Old Sins (93 page)

‘What’s the matter, Miles?’

‘Nothing. Just a little worry.’

‘Let me take your mind off it.’

But she couldn’t.

That evening, after his afternoon’s games, she found him sitting drinking a beer, looking miserable.

‘Miles. Come on, tell me. You can. I won’t split on you. Or let you down. I might even be able to help.’

He looked at her. ‘I don’t think you will. Unless you can give me five thousand dollars, I and I don’t think even that would make much difference.’

‘Well, tell me anyway. Oh, come on.’

So he told her. That Mrs Galbraith had guessed what he had done; that she threatened to go to the police; that her lawyer knew too; that unless he repaid the money within a month, she would tell his grandmother and the bank. ‘I kept telling her I didn’t have any money, that I couldn’t pay it back. She just said I’d spent it in the first place, and it was my duty to put it back.’

‘She sounds batty.’

‘She is.’

‘What about your grandmother?’

‘Oh, really, I think if she knew it would really send her right over the top. Poor old lady.’

‘You’re real fond of her, aren’t you?’

‘Yeah. She’s been very very good to me.’

‘Don’t you have anyone else in the world who could help?’

‘Nope. Not really.’

‘No relatives?’

‘Only an uncle. He doesn’t have any money.’

‘Could he get some?’

‘I don’t think so. Not without a terrible fuss.’

‘Well, who put you through college?’

‘Oh, some guy.’

Candy looked at him and laughed. ‘Miles, what do you mean? What sort of guy?’

‘Oh, a creepy old guy. Friend of my parents.’

‘He sounds pretty nice to me. Creepy or not.’

‘Well, maybe. But I quarrelled with him. Pretty badly.’

‘I can’t imagine you quarrelling with anyone.’

‘No,’ he said, looking at her almost with surprise. ‘I never have before. Or since. Only with him.’

‘What did you quarrel about?’

‘Oh, he wanted me to get a job, and I thought I could work in his company. He said I couldn’t. He was lousy to me. I wouldn’t have any more to do with him.’

‘So you just said you’d never speak to him again, just because he wouldn’t give you a job.’ She looked at him amusedly. ‘You great spoilt baby.’

‘Oh, you don’t understand.’

‘I don’t see how I could.’

Miles never got angry or defensive. ‘You couldn’t. Anyway, I haven’t been in touch with him for years.’

‘Maybe you should be now.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, maybe he could let you have the money.’

‘No,’ said Miles. ‘No, I couldn’t go begging to him. I’d rather go to jail.’

Candy shrugged. ‘OK. Suit yourself. I hear the Nassau jails are pretty unpleasant. Come on, let’s go upstairs. Dolly will be up from the beach soon. I don’t want her to see you.’

‘Why not? I like older women.’

‘Ugh!’

That night Miles sat in his room in Marcia’s house, thinking. Whichever way he turned, there was no escape. He thought of
running away, back to the beach, but they would know exactly where to look for him. He wondered if he should go somewhere else, up to Miami, he could work there in the hotels; but then, they would find him there too. Mrs Galbraith wouldn’t give up, he knew.

And even if she did, he didn’t want to leave his grandmother alone with her. At least not until he had this thing settled. He felt she needed him.

‘Granny, I want to talk to you.’

It was tea time, and her mind was at its clearest.

‘Yes, Miles.’

‘Granny, I want to write to Hugo.’

‘Oh, Miles. That is real good news. Whatever’s brought that on? Though why he should want to hear from you now I can’t imagine.’

‘Well, I’m going to do what he says, I think. Tell him I’m going to get a proper job. I thought he’d be pleased. I guess I owe it to him, after what he did for me, putting me through college and everything.’

Mrs Kelly shot him a shrewd glance. ‘This is mighty sudden, Miles.’

His face was totally open. ‘I know. But I guess I finally realized I can’t go on playing tennis for ever.’

‘Playing tennis? I thought you were working at the casino.’

‘Yeah, well, a bit of both.’

She sighed. ‘I surely would like to see you settled. And so would Mr Dashwood. What are you thinking of doing?’

‘Oh, banking I guess. I thought I’d go up to Miami or something. I could still come down and see you regularly. It isn’t far.’

‘Well,’ she said. ‘I certainly would miss you. But it would make me real happy.’

‘Good. So could I have Mr Dashwood’s address?’

‘Well, I only have the one in New York. Not in England. We never had one. I’ll get it for you. Wait there.’ She paused. ‘You’re not going to try asking him for a job again, are you, Miles?’

‘No, Granny, I swear I’m not.’

‘Good. Because you’ll just open up old wounds, that’s all.’

‘I know.’

‘It’s funny,’ she said, ‘we never heard from him. He promised to write, you know.’

‘Yeah, well,’ said Miles. ‘He was a pretty strange guy.’

He wrote the letter. It was scary. He waited. He didn’t have long. Mrs Galbraith was mercifully a little vague about time. But her lawyer wouldn’t be. April came. He began to feel frightened. He had written to several banks in Miami. They mostly wrote regretfully polite ones back, telling him he was a little old for a trainee. Two asked him to come for an interview. He couldn’t afford to go, so he wrote polite letters, stalling. One of them wrote back and told him to forget it.

Candy was leaving soon. Dolly was bored, and Mason’s deals were nearly done.

Mrs Galbraith stopped him in the hall one day and told him she hadn’t forgotten their conversation. Miles didn’t dare antagonize her further. He smiled his most charming smile. ‘Don’t worry, Mrs Galbraith, I’ll get the money very soon. Please have faith in me.’

‘Even if I did, Miles, I’m afraid my lawyer hasn’t.’

Finally, a letter came.

Dear Miles,

I was absolutely delighted to get your letter. It seems a very long time since we met, and I do assure you I have missed you. You were an important element in my life for a long time, and it was a considerable loss. (Creep, thought Miles.)

I was very pleased to hear that you were going to get a job. I always felt you had such potential and a great future. I have several connections in banking in Miami and I would of course be delighted to put your name forward. I think New York or Washington might be better for you than Miami, although of course if you want to stay near your grandmother, I quite understand.

How is she? Please give her my regards.

With reference to your request for a loan for $5,000, I am of course happy to consider it, but I would like to know a little more behind the reason. I know this may annoy you, but I cannot help worrying about your past record with drugs, and
I want to be assured that you have completely cut yourself off from all that sort of thing. I have given a lot of thought to your situation, and it seems to me that you are very much alone in the world. I realize you are twenty-six, but that is not a great age, and I feel you need some support and help, on perhaps a more formal basis.

I would very much like to see you. I feel we have a great deal to talk about both on a business and personal basis, and there is something that I have decided it is important you should know. I shall be coming to Nassau towards the middle of next month, and we can perhaps have a long talk then. Providing I am satisfied that the $5,000 is to be put to good use, I will give you a cheque then, and have my lawyers drawn up the papers in connection with your allowance.

Thank you again for writing.

Yours ever,

Hugo Dashwood

‘Miles,’ said Mrs Galbraith, ‘it’s just about four weeks now. I wonder if you’ve made that arrangement yet?’

‘Nearly, Mrs Galbraith. The cheque is on its-way.’

‘It had better be. My lawyer has already drafted a letter to your bank.’

‘What do I do?’ he said to Candy frantically. ‘What do I do now?’

She was still in Nassau; Dolly had found a new toyboy on the beach, and Mason was discovering the joy of shooting craps in the casino.

‘Didn’t the old guy deliver?’

‘Sort of. I told you he was no good.’

‘What’d he say?’

‘Here, read the letter.’

She read it. ‘He sounds pretty generous really.’

‘Oh, sure.’

‘Well, would you shell out five thousand dollars just like that?’

‘I guess not.’

‘And he’s going to make you an allowance.’

‘Big deal.’

‘Well, it is.’

‘Maybe. But Candy, I need the money now. I had a letter from the bank this morning, asking me to go and see them. I’m in real trouble.’

‘You’ll just have to tell your grandmother.’

‘Candy, I can’t. It’s hard to explain, but I just won’t do that to her. I think it might really break her. Tip her over the top. She’s pretty nuts already. She needs to think well of me.’

‘She won’t think well of you if you get done for fraud.’

‘I know. But I’m going to hang on as long as I possibly can.’

‘Couldn’t you tell this Dashwood guy it’s urgent?’

‘I’d have to tell him why, and I don’t think that would be a good beginning.’

‘Well, what are you going to tell him?’

‘Oh, I think ordinary debts would be safer. Just cost of living, you know? Overdraft. More respectable, somehow. Only that could obviously wait three weeks.’

She looked at him.

‘Listen, we’re going to New York next week. Why don’t I go and look this old guy up?’

‘What good would that do?’

‘It might help. I could explain you were in a bit of trouble. Old gentlemen like me.’

‘I expect they do,’ he said, smiling in spite of himself.

‘Go on, Miles. Let me. Give me the address.’

‘All right,’ he said. ‘I guess it can’t do any harm. Meanwhile I’ll just have to stall. You can’t lend me a hundred dollars, can you? Just so I can go for this interview in Miami?’

‘I’ll ask Dolly. I’ll say I want a dress. She’ll do anything to try and make me like her.’

‘You’re an angel, Candy.’

‘Yeah, well let’s have a bit of earthly pleasure. Just for now.’

Candy phoned him from New York a few days later.

‘Miles, it was really weird. I went to the address. It’s a really funny place on the lower East Side. But it wasn’t a place at all. Not really.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, it was just a kind of scruffy room, in the most awful building, with a lot of pigeon holes for letters. And a weird woman, who said she was in charge. I said where could I find
Mr Dashwood and she said she wasn’t allowed to give his address, and that it was just a forwarding house.’

‘That is weird.’

‘I said it was really urgent and she said, well, that didn’t make any difference, she could only pass messages on. I tell you what, Miles, I really don’t think he can be as rich as you say. I mean I was expecting a real impressive place.’

‘Me too. Well, thanks for trying.’

‘That’s OK. Sorry. Did you get the job?’

‘Haven’t heard. Even if I do, they won’t give me five thousand dollars on my first day, will they?’

‘I guess not. Well, in two weeks now the old guy will be down. So you should be OK.’

‘Yeah. Well, I hope so. When are you back?’

‘Next week. Love you.’

‘Love you too.’

In despair, with very little hope, he wrote to Bill Wilburn, asking him for a loan. All he could do now was wait. And hope the bank and the lawyers would drag their feet.

London, Los Angeles, New York, 1985

THERE WAS ONLY
one person in the world who could really give Julian Morell a hard time. It was Letitia, and she was working very hard at it. She had summoned him to First Street early one spring evening on the pretext of not feeling very well (knowing otherwise he would guess the real reason, avoid coming) and now that she had him there, she was not going to let him go until she had achieved her purpose.

‘Ah, Julian,’ she said, dangerously sweet. ‘How nice. What would you like? A drink? Tea?’

‘A drink please, Mother. Whisky if that’s all right.’

‘Perfectly, you must have whatever you want, Julian, that’s your philosophy in life, isn’t it, and who am I to argue with that?’

‘What on earth are you talking about?’

‘I think you know.’

‘I don’t. I don’t know at all. I came here because I thought you were unwell.’

‘I am not in the least unwell. I think you may be, though. Mentally. Emotionally.’

‘Mother, I am totally baffled by all this.’

‘Really? I’m surprised. Let me clarify things a little.’

He smiled at her, taking a sip of his whisky. ‘I’m sure you will. You have a far clearer mind than mine.’

‘I do indeed. Julian, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Seeing Camilla. When your marriage to that – child is less than two years old.’

‘Phaedria is not a child. That’s a mistake that everybody makes. She is a tough, clever woman. It’s one of the reasons I love her.’

‘Really. You have a strange way of demonstrating love. And don’t try to change the subject.’

‘Mother –’ His face was white, his mouth working. ‘I don’t think I like this very much. I am not prepared to be talked to as if I was a small boy.’

‘You’re behaving as if you were a small boy. A greedy, spoilt, small boy. And I shall talk to you how I wish. Nobody else seems to do anything but agree with your every utterance, pander to your every whim.’

‘I do assure you you’re mistaken there. My wife and my daughter persist in giving me a very hard time, for a start.’ He was smiling again, trying to lighten the mood of the conversation.

Letitia looked at him, her eyes icy, her face still with rage.

‘Well, I’m pleased to hear it. Evidently not hard enough. Julian, for God’s sake, answer my question.’

‘You haven’t actually asked one yet.’

‘Are you or are you not seeing Camilla North?’

‘It’s no business of yours, but yes I am. Seeing.’