Chapter 63: Chapter 63

*****

The group sit around the table, cards flicking down to each of the players in turn. Al slips a look at his cards. “What are we starting at?”

“Minimum five,” says the dealer.

Al sniffs and smiles. “We can make it more interesting than that.” He slides his chips forward. “Twenty.”

*****

“Another one?” says Al.

“Didn’t you say you needed to be getting back?”

“Yeah, sure, but not yet. The night is yet young.”

“You’re almost out anyway.” His companion nods down to where a substantial stack of chips has dwindled to nothing.

“I know,” Al shouts over his shoulder. “Hey, can I have another two hundred here please.”

*****

Richard “What do you have there, Charlotte?” She’s reading through a stack of letters. Some have that pre-

printed look. Others are handwritten. Her lip curls as she speaks….

Contempt?

“Chaser letters,” she says, “from casinos and game houses….” She pushes a couple towards me.

“They’re asking for payment, some politely, some not so politely.” She snorts. “The amount of money he just…. threw away….”

James’ eyes rise to mine. Of course, he knows better than any the lengths Charlotte went to raise the money she needed.

And she hates waste of any kind….

To her, a real sin….

*****

Forty-Two Years ago “Please, Mr Kimberley, sit down.” Abe Goldman offers him a seat, his expression neutral. “I asked you to call by today to discuss your position with the bank.”

Al fiddles with his pen. “Yes, I know I’m a little late with the payments, but I’ll have caught up by the end of next month. Everything’s under control.”

“You’re sure of that? The fact is that you are not ‘just a little late’. You have missed two monthly payments and the next would be due at the end of the week. Are you saying that you will have made good the deficit by the end of next week?”

“Um, no, but by the end of next month, definitely.”

Goldman’s expression remains bland. “Can you explain to me how you come to be late with the payments? When the bank forwarded the funds to you, you were quite positive that you could handle the repayments.”

Al shifts in his seat. “Oh, some unexpected expenses. You know how it is. We had some storm damage to the roof, and then Shelley, my daughter, she needs school uniform and….”

“School uniforms are not an unexpected expense Mr Kimberley. And it is my experience that children become more expensive as they grow older, not less.”

“I’ll have it settled by the end of next month. Guaranteed.”

“Very well, we’ll leave it at that for now then.”

*****

“Any messages for me, Linda?”

“Yes, Mr Haswell. Abe Goldman called. He asked that you get back to him as soon as possible.”

“As soon as possible? Did it sound urgent? I was heading out on-site to see how the surveyors are doing.”

“He was very specific, sir. As soon as possible.”

*****

“Yes, Abe. What can I do for you?”

“Edward, a word to this wise. And we’ve not had this conversation….”

“Understood. What’s the problem?”

“How well are you covered if Al Kimberley goes belly-up?”

A long pause and then, “Is that likely?”

“He’s just defaulted for the fourth month on his loan payments. And that’s after he assured me that he would have caught up by now.”

Haswell curses, then, “My apologies, Abe. That wasn’t aimed at you.”

A chuckle. “No, of course it wasn’t. Edward, we’ve known each other a long time. Let me put it this way, If the bank pulls the rug on Kimberley, would you be interested in simply taking over the loan…?”

“I could be….”

“…. The alternative, if he goes bankrupt, is that his assets will be seized, which of course include that plot of land you’re working with and it would be sold on the open market. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that.”

“You’re right, Abe, I wouldn’t. Except that the land is unsaleable.”

A silence, then, “Why would the land be unsaleable?”

“I’ll rephrase that. Unsaleable to anyone but me. There would be no access to the area if it were sold.”

“Are you telling me….?”

“Yes, I’m telling you. As soon as I decided to take a risk on Kimberley, I bought up every piece of real estate around that plot. I paid through the nose for a lot of it, but I got all of it. The only way in or out of the site is through land which I own. The site is quite worthless to anyone but me and if it went on the open market it wouldn’t be worth squat. Unless I permitted access, you couldn't use that land to take your dog for a piss.”

Another silence then, “So, you’d be willing to take over the loan?”

“So long as it comes with the title, yes, of course.”

“I’ll be in touch. We’ve given him thirty days to make good. If he doesn’t….”

“Understood.”

*****

Eve works her way around the house, cleaning, dusting, polishing. She stacks the dishwasher, makes the beds, tidies away toys and books, folds up newspapers….

There is a clatter from the front door - the letterbox. Eve strolls through to find a letter on the doormat.

Bearing the bank’s logo, it is marked, ‘This is NOT a circular - Do Not ignore.’

Frowning, she opens it….