Justice by Graeme

[Graeme]

Justice by Graeme

They know who the killer is, but they can't prove it.

 

 

:nuke: :nuke: Spoilers Below!!! :nuke: :nuke:

[AFriendlyFace]

I really enjoyed this story! It completely kept me guessing all the way through. I was shocked when Greg was killed and I definitely didn

[Tiger]

The world can be an evil place. Greg has been murdered, and there is not enough evidence to convict his killers. Gary, his brother, finds out about the murder and wants to do something about it. Though relations with his parents are strained, Gary returns home in order to find the answers that he seeks. Those who are responsible are sure to be on his target list, and he knows he has to try. How can he possibly find justice for his brother? Will he be able to do so without finding himself dead as well, or will he succeed at bringing them to justice?

 

This was a great story. Graeme has a way of making his characters come to life with the style we

[Meeko]

Graeme!

 

Greg from what I can tell, was a very respectable, friendly and all around fun guy. His relationship with Jill summed that up pretty clearly for me. The way he introduced himself to the strangers was very risky, but then again that's how a lot of people are, friendly to everyone. It was something unsuspected and was just a matter of "being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

 

Gary knew is brother quite well that's for sure. To be honest, I knew it was Gary out there pretending to be his brother, you gave that away with your very subtle clues. A very interesting way to use the ghost theme indeed, and a very well written and thought out story, Bravo!

 

 

My only question that really doesn't have much to do with the story but something I didn't quite see was what was Gary's reasoning for leaving? From his relationship between him and his father I can only guess it was a handful of things.

 

It was a very moving, and emotional story, to think Gary would put his life on the line just to get Justice for his brother, is something I admire him for.

 

-Mike

[Tiff]

Greg from what I can tell, was a very respectable, friendly and all around fun guy. His relationship with Jill summed that up pretty clearly for me. The way he introduced himself to the strangers was very risky, but then again that's how a lot of people are, friendly to everyone. It was something unsuspected and was just a matter of "being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Greg was a really nice character, the kind of guy everyone loved and got along with. His cute way of introducing himself proved that he was a bit naive and happy go lucky, never really suspicious of anyone. As soon as Greg saw the plants and tried to back out, I knew what was going to happen next. But it didn't make it any easier to read on.

 

Honestly, I had no idea Greg was a twin. I guess I should have figured it out, but I do tend to miss clues. The whole Gemini thing, of course. Things only clicked when the criminals saw the guy they had killed outside their place. That was a great way to use the ghost theme, and a nifty little trick for for the bad guys. I kept hoping they wouldn't figure Gary out, but it seems Gary was holding onto the lie/trick for as long as possible. Of course the gig was up when Gary started running behind the car, but it was perfect timing since the cops had surrounded the area.

 

Well done! I enjoyed the little surprise.

[Graeme]

Thanks, everyone!

 

I couldn't think up a decent traditional ghost story that I considered original enough, so I looked for alternative interpretations. The phrase "you look like you've seen a ghost" started me thinking, and this is what I came up with

 

My only question that really doesn't have much to do with the story but something I didn't quite see was what was Gary's reasoning for leaving? From his relationship between him and his father I can only guess it was a handful of things.

 

Gary and Greg's father is someone who built up a business from scratch to an organisation on the international stage. He groomed his two boys to follow in his footsteps. Greg followed, but Gary had his own dream -- to be an actor. After all the hard work and sacrifices Gary's father had put in, he felt betrayed by his son not wanting to work in the family business. He thought Gary was throwing everything he had worked for away, and couldn't see that his son had his own life to lead. As with these things, everything escalated, Gary walked out, and ended up in Hollywood, working as a low paid actor. He could have worked as an actor in Australia, but he wanted to get right away, where he couldn't be dragged back into the 'family business trap'. Acting was what he loved -- he wasn't doing it for the money. His father couldn't understand that.

[Procyon]

Interesting story -- When Gary first made his appearance I thought that it'd turn out he'd disappointed his dad by being gay and choosing to live with his boyfriend or something. But there are so many ways to disappoint one's parents. There's no limit, in fact; I know that from first hand experience -- I can only hope that I won't be that kind of parent myself.

[Graeme]

Interesting story -- When Gary first made his appearance I thought that it'd turn out he'd disappointed his dad by being gay and choosing to live with his boyfriend or something.

Interestingly, there is a gay character in the story, but his sexuality never got included because it was never relevant to the plot. I tried a few ways of including it, but it never felt right so it got dropped.

[Bardeara]

Graeme, I've always enjoyed your stories, and I've truly enjoyed this one.

 

I think the only complaint I could possibly make is I wanted more. You brought the theme with a very creative spin which I truly enjoyed.

 

In regards to GPS units giving issues... try this... I have one that told me to make a left turn, than make an instant U-turn and that I have found the location. Funny after five tries I did just as the GPS unit said and found myself facing a farmers field when I was actually looking for a hotel that was about 2 miles up the road. :wacko: Got to love the Tech age.

 

Great Job and take care mate.

[wildone]

Great story Graeme, and thanks

 

I too missed some of the clues that were wrapped up in the final couple of paragraphs. It didn't dawn on me that Gary and Greg were identical twins from the clues that you gave us until Greg spelled it out for Detective Black.

 

I guess I figured that being brothers they may have been similar in looks, I guess being twins was the special thing that Greg probably always knew would help each others find justice.

 

Very nice flow, as usual to your short story and not too many characters to have to worry about long introductions of the main players. I really liked this one .

 

Now since you mentioned the possible gay character in the story, I will be stereotyping, but what the heck , my money is on the male personal assistant to Stephen, Michael.

 

Thanks again,

 

Steve

[Meeko]

Thanks, everyone!

 

I couldn't think up a decent traditional ghost story that I considered original enough, so I looked for alternative interpretations. The phrase "you look like you've seen a ghost" started me thinking, and this is what I came up with

 

 

 

Gary and Greg's father is someone who built up a business from scratch to an organisation on the international stage. He groomed his two boys to follow in his footsteps. Greg followed, but Gary had his own dream -- to be an actor. After all the hard work and sacrifices Gary's father had put in, he felt betrayed by his son not wanting to work in the family business. He thought Gary was throwing everything he had worked for away, and couldn't see that his son had his own life to lead. As with these things, everything escalated, Gary walked out, and ended up in Hollywood, working as a low paid actor. He could have worked as an actor in Australia, but he wanted to get right away, where he couldn't be dragged back into the 'family business trap'. Acting was what he loved -- he wasn't doing it for the money. His father couldn't understand that.

 

Very well said Graeme, thank you for clearing that up for me.

If you have yet to read this story, your missing out on a great tale, thats bound to leave you wanting more, I know I sure want more! hehe

[kitten]

Hi Graeme!

 

Great story!

The characters and situation were so well drawn and believable that it's amazing you could do it in so few words. That economy is one of the things I've always admired in all your stories that I've so far read. Because justice is often not done in real life, I love stories like this in which the bad guys get their just desserts.

 

What is also amazing is that you managed to find time to write a story at all when you were also doing the anthology coordination!

 

The fact that twins would be involved entered my mind as soon as the word 'Gemini' appeared. A good writer rarely introduces things that that purely randomly, so unless it was intended as deliberate misdirection (which seemed unlikely), I guessed twins would be involved. However, I did not guess HOW they would be involved until the end. Although I guessed that Greg and Gary were twins, I somehow thought that Greg's ghost would lead his brother to some key piece of evidence. The way you ended the story, however, was much less obvious and yet, when I finished the story, it also seemed the only way it could have gone.

 

As for GPS - I've never used one, but this story confirmed all my suspicions. I'd much rather rely on maps and my own brain!

 

Just one thing, though, and this may seem rather trivial and petty. Maybe it's just my admittedly terrible eyesight, maybe it's just the way my browser rendered the colour... but I found that shade of green text on a black background quite hard to focus on. It was just a bit distracting, though it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the wonderful story.

 

Thanks for sharing it with us!

 

Kit

[Procyon]

Interestingly, there is a gay character in the story, but his sexuality never got included because it was never relevant to the plot. I tried a few ways of including it, but it never felt right so it got dropped.

 

Are you going to tell us who it is? Or are we supposed to have guessed?

[kitten]

Are you going to tell us who it is? Or are we supposed to have guessed?

 

I bet it's Michael, the personal assistant... and possibly Gary, too. Maybe they had even been boyfriends and that's why Michael had been keeping in touch with Gary?

 

Kit

[Meeko]

I bet it's Michael, the personal assistant... and possibly Gary, too. Maybe they had even been boyfriends and that's why Michael had been keeping in touch with Gary?

 

Kit

 

 

That would have been my guess as well, he seemed to get the number for his boss pretty quickly...

[Graeme]

What is also amazing is that you managed to find time to write a story at all when you were also doing the anthology coordination!

The story was written well before the serious coordination work started. And the coordination work isn't that strenuous -- I outsourced the toughest part (reviewing all the stories) to Tim and Kevin. Indeed, there's one story that I haven't gotten around to reading myself yet, but life's a bit busy here at the moment. I'm hoping to get to that and comment on the rest of the stories sometime this coming week.

 

The fact that twins would be involved entered my mind as soon as the word 'Gemini' appeared. A good writer rarely introduces things that that purely randomly, so unless it was intended as deliberate misdirection (which seemed unlikely), I guessed twins would be involved. However, I did not guess HOW they would be involved until the end. Although I guessed that Greg and Gary were twins, I somehow thought that Greg's ghost would lead his brother to some key piece of evidence. The way you ended the story, however, was much less obvious and yet, when I finished the story, it also seemed the only way it could have gone.

One of the other clues that they were identical twins was at the airport. Their mother told Gary that she didn't let his father come to the airport, because she didn't think he would be able to cope with seeing him. It wasn't the history, it was the appearance.

 

Just one thing, though, and this may seem rather trivial and petty. Maybe it's just my admittedly terrible eyesight, maybe it's just the way my browser rendered the colour... but I found that shade of green text on a black background quite hard to focus on. It was just a bit distracting, though it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the wonderful story.

Sorry. I usually look at focusing issues when I'm formatting -- it's one of the reasons I usually avoid textured backgrounds. I didn't have a problem, but I apologise. I chose green because it's a colour I associate with Gemini's. I don't know if anyone else does, but that's the reason for that choice

 

Are you going to tell us who it is? Or are we supposed to have guessed?

I'll tell, but I'm going to let a few more people guess first

[jfalkon]

I loved this story! The use of the astrological sign was very clever.

As for who was gay, I think either of the twins could have been. Then there's the personal asistant. Oh, I give up! My gaydar is broken.

[Bardeara]

Your gaydar isn't broken, it's just cleaverly hidden.

 

I'm interested on people thoughts as to who it could be.

[Graeme]

Since no one else seems to be weighing in, I suppose I should answer the question.

 

Greg was the gay businessman and Gary is the straight actor. Michael is an efficient executive assistant, who is used to dealing with personal matters as well as business matters for the CEO of the company (not uncommon for a PA or EA).

 

I looked at Greg having a boyfriend, but having the boyfriend in the car with him when the GPS broke became very messy. If the boyfriend wasn't there, then I had another character to bring in and develop (since obviously he would need to have a major part in the aftermath of the murder), but for no real reason other than the fact that he's the boyfriend. Ultimately, I decided against both options and left Greg's sexuality unstated.

[Cynical Romantic]

Since no one else seems to be weighing in, I suppose I should answer the question.

 

Greg was the gay businessman and Gary is the straight actor. Michael is an efficient executive assistant, who is used to dealing with personal matters as well as business matters for the CEO of the company (not uncommon for a PA or EA).

 

I looked at Greg having a boyfriend, but having the boyfriend in the car with him when the GPS broke became very messy. If the boyfriend wasn't there, then I had another character to bring in and develop (since obviously he would need to have a major part in the aftermath of the murder), but for no real reason other than the fact that he's the boyfriend. Ultimately, I decided against both options and left Greg's sexuality unstated.

 

All interesting, but I have to once again raise the question: If it's not in the story, does it really exist? Does an author have the right to determine things about his or her characters that never get included in the story? Or do readers have a right to draw their own conclusions about facts never stated, alluded to, or needed?

 

This is essentially the same debate that erupted when JK Rowling announced, after the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, that Dumbledore was gay. Never mind the controversy from the religious wingnuts, the real controversy is, does JK have the right to make him gay or straight or anything at all, really? If she wanted to include this, she had 7 (rather long) books in which to do so. She chose not to. Therefore, the facts don't really exist if they aren't part of the universe in which the books exist, right? She has no more claim over them than any reader, once she's published the books and put them out there.

 

Anyway, just an interesting side debate, since you brought it up.

 

And FYI, I think you made the right choice not including the boyfriend. It wasn't necessary for the story.

[jfalkon]

That's an interesting question. In a way the author who created the characters knows them best. The unwriten aspects of these characters lives might exist in the authors head but as a reader you can't tell even that much. We can asume that for us that information does not exist. Once the author has written something down the uncertainty goes away. Untill then we can only estimate probabilities. It's a lot like an example I once heard in a quantum mechanics course. It was called "Schrodinger's cat." The cat was 50% dead and 50% alive until someone bothered to open its cage and check.

 

Of course, there's nothing to stop the reader from making his own little universe in which the truth about a character is completely different. For example, I can decide that the twins are both gay and the assistant is an asexual space alien and there is very little our spikey friend can do about it.

[kitten]

All interesting, but I have to once again raise the question: If it's not in the story, does it really exist? Does an author have the right to determine things about his or her characters that never get included in the story? Or do readers have a right to draw their own conclusions about facts never stated, alluded to, or needed?

 

I think the answer to both questions is a qualified 'yes'.

 

If the author had facts about the character's life or personality in mind while writing the story, and those facts influenced the way the character behaved, then the facts really exist in the story even if they are not mentioned specifically. As a very basic example - The author may envision the character as being kind and generous but never actually specify it, but the way the character behaves will be determined by those unmentioned qualities.

 

A reader always has to interpret the words on the page in terms of his/her own experience. To some extent they need to invent things not specifically mentions in the story. For example, suppose the story says merely: 'He greeted her warmly'. Depending on the baground of the reader that could be interpreted as anything from a smile to a kiss in the cheek. Or suppose the the story says: 'They climbed into the SUV'. The reader will picture an SUV they are familiar with. As long as the conclusions the reader reaches do not conflict with specific facts in the story then the reader is entitled to reach whatever conclusions they like.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Kit

[Graeme]

All interesting, but I have to once again raise the question: If it's not in the story, does it really exist? Does an author have the right to determine things about his or her characters that never get included in the story? Or do readers have a right to draw their own conclusions about facts never stated, alluded to, or needed?

A good set of questions

 

If it's not in the story, does it really exist? This is the one where I think the author is on the weakest ground. Until something is in writing, there's an intent, or a desire, but it's not there.

 

Does an author have the right to determine things about his or her characters that never get included in the story? This one is easy. The answer is yes. The author is the copyright owner of the characters and hence gets to decide the characteristics of those characters. As Kit said, some of these details will come into play in the behaviour of the character, even if the reasons for that behaviour is unstated. JK Rowlings' Dumbledore character is a good example. There is behaviour in the book that is a consequence of the background of that character, even though that background isn't in the book itself. And, of course, the author has the right to use those characters in future stories, where those characteristics could end up in print.

 

Or do readers have a right to draw their own conclusions about facts never stated, alluded to, or needed? Another unqualified yes. Once a story is published and read, the process has moved to the reader. The reader is free to interpret and understand things however they want. If they want to dream that every character is gay or a secret alien, then they can. Fiction is about imagination, and the reader is definitely allowed to use that imagination to include detail the author didn't provide. The author does not have the right to tell the reader that they are wrong.

 

And FYI, I think you made the right choice not including the boyfriend. It wasn't necessary for the story.

Thank you This is the second time something like this has happened -- where the sexuality of a character becomes irrelevant to the story. The other one was my The Rainy Day entry in the Worth Fighting For anthology.

 

Of course, there's nothing to stop the reader from making his own little universe in which the truth about a character is completely different. For example, I can decide that the twins are both gay and the assistant is an asexual space alien and there is very little our spikey friend can do about it.

I could always write a sequel that disproves your beliefs Otherwise, though, you're right.