“I don’t know, after four sometime, it would be on the alarm record, as I had to switch it off and on again. I was only there a few minutes.”
“Did you notice anything happen on the road?”
“As I was walking back here, a lorry was driving rather fast past me. I heard some big noise from behind me. Was there an accident?”
“Did you not think of going to have a look?”
“I was halfway up the hill, and it was a long walk to get that far, so I figured that by the time I took fifteen minutes to run back, I would probably get in the way.” I looked down. “Besides, I’m not that good with blood.”
“What did the truck look like?”
“It was a white one, an artic.”
“You didn’t see the driver, by any chance?”
“No, it was past me too quick.”
“So it wasn’t your father driving?”
“My father? Why should it have been, he doesn’t drive trucks?”
“Was there any mail?”
“Not for me.”
“When did you last see your father?”
“A fortnight ago.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know for sure, he moves about quite a bit, on business. Are you saying you think he is involved in this?”
“Look, Miss Lake, I don’t know, but it is a possibility. Is he in the UK?”
I shrugged.
“Have you a contact number for him, a mobile or anything like that?” he asked, losing patience.
“I’ve his mobile number,” I said, and dug out my phone. I tried calling, and a female voice said it was switched off.
“It’s switched off.”
He took the number, and wrote it down.
“Could you come back with me to your house?”
“If I must. Why?”
“It will help if I can pin down the time of the incident.”
“What happened?”
“We’re not entirely sure, a car exploded and two men were found dead on the road. A full investigation is underway, and it appears to be more than a simple accident.”
“So, two men died?”
“Two on the road, one was in the car.”
“Shit, how awful. Who were they?”
“No details have been released as yet.”
“And you think my dad did it?”
“I don’t know who did it. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
I got into the police car with him, and Jenny looked out of the window, looking even more worried than before.
“Can my friend come too?”
“If you want.”
I waved for her, so she ran and jumped into the back of the car.
“What’s up?” she said.
“Some men were killed on the road near my house, and as I was home to check my mail this afternoon, I may have seen something,” I said.
“Oh.” she said, still worried.
We arrived, so I opened the door and turned off the alarm. I showed him the alarm record, and that I had turned it off at 16:38, and back on at 16:45.
“I was probably a good ten minutes up the road, at least, so the accident or whatever must have been nearly five o’clock. Were there no witnesses?”
“A van driver found it at five past five. The car was still burning.”
“I heard a sort or ‘whump’, could that have been the car?”
“Possibly,” said the policeman, noting the times on the alarm box.
“Can I just go and get some stuff from up stairs?”
“It’s your home love, do what you like?”
I went to dad’s bedroom and lifted the carpet in one corner. I never knew there was a safe in the floor.
I punched my date of birth into the pad, and the door opened upwards automatically. There was a lot of stuff inside.
I simply emptied everything into a small suitcase, shutting the safe again. I replaced the carpet and made sure it was smooth. I then returned to the ground floor.
“Just some more clothes,” I said, and he smiled.
He gave us a lift back to the hotel, and left us alone.
Jenny and I returned to our room, so I opened the case.
There was over £500,000 in £50 notes, and $1,000,000 in $100 bills. There were bonds and securities, and deeds to various properties all over the world. There was an apartment in New York, a house in Florida, a flat in Paris and a villa in Portugal. All in my name, Alexandra Lake.
“Shit, Sandi.”
“Shit yourself, Jen.”
“You’re bloody loaded.”
“Not a lot I can do with it at the moment, though, is there?”
“I suppose. What can you do, bank it?”
“Oh yeah, excuse me, can I deposit half a million quid in your bank, oh and by the way, I’m a school boy-girl undergoing gender reorientation surgery.”
Jenny laughed.
“S’not funny Jen. I’m stuffed.”
We sat and looked at the pile on the bed.
I examined the bonds.
“What are these worth?” I asked.
She shrugged, which made me smile, at least I didn’t have the monopoly on shrugging.
“Do they have safe deposit boxes in banks?” I asked.
“I suppose so.”
“Then I’ll put it all in a bank.”
“Don’t you have to be seventeen to do that?”
“I’m seventeen tomorrow,” I reminded her.
“What, you’ll take all that to school with you?”
“Why not? First two periods are study periods, I’ll just pop to the bank.”
“How do you know which one has boxes?”
“Oh.”
“I’ll ask Dad, he’ll know,” she said, and ran out of the room.
Next morning, at nine thirty, with my suitcase, I attended the Nat West Bank, and asked if I could rent a safe deposit box. I had to show my passport and my drivers licence, and I also showed them my insurance details. They were all in the name of A. Hemmings.
I placed everything, minus £1000, into the box, and left the bank a lot happier. I returned to school, so was able to concentrate on my lessons for the rest of the day.
It had been a rough few days, so I was tired when we caught the bus back to the hotel. I was a little upset, as I had hoped to see Dave, but he seemed to be avoiding me. I hoped he wasn’t fed up with me already, and I sensed a mood swing beginning to bite. I was a little tearful, so Jenny tried to cheer me up. But I was feeling quite low.
We arrived at the hotel, but I just wanted to go and lie down for a while. I went to the room and lay on my bed. I couldn’t wait for my operation, as I was fed up with being neither one thing nor the other.
I must have dozed off, for Jenny was shaking me.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Dave is here.”
“Tell him to go away, I feel miserable,” I said.
“Tell him yourself, you crabby cow,” she said, leaving me alone.
I felt immediately sorry and guilty, so I got up and ran after her.
“Jen, I’m sorry, the doctor said the hormones would give me mood swings.”
“That is no excuse to be a stroppy tart,” she said, still cross with me.
“I know. I’m sorry. You’re such a good mate, I don’t deserve you.”
She relented and we had a hug.
“Come on, Dave wants to see you.”
“I look a mess,” I said.
She smiled.
“You are no way a boy,.” she said, so I laughed and re-did my make up.
I went downstairs, but no one was there. Frowning, I went into the bar. It was deserted, so I went into the dining room.
It seemed empty, but as I walked out again, the door was closed, and a huge shout rang out.
“SURPRISE. Happy Birthday Sandi.”
I spun round to see about twenty of my class-mates and friends. I just sat down and burst into tears.
Dave came over and helped me up.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I nodded and clung onto him. I then pulled myself together, and set about enjoying the first birthday party I had had since my mother died.
Jenny’s dad came over to me. He handed me an envelope. I recognised my father’s handwriting.
“It came for you this morning, but you had already left for school. Incidentally, you father gave me £1000 to go towards your keep. I don’t need it.”