Chapter 3

“I’ll just verify the ticket first,” Mr Higgins said as he got up.

Benjamin’s eyes widened.

Mr Higgins laughed. “Don’t worry. The money’s yours, but we can’t do anything until the ticket is verified.”

Benjamin nodded hesitantly. Despite Mr Higgins’s assurance, he still didn’t like the idea of being separated from his winning ticket, even if it was in the hands of a lotteries official.

Mr Higgins was back within the minute, grinning like a Cheshire cat on crack.

“It’s official,” he said, once again sitting down opposite Benjamin. “Now, there’s a two-week waiting period, which you’ve already observed, so we can transfer the money into your account right away.”

Benjamin listened intently, realising that while he should have been beaming, he was in fact wearing a small frown of concentration.

“Before we get to that I’d like to ask you a couple of questions. First of all, is your bank account able to accept such a large sum of money? Some accounts have a limit.”