The recording lasted nine minutes and four seconds. Dad stated his full name, address, the date, and even the name of the Prime Minister. Then he explained that the message was mainly for Callum. Beside him sat a Clarks shoebox held shut with an elastic band.<\/p>\n
Dad had never gone paperless. For forty years, he had kept his monthly bank statements, and beginning in March 2021, he had been examining them with a biro. The statements showed cash withdrawals he hadn’t made, transfers he hadn’t authorized, and a standing order to a leasing company for a car he had never used. He read out eleven examples before explaining that many more were inside the box. Priscilla had reconciled the figures against the bank records herself. The total was $61,420, taken over four years. Then Dad said something I have never forgotten: \u201cI\u2019m not angry about the money. He\u2019d have had half of it anyway. I\u2019m angry that he thought I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
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