‘What about the early exit fee?’
‘Early exit fee?’ I repeat stupidly. ‘Surely that’s for arealloan arrangement with a bank?’
She narrows her eyes at me. ‘So my money isn’t real?’
I stare at her, trying hard to match her challenging gazebut having to look down at last.
‘I’ll take all of this but I want an extra grand incompensation for the lost interest,’ she says calmly, holding up my envelope.
I gasp. ‘Another thousand pounds? No way!’
She shrugs. ‘Either that or you continue to pay me everymonth with interest as we agreed. It’s your choice, Krystle.’
‘So you’re heaping more debt on me, just because I want topay all of the loan back at once? I can’t win with you people, can I? I getshafted whichever way I turn. How on earth do you sleep at night, April? It’sbloody ridiculous that you’re actually getting away with such evil.’
‘Actually, I sleep like a baby.’ She smiles serenely. ‘Andit’s you who’s ridiculous – for getting yourself into a financial mess in thefirst place. You really must learn to budget properly, Krystle.’
I glare at her, anger simmering inside me. I’ve never feltsuch hatred towards another human being in my life. I’m okay now, afterCarrie’s generosity. I can afford to pay the witch her extra thousand. But whatabout all the other poor vulnerable people she’s trapped in a vicious cycle ofdebt, charging them so much interest that they end up having to borrow even morefrom her?
‘Well, since you’re clearly undecided, I’ll make yourdecision for you.’ She fiddles with the catch on her backpack without taking itoff, and slides in my cash. ‘But I want that grand paid within the week,otherwise you’ll be... hearing from me.’ She smirks, clearlyreferencing the smashed window, and I shiver at the memory of that night. ‘Andif you’re even a day late with the payment, I’ll be doubling the debt.’ Shesnaps the catch on her backpack shut, smiles at me and resumes her run.
I watch her go.
She turns a few yards along the path and calls, ‘Cheerio,Krystle!’ and gives me a little wave.
It’s only when she disappears into the trees up ahead that Istoop to pick up something that fell out of her backpack when she stuffed my moneyinside it...
CHAPTERNINE
I examine the envelope in the fading light. It appearsto contain bank statements, so I stuff it into my bag, planning to examine thecontents in detail when I get home. Perhaps I’ll find something incriminating?Something I could take as evidence to show the police?
Because after that sickening encounter with her, I’m nowfilled with a determination to square up to April Bentham and see that she getswhat’s coming to her.
*****
When I get home, I feel chilled to the bone. So I makesome tea and sit at the kitchen table with April’s bank statements spread out infront of me, warming my hands on the mug. My heart is in my mouth as I run myeye down the payments she’s made over the past three months. The account issurprisingly low in funds. I search for the regular payments she must receivefrom her part-time work at the sports shop, but I can find nothing that lookslikely – just a lot of smallish payments going out for things like the counciltax, broadband and several home media packages. And one regular payment inthat’s the same every time, maybe from a savings account to cover theoutgoings?
So nothing remotely interesting, then...nothing that reveals the criminal way April makes her money. I slide thestatements back into the envelope and toss it aside, shaking my head in despairat my own naiveté. Did I really think I’d find evidence of all her illegal loanrepayments? She’s hardly likely to bank the cash! That doesn’t even look likeit’s her main bank account, because where’s the mortgage or rental paymentgoing out each month? Where’s all the incidental payments for everyday living,like supermarket bills and petrol costs? She must have another account becausethis one is telling me nothing.
I heave a despondent sigh. I should have realised itwouldn’t be that easy to pin her down. She’ll be well accustomed to dodging thetaxman and the police. And her plan was obviously to keep on milking me – herlatest cash cow-to-the-slaughter – for months to come, if not longer...
I shiver, knowing that for all my resolve to beat April ather own game, it’s only bravado on my part. In reality, I’m still reallyscared. I don’t want to pay her that extra grand but I have to, because whoknows what she might do if I don’t. It was a brick through my window the firsttime, and luckily for me, I wasn’t sitting on the sofa where it landed. What’snext for me if I don’t pay up?
Feeling suddenly more down than ever, I turn on the TV andgaze at the screen, seeing nothing. It’s weird to think I have so much money inmy bank account, and yet April Bentham is managing to leech all the joy from mylife.
It’s also mad that I can now afford to go out to the bestrestaurant in town and drink the most expensive cocktails all night long if Iwant to, and yet I can’t because there’s no one around to play with! Adam’sworking late and Carrie’s out at The Buttery with Ronan tonight. And since I’vekept my promise to Carrie about keeping quiet for now about the lottery win,none of my other friends know about my good luck. (And if I were to risktelling my friends Fran and Rowena, who’s to say our win wouldn’t be commonknowledge in the village by the following morning, which would annoy Carrie noend.)
So I guess I’m stuck in for the night, unless I want to goand sit at a bar and drink cocktails on my own all night.
Or unless...
I think about the idea for no more than a few seconds.Ijust need to get out of here. For an hour or so. Let my hair down a bit and tryto get my horrible encounter with April out of my head for a while.
Grabbing my phone, I punch in a once-familiar number. My heartbeats fast hearing it ring at the other end. And then he answers.
I swallow hard.
‘Ryan? About that drink...’
