Chapter 5

Ian Ventham goes to the Waitrose café in Tunbridge Wells and parks selfishly in a disabled bay. Inside, Ian meets Bogdan, a Polish contractor to whom Ian owes £4,000 for retiling a swimming pool. Ian tries to dispute the bill by claiming the grout is the wrong color, but Bogdan proves the photograph has only been altered by a filter.

Ian gives Bogdan less than the agreed amount, which Bogdan accepts wearily. Ian then shifts to the real purpose of the meeting: Ian wants Bogdan to take on a much larger role in his business. Ian reveals that Ian is on his way to fire Tony Curran and wants Bogdan to replace Tony afterward.

Bogdan understands the danger immediately and warns that Tony may kill Ian if Ian fires him. Ian accepts the risk because the financial reward is large, and Ian plans to dismiss Tony after the Coopers Chase consultation meeting, outdoors and near witnesses. Ian calculates that even if there is a chance Tony will kill him, the odds are still worth taking.

As Ian drives to Coopers Chase, Ian reflects on Ian's long business partnership with Tony. Ian bought old houses, Tony converted them into care homes, and the business evolved into the more profitable Home from Home Independent Living model. Coopers Chase has become especially lucrative because the land has permission for hundreds of retirement flats.

Ian recalls that Tony forced his way into owning twenty-five percent of the Coopers Chase development, partly because of Tony's loyalty and partly because Tony threatened to break Ian's arms. Now, with the next phase of development beginning, Ian believes Tony is no longer worth the share. Ian arrives at Coopers Chase for the consultation meeting, determined to proceed with the business decision and confident that Ian is not going to die that day.