Deadline to Death

Author CJ Billings is pressured by his publisher to finish a novel. He has an idea that a few days away in the finale setting will give him the inspiration he desperately needs. After arriving in Bude, Cornwall, a fan of his recognises him and invites him back to her cottage for a bite to eat and to sign her CJ Billings novels. Margaret is an older woman who lives alone. An unfinished painting in her house curiously provides the inspiration CJ was looking for. The harsh, depressing, stormy harbour scene gives CJ the ending for his protagonist. CJ revisits the following day, and Margaret admits to him that her younger life was far from idyllic, and she escaped to Cornwall for reasons she keeps to herself. Margaret begins to feel tired, and CJ promises to visit again the next day before returning home to London, but when he does, he is met by a neighbour, Emily, who informs him that Margaret has died. She gives him one of his books that Margaret had marked 'For Chris.' On his return home, a shell-shocked CJ finds a letter within the pages of the book - it is a confession by Margaret. She moved from London to escape justice after murdering a baby in her care when she was a nanny. The confessional story bears an uncanny resemblance to the conclusion of CJ's book. The conundrum he has is a moral one. Does he submit his manuscript knowing that a real-life murderer inspired the inspiration for ending, or does he delete the whole computer file, preserving his morality but possibly ruining his career?