Angel and the Assassin 3: Sins of the Father

Bowker had a really
    kind voice. “Whoever your father is, you must have got something from him.
    Perhaps that’s why you are so bright. Do you think you got that from him?”
    I told him I didn’t know and I didn’t care. Then I said, “He must be tall because
    my mum is really little, and no one else in my family is tall like me.” He told me he
    would see me after the holidays and if I had any problems I could go and talk to him.
    I never did talk to him because I was never the type of boy who talked about my
    problems. But it really helped that he had said that.

    Unable to keep still or focus on anything, he changed into black shorts and
    trainers, pulled on a black hoodie, and went outside to run. Along the river and through
    the city streets, he ran at a steady pace, looking straight ahead, avoiding people and
    traffic with care but never stopping for a moment. If a traffic light turned red, he headed
    along the street until he could cross without halting. He had no plan except to run until
    his muscles began to ache and the tension in his body and mind eased. An hour later,
    hardly even sweating in the cool, early February air, he arrived at the Albert
    Embankment. Babylon on the Thames or Legoland is what those who worked there
    called it. He’d had no intention of ending up there and stood leaning against the railing,
    looking down into the river as his heart and pulse rate slowed down.
    Sensing he was being watched, he turned to see Conran leaning against a tree. The
    man walked over, looking Kael up and down with obvious yearning. Kael grinned.
    “You really fancy me, don’t you,” he said out loud, knowing Conran’s head would do a
    three sixty.
    “I wish you wouldn’t joke about things like that out loud. One of these days,
    someone will hear.”
    Chuckling, Kael felt the burden of the last few days lift somewhat. Like a kid, he
    still loved making Conran squirm, and the run had helped immeasurably. “Admit it.”
    “Yes, I admit it,” Conran said quietly. “I have never wanted another man. Only
    you. I saw you from the window and came out. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
    “About walking out on that assignment?”
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    174

    Conran shook his head. “Thornton did an excellent job. It’s about Shawn
    Holloway. You went to see him in prison in Liverpool. He’s charged with molesting a
    child. Who the hell is he?”
    Angered, Kael said, “Why am I under surveillance?”
    “You know perfectly well you will always be under surveillance. It’s intermittent,
    but we keep an eye on everyone at your level. As for Holloway, you can’t get involved
    in things like that. They’re too high profile. The story was reported in the Liverpool
    Echo .”
    “The Echo is a rag. No one outside Liverpool reads it. Shawn was a boyfriend of
    my mum. She thought he was innocent and wanted me to make the bail application.”
    “Did he do it?”
    “Yes. He’s guilty and he’s going to plead guilty. End of.”
    Looking relieved, Conran said, “What was that Sir Rodney Black said about
    mistaking you for Romodanovsky’s son. Is it true?”
    Kael looked out at the river. “Yes. He told me I was the image of my father.”
    “You do look like him. Both very tall. And you have the same jawline.”
    That was exactly what Angel had said. Kael pointed at a bench and walked over to
    it, fully expecting Conran to follow him, which he did. “Do you want to go inside? It’s
    freezing,” Conran said.
    “No. It’s invigorating.” Kael stretched his bare legs out in front of him and crossed
    them comfortably at the ankle while Conran pulled his jacket closer and hunched his
    shoulders. “I turn the heat off at night in the winter, and sometimes I make Angel sleep
    on the floor with me just to toughen him up.”
    “Yes, I believe that.” Conran half smiled.
    Knowing he had to face this at some point, Kael came to a decision. “I want to find
    out where Romodanovsky was in the summer of 1977.”
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    175

    Conran sat sideways on the bench, looking at him. “You think he might be your
    father? How can he be?”
    “He’s a rapist, and my mother was working in a hotel that summer in Liverpool.
    She was eighteen years old.”
    “I agree you have a look of him, but that’s a long shot. Why not just ask your
    mother? I know your birth certificate has no father listed, but she must know who he
    is.”
    Sometimes Kael hated that Conran