Everything to Nothing (10 page)

Sally loved her
father so, so much, but he had never quite filled the void that a
lost mother does. He ensured that she was sent to the best schools
that money could buy, given the best tutorship that money could buy
in everything that Sally fancied doing from one week to the
next.

When she wanted
piano lessons, he employed a world renowned concert pianist to come
and teach her. When she announced that she wanted a pony, he
invested in a full stable set up for her, with an Olympic gold
medallist show jumper to teach her. The gold medallist did not last
long with the spoilt little brat as he described her when he told
Sally’s father that he refused to teach her anymore until she
developed some manners.

These words
struck home with her father, especially considering that she was
eleven at the time. The first time he remembered these words and
actually said no to her it created a little bit of commotion. Well,
not exactly a little bit, more like a small, yet potent hurricane
had hit the mansion.

The sobbing,
the tears, the tantrums were a sight to behold and lasted for a
week or so. Ever since then she had been expected to work and earn
her treats. Her Mini was paid for out of her own money that had she
earned when she worked for her father during a summer. He still
brought her presents now and then. Most of her attire was straight
off the catwalk and he made sure no expense was spared when sending
out one of his secretaries to get his daughter a little something
during one of his many business trips overseas. The little
somethings usually equalled at least a month’s pay of the
aforementioned secretaries, sometimes two or three months. Sally
knew that she had been spoiled as a child, and that she was still
treated like a little princess by her daddy. She sometimes wondered
if her life would have been any different if her mother had still
been alive to see her grow up.

Now she had to
confront him about her eventful night and her trashed car, a chore
she was not looking forward to. She knew that his reaction would be
for personal bodyguards to be assigned to Sally and this worried
her because she hated being followed by the guards everywhere she
went.

Opening the
ornate wardrobe when she was fully dry, Sally took out a silk robe
in a Japanese style, draped and fastened it around her amazing
body. Not giving another thought to the clothes and towel on the
floor, knowing that somebody would tidy up behind her, she left the
changing room and quietly and quickly made her way back to her
bedroom.

Here she
started to change into horse riding gear, and while she was doing
so she glanced at the gold carriage clock on the mantelpiece and
realized that she had enough time to check her emails before she
went to breakfast. Switching on the computer in the corner of her
room, she continued to get ready while it was booting up.

The top of the
range computer started quickly and it automatically connected to
the internet. When she was ready, Sally checked her email account,
and also the B.B.C. website to keep in touch with current affairs.
Nothing was happening on either website, no interesting emails or
interesting stories. She did note, however, that her father’s rugby
league team that he owned had won last night which should hopefully
put him in a good mood. She was meant to have accompanied him to
the game last night, but she could not stand going there. She loved
the sport, the excitement and thrills and big hits made football
look like the most boring sport in the whole wide world, but she
hated the players who were always making hits on her, trying
desperately to get her into bed. The football players were even
worse. Always flashing their money around, inviting her out for
drives in their Ferraris and not seeming to realize that her father
paid their wages and that if she wanted to, with a sly word in her
father’s ear she could end their careers.

Aimlessly she
continued to flick through the pages on the B.B.C., noting on the
technology pages that one of her father’s subsidiary companies was
due to release a new MP3 player that was apparently, for the price,
the best on the market. She was halfway through the article when
the grandfather clock at the end of the hallway outside her room
started to chime eight, so quickly Sally flicked off the monitor
and made her way back downstairs to the sumptuous breakfast
room.

She always
briefly stopped and looked out of the window at the view every time
she stepped into this room through the double doors. Out of the
huge French windows was a large balcony, on which, in one corner,
stood a Jacuzzi. Beyond the balcony were the large front lawns and
also the driveway which ran along the side of a lake. Past the end
of the lake the road disappeared into a coppice of trees towards
the imposing wall and enormous gates of the estate.

At this time of
the morning, there was still a light mist over the lake giving it
an eerie appearance. The island that her mother loved, and where
her body rested, was peaking faintly through the mist adding to the
eeriness.

Her father was
already at the table helping himself to some toast. When he saw
that it was his daughter who had come through the doors he leaped
to his feet, his face beaming. ‘Now then young lady, to what do I
owe this pleasure?’ he said as he made his way across the thick
carpet to greet her. ‘Saturday morning and you are up?’

‘Not exactly
daddy, no.’ She leaned forward offering a cheek to accept his
offered kiss. ‘Couldn’t sleep and I haven’t seen you all week.’

He took a step
back from her, holding her shoulders in his hands, studying her
face. ‘You haven’t slept at all have you? I can tell. Was that you
I saw scampering through the trees this morning at some silly
hour?’

‘Yes, it
was.’

‘Crikey! Must
be serious if you are well and truly up before me, especially on a
Saturday! Come, sit down, eat and tell me about it.’

Sally made her
away at her father’s side to the breakfast table and sat down in a
seat next to him.

‘Have some
toast while it is still hot.’ He picked up a little hand bell and
rang it. Instantly, from a side door a servant appeared. ‘More tea
and coffee please, an unexpected guest.’

‘Yes Mr.
Gallagher.’

‘How’s the
toast?’

‘It’s good
thanks.’

‘Now, why don’t
you tell me what has happened that has made you go for a run before
sun-up?’

‘Well, you know
the road off the B5671? The short cut to town?’

‘Yes, of
course, goes under the bridge.’

‘I was driving
along it last night and the car…’

It was only
then that Sally noticed the telephone that was resting next to her
father’s hand as it started ringing. She of course knew that
breakfast was the only time in the day that her father refused to
be interrupted. You had more chance of phoning and being able to
speak to him at three in the morning than at breakfast. If the
phone was by his side then she knew that something big was
happening.

‘So sorry
darling, hold that thought.’ He picked up the phone and it was only
a short conversation. ‘This had better be good Andrew, I’m at
breakfast.’

Sally of course
could not hear what Andrew was saying, but from the look of his
face turning to thunder it was not good news. After a few moments
the conversation ended with her father saying, ‘Right, give me
twenty-five minutes,’ and with that he slammed the phone down. He
instantly picked it back up and pressed two numbers. He had to wait
only a split second before it was answered. ‘Ray, get the Ferrari
out. Get me to the office in twenty-five, no, twenty minutes,’ and
he slammed the phone down again.

For a moment
Sally did not say anything, she let her father have his thinking
time. She could tell from the slightly vacant stare that he was
probably doing either complex mental arithmetic or working out how
to make himself another billion pounds in ten seconds. She had
learned the harsh truth the hard way of what happens when anyone
interrupts him during this thinking. After a few more moments she
saw her father seem to come back online as he liked to call it and
he looked across at her and shot her another beaming smile.
‘Needless to say, something has come up.’

‘It’s okay
daddy. We can talk another time.’

‘Flamin’
solicitors! They cost me a fortune and always make bloody
mistakes!’

‘The
acquisition not going smoothly then?’

‘It was until
last night. Flamin, bloody solicitors. Anyway,’ he leaned forward
and gave her another kiss on the cheek, ‘have to fly,’ and he stood
up and started to make his way to the double doors.

‘Try and make
sure that Ray gets you there in one piece,’ Sally called after
him.

‘He will. He is
the best driver in the country.’

‘I hope so.
Good luck and see you later daddy.’

He turned
briefly and shot her another smile. ‘You certainly will. We’ll
finish our talk later, definitely.’

‘I hope
so.’

He opened one
of the double doors and stepped through it and quietly closed it
behind him. A few minutes later Sally heard the roar of the Ferrari
so she turned to watch it as it raced towards the gates of the
estate. Although the office was thirty miles away in the heart of
the nearby city, she knew that her father would be there in twenty
minutes.

Sally continued
to work her way through the breakfast that kept on being put in
front of her; cereal, full English breakfast and then fruit to
finish. She knew that there was more chance of her flying to the
moon today than finishing her conversation with her father. Another
problem with having a very successful business man as a father was
that it was extremely difficult to get his attention for more than
a couple of minutes without something interrupting him. In a way
she was glad as her father would probably over react to the prior
nights occurrences and refuse to let her out without some kind of
security being with her.

Eventually she
finished the breakfast and stood up. She looked down at how she was
dressed and remembered that it was her original intention to go
riding. Now she did not feel like it. Instead she picked up the
phone and dialled two numbers and instantly Alfred answered.
‘Hello?’

‘Alfred, it’s
me.’

‘Good morning.
How are you today?’

‘I’m fine. Can
you do me a big favour?’

‘Of course,
anything at all.’

‘Don’t tell my
father though, promise?’

‘Of
course.’

‘Can you run me
into town?’

‘Of course, but
where is the Mini? Nobody heard or saw you come in last night. We
were most worried.’

‘Yes, I know. I
sneaked in. I didn’t want to see anyone. Security knew I was home
though; they drove me in from the gates. That is what I don’t want
you to tell my father, the fact that I wasn’t in the Mini.’

Sally had made
the police drop her off away from the gates so the security guards
did not see the police car. They definitely and would have been
obliged to tell her father if they had seen the police.

‘Not a problem
my dear. I’m sure you have your reasons. Shall we take the
Rolls-Royce?’

‘Yes, that will
be fine.’

‘Say, ten
minutes outside the main entrance?’

‘Better make it
twenty, I need to get changed.’

‘Not a problem
my dear. I will be waiting for you.’

‘Thank you,
Alfred.’

Sally replaced
the phone onto its holder and made her way back to her bedroom and
got changed. She had decided that she needed some shopping therapy
and while it was early there would be no crowds.

After changing
quickly into Armani everything; jeans, shirt and pullover with Nike
trainers, she made her way to the main entrance and exited the
mansion. As promised, Alfred was there behind the wheel of the
quarter of a million pounds car, and Sally entered the rear of the
vehicle.

Without a word
between them, Alfred proceeded at a statelier pace to the gates of
the estate than her father’s driver had done, and then turned onto
the road that would take them into the town.

During the
drive she did not really think of anything, only looked at the
familiar countryside as it drifted past her window. As the car made
its stately progress it received lots on envious glances from other
drivers, and when Alfred stopped at traffic lights people peered
into the rear of the car expecting to see someone famous, looking
away disappointed when they realized it was not anyone they
recognized.

Sally was used
to this. All throughout her life people had been staring into the
back of the highly expensive cars her father owned. Once she had
asked him why he did not get blacked out windows. His response was
that he had worked eighteen to twenty hour days for much of his
life; the last thing he was going to do was hide away from his
success. Slowly Alfred made his way through the morning traffic and
reached their usual drop-off point. ‘What time would you like to be
picked up dear?’

‘I will call
you Alfred. I think this is going to be a long one.’

‘Oh dear. It
must have been a rough night. I’m sure you will tell me what
happened in your own time. Take care.’

‘I will. Thanks
for driving me in.’

‘Anytime my
dear.’

Sally then
shuffled along the seat and exited the car out of the left hand
rear door and watched as the Rolls pulled away and moved back into
the traffic flow. Most of the people were heading up a street into
the main part of town but Sally did not follow them. She took
another street which led to the exclusive shopping area which was
full of shops like Prada, Gucci and Armani, the kinds of places
that the daughter of a billionaire, with one of her bank cards in
her purse that magically got paid off at the end of each month,
could quite happily spend an unhappy day getting some serious
shopping therapy.