Death by Seven Iron

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Male main character David White, keen golfer; mid to late thirties; attentive husband of Emma; very companionable and likeable character; head of marketing at Palmer & Partner; is invited by his boss to a company golf tournament at which he discovers the body of Charlotte Walsh; with his help, Jeremy Hurd is convicted as the murderer, yet strange dreams lead David to doubt that Hurd alone is responsible; by chance he hears James Walsh's confession at his wife's graveside; together with Emma he tries to apprehend the murderer; saves his wife from a sticky situation and finally also finds the ultimate evidence to prove the complicity of James Walsh in his wife's death.

Female main character Emma White, David's wife of three years; pretty and successful painter; has strange premonitions of the murder of Charlotte Walsh; she visits her parents and brother while the golf tournament is ongoing; only once David gets on to the track of James Walsh, is she drawn into the action; lands in danger when she is threatened by the director holding a gun; David's plucky intervention saves her and together they uncover the truth.

Best friend of the male main character Mark Thompson, David's colleague, golf partner and friend; in a managerial position in sales at Palmer & Partner; is also invited to the golf tournament; he comes to David's assistance in a scuffle with the culprit; married to Rebecca.

Wife of the best friend of the male main character Rebecca Thompson, Mark's wife and Emma's friend; met her husband at David and Emma's wedding; works in the sales department of a large publishing house; minor role.

Director of the competing firm James Walsh, the director of the second firm taking part in the tournament; married to Charlotte for eight years; several years older than his wife; in contrast to Charlotte, would happily start a family; is annoyed with the affectations and dissatisfaction of his wife; when he learns of her adultery, he blows a fuse and commissions Jeremy Hurd to kill his wife; rues his crime, however, and in his despair, finally shoots himself.

Young wife of the director Charlotte Walsh, the beautiful, temperamental and young wife of the director; shoulder-length hair; baby daughter from a wealthy home; spoilt and narcissistic; feels neglected by her husband; wants to go out and experience much more before starting a family; has an affair with Jeremy Hurd and wants to leave her husband for him; when Hurd ends their relationship, she threatens to tell her husband of their affair; is murdered during the golf tournament with a golf club.

The director's assistant Jeremy Hurd, Mr Walsh's assistant; attractive but aloof and cold; when Charlotte Walsh wants to blackmail him, he admits the affair to his boss, whereupon the plan to murder her is laid; is ready to spend time in prison for the murder, provided James Walsh cedes a portion of the life insurance he is paid out for his wife's death; is knocked out by David and convicted.

Father of the director's wife Oscar Sinclair, Charlotte's father; a wealthy industrialist; idolises his only daughter; after her death he is a broken man; flies at Jeremy Hurd in the courtroom and is suddenly struck by an illness from which he does recover.

Boss of the male main character Jack Palmer, David's boss; an older man with grey streaks in his hair; agile demeanour; invites his employees to the company golf tournament which he also takes part in.

The director's secretary Brittany Adams, Mr Walsh's secretary; gives the police the clue that James Walsh had taken out life insurance on his wife, Charlotte; minor role.

Secretary of the male main character Emily Barnett, David's secretary; has already been working for him for a long time; minor role.

Worthy tournament opponent of the male main character Brad Parker, congenial chap in his mid-twenties; works at the third company partaking in the golf tournament; is a worthy golf opponent for David during the tournament.

Female colleague of the male main character Jayne Collins, a colleague of David's, who like him takes part in the golf tournament; widow with 2 children; has recently become involved with a golf instructor.

Another female colleague of the male main character Louise O'Connor, another of David's colleagues; also takes part in the tournament; minor role.

Male colleague of male main character Steve Willoughby, David's colleague; also a participant in the tournament; minor role.

Investigating inspector Inspector Locke, investigates the case of Charlotte Walsh's murder; he would have preferred David to leave the detective work up to the police.

Female friend of the director's wife Alison, Charlotte's best friend with whom she goes out in town; minor role.

Married couple and good acquaintances of the male main character Harriet and Ben, a married couple; are members of David and Mark's golf club and get on well with both friends.

Female friend of the female main character Kate, Emma's friend who lives in New York; runs a small art gallery there; single; has an erratic love life; she is only mentioned in conversation.

Ex-boyfriend of the female main character Alex, Emma's ex-boyfriend who hurt her very badly in the past; he is only mentioned.

Setting of the story

Male main character The hero's first name is ...
The hero's surname is ...
The hero's hair is ...
The hero's eyes are ...
The aftershave of the hero is ...
Term of endearment used for the hero is ...
The hero drives a ...
The colour of the hero's car is ...

Female main character The wife's first name is ...
The wife's hair is ...
The wife's eyes are ...
The perfume of the wife is ...
The term of endearment used for his wife is ...

Best friend of the male main character The hero's best friend (male) is called ...
The surname of the hero's best friend and his wife is ...

Wife of the best friend of the male main character The best friend's wife is called ...

Director of the competing firm The director's first name (male) is (= instigator of the murder) ...
The director's surname (male) is ...

Young wife of the director The first name of the director's wife is (= the murder victim) ...

The director's assistant The first name of the director's assistant (male) is (= murderer) ...
The surname of the director's assistant (male) is ...

Father of the director's wife The first name of the murder victim's father ...
The surname of the murder victim's father ...

Boss of the male main character The first name of the hero's boss (male) is ...
The surname of the hero's boss (male) is ...

The director's secretary The first name of the director's secretary (female) is ...
The surname of the director's secretary (female) is ...

Secretary of the male main character The first name of the hero's secretary (female) is ...
The surname of the hero's secretary (female) is ...

Worthy tournament opponent of the male main character The first name of one of the tournament opponents (male) is ...
The surname of this tournament opponent (male) is ...

Female colleague of the male main character The first name of a female colleague of the hero and tournament participant is ...
The surname of a female colleague of the hero and tournament participant is ...

Another female colleague of the male main character The first name of another female colleague of the hero is ...
The surname of another female colleague of the hero is ...

Male colleague of male main character The first name of a colleague of the hero and tournament participant is ...
The surname of this colleague and tournament participant is ...

Investigating inspector The surname of the investigating inspector (male) is ...

Female friend of the director's wife The first name of the murder victim's friend is ...

Married couple and good acquaintances of the male main character Golfing couple - the wife's first name is ...
Golfing couple - the husband's first name is ...

Female friend of the female main character The first name of the female friend of the hero's wife is ...

Ex-boyfriend of the female main character The first name of the ex-boyfriend of the hero's wife is ...

Setting of the story The story takes place in ...

Although it was still early morning, a stuffy heat already lay draped over the city. David walked out on to the roof terrace of his apartment on the sixth floor of a modern residential building and let his eyes wander over the roofs of Edinburgh. It had rained for a couple of hours the night before. David had hoped that the rain would cool things down a bit, but the first rays of the intense August sun were already causing the cool night to evaporate rapidly. He breathed in the smell of the damp earth in the massive flower tubs and sipped at a small cup of strong black coffee. The lush greenery, a sunbed, comfortable garden chairs and a round teak table lent the terrace a Mediterranean flair. On weekends, this was the ideal place to spend a companionable evening with friends around a barbeque. David smoothed his brown hair back and narrowed his green eyes slightly to shield them from the blinding sun. From this position he had a magnificent view of the old city. In the distance a church spire stretched high up into the cloudless sky. It would be another hot day. David still had a few minutes to spare before heading off to work and he was looking forward to his pleasantly air-conditioned office. In his mind, he planned what he had to accomplish that day. He had a heavy workload to get through, but that didn't scare him. He enjoyed his work, and when things got hectic he was always able to keep a clear head. And he was fortunate enough to work with an outstanding team. David glanced at the clock; it was time for him to set off. He finished his coffee and went back into his apartment, letting the terrace door snap shut behind him. A wide spiral staircase wound its way down from a balcony into the spacious living area. Parquet flooring had been laid in the three rooms, creating a light, pleasant ambience. The front part of the living room housed an eating nook with a long, wooden table and high backed wooden chairs. In keeping with this style there was a massive, dark brown sideboard. At the back of the room was a comfortable seating area for relaxing in front of the fireplace. The living room led into the other two rooms of the apartment, David's study and the bedroom. The kitchen and bathroom led off from a small entrance hall. While David made his way down the staircase, he thought of his wife Emma, who was currently in New York. It was still the middle of the night there; Emma would certainly be fast asleep. Today was her big day. Emma's friend Kate ran a small, exquisite art gallery in New York and had organised an exhibition of Emma's paintings. David's wife was on her way to becoming a recognised artist. During her visit to the States, Emma was staying with her friend in her New York apartment. At home in Edinburgh, Emma rented her own studio on a former factory floor. Practically every day she travelled there to work. David stood in front of the large painting that hung over the mantelpiece in the living room. Emma had given it to him for Christmas the previous year. The picture was in shades of orange and brown and showed a golfer about to take his swing. On closer inspection, the golfer bore a resemblance to David, which was obviously Emma's intention. His athletic physique was well portrayed in the painting. The golfer's peaked cap was pulled far down over his head, his masculine facial features captured in profile. He was looking down in concentration. The stance was so realistic that it was like a snapshot taken in the middle of the movement. In the background, the sun was disappearing behind a hill, bathing the scene in a warm, golden light. David had been completely overwhelmed by the gift. "Do I really cut such a dashing figure on the golf course?" he'd asked jokingly. He marvelled at his wife's talent and was glad about her success. The opening was to take place that evening. David deeply regretted not being able to be there, but his company was about to launch a new product on the market, which meant his boss couldn't do without him. Emma understood it. David sighed. Although she'd left only two days ago, he missed his wife. He missed her laugh, her warmth, her cheerfulness. Without her, the apartment seemed empty and cold. He closed his eyes briefly and pictured Emma gracefully moving through it, adjusting a few things here and there with her beautiful hands. He imagined himself walking behind her, embracing her and burying his nose in her fragrant, honey blonde hair. In ten days time she'd be back with him. He put his cup down on the counter in their luxuriously fitted kitchen. Once in his study, he took a couple of documents from his desk and stowed them in his briefcase. The room was modestly yet elegantly furnished. A functional desk with a greenish, gleaming glass top stood in the centre of the room. The light grey desk chair was fitted with a tilting mechanism for optimal seating comfort. Spanning the longitudinal wall of the room were rows of bookshelves arranged to create a visual effect of aluminium combined with glass. Two of Emma's beautiful watercolours adorned the opposite wall. After David had made sure that he had everything he needed, he left his apartment and took the lift down to the ground floor. A small car park with a number of spaces formed part of the residential complex. David's car, a BMW, was ready to start in one of the first of the marked bays. silver grey, cleaned by the downpour, the car shone and gleamed in the sun. In a good mood, David turned on the radio. The local news was reporting the murder of a young woman who'd been beaten to death by her jealous boyfriend. "My God, how dreadful!" David cried inadvertently. His mood abruptly dampened, he turned the volume down. It was inconceivable to him that someone could do such a thing out of jealousy. Yet you heard time and again of cases of domestic violence; the phenomenon was in no way unusual. He sighed deeply and felt sorry for the young woman's relatives. How terrible it would be if something like that were to happen in his circle of friends. It was unimaginable. He didn't want to think about it any more and concentrated on the traffic. Luckily it was moving quickly. The fact that it was the holiday period was noticeable - the volume of morning traffic had decreased considerably. David arrived early at his place of work, the company Palmer & Partner. He bounced through the entrance to the building and cheerfully wished the receptionist a good morning. She beamed back at him, but at the same time had to reach for the phone because an outside call was coming in. "I'm sorry, Mr Palmer isn't in yet," David heard her say. "Can I give him a message or would you prefer to call back?" David nodded once more at the receptionist and made his way to his office. Going through a glass door, he entered a narrow corridor from which offices led to the left and right. At the end of the passageway on the right hand side was David's office. A sign near the door identified him as "Head of Marketing'. David liked the bright, welcoming room with its wide windows. A pair of pot plants gave the room a cosy feel, and on the wall opposite David's desk hung one of Emma's abstract paintings. The basic colours of green and blue, blended into each other with flowing movements, had a calming effect on the viewer. When it became stressful at work, David would always take some time out to lean back in his chair and gaze at the painting. Even after only a few minutes, he'd feel relaxed and able to get back to his work with a clear mind. David's secretary, Emily Barnett, came in and brought him a cup of coffee and the mail. David had tried unsuccessfully in the past to explain to her that he could fetch his own coffee. "It's not part of your job description to cater for me," he'd said. Mrs Barnett wouldn't hear anything of the sort. She'd been working at the company for years. She was open-minded to the many changes that had taken place over time, yet on this point, she was adamant. "I always did it for your predecessor," she explained to David. "And I have no intention of changing things. How do you like your coffee, with milk and sugar?" Sighing, David had relented, but it was still embarrassing for him to be waited on by her. He thanked her heartily and began to go through his mail. Half an hour later, Mark knocked on David's office door and entered the room jauntily. "Hello David, have you heard?" Mark greeted him. David interrupted his work for a moment and indicated to Mark to take a seat. "No, I haven't, but I'm sure you're going to tell me." He liked the spontaneous, open way in which his friend related to people.