My name is Billy Smith. Well to be precise my name is William Biggs-Smith. I can't remember when my first name changed, but I shortened the surname in all my unofficial dealings when I was eighteen. The surname had been created by the family a few generations back from Schmidt. Biggs was a small town in Butte County, where the family was staying at the time and Smith sounded like an all-American name. However, I preferred plain Smith to the double barreled version.

My life changed dramatically a few months ago. When my father had died earlier in the year, it was initially thought that he had left all of his money to his wife, my stepmom. However, a later Will, which turned up in the summer, left everything to me. This meant that my stepmom and my sister were financially dependent on me. Had either of the women been of a kind disposition, I would have financed their requirements without a complaint. However, when it was believed that my stepmom would be the sole beneficiary of the Will, she made it plain to me that I would receive nothing.