Note to readers: This article contains content first created by LLM ChatGPT, and later modified by yours truly. The story portion began as the product of my prompt to ChatGPT and ChatGPT’s response. A rewrite of the story follows the introduction and was completed by myself, dredged from the depths of my personal organic database. Please, feel free to contact me with questions related to the content of this article or the series of articles.

Week five into my rewrite of ChatGPT’s story and I must say it’s been an arduous journey. I’ve started another story outline using ChatGPT’s cousin, Claude.ai, in the hopes of coming up with a more marketable mystery series. This impulsive leap puts more on my plate, while I continue rewriting both Harland’s story and Murder in the Glass Castle.

Come along.

I’ll tell you a story, scene five.

Shadows in the Smoke

Harland was typically good at keeping his professional and personal lives separate. There were times when the nature of a case trickled into his time with Eleanor, but he worked hard to minimize those moments. 

With The Widow lurking in the shadows, that separation was beginning to blur. The drive home that evening was flush with household lights flashing past his windows. He found himself rehearsing the talk with Eleanor. He needed to make her aware of the Widow’s ways, but do it without frightening her.

Eleanor stood in the kitchen, humming softly as she prepared dinner. The sight of her, so peaceful and untroubled, gave his heart a stutter. For a second he thought of not saying anything about his nemesis.

“Hey, you’re home earlier than I expected,” Eleanor said, setting the ladle aside. She planted a genuine kiss on his lips. 

He flushed, had trouble meeting her gaze.

Her smile warmed the room. “Everything okay, hon?” She knew him too well.

 “Yeah, a few things, but…,” Harland stuttered, forcing a smile. “How was your day?”

“Good. The usual,” she said, studying his face for a moment. “Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind, John?”

The words caught in his throat. How could he say that a dangerous woman was lurking out there, probably planning to use their marriage as leverage against him? Then he remembered what Leo had said about The Widow—how she preyed on the cracks in relationships, how she exploited fear and doubt. Here he was stepping right into that trap.

“Actually, there is something. Someone, to be precise,” he finally said, his voice low and serious. “The thought of her meddling in our life has me stumbling all over myself. She’s a bad one, from everything I’ve found.”

Eleanor’s smile faded. She set down the knife she’d just picked up to chop vegetables. “John, you’ve got me a little worried.”

He took a deep breath, taking her hand and leading her to the small dining table. They sat, and Harland looked into her eyes, making it clear how sincere his fears were.

“I’ve got a new case,” he began. “It started as per usual, woman seeking proof her husband was up to something. Before I knew it, it turned… complicated. Dangerous.”  

Eleanor’s brow furrowed. “Dangerous how?”

Shame rushed into his neck. “I know I promised to stay away from the dicey ones. And I meant to.” Harland dropped his chin and stared at her delicate hands. “There’s a woman involved. Hard to get a bead on her—manipulates people, powerful people, by sliding into their personal lives, disturbing relationships and destabilizing their world. Been at it a long time.” He looked up at Eleanor. “She’s known as The Widow. Not someone you want to cross. I was hired to check into her, but the more I uncovered the darker it got. I’m sure that she’ll turn her attention on us.”

Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, anger and concern flashing across her face. “Us? John, what do you mean?”

“She has a way of getting to people by going after the ones they care about,” Harland explained, his grip on her hands tightening. “That’s why I’m laying it all out for you. I don’t want any questions between us, any uncertainties about what I’m up to. Nothing she can use to drive a wedge between us.”

Eleanor was silent for a moment, processing his words. “So you’re saying she might come after me? After us.”

“I expect she will,” Harland admitted. “We have to be on our toes. From what I’ve been able to dig up, The Widow is subtle. She slithers under the door and suddenly, kablooey, chaos all around.”

Eleanor nodded, her expression serious. “I trust your judgment, John. What do I need to be on the lookout for? If this woman is as dangerous as you say, we need to be smart.”

Harland felt a swell of relief. She wasn’t panicking. This was the woman he married. Full of spunk and pluck. She wasn’t backing away from this. Instead, she was ready to stand by his side.

“It’s hard to tell, is the thing,” Harland said. “I guess we just second guess anything that feels off. If you notice anyone strange come along, anybody who talks trash on me, you need to tell me right away. And avoid going out alone, at least until I know more about what we’re dealing with.”

Eleanor nodded again, her expression resolute. “I can do that. But, John, what about you? This woman sounds like she’s more than your average criminal. Are you sure you’re not in over your head?”

Harland smiled grimly. “Oh, no doubt about it, sweetheart. I am in way over my head. I’m betting on that knowledge to keep me from screwing this up. I’ve dealt with dangerous people before, and I have something worth fighting for—us. Those are the two things that will keep me sharp, keep me focused.”

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. Then Eleanor squeezed his hand, her voice soft but steady. “We’ll get through this, John. Together.”

Harland nodded, feeling a renewed sense of determination. He’d always made his vows to protect, honor and cherish Eleanor, the highest priority. He wasn’t going to let anyone—especially not The Widow—tear them down.

Over the next few days, Harland worked tirelessly to unravel The Widow’s web of secrets. He met with informants, pored over documents, and followed leads that took him into the darkest corners of the city. All the while, he kept Eleanor up to date, sharing with her what he could and making sure she knew what was on his mind and how much she meant to him.

He felt like he was getting close. But that sense came with a type of paranoia. He began to notice subtle changes in their routine—little things that could be signs of The Widow’s influence. Trouble was, he couldn’t be sure if they were real— or delusional imaginings. A phone call that was nothing but silence on the other end, a strange car parked down the street that seemed to appear and disappear at odd hours. Harland’s paranoia grew, but he fought to keep it in check, not wanting to alarm Eleanor unnecessarily.

One night they sat together on the couch. It occurred in the middle of a Perry Mason episode that this was the kind of thing The Widow was known for—stirring up paranoid delusions that created rifts in trust. Harland brought up an idea that had been gnawing at him during a commercial break. “Eleanor, I have to ask. This thing has been niggling at my brain. Could be nothing. But has anyone approached you recently? Anyone new in your life, like we talked about? Maybe someone asking questions about me or our marriage that didn’t seem interested before?”

Eleanor looked thoughtful. “No, not really. I’ve been trying to pay attention.” She took a quick breath. “Wait, there was a woman at the market the other day. I was with Martha, not going out alone like you said. The woman seemed friendly enough, asked me about some recipes, and Martha liked her fine. But now that I think about it, she did seem a bit too interested in my personal life. Questioning how we liked the neighborhood and were we married or did we live together. Seemed a bit odd, but I didn’t think much of it at the time.”

Harland’s heart skipped a beat. “Did she mention a name?” He knew a name wouldn’t matter. If the woman had anything to do with The Widow, she would use an alias.

Eleanor frowned, thinking. “Her name was… Susan, I believe. But it could have been anything, really. She didn’t stay long.”

A knot formed in his stomach. “Damn,” he muttered. Not knowing was as bad as expecting the worst. It could have been nothing—or it could have been The Widow, testing the waters, looking for a way into their lives. “If she approaches you again, or if anyone else does, let me know immediately. The closer I get the more I sweat.”

Eleanor nodded, sensing the seriousness in his tone. “Of course, John.” She squeezed his hand. “I promise. I won’t let anyone get past my eagle eye.” She added a giggle. “We’ll be okay.”

Harland leaned back, focusing on the wisdom of Perry Mason to suppress the rising tide of anxiety. This was a dangerous game when your opponent was The Widow. He glanced at Eleanor, so tough and so beautiful. She was his advantage—whip smart and capable. They would fight for their marriage together.

He drifted off to sleep that night, after a passionate round of fiery sex with Eleanor, his mate and partner, who rested beside him, naked and unafraid. Nothing would keep him from protecting a woman like her.

His dreams were filled with glimpses of The Widow, lurking outside their door. He awoke in a sweat knowing the battle wouldn’t be fought in the open—it would be fought in the quiet moments between him and Eleanor. Territory where his footing was unsure, where emotions ruled the day and logic had minimal power.

He would need every ounce of Eleanor’s strength in the days to come to beat this enemy.

What did I learn from AI?

My energy was spent bringing John Harland into the real world by reducing his bravado and increasing his vulnerability with Eleanor. I planted questions about the nature of our mysterious Widow, alleged master criminal lurking in the shadows. By giving John less certainty, I hope to raise suspense about the threat he fears but has trouble defining. Harland’s interactions with Eleanor lean much more toward a genuine partnership. They rely on one another for support. In true male fashion, John hesitates before jumping in with a bold trust that sharing what he knows is the best way to protect his strong and capable wife. 

I removed the silliness of the great masculine protector, Harland, and replaced it with a man who wants to take responsibility for the danger he brings home on occasion. This makes the dialogue about the nefarious deeds of The Widow more realistic and solid. He is also able to rely on the intelligence of his wife/partner to protect herself from the wiles of The Widow’s tricks. At the same time, we can include his desire to protect and defend as strong motivation to “keep [him] sharp… focused.” 

ChatGPT relied heavily on implication in its version of this story. This subtle form of telling the reader what to feel sucks power from the narrative. I hope my changes have provided a more vicarious experience of Harland’s adventure.