Kaleidoscope by Ethan Spier Read Free Book Online Page B

been the last. He never admitted to himself how much he missed her though she had been the only woman he had ever truly loved.
    He went into the kitchen and filled a glass with water, which he gulped down and then filled with vodka and ice. He took his glass into the lounge and sat down on the sofa, sighing again and releasing the top two buttons of his shirt.
    After several swigs of vodka, he leaned forward, placed the glass on the table and picked up his post. He flicked through the envelopes slowly. His eyes suddenly froze on a plain white envelope with his name and address handwritten on the front. He recognised the handwriting immediately.
    "No," he said out loud as he tossed the other envelopes on the table and held the plain white one in both hands. "No, not again."
    The seconds passed as Langton gazed at the writing on the front of the envelope, unable to bring himself to do anything else. Finally, he picked up the glass of vodka and downed the remaining liquid in one. It burned the back of his throat and he winced hard then slammed the glass of ice onto the table. He tore the envelope open and pulled out a single piece of paper.
    Before he read it, he thought about the others he had received over the past four years. There hadn't been one for almost six months now and he had been hoping that he had been released from this torment. He had done everything the sender had asked, even though he was risking his life in doing so. He glanced down at the paper between his fingers and began to read:

    Hello George,
    It has been a while, I'm sorry for that. Unfortunately I've been very busy with various tasks, but I'm now going to require some further information from you. You have done very well in the past and I am extremely pleased with the documents you have provided so far.
    I am going to have to ask you for more however. I require documents concerning the new bank accounts Joseph Hellam has opened in both Switzerland and the Cayman Islands . I want every piece of information you can provide on these accounts: numbers, statements and also any details on the recipients of money paid out. I'm sure you will also be able to provide me with a detailed report of where the money in these accounts has come from.
    Also, provide me with an updated list of Joseph Hellam's drug and prostitution associates, including dates and shipments.
    Get them to me in the usual way. I need them soon .

    Thank you George
    CC (Concerned Citizen).
    P.S. Your secret is still safe with me, remember that.

    Langton squeezed his hands tight and creased the paper between them then tore it in two.
    "Fuck! No, no no," he yelled as he threw the paper to the floor and stood up. How the hell was he supposed to go through all this again? Langton was privy to information regarding all the bank accounts Hellam held around the world and knew he had set up several new accounts in the past month. How had this bastard found out about them? The accounts were set up in various names, some private, and some using non-existent business names. Some were legitimate; others were used to launder money from Hellam's criminal activities through to legitimate businesses. But yet again, this man wanted details of everything.
    Langton asked himself, how could he know all this information? No one except himself and Hellam knew all the details of the various accounts and what they were used for. But then, this man had already found out things about Langton that he thought had been buried forever. Things that could never get out - must never get out.
    He ran his hands through his thinning grey hair and held his head tightly for a moment. He needed to think. Picking up the glass of ice, he went back into the kitchen and poured himself another vodka which he quickly downed. There had been other requests over the past four years by the man calling himself 'Concerned Citizen'.
    In the first letter he had outlined what he knew about Langton's secret and then requested that he photocopy