Page 74 of The Burnt
He scrubbed Minx under the chin and she settled down in his lap. Freddy took a sip of his coffee and picked up a pen and began to write a letter.
Dear Mrs Keough…
When he was finished, he packed up all of his clothes, along with a few mementos. Then he wrapped his handgun in a towel and tucked it deep into his bag. After taking one last look around, he went down the stairs and got in the car.It was time to finish this once and for all.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Declan pulled the van in front of Mrs. Keough’s at a little after seven in the morning. He pointed to the electrical cord neatly wrapped beside the house. It wasn’t attached to anything. “Car’s gone.”
He knocked loudly on the front door as Charlie stepped into the covered porch. Mrs Keough answered the door. She was fully dressed.
“Do you know where Freddy is?” Declan asked.
“Freddy? Who’s that?”
“The young man that was staying here,” Declan replied.
“Oh, there must be some confusion. There’s no Freddy here. My tenant’s name is Milo.”
She started to close the door but Declan put his hand in the way. “Please, Mrs Keough, this is urgent. We need to speak to him right now.”
“Look—I heard him bustling about early this morning. He’s probably gone in for an early shift at the restaurant.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” Declan said. “Your car’s gone, and I doubt he’s taken it to work. Do you mind if we have a look at his room? It might give us a clue as to where he’s gone. He’s in big trouble and we want to help him.”
She stared at Declan intently. “Maybe he’s still up there. I’ll go check his room, but I’m sure everything’s okay.” She turned and headed up the stairs.
Declan and Charlie stepped into the front hall, closing the door behind them. Without waiting to be asked they kicked offtheir boots and followed her. She reached the attic at the top of the stairs and knocked on the door. “Milo, are you in there? There are some gentlemen here who say they need to talk to you.”
There was no response. She tried the door but it was locked.
“Do you have a key?” Charlie asked.
“Just a minute.” She scuttled back down the stairs and returned shortly. Mrs Keough inserted a key into the lock and opened the door. There was nobody there except for an orange-haired cat that gave a low growl as they entered the room.
Declan turned to Mrs Keough. “Is there anything missing or out of place?”
She walked around the small space and opened the cupboard in the corner. “His clothes are all gone.”
She moved to the kitchen table and picked up an envelope that had been left behind. “It’s addressed to me.”
She opened it and pulled out a folded piece of paper which she read out loud.
Dear Mrs Keough,
I want you to know just how much I appreciate everything you’ve done since you found me all those years ago. You helped me start a new life. One a lot better than I had.
I think the time has come for me to move on. Since I’m not sure when, or where, I’ll be settling down next, I don’t think it would be fair to Minx to take her along with me. I know she loves you, and I hope you will take care of her.
Years ago I deposited $6000 in a chequing account. I’ve left a cheque here for you in that amount. I hope it’s enough to buy you a new used car, because I’ve had to borrow yours again. Kind of permanently.
Something has come up and I’ve realised that if I want to be able to live with myself, I have to fix the past.
Please don’t call the police and report me missing.
Tons of love,
Milo.
