How I Did It

How I Did It

By

Michael K. Rich

Edited by Janet Ann Collins

Graphic Design by Jillian Saxty, First Flight Designs

Illustration by Bridget Halberstadt, Half City Design

Published by Michael K. Rich at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Michael K. Rich

This novel is dedicated to the memory of Lisa Maria Levaggi Rich.

Chapter One

Welcome back to World News Morning. I’m Cindy Bassett. We’re bringing in our panel of contributors to comment on rumors in the publishing sector that the family of Jasper Jennings has recently discovered a manuscript purportedly written by the late Mr. Jennings. But first, we have a breaking news story.

The government has announced the capture and destruction of what is believed to be the last remaining wild Gryphon. The capture involved members of the Gryphon Project and occurred in former Queensland, Australia. Details are still coming in and we’ll continue to report on this story throughout the day as more information becomes available.

Now let’s welcome our contributors: columnist Jack Bergstrom of the Daily Find; celebrity consultant Annika Curl; and, on the ground at the Jennings compound in California, popular author and publisher Andres Rodrigues. Andres, what are your industry sources telling you about these rumors?

ANDRES RODRIGUES: Cindy, I can’t overstate the amount of buzz around these rumors, even though at this point I should emphasize they are only rumors. The publishing sector has been burned before with fake manuscripts attributed to Mr. Jennings, so let’s remember this is just a tantalizing news story, but if my sources are correct we may finally have something to look at; something that will shed light on the inner workings of this extraordinary person.

CINDY BASSETT: Have any of your sources actually seen the manuscript?

ANDRES RODRIGUES: No, but several of them have spoken with the Jennings family about the situation. What I’m hearing is that the Jennings heirs disagree as to whether the manuscript is actually the work of Mr. Jennings. To complicate matters, those family members who believe the manuscript is genuine disagree about whether it should ever see the light of day. So, the story at this point seems to be more about a continuation of the legendary dysfunction of the Jennings family than about the manuscript itself.

CINDY BASSETT: Jack Bergstrom, does the fact that the family is arguing about the manuscript tell us anything? What should we make of that at this early stage?

JACK BERGSTROM: Cindy, the answer is: nothing. Personally, I don’t believe there is a genuine manuscript. Look, we’re a hundred years on from the death of Mr. Jennings. I have a very hard time believing that the family discovered an actual, genuine manuscript, especially when you consider the history of the previous fakes, at least one of which is believed to have been penned by Jasper Junior. The fact that the Jennings family has a dispute about this doesn’t tell me anything, either; again, because of the history. They have disputes about almost everything having to do with Mr. Jennings’ legacy and it’s been going on since his death. I don’t see why anyone should see this particular example as exceptional. If anything, this story says more about our continuing collective fascination with the Jennings myth: that he saved the world and heralded the new horizon. People are always going to be intrigued by this type of story because of the person involved, but let’s face reality and acknowledge that we’re not getting a manuscript from Mr. Jennings at this late date, unfortunately. I as much as anyone would love to read it, but I just don’t see it happening. This isn’t even a story until we have something to look at.

CINDY BASSETT: Annika Curl, what say you about this development? Hollywood made an infamous mistake bringing one of the fake autobiographies to the screen. Is there a sense now that we’ve already been through this before?

ANNIKA CURL: Oh, yes, certainly. Most of the entertainment sector I’ve talked to won’t touch it. There are, however, some newer players with a lot of capital that would be willing to produce, even if the work turns out to be a fraud. There is still a market for anything related to Mr. Jennings’ life, so the real question is whether the potential backers care about authenticity or are just interested in a good return. I can tell you there are people with the means to back a major production who don’t care about authenticity, because the story of Mr. Jennings has been spun for a hundred years and they feel like the only surprise at this point would be if the thing actually turned out to be authentic, which, from the perspective of these potential backers, makes it a tantalizing proposition. I also think it’s sad and funny that you led with the story about the Gryphon.

CINDY BASSETT: That was just a matter of chance timing; the story breaking as we were heading into this segment, but I think we all see the connection there. I can’t help thinking if there is an authentic manuscript, would it, you know, bring clarity to that whole episode, which most everyone agrees was a rare misstep by Mr. Jennings.

ANDRES RODRIGUES: I’m sorry, but I have to step in here to defend the Gryphon. I still ride my domesticated Gryphon every day and it is a wonderful creation.

CINDY BASSETT: So you don’t think the Gryphon was a mistake?

ANDRES RODRIGUES: Well, it’s terrible that so many people have been splattered with poop from wild Gryphons, not to mention the people that have been mauled and even killed, but I don’t think you can really blame that on Mr. Jennings. He was very clear in saying that the Gryphon must be a domesticated creation and must never be released into the wild.

CINDY BASSETT: And yet his son, Jasper Junior, did exactly that, allegedly based on the explicit order of Mr. Jennings just prior to his death.

JACK BERGSTROM: Cindy, this whole conversation is precisely why the latest rumored manuscript must be a fraud. There are simply too many interests that will benefit from further confusion on this topic. The insurance sector, for one, is salivating at the prospect of a genuine manuscript to put the lie to Jasper Junior’s version of the wilding of the Gryphons. As someone whose wife was one of those killed by a wild Gryphon, I don’t trust these people as far as a baby Gryphelot could fly them. It’s bad enough that none of the Jennings heirs will ever face criminal charges. Can we at least please give the victims solace from their victories in civil court? Not to mention the potential thousands of victims who have yet to come forward. I acknowledge that I am biased on this question, but it drives me to distraction when I hear people talking about yet another major production that will enrich the Jennings, when so many have suffered by Mr. Jennings’ egomaniacal tendencies.

ANNIKA CURL: I’m siding with Andres on this one. We all feel for Jack about the late Mrs. Bergstrom, but I love my Gryphon. I’d also say, in defense of Mr. Jennings, that a lot of people have family issues, but that doesn’t make them egomaniacs.

JACK BERGSTROM: Well of course, and I’m not saying that. Mr. Jennings’ egomania stands apart and has nothing to do with his family.

ANNIKA CURL: None us of knew him Jack, so I don’t think you can really say he was an egomaniac.

JACK BERGSTROM: Well I can read, though, can’t I? You’d do well to try it some time.

CINDY BASSETT: OK, folks, let’s keep it professional. We’re going to have to end on that note, but as we go to break, we’re going to do something this network promised not to do. To celebrate the capture of the last wild Gryphon, yes, we’re going to show that clip again.

JACK BERGSTROM: Oh, for God’s sake, in the name of common decency, please don’t. There is absolutely nothing amusing about a member of the Royal Family, much less Her Majesty, being splattered from above by a Gryphon. Oh, GOD!

ALL EXCEPT JACK BERGSTROM: (laughter)

Chapter 2

Dannika Webber adjusts her hat as the big sedan glides silently down the long, tree-lined access road to the Jennings compound. She peers into the vanity mirror to check her cosmetics, while wondering how she got herself into this predicament. I hate my job. As soon as this is settled I’m quitting them once and for all. They can take all their money and throw it at someone else. She chuckles quietly to herself, thinking how replacing her will be next to impossible.

Her mind rolls through the last ten years, trying to identify the points of entanglement that expanded her role from family attorney to de facto leader of the Jennings empire. She opens her purse and finds her lipstick, delicately applying the reddish-brown to her full, sensual lips. She considers her reflection in the mirror, enjoying the familiar prideful sensation of self-approval.

Her face smiles back from the mirror; the skin like chocolate milk, the large, expressive, hazel colored eyes reminiscent of a cat, framed by a round, flat face with a slightly protruding, upturned nose that enhances her feline appearance. She thinks to herself, If only my body matched my face. Dannika had contemplated radical measures to tame her outsized physique, in the end deciding that a lifestyle change was preferable to cosmetic measures. Besides, I eat too much because of all that stress they put on me with their nonsense.

She is a large woman: six feet tall, 180 pounds; that is well within the range of proper proportion for a male, but on a female frame conveys a visual heft out of synch with contemporary norms. So what. Dannika likes herself too well to let physical imperfections get in the way. She puts the lipstick back in her purse as the sedan pulls up in front of the entrance to the mansion, parking as the sedan’s soothing voice announces: Arrival at Jennings Manor; Main House.

The right rear door of the sedan opens and Dannika emerges in a tailored suit jacket of burnt orange satin with black cashmere lapels and matching black cashmere slacks tucked into matte black knee-high riding boots. Her hat is a custom asymmetrical fedora made of black felt; the rim turning up at the front and gently curving down toward the back on the left side; the right side curved upward then dropping dramatically past the ear to meet the other side at the back. The hat covers most of her hair, except for a long ponytail of wavy dark brown made possible by her mixed African/Asian heritage. Her thoughts land momentarily on her friend and personal designer, Maria, who has taken a few months off to have a baby. Just goes to show how normal people live.

Oh, hell. What am I going to say to these people?

The doorman descends the staircase. Welcome back.

Dannika extends her hand in greeting and keeps her eyes on the doorman as she bows her head slightly. Nice to see you, Henry.

Henry is dressed in his formal service uniform and is taller and thinner than Dannika; with a long, narrow face, nose, and chin, but with large, expressive blue eyes and a shock of thick, gray hair sprouting from his head, neatly combed back into a ponytail. Henry escorts her to the front door, which the butler is holding open with his left arm angled behind his back as he extends his right arm across the wide expanse of his body.

He glances up from his slight, deferential bow, meeting her eyes. Welcome back, Ms. Webber. We’ve missed you terribly.

Dannika extends her hand in greeting. The butler accepts her hand lightly and escorts her into the atrium. He is a bit shorter than Dannika; his torso built, featuring an enormous, powerful chest, with bulging arms and legs fitting into his tailored formal butler uniform perfectly. His eyes are gray, but not as prominent as Henry’s, set as they are into a face with a square jaw and forehead that are more proportionate to his other features. His nose is large but proportional to his face, and it looms over his large mouth and full lips, looking as though he could bite off half of an apple.

She thinks, It’s good to see you too, Evan. She extends an arm around his broad shoulders. She says, Me, too. It’s so good to see you! Smiling broadly, her eyes flash back and forth between Evan and Henry. How are your families?

Evan smiles warmly. We’re all good. He pauses; then says, It’s wonderful to have you back.

Dannika beams at the two of them and says, Well you knew I wasn’t going to put up with that nonsense for too long.

Approaching footsteps interrupt the three friends, echoing off the polished marble floors and amplified in the expanse of empty space. Staircases snake down from a balcony and hallways lead left and right, with other hallways branching off, making it difficult to guess the proximity and origin of the footsteps. The friends exchange glances. Evan and Henry bow and return to their stations.

Dannika turns instinctively to the southern hallway as the footsteps near and a man turns the corner from the nearest branching hallway and comes into view. He is thin to the point of emaciation, wearing tight black denim