After breakfast, Max asked Star to buy him some smart casual clothes. Once he had those he needed to get a haircut and buy city broker style clothes made to measure. This was not something he could do in his present clothing. Star said, “I have no problem getting you clothes, but you are risking everything by leaving this room in daylight.”
“I’m sorry Star, but it can’t be done any other way. I have to meet people and establish my new identity ASAP. My scars hardly show, so I won’t be conspicuous. While you are away, I will go out in tramp mode; my plan needs to be pushed along without delay.”
To complete his tramp disguise, he rubbed mud from the back garden on his face, hands, beard and into his hair, then blended it with a damp cloth. As a final touch, he thinly smeared brown HP sauce around his lips.
An hour later, Max shuffled along in his brogues and old camel coat, head bowed in his hoody.
On reaching the flyover bridge and surrounding derelict buildings where many tramps lived, he systematically went from one to the next, talking to them and searching for his double. On the basis that no one looks exactly like his or her passport photo, particularly after ten years, it was reasonable to assume he would eventually find someone.
It took a week of searching before he found Ray Forbes. Ray saw the likeness the moment Max walked into view and willingly engaged in conversation. Max shared some sandwiches and cheap wine with the tramp to gain his confidence before probing into his background. The alcohol in Forbes’ empty stomach did the trick. Ray would not remember much of the conversation if Max decided he was unsuitable.
“Ray, I need a genuine passport. In exchange, I can help you get back on your feet and into society if you wish, or give you money to live with your friends. The choice is yours. Interested?”
Ray thought for a moment before replying, “I need to get back to my family, I will probably die out here this winter, and I want to make my peace with them. You are the only person who can help me do that. So-. yes.” Max suggested that they go for a proper meal then find somewhere safe for Ray to stay. It was essential that he should never learn where Max lived.
Assuming that Ray would continue to be cooperative, Max would clean him up, provide smart clothes and set him up in a suitable flat, while learning all he needed about Ray and his family. With access to genuine official documents – birth certificate, driving license and perhaps passport – Max could renew the passport with his own photo and assume the man’s identity.
If Ray decided to return to his family, he could get replacements easily enough without affecting Max. Ray was on no one’s watch list. If he went back to being a tramp, it would take time for his death to filter through and jeopardize passport or license. By then, Max would have new genuine documents as a resident in some other country.
The utility bills for the flat would be vital in establishing bank accounts for Max and Star under their aliases. Max had not yet figured out how to get a new identity for Star, but first things first.
Ray did all Max asked; warmth, healthy food, security and solitude was all he wanted for now, as he fattened up and adapted to this new way of life. With his confidence building, he would soon be able to face his wife and children, not that he wished to live with them again. He only wanted to apologize for abandoning them. His mental state could not take the stress of social pressures and working for a living. This would be his final year; he intended to return to his life as a tramp.
Max visited Ray every day in his smart casual clothes, to make sure he was well and keep him stocked up with food and non-alcoholic drinks. With Max’s help, Ray applied for documents, and the identity was building perfectly. Max compiled all the details, dates and facts about Ray’s life on his laptop. Soon, Ray would be able to visit his family.