturday evening. He shook his head; he generally played golf and went for a swim, but as mentioned, only moved last year and didn’t have much of a social circle. She told him they were having a group get-together at a hotel, inviting him for dinner scheduled for 7.30pm. Mark reiterated it would be a small group.

‘Wonderful! It sounds great! What’s the dress code?’

‘Oh! Smart casual will be just great, and I doubt you’ll have any trouble finding something to go with the tan.’

‘Oh, it’s hereditary from my Spanish grandmother; I never have to work on it!’ He smiled.

Rita quickly threw in, ‘You and me both!’ They all laughed, heartily.

Jason loaded the Comaro and said he would get away to call at his office, shaking hands and saying he would see them Saturday. Mark collected the roll of drawings from the Jeep and as they came through the door, Rita said she would freshen up and then tell Chrissie there would be one extra at the dinner, without naming names. Mark asked Rita to give Chrissie the growing file on Travis. Turning in opposite directions from the lobby, Rita paid her visit, making straight for Chrissie’s office. As soon as Rita entered, Chrissie jumped up, offering coffee as she walked round her desk, peering over Rita’s shoulder, disappointed there was no one there. Rita almost had to block her way and thrust the Travis file forward, saying there would be one extra at the dinner. Chrissie looked at the file in her hand and, putting two and two together, pictured Travis on the guest list. Rita left the office and headed for her own, pausing at Alex’s door where she heard Mark giving Alex a run-down of the day’s activities, but missed hearing the mild collusion regarding Saturday’s mystery guest. The intrigue needed to go no further as Rudi knew nothing of it, having parted company at the farm.

Mark put his head round Rita’s door to say he would like to give the drawing an hour, so if Rita wanted to go home, he could jump a cab. Always the finite planner, he had picked up a problem where there was going to be a management shortfall at both clubs when everyone was attending the wedding. While staffing levels were fine, there would be no one more senior than Carol’s secretary at Spangles or young Chrissie at the club. They each put in theories, but in truth, neither had experience in the business. An hour or so later, Alex came on the phone, knowing they would be tackling the problem, and wanting their views.

After they had left the club, Alex had called the Lawyers to ask if any similar situation had emerged at the club in the past, to be told only the occasion of Jerome Kelly’s funeral, which had been a two-day upheaval during which there was no noticeable disruption to the operation or profitability of the business. During this, two of the mid-ranking lawyers from his practise had temporarily moved office to create the presence of a legally and financially qualified body to oversee the smooth running of the business. Alex had further provisionally sounded him out to see if the process could be repeated, and was putting it to Rita and Mark, suggesting they consider enlisting Travis’s help. Alex felt professionally obliged otherwise to reluctantly decline Mark’s ‘Best Man’ invitation. Either way, he would make it a short, three-day break, if it was okay.

‘Hang on there, Alex. We don’t want you losing out; go ahead with any provisional solutions, and we will use these ideas to reach a good outcome when we next chat. Till then, see you on Saturday.’ Rita called out, ‘Bye!’

They kicked it around more, but couldn’t think of a better notion. Mark had become aware how little his Jaguar was being used; it always looked so dirty these days, which for him was most unusual. He arranged a full valet service while he was downtown, so they dropped it off when going to the riding school. He would collect it after a gym session, which transpired to be a pretty hard work out.

Despite the time he had been away, his car was not quite ready so he enjoyed a coffee at a pavement café nearby. Meanwhile, Rita had been home for some time and apologised for leaving riding gear in the Jeep as she wanted to safeguard her newly done nails. She got them both a drink, which they brought up to the terrace. As they talked, Rita told him Chrissie had given her the papers and place cards for the function, for Rita to arrange.

‘It’s your dinner and your choice’

He patted her hand as she asked, ‘Sure?’

‘I’m sure!’

While they were getting ready, Mark got a call from Gina in Sacramento to catch-up, and after they had almost exhausted the conversation, he was about to pass the phone to Rita, saying she had something to tell her.

‘Oh! Dad, she’s not pregnant, is she?’

He burst out laughing ‘You ask her yourself!’

Mark stood back expectantly, a bemused look on his face. Rita said ‘Hi!’ before the phone got to her ear and the question was repeated. She shrieked a long ‘No’ and laughed too. Mark made a sign like a ring going on to his finger and Rita nodded, repeating, ‘No.’

‘Were going to tie the knot late this summer in Fiji, as yet no date confirmed, and would love you and Luke to join us if you would like to?’

A little cry of delight reached Mark, followed by her announcement they were both expecting to graduate in the summer and were talking of a celebratory holiday trip, so if the two could gel, it would be fantastic. It would surely need to be co-ordinated. They finished getting ready in a happy mood and decided to leave earlier than planned.

As they entered the foyer Mark asked the concierge to have guests for the Fantoni party directed to the bar adjacent to the dining room, thanking him handsomely. They asked to be seated where they could see all who entered, and Mark waited for their drinks while Rita slipped through to set up the table. She returned in minutes and in plenty of time before Carol and Alex, who were in on the ruse, arrived with Chrissie. They offered to look after the police party and Rudi’s trio. Jason didn’t know Mark’s surname so was at a loss in the foyer until the concierge applied common sense and suggested he try the party gathering in the bar. This small delay kept him with his back to the thoroughfare just as