Page 65 of The Perfect Son
“Yes... I just... I’ve got our bank statements in front of me.”
“Good,” he replies. I wonder how much self-will it took him not to add “about time too.”
“But I can’t see any sign of the money you lent Mark.”
There’s a pause.
“Ian?” I say.
“I’m here. Maybe there’s another account.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve gone through all the financial stuff and there are only statements for two accounts going back since before your mum died. You said it was after that, didn’t you?”
“Um.”
“Do you have the account number Mark gave you?”
“I wrote a check.”
“Oh.”
“It wasn’t the first time I bailed him out. Mark was... He was a good person, but with money...” Ian’s sentence trails off.
Is that true, Mark? I stare at the bank statements strewn across the bed and the floor. If you were so bad with money, then where is the debt? Where are the credit card payments? Where is the proof?
“Tess,” Ian says. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“What?”
“Let me put my forensic accountant on the case. He helps me with my clients and tracking down money. You can give him all the statements and give him the authority to act on your behalf, and he’ll do all the work. He’ll find any other accounts Mark had. He can find any debt in Mark’s name, as well as any pensions he’s got that’ll be yours now. Leave it to someone whose job it is. You don’t need this stress in your life, Tess. I should never have been so abrupt with you at the funeral. I’m sorry. I... I was upset too, and it was easier to focus on the money than...” His voice trails off and I’m glad he doesn’t finish talking. “I’m sorry. I hope you understand.”
“I’ll think about it,” I say, although I don’t mean it. If I decide to look further into our finances, then I’ll hire my own forensic accountant. I know Ian is your brother, Mark, but I don’t trust him.
“And Tess?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you found Mark’s life insurance policy?”
“Yes. Why are you asking?” The question flies out without any thought. I picture the kitchen door wide open and the scent of something I couldn’t quite smell.
“I just wanted to make sure you have it, that’s all,” Ian says.
“Did you know the amount?”
Another pause.
“Mark told me he didn’t want you to worry about money,” Ian says by way of an answer. “Look, I know this is difficult for everyone, but the world keeps turning. Mark has made sure you were well cared for financially. I keep banging on about it, but please, Tess. It might be a weight off your mind if you at least talk to Jacob and start the process.”
I have that feeling again, the sense that Ian is holding something back from me. I picture the boxes the wrong way round and the policy document sitting so perfectly on top. The smell in the air, faint, like... like the lingering scent of a man’s cologne.
I gasp.
“Tess, are you all right?”
I called the locksmith to change the locks. I suspected it was Ian, but I didn’t know for sure until now.
“Tess?” Ian’s voice whispers in my ear and I jump.
