Kingdom Come

Chapter Twelve:

Clayton sighed at her, his shoulders shrugging as he pulled up a chair from the corner of the room.

The old chair looked so small as he sat down, that Alice wondered if it might break as it strained against his weight.

"Are you sure you want to know this Allie?" he said as he retrieved a file from his leather bag.

She was dead serious as she nodded.

He started to read, "Ok. Mr Richard Thomas Booth the Second, a private investment lawyer/banker dealing with the wealthiest one percent of Americans. He is, well, was a lawyer and banker....a senior accountant, for The Three Kings, a chain of banks across America and Europe. Richard was a senior manager, the one who would organise the money to be transferred into the clients' accounts and shell companies'. We are talking businessmen, Princes, Kings and even the Mob. Trillions of dollars a year, but when they realised that he was pulling the wool over their eyes and stealing from them, he disappeared. Last was thought to be in Brazil since his little visit with you. A little difficult for the Americans to get him back since they can't extradite him under law. He holds three passports, like you, and has a lot of aliases'. We think his personal net worth over seven billion dollars - maybe more. Many of the accounts are now frozen thanks to his now ex-wife, who reported him in, but for some reason, the other shell accounts keep growing, meaning he is still stealing again, or someone is, or was, helping him."

Alice had to hear a lot of information. She stared at the file in Clayton's hand.

"He has other kids?" she whispered, his attention back on her as he flicked over the page.

"Mr Booth has three older children by Juniper Williams, formerly, Mrs Juniper Booth. You know her as June. The oldest being, Fredrick Thomas Booth, a banker, living in London, rather well off on his own. The other two kids, twins, Annemarie Grace and George Alexander, are well off too, both involved in study or charity, especially the daughter. All three are secured for the inheritance of June's separate, generational estate from her own parents. An account we can't touch since it's in each of the three Booth's kids names, no links to his shady dealings. That we know of - I am keeping tabs on them all."

He paused for a moment, readjusting his chair. Alice stared blankly, watching the page turn again.

She listened to his words intensely as Clayton kept going, "A few rumours that Thomas actually married Elizabeth a few years back. That's why Philip called you Alison Booth. But I'm not sure, we can't find a record of it anywhere. However if that is true, you could inherit billions of dollars of his assets. I've even heard he has an updated will somewhere with you as the main beneficiary. Legally, you could shake that family to its core, take everything and leave nothing, not even a penny. You are his child, too, and you deserve a seat at that family table."

Clayton reached out to her hand as his face softened.

"Alice. Are you ok?" He was concerned

She was frozen, Clayton's phone pinged, the sound breaking the silence as he paused to check it.

After putting the phone back in his pocket, he turned his attention back to the yellow folder. Scanning the pages.

The last bit Clayton sounded monotone, with a hint of curiosity - Alice knew that it was difficult for him to say, but he continued, "Allie. Richard Booth, is a crowd of a man and father, who has left you penniless and unprotected. I'm sorry."

She couldn't speak, "What about Philip....the man who attacked me."

Clayton reached out to hold her hand, his blue eyes searching hers as he traced her knuckles before he continued again, "Philip and I worked together back in the military when the British and Americans were sharing intelligences. Ruth also had history with him, but that's another story. Literally. He knows every move we make, always five steps ahead in a fight we are losing in. He was like my brother, but then I made the mistake of trusting him with my business and it went wrong. We both have been hunting each other ever since, like a horrible game of cat and mouse"