Eye for an Eye Read Online Free Page B

to the
next. In the right hands, fortunes are being made, so sit tight and
wait for our next report. If you wish to take advantage of the
rapid rises that some shares are making, we will be happy to
increase your investments upon receipt of a cheque..." Jesus! He
didn’t send them any more money, did he?’
    ‘No, not
according to the chequebook,’ said Pete. ‘What’s the next letter
say?’
    ‘OK, let’s
see..."Dear Mr. Taylor... blah blah blah... your investment has
already increased beyond predicted returns, in only six months! We
are certain that you will wish to continue to enjoy this
outstanding performance, and would strongly advise against
withdrawing your money at this particular point as the market is
set to rise even further in the immediate future..." Sounds like he
asked for his money back. Maybe he wasn’t completely taken in.’
    ‘He didn’t get
it though, did he? I wonder if he ever figured out that he’d been
had. He never said a thing to me.’
    ‘Well he
wouldn’t, would he? Dad would never admit he’d been ripped off,
he’d be too ashamed. I would too.’
    She pushed back
from the table and paced across the polished floor, her footsteps
sounding loud on the bare wood, then quieter as she stepped onto
the rug.
    ‘The more I
read of those letters, the angrier I get. They’re so - so -
superior and smug, as if the writer knows exactly what he’s doing
and also knows that the poor mug at the other end can’t do a damn
thing about it. Doesn’t it want to make you rush over to Wellington
and grab Colwyn Symons by the throat and beat the crap out of
him?’
    ‘More your
style than mine, Rob. You always were the firebrand of the family.
Now let’s get this lot finished, shall we? There’s heaps to do on
the farm and I can’t concentrate while this is hanging over my
head.’
    They returned
to the piles, reading through each page and sorting them into some
semblance of order. It grew dark outside, so Robyn switched on the
light. It still made her smile to flick the switch, now that
electricity had been connected to the property after so many years
of noisy diesel-generated power.
    ‘Not like the
old days, eh Pete?’ She became aware that he was sitting very
still, staring at a document. ‘Pete? What’s up, bro? You look like
you’ve seen a ghost.’
    He glanced up,
his face bleak.
    ‘What was the
date on that last letter from the investment company?’
    She rummaged
through the relevant pile. ‘Ah, June 3rd. Why?’
    ‘This is the
life insurance policy Dad took out. It’s dated three days later. He
knew, Robyn. He realised the money was gone and he took out the
policy to look after us.’
     
    It wasn’t until
some days later that Robyn voiced the thought that had occurred
privately to both of them since they’d found the policy. They were
standing at the kitchen sink washing the dinner dishes after the
last day of tidying up their father’s belongings. Robyn was due to
drive home the next day, and Pete was planning to interview a few
likely lads to work on the farm.
    The evening sun
sparkled across wave-tops stirred by a steady northerly breeze. Up
on the hill behind the house, a sheep baaed plaintively.
    Robyn pushed
the window open and drew in a deep breath of fresh air, knowing
she’d be back in suburbia the next day. Pete was drying a handful
of cutlery.
    ‘Pete, do you
have any doubts about the way Dad... died?’
    ‘About who
robbed him, or what?’
    ‘About any of
it. You said it didn’t make sense that he would have been robbed
way out there, remember? Where nobody would have expected him to
come along?’
    ‘Yeah, well it
was pretty weird, wasn’t it? It’s a bloody stupid place for a
mugger to hang round just on the off-chance that some rich tourist
might turn up. I mean, Walter’s Bluff isn’t exactly number one
attraction in the Blenheim guide book, is it?’
    ‘True. So who
just happened to be out there when Dad went for a quiet walk?
    ‘I don’t