Family Lies Chapter 7: Kid
Emily was updated Jenny on the weekend’s events over morning coffee. Carole was listened in while she cleaned the kitchen.
“I’m glad the police are taking it seriously,” Carole said.
“The detective said throwing a rock through a window is destruction of property, so that’s an actual offence they could act on, and the “or die” in the second note is a definite threat. She said it would have been iffy about whether the first note was any kind of criminal offence.”
“And this is why men get away with intimidating women so often,” Jenny said. “Vague threats aren’t enough for police to bother.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think the first note was worth any bother, either,” Emily said. “And this person still hasn’t explained what they think I owe them. It seems as if they think I know.”
They were interrupted by the sound of men’s voices yelling in front of the house.
All three women ran to the front door to see Josh, the gardener, holding a teenaged boy by the hood of his hoodie.
“This kid was about to lob a rock though the window,” he said.
“Well thanks for preventing that, Josh. I didn’t want to replace another window.” To the kid she said, “Why not just give me the note now, instead of getting yourself in more trouble with the police?”
“Police?” the kid seemed panicked.
“You can’t go giving people death threats and smashing windows without the police taking an interest,” Emily said.
“Death threats? No. He just said I had to deliver messages to his sister to make her give him his share of his inheritance. He said his sister stole it from him.”
“So you didn’t write this?” Emily asked, taking the note and reading it out. Again it was in untidy capitals. It said, “GIVE ME WHAT’S MINE OR I WILL KILL YOU.”
“What? No!” the kid said. “He just told me to deliver that first note and then when he didn’t get his money he gave me notes tied to rocks and told me to throw them through the window.”
“Who is he?”
“You should know. He’s your brother.”
“I don’t have a brother. I was an only child,” Emily said. “I don’t know who this person was, or what money he thinks I owe him. I haven’t collected any inheritance, mine or anyone else’s.”
“You mean he lied to me?”
“Yes. So who is he?”
“I don’t know. He contacted me on the internet. He called himself ‘UNKnown’. He put the notes and instructions and money to pay me in my mailbox.”
Emily sighed. “Well, come in now, we’ll get you a coffee and I’ll call the police. Let’s see if we can get you out of this problem UNKnown got you into.”
Inside, with the kid at the dining table, Josh beside him watching in case he tried to run, and Jenny and Carole sitting opposite, Emily called the number on Detective Sergeant Carstairs’ card and told the story.
“The police are on their way. After they’ve been, I’m going to call my solicitor. I need to tell her what is happening, but I will also get her to arrange someone to represent you if the police arrest you.”
“I can’t afford a solicitor,” the kid said.
“I can. How about you tell me your name, so I know who I’m hiring a solicitor for.”
The kid was gave his name as Jacob Henderson.
Detectives Carstairs and Morley arrived. They listened to the story, and got statements from everyone, particularly Josh. Then they took the kid, the rock, the note, and the string that held the rock and note together.
Emily called Jessica, and told her all that had happened. She asked if Jessica could organise someone to represent the kid.
“You seriously want to pay for a solicitor for someone who delivered death threats to you and smashed your window?” Jessica asked.
“He’s just a kid,” Emily said. “And he’s a kid naïve enough to just believe a stranger on the internet. Apart from that, the clothes he was wearing today were exactly the same as the clothes he wore when he delivered both previous notes. Not similar, the same. That tells me he doesn’t have much. So, yes, I’ll pay for his representation. And I’d like to know about his living situation. He said UNKnown had put everything in the letter box for him, so he does have a roof over his head, but if he didn’t have anyone tell him this wasn’t a good idea, either his parents don’t care, or something is wrong. Maybe he or his family need help. I raised kids with next to nothing, I know how hard it is.”
“I will get someone from our criminal law department to represent him. I’ll have them ask about his living situation, but he’ll have to give permission for the information to be passed on to you.”
“Fair enough,” Emily said.
Emily looked around at Jenny and Carole. “So what’s next?” she asked.
“Lunch, I think,” Carole answered. “Would you like to eat in the dining room or shall I put together a tray for you to take to your mother’s sitting room?”
“Let’s bring Mum out to the dining room, and we can all eat together. Perhaps we could invite Josh to join us.”
Carole did not look entirely happy. She preferred to take lunch out to Josh, so he didn’t track dirt into the house, but she nodded.
Chapters of Family Lies
Note, this is the first draft. What eventually is published as a book (if it is published as a book), will be edited, rewritten, and re-edited, and may not have much in common with this first draft.
- Chapter 1: The Message
- Chapter 2: Lunch
- Chapter 3: Jack
- Chapter 4: Fatigue
- Chapter 5: Rock
- Chapter 6: Watercolour
- Chapter 7: Kid
- Chapter 8: Henry
- Chapter 9: Detectives?
- Chapter 10: Settlement
- Chapter 11: Records
- Chapter 12: Sunday Lunch
- Chapter 13: Fake
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