Free The Thief of Time by John Boyne Page B

We had made her a star. A small-time, small-screen star, granted, but a star none the less. She would find life a lot more difficult with Auntie.
    And so, at home that night, eating my pate, listening to my Wagner, drinking my wine, I wanted nothing more than to relax and put the events of that day out of my mind. It would be a full seven days before I had to return to the station and until that time they were under the strictest of instructions not to contact me, except in the most dire of emergencies. It was with some surprise then that I heard my buzzer ring and, as I went to the front door, I said a silent prayer that it was just an electrical fault on the wire and that no one would be out there.
    My nephew stood outside, a hand running through his dark hair as he waited for me to answer.
    â€˜Tommy,’ I said in surprise. ‘It’s very late. I was -’
    â€˜I have to talk to you, Uncle Matt,’ he said, pushing me out of the way and coming inside. I closed the door with a sigh as he led the way back to the living room, instinctively heading for the room where I kept the alcohol. ‘You said you were going to give me the money,’ he shouted, his voice breaking with nervousness and for a moment I believed he was going to cry. ‘You promised me the -’
    â€˜Tommy, will you please sit down and relax. I forgot. I’m sorry. I was supposed to post it to you, wasn’t I? It went right out of my mind.’
    â€˜You are going to give it to me, aren’t you?’ he begged, grabbing my shoulders and it was all I could do to prevent myself from pushing him back on to the sofa in frustration. ‘Because if you don’t give it to me, Uncle Matt, they’re going to -’
    â€˜I’ll write you a cheque right now,’ I said quickly, pulling away from him and going behind my desk in the corner. ‘Honestly, it was a simple mistake, Tommy. There’s hardly any need to come around here in the middle of the night disturbing my peace, is there? How much did we say anyway? A thousand, was it?’
    â€˜Two thousand,’ he said quickly and I could see by the firelight how much he was perspiring. ‘We said two thousand, Uncle Matt. You promised me two -’
    â€˜Oh, for heaven’s sake, I’ll write you three. Is that better? Three thousand pounds, all right?’
    He nodded and buried his face in his hands quickly, leaving it there for a moment before looking back up with a smile on his face. ‘I’m ... I’m sorry about this,’ he said.
    â€˜It’s quite all right.’
    â€˜I hate to ask but ... There’s just so many
bills
right now.’
    â€˜I’m sure there are. Electricity, gas, council tax.’
    â€˜Council tax, yeah,’ said Tommy, nodding, as if that was as good an excuse as any.
    I ripped out the cheque and handed it to him. He examined it closely before putting it in his wallet. ‘Relax,’ I said, sitting down opposite him and pouring him a glass of wine which he took eagerly. ‘I’ve signed it.’
    â€˜Thanks,’ he muttered. ‘I should go though. I’m expected.’
    â€˜Stay a few minutes,’ I said, not wishing to know who expected him, or for what. ‘Tell me, how much of that money is already spent?’
    â€˜Spent?’
    â€˜How much do you owe to people, and I don’t mean British Telecom or the gas board. How much has to be divided out when the banks open tomorrow?’
    He hesitated. ‘All of it,’ he said. ‘But that’s it then. I’m through with the stuff.’
    I leaned forward. ‘What is it exactly that you
do,
Tommy?’ I asked, truly intrigued.
    â€˜You know what I do, Uncle Matt. I’m an actor.’
    â€˜No, no. I mean what is it that you do when you’re not on set? What kind of trouble have you got yourself involved in?’
    He laughed and shook his head violently and I could tell that he