Conscious Revenge Page 3

  I pointed out to Paul that the only difficulty I could see for the clients in retrieving the stolen interest would be my password method. I explained about the James Pattison book Cat & Mouse that I had asked him to bring and the method I had used to set up the bank accounts throughout the world.

  “Crafty old bugger, aren’t you old boy?” he said in the accent he made up when the needs must.

  The first part of the challenge, he seemed to think, may be easier than the next as it would take longer to find out how many other clients the auditors in question had told if any. “In my experience,” he said, “they play this sort of thing close to their chest, not wanting to arouse the tax monkeys, would keep most money men’s mouth shut.” This was just what I was hoping he’d say, the fewer that knew the more cash would still be in the other bank accounts, fingers crossed.

  If I was going to risk the sort of beating I had just had, it would seem more sensible for it to be for lots more money rather than for a pittance. What really worried me was Paul’s involvement. Although he didn’t have the same home responsibilities as I did, I would hate anything to happen to him because of my activities.

  “We need to talk,” I said to Paul, “not about the job but the risk you would be taking going along with this mad-brained, potentially life-threatening task.”

  He smiled, “I have been thinking of that too,” he said, “would a cut in the profits keep your conscience clearer?”

  This seemed like a good idea. I pointed out that after the hard work, there may be no rewards. If the client list had spread the word, we may not have anything to share, but I was willing if he was to take a chance. “How would 60/40 suit you?!” I shouted from the bathroom, which was the only place in the condo where a little privacy existed. Now there was two sharing, we would be also walking sideways most of the time.

  As with the offer off the financial split, Paul seemed up for the sideways walking as well. We would have to be very careful as the charity may not look kindly on a gate crasher. If they found out I had someone to watch my back, I would have to leave, which wasn’t exactly what I had in mind in the near future.

  Daytime was running into evening when we finished talking about the ifs and buts of how we could access my bank accounts without alerting the traders. I explained to Paul the principles I had set up with the end of day interest calculated by the bank and then siphoned off by just a small percent by me and transferred into my bank accounts, the balance of the interest going into the client accounts bank.

  We would have to look at closing down the link I had set up between the client’s bank and mine pretty quick when we had the full picture, as any delay may mean a greater chance the clients could retrieve ‘MY MONEY’ as I now liked to call it.

  The program was working all the time and only when the bank sent the interest to the client would my program kick in. Pretty clever, I thought at the time, but there are many very astute program checkers out there. For me to fox them all takes great skill, maybe I had found my match this time, I could only hope not all the clients I had defrauded (I hate that word) saved from being too greedy, I prefer to say, would be as aware as the one that unceremoniously dumped me in the drain and therefore my remaining monies would still be intact.

  Sleep seemed the next best idea. Paul assured me he would start first thing in the morning on his laptop to sort through all the client lists.

  My mind was working overtime and I found it difficult to sleep, but as work was on the agenda early next day I tried hard to empty my head, the soothing motion of the sea helped, I don’t know how I will live anywhere else when this is all over, the idea of living in a cell with many other felons did nothing to hurry the process of relaxation.

  I had set the alarm for 5.30am so that I could carry out the ritual of getting to work. I arrived as usual just as Andy came down the stairs, “looking for promotion” he laughed, he knew very well the chances of that were nil but we exchanged pleasantries just the same and began working. Checking the chickens, eggs and food was now just routine.

  Once you got the hang of it, the answers were just churned out by the computer. I couldn’t help thinking how this process would have been done years ago when everything was done with pen and paper. Andy had everything in control and everyone had to work in the same way. I bet he ran his household in the same way with the wife and children lined up like soldiers to be given the day’s orders. Smiling to myself I changed my mind probably his wife ruled the roost and he did what he was told.

  The day seemed to drag, I couldn’t wait to get back to the Condo and see how things were going with Paul. It was hard to speculate on how long it would take him, as the list of clients I had established over the years was endless and only certain ones had been selected for my scam.

  Soon I hoped I would be able to afford a laptop. This would mean with both of us working, the quicker we could discover if the money was still there and the quicker I could get back in touch with home the better. The longer it went on, the more I feared Lorna would think the worst and start planning her next move, which could be anything. I was missing the kids like mad. It would take every ounce of strength I had left to get through the next few weeks or months without them.

  I decided to jog down the path through the bracken and trees down to the shore on the way home. The soft white sands that edged the sea always seemed the better option, not only for the wonderful view but the fresh sea air that helped me breath with ease.

  The distance was also quicker than walking the narrow road, if you could call it that. They certainly hadn’t invented tarmac here, potholes could consume you when the rains came, life was slower and I fell head over heels in love with the place all over again.

  The jog from the bus to the condo seemed to be getting closer or was it that I was getting fitter. The injuries must be healing much quicker now. It seemed stupid that I was relying on a low paid job to get my hands on a laptop to find my money but as Paul pointed out, if any of my associates at G&F plc., which included himself, were having their bank accounts monitored, it would be risky to use his laptop, as he would be top of their list.

  I looked at the mobile phone Paul managed to buy for me with cash he had brought with him from the mainland. We were unsure how long the project would take, so we needed to watch every penny he possessed and was earning, to complete the task in hand. As I stared at the phone, the urge was overwhelming to ring or text Lorna, just a quick note to let her know I was still in this world. I had to check myself quickly, as I was well-aware that such a move may endanger her and the kids.

  I was approaching the water inlet just before the bank of sand which led directly to the condo when I froze with the horror of seeing two men leaving the condo with Paul. He looked as white as a ghost. I lay still in the sand petrified that I would be found and tortured as before, I wouldn’t be able to take it again. I felt unable to think straight so I waited to see the outcome. Not being able to help Paul made me feel worse, he was there for me but I couldn’t find the movement in my legs to run to his aid.

  The two men got into a beach buggy and drove off without taking Paul. Now I was confused, had he managed to talk himself out of the situation, I couldn’t think how. I waited with baited breath until the buggy was out of sight. Movement was slowly returning to my legs but I was still in a state of shock. I wanted to get back to him to see if he was okay, but needed time to recuperate fully. Gradually, I pulled myself to the top of the sand bank and rolled down the other side. I could see Paul in the window walking up and down. It took one last effort to get to the door. I was hoping there were only the two men and no one else was there when I arrived home.

  Paul pulled open the door with greater force than needed. He must have mistaken me for one of them coming back. I called out to him as much for me as for him, as instinct may have made him lash out and I was in no position to protect myself. He took one look at me and nearly fell over with shock. I must have looked dreadful, but not as bad as I felt.
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  Lifting myself up with his help, I took one look at him and realised straight away that my fears had been unfounded. He pushed his head back and laughed, that silly laugh only he could muster I wanted to shout at him that it wasn’t funny as I had nearly died of fright, the relief was so great I began to shake, the past few months had certainly taken their toll on my normal resilience.

  The men were from the nursing home doing a spasmodic check on the residence to see if everything was okay. Paul was just as worried as I had been when they opened the door with the emergency key but, as they explained, they always came in to make sure the patients were ok as no reply to their knocking as, in the past, people had been ill and unable to get to the door. Paul had not answered for obvious reasons, but had explained that he was from the village, waiting for a guy named Bill to get back from his walk so that the washing his wife had just finished for him could be returned. What an accomplice.

  After my second glass of whisky, I began to return into the real world. The progress had been slow as it was not only one client’s interest I had doctored, so finding which one suddenly disappeared or returned to normal was painstaking. Only working carefully through each account using my formula would discover the client who had hired the assassin. I still had to decide the best way to take my revenge but that could come later, for now the important thing was to find the culprit and the money.

  Working together well into the night checking the Bank balances for each client seemed endless. I wished the list I made of the clients I had used to filter the interest from was in my pocket and not in my local bank back home. Progress was slow but I was surprisingly pleased with myself, if the method I had used to hide the money was this difficult for us to find, just think how hard it would be for the auditors at G&F plc.

  Chapter Eight

  The end of the month came quickly, working by day for Andy and working by night with Paul made the time pass quickly giving me little time to reflect on my past life. I was grateful for the respite as dwelling only made things worse. Hopefully, we would have a breakthrough soon. Although Paul had not taken many holidays, there would be a time when he must contact the office to check in, he had left James Hollingsworth in charge of his accounts, I remembered back to when James had looked over my shoulder, I hoped he had not wondered if Paul was looking for me and somehow made a connection, he was crafty and wouldn’t hesitate in making trouble.

  Having covered about a third of the list, as far as we could see there were no visible signs that a discovery had been made. Using the Reacher book to produce the passwords, we had found that my percent had arrived in each case. As far as we could see no changes to my method had taken place, we were convinced that so far, all money was intact in my banks.

  I was afraid to drink too much of whatever was left, even the dregs tasted sweet, but a clear head was needed to carry on with the search, at any moment we could stumble onto a difference kettle of fish then the fun would start. The order of the day was to carry on regardless.

  It had occurred to me that maybe I could open a bank account on the island, in a name made up using the nursing home as a temporary address. I could try to blag it as if I needed to have my pay from Andy paid in. It was a long shot but one worth trying, moving some of the stolen interest into the new bank a little at a time to coincide with my pay, may help to keep us going for the foreseeable. It was a long shot but when Paul wakes up I would run it by him.

  Leaving the charity shop with a bag full of gentlemen’s attire was a new experience for me. Saville Row had been my order of the day on the many trips into London England, but then when needs must. I hoped no visible holes or vermin were present. The thought made me shiver ‘what a wus’, considering the past months you would think I would be Teflon man by now.

  Shoes had proved a bit more difficult as I am a size eleven, people on this island must be miniature, so squeezing my feet into a size ten was a new experience. No hand-made leather for me now, I was learning a lot more than I cared to from all of this.

  I dressed for the bank. ‘What a gent’, Paul was laughing again. I would have kicked him but the shoes were tight and the pants didn’t fit under the crutch too well so I looked in the mirror and laughed with him. I was now ready to face the bank manager, it would take all my wiles to pull this one off, but try I must. A lot depended on this working, not only would it speed the process, but maybe we could eat a bit more like we were used to.

  Entering the bank, I felt as if I had guilt written all over my forehead and everyone could see I was a fake, beads of sweat formed, it was as if all my previous training, ‘Interviewing Techniques- Isometric Testing-Managing People’, was all for nothing, if only my boss could see me now. Taking a deep breath I approached the smiling bank clerk I would use my ‘charm’ if I could remember how, stress was a good leveller, luckily she smiled back and my confidence grew. I had to wait for a senior official, not quite Bank of America here, much more formal, following his interrogation into the money laundering rules and reg’s. I finally felt I was making headway, until he said I must obtain a letter from Andy to confirm that a regular wage would be available before he would agree to open an account.

  My mind was trying to concentrate on the rest of the rules, while at the same time wondering how I could get Andy to sign something I felt hadn’t got a hell’s chance of happening. Oh well, I tried, I would have to use a bit more cloak and dagger to falsify details that would convince Mr Landau at the Bank that I was legit, which I obviously wasn’t. “Goodbye Mr. Landau, see you soon,” I said. I wondered if I would ever see him again.

  Going back to Paul with the news, I was hoping he could come up with one of his more inventive ways of getting me out of this latest quagmire, although I suspected he would be over his head getting me out of the last one, ‘When will this end’. I had to stop wishing for miracles and concentrate on the here and now.

  I arrived just in time for Paul to remind me that he had to check in with work. If he was to remain here longer than he had reported there had to be a good reason. We both looked at each other and said at the same time, “another lie coming up” you have to laugh or you would cry. Well, moving on, he had to wait until the Human Resources department was in full swing and not too much time to worry about Paul’s problems, which he outlined with the greatest sincerity. His aunt, who he had been holidaying with in Bermuda, had been taken ill and would be in hospital for at least two weeks, As this fictitious Aunt of his had no one to look after her, following her release he would check-in again as soon as possible. Without the slightest change in his voice he asked politely if they would tell everyone who needed to know and hung up without leaving a telephone number where he could be reached. As his work number was strictly for work he made sure it was always unavailable should anyone ring, a message apologising and passing on a number of his secretary who would redirect the call to someone who could help, would complete the deception.

  Well, he convinced me, let’s hope the hierarchy would be just as convinced. It would be some time before we would know, so worrying about it would only muddy the already thick ‘do do’ we were already milling around in. Trying to explain to Paul the outcome with the Bank would have to wait until we had finished lunch otherwise I felt it would put him off his food. We ate shell fish and drunk wine, you would think we were millionaires, well in reality we were if only we could get our hands on it.

  “We will soon be out of funds if we keep this up,” Paul laughed, as the irony of the situation slowly sank in. How could anyone fail to have the feel good factor sitting on the porch of my Condo eating and drinking? This was the greatest day weather wise, blue sea, white beach the only sound was the sea reaching the sand, if only the rest of life was as restful.

  As soon as we finished, it was back to work, Paul checking bank accounts of clients, me running the lists of interest they should have against what they had received. We worked until we were wondering if we would ever get there. It was possible that the whole offe
nding account had been removed by my perpetrator, then what? We decided we would have to cross that bridge when we reached the end of the checking.

  All the time, I was looking for a short cut by writing small programs to filter the information into a narrower set of situations, but so far the long way round seemed to be the only one. “It must be the quantity of checks that is the problem,” I remarked to Paul, not wanting him to think I was at a loss to find a report writing solution, and me the expert!

  Dusk was here so a break was in order. I decided to come clean on the bank scenario. I asked Paul “how do you think I should approach Andy about having my pittance paid into the bank, without him getting suspicious regarding my motive.” Paul looked over his eyes and sighed, “I wondered when you were going to fill me in on how the bank manager took to you having no real name, no real address and no real pay.” The look on his face said it all, he was lost for words and surprise surprise, so was I.

  We sat for some time both trying to think of ways we could word what we basically knew was crap, but finally drew up a sort of plan to say “that I was in-between addresses due to no fault of my own, and that my Bank would only open an account for me if I had a regular amount paid into my bank and the amount he (Andy that is) paid, would be enough to get me started. Not being sure if anyone of the other people he employed were paid into a Bank or if they even had a Bank Account, it would greatly surprise me if they did judging by the type of work.

  Mostly, I suspected they were paid ‘cash in hand’ with no tax stopped, or their wages were too small to bother. Oh well, I guess I wouldn’t know until I tried, if Andy said sorry no chance then what, I had no idea!!