Ted Smith's life has never been boring. The son of Italian immigrants, he's been through a world war, several near-death experiences, and a few less-than-savory business deals. Now that he is the president of the Mansfield Industries Mining Company, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, he wants nothing more than to help his girlfriend, Charlotte Mansfield, with her psychological trauma. Ted was once best friends with Charlotte's father, Walter, and though several years separate the couple in age, Ted loves her deeply. But Charlotte has developed PTSD from years of abuse at her father's hands and has become mentally unstable. Ted wants Charlotte to know what her father was like before the war ruined him, and he begins to read her Walter's World War II-era diary. Even with the help of a family therapist, Charlotte is unable to exorcize the demons that have caused her to develop multiple split personalities. Confused and tormented by the past and the present, Charlotte leaves Ted to try and find healing. But Ted himself has a new identity to grapple with as he becomes the Smith family patriarch in California. When specters of the past threaten Charlotte and Ted, they must make a decision: stay and answer for their crimes, or flee and start a new live elsewhere?

MANSFIELD

By Keith R. Long

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Keith R. Long
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-0623-6

Contents

Chapter 1.......................1Chapter 2.......................10Chapter 3.......................22Chapter 4.......................31Chapter 5.......................39Chapter 6.......................49Chapter 7.......................59Chapter 8.......................66Chapter 9.......................76Chapter 10......................83Chapter 11......................91Chapter 12......................100Chapter 13......................107Chapter 14......................117Chapter 15......................125Chapter 16......................133Chapter 17......................141Chapter 18......................149Chapter 19......................156Chapter 20......................164Chapter 21......................171Chapter 22......................177Chapter 23......................184Credits.........................191Biographies.....................193

Chapter One

After arriving from the United States, Herbert rides in a taxi as it hops from pothole to rut and back again while dashing down a dirt road from the Jomo Kenyatta airport on his way to the Mansfield Industries Mining Company head quarters in Nairobi, Kenya. While feeling the dead weight of his briefcase bouncing on the seat next to him, he worries about his old university school friend, Ted, who seems to have taken a detour from the straight and narrow and is now flirting with disaster. Herbert is distracted from his troubles every time a pedestrian, usually with a bundle on top of his/her head, flashes past inches from the taxi's fenders.

* * *

Arriving at the office building, Herbert was just starting to feel the African heat while dreading the business meeting he was to conduct with Ted, who, through murder, had just recently promoted himself to president of the M. I. Mining Company.

While laboring up the stairs with sweat beading up on his forehead and images of the Kenyans he saw crowding the Nairobi streets just outside, Herbert thought, The heat really isn't so bad here, not at all like the mugginess from the high humidity in the northeast.

While listening to his feet tapping on the second-floor hallway leading to Ted's office, Herbert imagined the shots that so recently killed the previous Mining Co. president, Peter Mansfield, were echoing through this building that he felt belonged in a 1940s Humphrey Bogart movie. Even though Herbert knew Ted didn't pull the trigger, he almost wished Ted had done the deed, because he felt Charlotte didn't deserve to be so ill-used.

After entering the outer office, Herbert was just about to reach Ted's door when Charlotte stopped him dead cold with her piercing eyes. Then after watching her prowl to him with her catlike stride like he was her prey, she began searching him carefully.

As she was pawing through his pockets, Herbert indignantly asked, "Is this necessary?"

"It's for your own protection."

"Why?"

With a sultry tone in her voice that she hoped sounded sinister, Charlotte purred, "Because if I thought you were armed, I'd kill you."

While imagining Charlotte attacking him with her slender but muscular arms, Herbert noticed a slight smile momentarily glimmering on her face. Herbert realized she was either making a joke at his expense or was just insecure and marking her territory.

"Briefcase," Charlotte demanded, and Herbert quickly handed over his leather attaché, almost relieved to be rid of it. After watching Charlotte step toward Ted's door while carefully peeking inside it, he saw her playfully pointing with the corner of his briefcase to indicate that he should enter Ted's office.

Before escaping into Ted's office, Herbert looked back at the office workers, who he imagined were silently watching in amazement, because he somehow managed to avoid being mauled by the jungle cat that they all lived in fear of.

* * *

With his phone call interrupted, Ted was just about to become upset when he thought, It's Herbert, one of the last members of the old gang from Ludlow's.

Immediately hanging up the ancient black phone and jumping up from behind his teak desk, Ted hugged his longtime friend while saying, "I'm so glad to see you."

"Happy to be here," Herbert said while giving a quick glance to Charlotte, who still hadn't gotten rid of the sly curl on the corner of her lips.

Gesturing to an office chair in front of his desk, Ted said, "Sit down ... Want a drink?"

"No."

* * *

Charlotte startled Herbert by carelessly placing the briefcase down on Ted's desk with a bang; then after opening it up again, she tossed the documents around until she found an old beat-up diary.

Eyeing Herbert, she saw that he was doing his best to conceal his fear after seeing her hands holding Walter Mansfield III's diary. When Herbert remained silent, Charlotte dropped the black book before gliding over to Ted as he said, "Herb, we're so glad you could come and visit."

"Just until we complete our business."

"Come on. Stay for dinner," Ted said encouragingly while playfully slapping Herbert on his shoulder.

"I must be careful about any suspicion falling on me," Herbert said, squirming nervously in his chair, causing the springs to squeak while worrying about how his sterling reputation could be severely tarnished if he was discovered helping Ted.

"I forgot," Ted said, slipping his arm around Charlotte, "a little too much Bonnie and Clyde for you."

After enjoying Herbert's reaction to Ted's affectionate gesture, Charlotte shrugged Ted's arm off before sauntering toward the door while saying, "I'll let you two reminisce about old times ... alone."

* * *

Once Charlotte left the room and the mahogany-paneled door was closed, Herbert returned to breathing and had a shock once he saw Ted curiously picking up the diary.

While looking at it carefully, Ted said, "So this is the mythical diary."

"The only piece of personal property to survive from Walter Mansfield III," Herb added while sitting down.

Rubbing the ratty covers of the diary with his hands, Ted recalled, "Found in a box in Emma's closet after she died."

"Murdered," Herbert corrected while fearfully looking to ensure Charlotte hadn't returned.

Ted paused for a moment, "How did—"

"Once I heard of it, I asked around."

"Why bring it here?" Ted asked idly while sitting behind his desk.

"You two were best friends once."

When we were young, Ted thought.

Herbert let Ted caress the diary for a few moments before dropping a manila file onto Ted's desk; and Ted, after snapping out of his reminiscence, reluctantly placed the diary down so the two of them could conduct their business.

"So where shall we start?" Ted asked while thumbing through the papers in the folder.

"Charlotte could be declared dead after being missing for several years ..."

"Then given a new identity ..."

"Of course, you'll need to ensure she won't assault another police officer."

Glancing up from reading, Ted quickly said, "She takes her meds."

Herbert innocently shrugged his shoulders while dropping the second file and saying, "Mansfield Industries is sewed up tight. There isn't a slot open anywhere in the continental United States where you can find a toehold, especially after the debacle...