‘I don’t think so. But twenty-five thousand might do it.’
‘I’ll leave you to decide what Plan C is,’ said Hakim. ‘But make sure you’ve got a thousand dollars on you, just in case,’ he added before putting the phone down.
Seb took a long hot shower, shaved, dressed, then went downstairs to join the other early risers for breakfast. Looking at the menu, he realized he’d forgotten just how much an American could eat first thing in the morning. He politely declined an offer of waffles and maple syrup, fried eggs, sausage, bacon and hash browns, in favour of a bowl of muesli and a boiled egg.
He checked out of the hotel just after seven thirty. The doorman hailed a cab, and once again the driver looked surprised when Seb gave him the address.
‘I’m picking someone up,’ he explained, ‘and then we’ll need to go on to O’Hare.’
The cab pulled up outside 1532 Taft a few minutes early and, after taking one look at the house, the driver kept the engine running. Seb decided to stay put until just before eight o’clock, not wanting to antagonize Richie any more than was necessary. But he hadn’t noticed two pairs of eyes staring expectantly out of the window, and a moment later the front door eased open and a little girl came scampering down the path towards him. Her mother closed the door quietly behind her and then also began to run.
Seb leant across and quickly opened the back door of the taxi to allow them to jump in beside him. Kelly pulled it closed and screamed, ‘Go, go, for God’s sake, go,’ her eyes never leaving the front door of the house even for a moment. The driver happily obeyed her command.
Once they’d turned the corner and were heading towards the airport, Kelly breathed a deep sigh of relief, but didn’t stop clinging on to her daughter. It was some time before she had recovered enough to say, ‘Richie didn’t get back until after two this morning, and he was so drunk he could barely stand. He collapsed on the bed and fell asleep straight away. He probably won’t stir before midday.’
‘By which time you and Cindy will be halfway across the Atlantic.’
‘And one thing’s for sure, Mr Clifton, we won’t be coming back,’ she said, still clinging on to her daughter. ‘I can’t wait to see Bristol again. Fifty thousand dollars will be more than enough to buy a little place of my own, find a job and get Cindy settled into a decent school.’
‘It isn’t fifty thousand,’ said Seb quietly.
Kelly looked alarmed, her expression revealing her fear at the thought that she might have to return to 1532 empty-handed. Seb took an envelope out of his briefcase addressed to Miss Kelly Mellor and handed it to her.
She ripped it open and pulled out the letter. As she read it, her eyes widened in disbelief.
HMP Belmarsh
London
May 12, 1981
Dear Kelly,
This is the first letter I’ve written to you, and I fear it may be the last. The thought of death has caused me to finally come to my senses. It’s far too late for me to make up for being an abject failure as a father, but at least allow me the chance to make it possible for you to enjoy a better life than I’ve led.
With that in mind, I have decided to leave you all my worldly goods, in the hope that you might, in time, feel able to forgive me. I would be the first to admit I have not led a blameless life, far from it, but at least this tiny gesture will allow me to leave this world feeling I have done something worthwhile for a change. If you have any children, Kelly, be sure to give them the opportunities I failed to give you.
Yours,
Desmond Mellor (AZ2178)
Witnessed by Colin Graves, SPO
PS. You may find it strange that when writing a letter to my daughter, I have signed it with my full name, and had it witnessed by a prison officer. It’s simply to show that this letter is to be considered my last will and testament.
The letter fell to the floor of the taxi, but only because Kelly had fainted.
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