They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy’s Story - читать бесплатно онлайн полную версию книги автора Peter James (30 22 July 2007

30 22 July 2007 — Looking back

Hi Sandy, told my boss about your inheritance. She’s pleased to hear that, but she really needs a firm date for the loan repayment. She wants it within four days. You OK with that? She wouldn’t be happy with a late payment, if you understand. Can you confirm and I’ll let her know.

If you do have a problem getting the money through in that period, then a letter from the lawyer for the executors confirming the funds are coming, and stating when, might buy you some time — but not much.

I deleted the message.

Mistake.

Moments later another text came through from him, and this one really chilled me.

Don’t play games, Sandy. I might be Mr Nice Guy and on your side but my boss isn’t, trust me. When I send you a message, I don’t expect you to delete it, I expect the courtesy of a reply. My boss doesn’t play games with people who don’t pay what they owe. You’ve already seen evidence of that. I’m doing my best to protect you, but default and it will be out of my hands, and you don’t want that, believe me.

Shit. Albazi could see what I was doing on my phone? A bug? How else could he know I’d deleted the message, unless he was close by, watching me?

I was walking along New Church Road, a wide street, one block north of the sea, a mostly residential area of large Edwardian houses, many converted into medical practices, a few high-rent low-rise blocks of flats, a church, and light traffic even though it was now rush hour.

I stopped and looked around but there was no one nearby. A youth struggling with a skateboard on the other side, and an old, blue-rinsed lady, dressed for the Arctic, seemingly oblivious to the temperature being over 30 degrees, walking a trio of Pekineses on leashes, a good hundred yards behind me, making me cross that she would walk her dogs in this heat.

So Albazi had installed something on my phone. If I’d not met my new friend Nicos, I’d not have known someone could even do this.

And despite the heat of the day, I felt a sudden, wintry chill of fear.

I decided it would be smarter to reply than not. To perhaps buy some time.

Message received and understood. All good.

As soon as I had sent it, despite Albazi’s instructions, I deleted the message thread. Not that Roy would have seen it, even on my usual phone. I can’t remember the last time he looked at it. He had no reason to because he trusted me. But, being paranoid, I’d changed my PIN on that one also, without telling him. Something else I’m not proud of...