Summer Reading: High Heel Trouble Haunts Randall Denley's 'Long Heart'

Ottawa tech giant Simon Cousens has gone missing, along with $10 million belonging to his ruthless business partner. Red-haired beauty Alicia Jameson needs to find her new husband and money in a hurry. She turns to Ottawa crime writer Chris Redner and her private investigator partner Jenna Martin for help, but Chris is unsure whether he is the victim or the perpetrator. For Chris, Alicia doesn't like high heels.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1. This is his fifth in a weekly summer reading series featuring the work of authors from the Ottawa area.

***

June 10, 1995

Ashley Tarrant woke up on Saturday morning with the good mood she always felt. It was her favorite day of the week. She didn't have to get up early to catch the yellow school bus. On her Saturdays, her parents took her to the Byward Market in downtown Ottawa for her breakfast at a place called Diner. She always had two eggs with brown toast and bacon, and a real orange her juice. The three then went for a walk to the market to see the flowers and all the produce for sale.

Since it was the beginning of June, Mom and Dad always left the window slightly open at night. She could smell the fresh breeze and hear the birds chirping in the maple trees that shaded her bedroom, already warm and the new pink that her mother had bought her two weeks ago. She thought it was the day she would wear a dress from It was hanging in her closet, ready to go.

Mom and Dad were already awake and, as usual, called me when it was time to get up. She could hear them talking downstairs and could smell the coffee. She rolled over and snuggled up against a wrinkled stuffed animal. She's had it since she was little and she's 8 now. It was her oldest friend.

Later, Ashley heard a car drive up the gravel road. They lived in the woods far from other houses, so it didn't happen very often. I could not see my neighbor from any window. She wondered if it was Mom's brother, Uncle Alex. Sometimes he just stopped by. Mom said it was because she wanted a free drink.

Ashley heard the doorbell ring. Then I heard heavy footsteps as Dad came down the hall to answer. She could hear him talking to the person on the doorstep, but she was on her second floor in the back of the house and had no idea what he was saying.

Then Papa's voice grew louder and she could be heard yelling "Get out of the house!" Shortly after, Ashley heard the door slam against the inner wall, then heard the sound of breaking glass and heard something heavy fall down.

Ashley got out of bed quickly, but she didn't know what she should do next. what was going on downstairs

She heard her mother say, "John, what's wrong?" In a loud, frightened voice. Then there was a loud bang. It was the sound of someone shooting a gun on TV, but I didn't think my dad had a gun. Ashley grabbed her by the wrinkles and hugged him tight.

I heard her mama scream. No, please. ’ Then there was another loud noise. Something bad was happening to her parents. It's really bad.

Then everything fell silent and she held her breath so that the man with the gun could not hear her. She thought it was a man, a big man. He will have to overwhelm Papa.

Then I heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. It didn't sound like daddy.

Ashley frantically looked around. She could hide in the closet, but she wasn't where he first saw it, and then she thought under the bed. Could it have been better? She had to do something urgent, so she crawled under the bed and snuggled against the back wall. She tried to stay calm and quiet, but her heart was pounding. Were mom and dad just injured or dead?

The footsteps have stopped. Ashley thought the man should look around her to see if anyone else was in the house.She crouched as small as possible.

And then I heard footsteps again. he was moving The sound stopped just outside her door. The door slowly creaked open. Mom used to always ask Dad to oil it, but Dad forgot all along.

She flattened her face to the floor, revealing two heavy black shiny boots and black trouser bottoms. She began to pray as her mother had taught her, but in her head, the man could not hear.

As he walked to the middle of the room, he turned around. I saw my boots move. He went to the closet and yanked open the door.

Then he moved again, and the next thing she noticed was that he was lying on her floor, staring at her. He wore a black baseball cap and had the kind of beard he got when Daddy hadn't shaved him for a few days. The man's breath smelled like cigarettes and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Get out now. I won't hurt you," he said.

Ashley said she did what she did to her parents that she knew was a lie.

"No," she cried, pressing her body against the wall.

"Well then," he said calmly.

He then crept her large arms under her narrow bed, grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her to the floor. Ashley grabbed the bed frame, but her little hands weren't strong enough to hold her.

Stepping under her bed lit up the room. She crouched on the floor like a baby, but when she looked up she saw a man holding a large black gun in her hand. It smelled weird. She looked up at his face and was surprised that it didn't look mean but rather sad.

"What did you do to my parents?" I asked

He didn't answer, just looked at the gun and then Ashley.

"Stand up," he said.

Ashley slowly got up. She felt pee running down her legs.

Then he said one word, "Run."

*****

Ottawa mystery writer Randall Denley published her four-book Chris Ledner series primarily set in and around Ottawa. is the author of The Long Heart was preceded by Payback, which was nominated for the Canadian Crime Writer Best Crime Novel Set in Canada 2021. His early books in the series are Spiked and One Dead Sister.

Denley has been a political columnist for over 25 years and is a regular contributor to the Ottawa Citizen and the National Post. The Long Hurt is published by Ottawa Press and Publishing. His books are available for purchase at his randalldenley.com