The arrest in 1994 brought an abrupt end to a way of life Ed had learned to embrace. He had applied himself completely to the profession, into which circumstance had pushed him. A new character has evolved, with different faces, for different occasions. He had become a member of an international community of criminals. The bail and travel restrictions put an end to the businesses overseas. Customs had got it wrong this time. There were things going on, but they had missed them. They tried constructing something out of nothing, the defendants must have done something. The evidence wouldn't fit, they stretched it one way then the next. It was all in vain, the prosecution case collapsed miserably in 1996. Unable to travel; with no source of income, Ed joins a friends contracting business. It's honest, regular business. He puts his capital in to bridge the funding gap between salaries and the firm getting paid. Ed applies himself to developing the business with the same enthusiasm he'd given to all he'd done before. He finds himself in opportunistic situations and chooses to keep it all honest. Then the firm gets stuffed, like so many of the countries small contractors. It's nothing new, the Official Receiver can't, or won't help. The lawyers and the suits take the boys for everything. Ed's dream, of owning his own home, is again taken from him. They did a fair job and only asked fair pay in return. But nobody cared. Ed saw an opportunity to get out level, he takes it. He gets an opportunity to fill the hole properly, he seizes it. He calls the old gang, he calls Bernie. The two hatch a plan, it is a million-pound robbery, from a Swiss Bank. The Bank gives Ed the keys, he has to take the prize. He's been pushed back into that place again, to take what he can, when he can. Ed brought food to the table. Bernie returns the gesture. Bernie is an old blagger and can't help himself. He's been looking through the window for too long. It's not the Bank of America, but it'll do. Ed flies out to Spain, Puerto Banus He has a look at the bit of work. He has learnt a bit about commercial buildings, in the four years with Lofty. Bernie brings together the team, an old safe breaker of notoriety, and a colleague from the big score in seventy-six. The gang operate out of a town house, above Puerto Banus and make their preparations. The gang go in and get the prize, along with a bit more than they bargained for. The King of Saudi Arabia is in town; the port is busting at the seams. It looks like they've pulled it off, they head for the hills. Unfortunately, a few weeks later they lose a body. The robbery was in the press, then it wasn't. Nobody knows what's going on. Ed leaves the Rock Hotel in the middle of the night. He's back in Sierra Leone again it feels, but this time the girls are on the run, and there are a lot more guns. The international criminals he's meeting are now the enemy. Everything starts to turn upside down and nobody is who they appear to be.
About the Author: Big Foot, the pseudonym and long-time nickname of the author. The author, born May 1963, has had a colourful and interesting life. And fortunate to have lived in and travelled through many places in the last twenty-five years. Having spent barely a handful of days in the last eight years in the UK. Those places include Sierra Leone, Senegal, Cape Town, Moscow, Mauritania, Monaco, Lugano, Puerto Banus, Miami, Paris, Brussels, Gibraltar, Edinburgh, Majorca, Sydney, Wellington, Auckland, Villars-sur-Ollon, Tokyo, Shanghai and in no particular order. Most of these were not flying visits, but periods of habitation. The short stays too numerous to mention all; include India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, South America and most of Eastern Europe. When Big Foot writes, he writes with first-hand knowledge of a place, its people and the culture. The life of BigFoot has been an interesting and colourful one; having been through numerous phases, meeting success and failure and treating those two impostors the same. Forming part of the Chinese Delegation at the Global Climate Summit in Cancun 2010 and nominated to be the Executive Director of the Beijing Emissions Trading Association was a career highlight. There are many interesting tales, too protracted to mention here. These and other weird and strange events shaping the course of his life throughout the last thirty years. Lonergan has experienced success and failure in extreme measures and has seen how fickle the financial world can be. Therefore, the author has some knowledge and first-hand experience of his subject matter. Big Foot has completed several other fiction works and has several more in progress. He believes he can create a good number of modern fictional thrillers, from the extraordinary life he has seen and lived. Big Foot currently lives in Dubai on the famous Palm Jumeirah, where he spends his days scribbling; looking for inspiration and cause. And trying to remain almost sane in this ever changing and multifaceted world. The story's come easily and there are many more to follow. Having walked a fine line for many years, the writer understands there are always at least two sides to a tale. Each will have merit and fault, perhaps not in equal measure; Big Foot is only the storyteller and never the judge. Interested agents are most welcome. martin@bigfootwriter.com