The Sins of the Father
Page 27Only one man could have written this book. She recognized so many familiar phrases, and Lloyd hadn't even bothered to change all the names, unless of course he had a girlfriend called Emma whom he still adored.
Emma turned the last page just before midnight, and decided to make a phone call to someone who would still be at work.
'Just one more favour,' she begged when his voice came on the line.
'Try me,' he said.
'I need the name of Max Lloyd's parole officer.'
'Max Lloyd the author?'
'No less.'
'I'm not even going to ask why.'
She began to read the book a second time, making pencil notes in the margin, but long before the new deputy librarian had started, she had fallen asleep. She woke around five the next morning, and didn't stop reading until a prison officer entered the library and said, 'Lloyd, the warden wants to see you.'
Emma took a long, lazy bath, and considered the fact that all the information she'd been trying so hard to discover had been available for a dollar fifty from any bookstore.
Once she was dressed, she went down to breakfast and picked up a copy of the New York Times. She was taken by surprise as she turned the pages to come across a review of The Diary of a Convict.
We should be grateful to Mr Lloyd for bringing to our attention what is happening in our prisons today. Lloyd is a gifted writer with real talent, and we must hope that now he's been released, he will not put down his pen.
He never picked it up in the first place, thought Emma indignantly as she signed her bill.
'The Brasserie, madam. It has a first-class reputation. Would you like me to book a table for you?'
'Yes, please,' said Emma. 'I'd like a table for one at lunch today, and another for two this evening.'
The receptionist was quickly learning not to be surprised by the lady from England.
Emma returned to her room and settled down to read the diary once more. She was puzzled why the narrative opened with Harry's arrival at Lavenham, despite the fact that there were several references scattered throughout the book which suggested that his previous experiences had also been recorded, even if they hadn't been seen by the publisher, and certainly not the public. In fact, this convinced Emma that there had to be another notebook in existence, which would not only describe Harry's arrest and trial, but might explain why he had put himself through such an ordeal, when a lawyer of Mr Jelks's standing must have known that he was not Tom Bradshaw.
After reading marked pages of the diaries for a third time, Emma decided another long stroll in the park was required. As she walked up Lexington Avenue, she dropped into Bloomingdales and placed an order that she was assured would be ready for collection by three o'clock. In Bristol, the same order would have taken a fortnight.
As she walked through the park, a plan was beginning to form in her mind, but she needed to return to Doubleday's and take a closer look at the store's layout before she could apply the finishing touches. When she walked into the bookstore, the staff were already preparing for the author signing. A table was in place and a roped-off area showed clearly where the line should form. The poster in the window now had a bold red banner across it declaring, TODAY.
Emma selected a gap between two rows of shelves from which she would have a clear view of Lloyd while he was signing, and would be able to observe her prey while setting him a trap.
She left Doubleday's just before 1 p.m., and made her way across Fifth Avenue to the Brasserie. A waiter showed her to a table that would never have been considered acceptable by either of her grandfathers. But the meal was, as promised, first class, and when the bill was presented, she took a deep breath, and left a large tip.
'I've booked a table for this evening,' she said to the waiter. 'Would it be possible to be seated in an alcove?' The waiter looked doubtful, until Emma produced a dollar bill, which seemed to remove any doubt. She was getting the hang of how things worked in America.
'What's your name?' Emma asked as she passed him the note.
'Jimmy,' the waiter replied.
'And another thing, Jimmy.'
'May I keep a copy of the menu?'
'Of course, ma'am.'
On the way back to the Mayflower, Emma called in at Bloomingdales and picked up her order. She smiled when the clerk showed her an example of the card. 'I hope it's satisfactory, madam.'
'Couldn't be better,' said Emma. Once she was back in her room, she went over her prepared questions again and again, and after deciding on the best possible order, she pencilled them neatly on to the back of the menu. Exhausted, she lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When the persistent ringing of the phone woke her, it was already dark outside. She checked her watch: 5.10 p.m.
'Damn,' she said as she picked up the phone.
'I know the feeling,' said a voice on the other end of the line, 'even if that wasn't the four-letter word I would have chosen.' Emma laughed. 'The name you're looking for is Brett Elders . . . I didn't tell you.'
'Thank you,' said Emma. 'I'll try not to bother you again.'
'I wish,' said the detective, and the line went dead.
Emma wrote the name 'Brett Elders' neatly in pencil at the top right-hand corner of the menu. She would like to have taken a quick shower and changed her clothes, but she was already running late and she couldn't afford to miss him.
She grabbed the menu and three of the cards. Stuffing them into her bag, she then dashed out of the door and down the staircase, not waiting for the elevator. She hailed a cab and leapt into the back. 'Doubleday's on Fifth,' she said, 'and make it snappy.'
Oh no, Emma thought, as the taxi sped away. What's happening to me?
Emma entered the crowded bookstore and took her chosen spot between politics and religion, from where she could observe Max Lloyd at work.
He was signing each book with a flourish, basking in the glow of his adoring fans. Emma knew it should have been Harry sitting there receiving the accolades. Did he even know his work had been published? Would she find out tonight?
As it turned out, she needn't have rushed, because Lloyd went on signing his runaway bestseller for another hour, until the line began to dwindle. He was taking longer and longer with each message, in the hope that it might entice others to join the queue.
As he was chatting expansively to the last customer in the line, Emma deserted her post and strolled across.
'And how is your dear mother?' the customer was asking effusively.
'Very well, thank you,' said Lloyd. 'No longer having to work in a hotel,' he added, 'following the success of my book.'
The customer smiled. 'And Emma, dare I ask?'
'We're going to be married in the fall,' said Lloyd after he'd signed her copy.
Are we indeed? thought Emma.
'Oh, I'm so glad,' said the customer. 'She sacrificed so much for you. Do give her my best wishes.'
Why don't you turn around and do it in person, Emma wanted to say.
'I most certainly will,' said Lloyd, as he handed her the book and gave her his back-cover smile.