Wrong Place Wrong Time(92)

The man counts the money, then gives him a wolfish smile, passes him a small, crumpled envelope from the back pocket of his jeans. Ryan takes it, and leaves, fuelled only by panic. No backwards glance.

Ryan lets himself into the law firm when he knows Jen is out. Kenneth is there, in his office, and looks up, startled, when Kelly arrives.

‘I need to tell you something and I need you to listen.’

Kenneth swallows, just once. He looks like Jen. The fine bone structure.

‘It never leaves this room,’ Ryan says.

‘Okay.’ Kenneth’s hands shake as he discards the contract he’s reading, turning his attention fully to Ryan. Ryan leans over the desk to shake Kenneth’s hand. His grasp is firm and dry.

‘I’m police. There is going to be an arrest of Joseph any day now. He forms part of a much wider organized-crime ring, but he sits at the top of it, as I’m sure you know.’

‘No – I …’

‘If you tip him off, I will get you banged up.’ Ryan’s never spoken like this before, but needs must. He has to do everything he can to extricate himself.

Kenneth looks at him. ‘What do you want?’

‘Tell me how you came to be involved.’

‘Kelly, I – I never … it started out so easy.’

‘How?’ Ryan folds his arms.

‘I couldn’t pay the bills,’ Kenneth says quietly. ‘I literally couldn’t. We were going to go under. I defended Joseph, years ago, on the civil element of a fraud case. He came in to settle his retainer and he saw the overdue bills. Said he could help. We cooked it up together. I’d act on the sale and purchase of timeshare properties for clients and keep the list of whose week was whose. Then I’d put in a calendar when all these various owners would be at the timeshare, and so not in their houses. It almost always worked. Most of them had two cars, so left one behind: usually the expensive impractical sports car. Only occasionally did they skip their timeshare slot, or give it to someone else. And, if they did, we’d bail. I got ten per cent of the value of the car.’

‘Your actions resulted in a baby being stolen.’

‘I wasn’t – I didn’t know they’d try the next house, too,’ he stutters.

‘You took the proceeds of crime happily.’

‘To pay the bills.’

‘Does Jen know?’

‘God, no,’ Kenneth says, and Ryan thinks he’s telling the truth.

‘She can never know,’ Ryan says. ‘She can never know about you.’

‘No. Agreed,’ Kenneth says crisply.

‘Or about me. I want to – I want to be with her.’

Kenneth blinks in surprise, and Ryan waits, saying nothing. He has a trump card. ‘If you comply, I’ll get you off.’

‘Okay,’ Kenneth whispers. ‘Okay. How do I …’

‘Get rid of your accounts. Burn them. Drown them. Whatever.’

‘I … okay.’

‘Any word – you’re dead to me.’

‘Okay.’

‘Good.’

‘Before you go to be with my daughter,’ Kenneth says, holding his own trump card up, as clear as day. ‘Tell me about you. The real you. And tell me why you want to be with her. Because, if you don’t, I’m happy to fess up, and go down for it. For her.’

‘Just isn’t for me,’ Ryan says in Leo’s office. He’s only seen it a handful of times, was always in his cupboard. Leo’s office, as it turns out, is offensively large. Room enough for two.

‘You know,’ he continues, ‘the lies, the deception. The police generally. I hated Response, and I hate this,’ he says. His voice cracks on the last word, because it isn’t true at all. This is the biggest lie he has told since he lied to Jen about his name. His name and his career, so new, already feel bound together. His total, authentic self, kissed goodbye to. He wonders, if he told Leo the truth, what he’d say. But he can’t risk it. They wouldn’t permit him to live as Kelly. It is their identity, created by them in order to embed Ryan in criminality. These fake identities are destroyed as soon as their purpose is up. To keep it would be to leave the police open to lawsuits, to criminal charges, to retribution from the criminals themselves.

They’d make him come clean. The risk to himself, and to Jen, be damned.

He has no choice. He’s got to get out of the police. He’s got to, before she finds out. She’s become more important than him. That’s love, Ryan supposes. He always knew he’d fall hard one day – he’s that sort of person, isn’t he? He just didn’t think it would happen like this. He has to stay as Kelly.

He looks at his mentor and friend, and winces at the lies he’s telling.

‘I have to say, I’m so disappointed,’ Leo says sincerely.

‘I know. Thank you,’ Ryan says. He hesitates, just for a second, wondering if he’s doing the right thing. But it’s the police – or it’s her. His resolve crystallizes like hardened clay. There is no contest.

‘Right, well, you know …’ Leo pauses, and Ryan thinks he’s going to elaborate, but maybe he changes his mind, because he just looks at him and says, ‘Yeah. I get it. Effective immediately – it has to be, with UC work.’