Conscious Revenge Page 8

  The very smart and attractive Real Estate lady seemed very pleased to see me. Just wait until she gets the real picture. “Good afternoon, Mr Pascal, how can we help you today?” was the standard line they all used, only when you mention ‘cash’ does the real pressure start, “Following your phone call, I have set up three properties I think will meet your requirements. These are by no means the only properties we have on our books, but the ones I have chosen seemed to fit the criteria you have given me. The first one I would like to show you is at the far side of the island on a very prestigious development, it has land adjacent to the sea, a criteria you have shown an interest in, if you would like to join me I have a car waiting to take us there first.”

  I settled down into the cream limousine with matching interior, only broken up by the dark blue piping around the seats and on the dash board. I had to look twice to be sure I hadn’t died and gone to heaven, ‘less of these thoughts as they only serve as a reminder of what might have been.’ We drove for some time passing the edge of the sea on the one side and the estates of mansions on the other, ‘how the other half live’.

  That said, I would now be considered to be the ‘other half.’ I laughed to myself, if only Julia could read my mind, I’m sure she would not be calling me ‘Sir’ for long.

  We pulled up to a gated Mansion and waited for the caretaker to call us in, ‘wow’ the drive was longer than the whole road on the island I currently lived on. Very impressive, if not a little over the top for my liking but then I was trying to please Lorna not myself so I continued to appear interested.

  I was shown the next home, as Julia called it. It stretched over several acres with swimming pools, tennis courts, riding stables and looked far too modern for even Lorna’s taste. Being polite, I tried my best to look interested, but no way was this ‘the one’. The third had possibilities with the sweeping staircase and a library that would hold probably ten of the libraries I had been using recently. The bedrooms were very large and opulent with more en-suites than we could possibly use in a decade, great for entertaining was Julia’s selling point, I hoped once again that she couldn’t read my mind, I didn’t know that amount of people to entertain.

  We drove back, with me assuring Julia that I would discuss the options with my wife ‘I wished’ and get back to her as soon as possible, just as I was leaving her office I decided to ask what houses she had on the surrounding islands if any. She smiled sweetly and gave me two glossy brochures weighing a ton and asked me to let her know if anything took my eye. I thanked her for her wonderful presentations and promised to be in touch.

  I had arranged to have a hire car left in the parking lot adjacent to the Real Estate office and began to drive in the direction of the sea, this route I was informed was one of the most beautiful in this part of the Caribbean, the restaurant that was recommended sat on the headland, not realising how hungry I was I began leisurely driving the open top limousine, with the trade wind hardly moving the trees I truly began to believe this was me forever. All I needed now was my family by my side to perfect the paradise I had created for myself.

  Lunch was served; the restaurant was the most upmarket Steak House on the island. Don’t look at the prices I told myself, just order and enjoy, I certainly did, washed down with the finest red wine in the house, or so I was told. I was soon ready to continue my exploration of Grand Cayman.

  Continuing along the coast road, I stopped to read the map and as I watched a Cruise Ship enter the Port, I promised myself I would one day join the cruising fraternity, it looked spectacular, just like a floating palace, I would find out details and maybe arrange a trip with Lorna as soon as we were back together, I was now sounding more positive, it seemed anything was possible just at this moment and I wanted this feeling to continue forever.

  Sunday evening came around too quickly, I must catch the ferry back to the island as being late for work the next day was not an option as I didn’t want to let the team down at Crantocks. We were all very friendly now thanks to Andy and his beach parties, I never knew working could be so much fun, I would be sorry when it ended but end it must, as I was making preparations for Lorna and the children to come to me sooner rather than later and as sorry as I would be to leave Andy and the gang this was still my main objective.

  The houses Julia had shown me so far were much too over the top for my liking and I thought Lorna and the children would think so too, browsing through the brochures I had been given of possible places to call home on the smaller islands was a good idea, they may not match up to the splendour of the Mansions I had already viewed, which was a plus for me as I was unable to see myself or Lorna lording it around, pretending we were something we were obviously not.

  Flipping through the pages I spotted an Old Colonial House which at first glance looked somewhat run down, that didn’t faze me as the idea of making a home perfect by adding our own ideas would appeal to us both. The fact that it was also on the Island I was living on at the moment made the prospect even more attractive, this place seemed ideal so I decided to ring Julia first thing in the morning to make an appointment to look it over, I began to feel quite excited at the prospect of changing direction again and I could happily add restoration to my list of to-do’s.

  I arranged with Julia to meet the local Real Estate agent, Mervin something or other, to visit the old mansion the next evening after work, I would have to take my decent clothes with me as I couldn’t turn up in the clothes I was wearing for work to look at a mansion, could I?

  Having arranged for the car to pick me up outside the local bank, I would now have to get a shift on as the walk from work would take some time, better that than let the people at work see me get into a limousine outside the farm as they would think I was stealing it.

  We drove for some time along the coast. The agent was a pleasant man in his early fifties and very knowledgeable about the local area. I didn’t let on that I lived in a very small pink condo on the beach as it didn’t seem to fit the image. Never mind as long as I could pay the asking price no one need know the sordid details. He gave me a running commentary of all of the pluses the island had and in fairness some of the negatives as well. He suggested I get quotes before entering into any agreement to buy.

  He would provide me with all of the local tradesmen if I wished to go down this route, or if I preferred the mainland as a source of workmen, Julia would point me in the right direction. We talked about the houses I had seen on the Grand Cayman and how I had been blown away by the opulence, but mentioned to him that the idea of starting from scratch appealed to me and my wife, we would then have exactly what we wanted. I spoke of the cruise ship I had seen on Cayman and he explained that it was a floating casino called Westward with the theme of the old Mississippi steamboat era. Inside was very authentic and grand.

  He explained that the owner was Alberto West of Westline Shipping Corporation and was mega rich, he and his sons owned several very lucrative businesses in the area which employed a great many local people. They were revered by many on the islands.

  I was glad that he couldn’t see my face as the very word Westline sent a shiver down my spine to say the least. I felt my blood run cold. I must try to stay calm, this was the first time I had heard the name Westline in a long time and the very mention of the word turned me to putty. I asked the driver if he would mind pulling over as I needed some fresh air, I pretended that the journey was having an effect on me.

  “Certainly, sir,” he said, “my son has the same problem when we journey more than a few miles.” I thanked him and promptly sat down outside the car and drank some water, it was cold and fresh from the fridge box in the boot of the car, I assured him “I just need to spend a moment or two and I will be fine,” no way would I be fine knowing what he had just told me I was a gibbering jelly inside and felt sure he could tell from my colour I wouldn’t be fine any time soon. I asked if we could continue as I didn’t want to give him any idea it was what he had said, not car sickness, that
had caused my obvious discomfort.

  I was desperately trying to reason with myself just because this man’s company was called the same as my client, Westline Investments, back in the States, didn’t mean that there was a connection, the problem was the more I tried to rationalise with myself the more the jigsaw seemed to come together.

  We approached a pair of broken down gates the entrance of a driveway leading to the Old Colonial Mansion, it had been a sugar cane plantation many years ago, but had been split away when a previous owner had died and the children didn’t want to keep up the rum-making side so the house had been left empty for many years now. It was all boarded up and quite secure to prevent deterioration he said, it had a reputation for being one of the finest examples of this type of architecture on any of the Islands.

  I was taken aback, even with the aging process it was very impressive, I was surprised it hadn’t been snapped up. Mervin, the agent, explained that there had been a great deal of interest when it was first put on the market, but most of the interested parties wanted to change the face and structure of the property too much so the owners refused to agree to the changes, as did the people involved in the conservation, so it remained on the market until someone who agreed to abide by the regulations came along. I was quick to explain that my intensions where to renovate not to change.

  I would be only too happy to work within any framework lay down by the conservationists. I was now sounding like a buyer and, subject to the inside being what I was looking for, the chances of this being the one was getting closer by the minute.

  Mervin suggested that I get a feel for the grounds outside, before going inside. I could already see the picture from the front of the house looking out over the Caribbean sea in all its glory, a path down to the white sands with enough Palm trees to ensure a sun safe haven for the children, once again this Island hadn’t failed to more than impress me, all at once I felt if this was what was ahead for Lorna and me our future would be bliss.

  Having strolled around the grounds and found the boundaries, I was happy with the size, it would be quite a challenge to bring the gardens back to life, but I felt sure there would be plenty of help from the local people once the word got out I needed to employ help. With a big grin Mervin said now for the inside. “I just want to explain that what you see is what you get,’’ he said. “There are many pieces of furniture left inside which all come with the house, you may find some to your taste in which case the current owner would be very happy to include them in the price, should you not require some or all of them they would be happy to take them out and put them into storage as they do not wish any piece to be thrown away.”

  I agreed I would be happy with that, in the circumstances it may take some time to decide on which furniture would be to our taste, if the owners would be happy to give us time to sort things out, he promptly said he was sure they would as they were very reasonable people.

  I know it sounds stupid but whatever the inside looked like I was already sold on this place and couldn’t wait to put my deposit down. He opened the large wooden door. Just a lick of varnish I thought would sort that out. It was carved but not too fancy. When we walked into the grand hallway I was blown away, I was trying to seem nonchalant but underneath the calm exterior I was over the moon, I had already made up my mind that no matter what the outcome of my mixed up life I was going to buy this little gem on this wonderful island. The rest of the house only proved to me my first instinct was right, just the price to decide on and the costing of the renovations. My mind was already working overtime I couldn’t wait to get started. The best part was I could afford anything that was thrown at me.

  On the way back I had a few questions to ask Mervin like the name of the current owner. I was hoping it wasn’t Alberto West or sons. That would be too much of a coincidence, but the way things were going I couldn’t bank on it. The family name was Worthington-Clay and their ancestors had owned the Mansion and Sugar Cane business from the beginning of the Colonisation of the islands, a very wealthy and respected family the current owners were growing older and the children were moving on.

  What a shame, I thought to myself, I could happily live here for ever. I secretly hoped my wealth wouldn’t do that to my children, but no one knows what the future holds I should be the first to know that!! The practical things that Lorna would be looking at first, like what the schools were like on Grand Cayman, I felt sure, with such wealth on Cayman they would be more than good enough, so I stopped worrying about such things and began to make plans for the next few weeks.

  On arriving back at the condo, I had so many things going around in my head that I decided to put them in order of importance, which one to put first was the difficult bit. I was probably feeling a bit too secure as my first call was to Julia to find out the asking price of the house, the second part was to check out Westline shipping to see if there was any connection to Westline Investments, I was not sure what the next step would be should my instincts be proven right about the West’s as it one thing finding out, but another ball game proving their involvement with my sudden and brutal disappearance.

  With so much of my thinking being that somehow Paul had been involved in all of this I couldn’t afford to get it wrong, I so wanted it not to be Paul that I would pull out all the stops to make sure I got it right, I just had no idea how long that would take and time was running out for his return.

  Julia rang back almost straight away and suggested a figure of $1.5 million for the property. As she understood it, there would be considerable planning issues and costs, so would be grateful if I began straight away with an architect to discuss the idea’s I had for the restoration. In the meantime, should I be a serious contender, a deposit of 2% of the asking price would be necessary to secure the possible purchase. I agreed to transfer the 2% into the holding bank as soon as possible, she explained the deposit would be refundable should the project fall through. I asked for her help in locating a reputable architect, one that she could recommend, maybe one that had been involved in previous dealings on the property as this would reduce the time spent on issues regarding the conservation, promising to look up the files, she said she would be happy to help and would get back to me early next week

  My head was spinning. How on Earth would I be able to keep all of these balls in the air at one time?’ I had almost forgotten the brain damage they thought I had. There was no turning back now, I had no option but to continue with everything all at once, I was glad I had decided to stop the client checking and that the money was now secure, well as secure as anything can be in my life. I went to sleep exhausted? How I would work for Andy tomorrow was anyone’s guess.

  I awoke the next morning with everything still going around in my head. I must take one step at a time. None of this was going to be solved quickly so working through the different issues one at a time would be best, work first, as I still needed to keep a bit of normality in my life. Slipping up with the whole identity thing would mean not only Andy and the Bank but now the Estate agent who must not be given any reason to question who I really was.

  I worked quietly through the day trying to keep the other problems at arms’ length, there would be time enough to start ploughing through the rest of the mess later on. I just hoped Paul would not ring with any more problems for me to solve or I think I would have to go back into ‘Care’ at that I found myself smiling ‘I really must be going mad’ who could possibly think my situation was funny, especially me.

  Tonight, I decided not to join the others for a drink after work. I made some excuse but the real reason was I needed all my wits about me and rum was very good at numbing the brain. I was sure I would succumb eventually but not tonight.

  I opened my e-mails and sure enough a message from Paul popped up, “I shouldn’t be much longer as things seemed to be settling down here and I may be able to take a little more leave, Bank Holiday is coming up so I could add these to the days I have not yet taken.”

  I quickl
y checked the internet for the Bank Holidays to find out how long this would give me before he arrived back, it would be crucial as I needed to know how much time I would have to think of something to tell him about squirreling the money away.

  I wouldn’t be able to fool him, so I made up my mind that I would give him the same spiel as the one I decided to give him should it prove that he was in no way involved in my disappearance, that being, ‘I was afraid they would do something else to the children, so I took out the remaining software from between the client accounts and the bank accounts I had set up and opened up just three new ones, I will add ‘if he recalled, we had agreed to do this earlier but hadn’t got around to it, they are all high interest accounts with passwords that only the best of hackers could begin to crack, that much was the truth, also each account had a balance in the region of five and a half million.

  I will try to stall as long as possible by not giving him the passwords, just in case. I made a mental note to dismantle the mechanism I had set up to destroy not only his finances but also his reputation, should my worst fears turn out to be wrong.

  I put together some food and a beer and began an e-mail to Julia confirming my intention to go ahead with the purchase of the Mansion. It read “Would she please send me the bank account details I needed for the deposit transfer and also the sale agreement documents for me to look through.” This was the next step towards persuading Lorna to take me back and I had no intention of messing it up.