Conscious Revenge Page 9

I must have dosed off to sleep for a while. I woke thinking about recent events, following the revelation by Mervin, the real estate driver, regarding the owners of the shipping line and the cruise ship. I began once again to think back to the Westline money transfers, the fact that not only had my scam been discovered, but the ongoing mystery behind who had carried out the deception was yet to be solved.

  If it wasn’t James Hollingsworth or Paul, was it possible that one of Mr Alberto West’s ‘trusted employees’ had been receiving the interest I had set up, or even one of his sons? I had no doubt it would be almost impossible for me to discover that little gem, but then would I care under the circumstances, I had enough problems trying to keep a low profile so that no one would ever discover I was still alive, let alone start on a further search that would inevitably end in grief.

  Against all of my instincts, however, I was unable to stop that niggling curiosity. Could it possibly be the Westline Mafia that was responsible? I realised at that moment I was still unable to let bygones be bygones despite everything. It was obvious to me I couldn’t just drop it. I wished I could it would be much healthier in the long run, but there were so many unanswered questions.

  For instance, Walter at the B&B kept creeping into my mind, something he said to me about the taxi business he ran from the hotel in Grand Cayman and the suspicious dealings he had encountered transporting clients back and forth to venues of ill repute especially the drunk that was the source of the very lucrative deal he had done for someone, I wondered where he had taken that drunk and if he was also one of Alberto’s victims.

  Hang on a minute I was letting my imagination run riot again, it must have been the bang on the head, I had absolutely no reason to think any of this was connected to what happened to me, nevertheless I would make another trip to the B&B and find out where he took the drunken man, this may give me a clue, especially if it was at the residence of Alberto West & Sons. I must also remember to ask Walter if the hotel was also owned by the Wests.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The name of the Architect was Steven Wallis. He had drawn up the plans for the previous interested parties, he said he would be happy to assist me with the details of what was and was not possible to do to please the present owners and the conservationists. I explained that this was a first for me as my previous house purchases had been very conventional. We agreed to meet up at the mansion in a week’s time he said this would give me a chance to think through how I would like to proceed, should I have a site project’s manager, in which case he could recommend a very qualified person that had worked on sites for him on several previous occasions, or I could go down the route of taking charge myself.

  Had this been a different time maybe, just maybe, I would be tempted to take on the job myself but, under my present circumstances, I thought I would take a rain check. Once my ideas were discussed and should they fit in with the strict rules, he would start drawing up the plans, I thanked him and would have to remember to speak with Andy to see if I could have a day off a week from today.

  The Bank Holiday was two more weeks away which meant Paul would start his time off on the Friday prior. I had a site meeting with Steven Wallis next Wednesday to look at the building and discuss what was maybe required before he could start the drawings. It would take many more such meetings before he could start on the plans. Next time I arrange to see Steven, Paul would probably be here.

  I must explain to him the changes I have made to the bank accounts in his absence, also explaining my plan to buy a house which would involve getting Lorna and the children back. I may have some idea how he feels about the changes to the bank accounts by his demeanour, he and I have been kindred spirits for years and feel sure I would l know if he suspects my motive just as I would know if he is happy with my ideas.

  I was looking forward to seeing him with his madcap enthusiasm for everything we had been undertaking, I was now confident that he was in no way responsible for the things that had happened to me and somewhat ashamed that I gave it a second thought, but when you have your back against a wall anything and everything seems possible, just as long as he had no idea what had been going through my stupid head everything will be alright.

  Having now realised that the revelation by Mervin the real estate agent, that Alberto West & Company was not only the owner of the Westline Shipping Company but also the Cruise Ship ‘The Westward’, all of which operated out of the Grand Cayman Islands, were not only the companies I had the portfolio of Investments for on behalf of G&F plc., but also one of the companies I had been scamming.

  It was becoming clear that this was too much of a coincidence for them not to be involved in my disappearance, but most of all it convinced me that they, and not Hollingsworth or Paul were the ones responsible. I sighed with relief that not only had I survived their onslaught but my friendship with Paul would hopefully still be intact.

  The weather was predictably hot on the Island at this time of year and the meeting with Steven Wallis is proving to be very promising. We went through most of the bullet points as he described them and covered most of the negative issues he was aware of, I was sure we could overcome most if not all of them with his knowledge and my imagination ‘of which I was blessed with plenty’. I came away with lots of ideas to mull over as he suggested,“Write everything down you can think of and I will do the same, at the next meeting we will be closer to the plans being drawn up.”

  With his previous experience of what was okay to do and my not wishing to change things much only the restoration, he seemed to think we would be up and running in no time. We both agreed it was a very fruitful meeting and he would look forward to hearing from me as soon as I had completed my wish list. In my mind, I felt I was neglecting Andy, although I was turning up and still counting chickens and eggs my mind was not fully on the job.

  Luckily, he didn’t seem to notice, it was probably just in my guilty mind, I had always tried to give one hundred percent as Andy had been so good to me, I made a pact to pull my socks up as soon as the major issues in my life were sorted out ‘When that would be was anyone’s guess’.

  In the condo, I put the table under the window so that I could see the handwritten sketches that Steven had prepared for me to go through. I began to pencil the idea’s I had for a veranda to go all the way around the house, instead of just at the front as it was at the present, no changes to the look could be made as it was authentic for the period. I couldn’t help laughing too myself authentic for the period. What am I now, an architect?

  Brushing shoulders with Steven must be rubbing off somehow. I tried to draw my impression of a swimming pool, which would be at the back and to the one side with steps leading to the garden and to the other leading to an area for the more practical things. I made a mental note to have the old swing on the veranda renovated as Lorna and the kids would love that. I spent the next hour trying to think of how I could possibly explain all of this to Lorna in a way that would help her to understand and to forgive me for everything that had happened, even when the beer began to numb the past, all of these problems would need Einstein to solve and Einstein, I was not.

  The following morning I began early running through the ideas I had for the inside, some of which would involve certain skills that I didn’t possess others just painting and some more skilled for the experience of quality tradesmen to sort through. Steven had assured me that everything would come together but it would take time to get things just right, I was happy that he had taken me under his wing so to speak and I was happy to learn the ropes as I went along.

  I had left little time to sort out the programs I had written in retribution for what seemed to be at the heart of my thinking that Paul was responsible for everything that had happened to me following the discovery of my plan to steal money from my clients, I would now have to work quickly to dismantle everything I had set up. The links that would have taken down his bank accounts, credit cards and stop the direct payments for his balloon arrangement
, would take some time, the letters to the various credit rating services, also the e-mail I had set up to be sent anonymously to James Hollingsworth was set to send automatically with just a date and time to be added so these would be less difficult to sort out.

  By the time I had finished, it was well into the night and I was glad to crash out onto the bed. I must have fallen asleep within minutes, the preparations that I normally do for work the next day would have to wait until morning.

  I began work with still more things going around in my head, I must arrange the bank transfer for the deposit and read through the paperwork Julia had sent to me regarding the sale documents, I would tackle the documents tonight so my normal visit to the bar with the others would once again have to wait. They will be thinking I have become tea-total if I’m not careful. I can’t have that as they had been my life-line over the past months. Andy had requested some figures for the following day, he was concerned that the new feed was not up to standard and only by using my figures reaching back over several months would he be able to accurately assess the quality.

  He explained that the yield had been down substantially and he needed to find out why. I was happy to collate the figures as the change in egg laying could be down to many factors and the feed was only one of them, so we needed to eliminate each factor one at a time, this could take some time and as we had deadlines to meet for shipping to Grand Cayman supermarkets, speed was of the essence.

  I arrived at the condo in time for a visit by Joshua, the previous owner. He was passing and wondered if I would like to join him at the local bar. Whilst I would have loved a drink, I had many things to do. I thanked him and promised I would join him the minute Paul was back and most of my jobs were completed. He smiled and said, “You’re a long time dead young man but I forgive you this time.” If only he knew how true that could have been in my case, he wouldn’t have smiled. I gave him that look to say sorry and he went on his way, I felt sure he would meet up with his other drinking pals, so I didn’t feel too bad.

  With the preparations for Paul’s return completed I could tick one more thing off my list and begin the next. I began reading the documents from Julia but the words seemed to merge into one, I thought I am pushing myself too hard unless the jargon used by lawyers was too much for my brain power all of a sudden, I would have to consult a Lawyer of my own to even begin to understand if the deal was all that it seemed to be just another thing on the tick list ‘find a lawyer.’ I realised that there was more to this project than I thought, but the end would justify the means if it meant getting Lorna back.

  I decided to leave the reading to the professionals to explain the ins and outs of buying property so I decided to move to the more interesting part of the project, writing down my wish list for the house. I made another plan, to drive out to the B&B next weekend to see if I could find out more about Walter’s get rich quick schemes. Although I didn’t need any more cash, I was fascinated by his stories, also to get away for a couple of days although it was like a busman’s holiday. Seaside to seaside if you know what I mean, the idea of being fed by Rose, his wife, and the wonderful bed was more than enough to persuade me.

  The week passed quicker than usual as the work I was doing for Andy took over most of my brain power. Andy was giving a tour of the chicken pens and food stores to some of our special customers and asked if I would care to join them. He began by showing us the difference between the food stuffs and explained how changing the amounts and varying the types could make a remarkable difference to the quantities of eggs the chickens laid. He pointed out that the results were not down to just one factor but to the efforts of many, not only the farm hands but also the technical people like me. It was due to all of the expertise that a remedy was so quickly discovered when the recent problems with laying had occurred.

  At the end of the day, we were all once again invited to a party this time not just the staff but also the Customers, we were asked to keep a little decorum during the time the Customers remained with us, Andy had to explain to most of the employees what ‘decorum’ meant. He said, “Just don’t get too rat arsed.” I think they got the message but nevertheless the rum began to flow and no one seemed to say ‘no’.

  I danced with Tamsin again but decided not to get too close, not for her benefit but mine. I couldn’t possibly add another problem to my tick list, so I kept my drinking once again in check. ‘I must seem like a right loser.’

  Chapter Nineteen

  The weekend came around quickly and as I had posted my wish list to Steven to look through, which was followed by an e-mail back saying he would be in touch as soon as he had checked his sketches against my ideas to see if they could be met. I was happy as that gave me some time to myself, so I packed and drove off to visit with Rose and Walter. When I rang ahead to find out if they had availability, Walter laughed and said, “Provided I didn’t mind sleeping with the animals I would be very welcome.” “Of course we can put you up” Rose added jokingly, “It would be a pleasure.”

  With all the problems this island had thrown at me there were a few consolations and driving to spend time with these great people was one of the best. Rose had prepared the same bedroom for me with the sparkling white sheets that made me want to sleep as soon as I arrived, but the smell of the lunch that had been prepared just had the edge. I washed, brushed up and joined the other guests.

  Nothing about this place disappointed, the brandy and coffee on the veranda looking over the sea just topped it off, I would go for a walk as soon as everyone had finished. I wanted to walk down to the beach and alongside the cliffs I had yet to explore. Walter warned me to be careful of the tide as it sometimes came in very quickly and could have strong currents, he explained that in the hurricane season, the sea was known to rise and push up through the caves as high as the top of the hillside at the back of the house.

  The weather as usual was warm with just a hint of the trade wind which served to keep me cool, I walked for some time through the palm trees that lined the edge of the beach, I had come prepared to swim and spent the rest of the afternoon diving from the rocks and swimming around the base of the cliffs. I was wary of the tide as Walter had said, after all he was a veteran of this part of the Island, I was tempted to look inside the caves but would leave that for another day as the tide seemed changeable. I dried and lay back on the beach feeling the warmth of the sun on my face when I heard a voice calling me, it could only be Walter as he was shouting, ‘Rum punch on ice’ at the top of his voice.

  “How could I resist,” I shouted back. “Over here, Walter, hurry up before the ice melts.” He sat beside me and poured a giant rum punch into a cold glass, this surely is the nectar of the gods. I felt this was just the opportunity I needed to find out more about the hotel that had kept Walter in work during his taxi years, he said he wasn’t sure, but thought Wests, the shipping magnets, owned one or two on the Island and that one could easily be one of them but he couldn’t swear to it. They also had holiday homes on the Island one of which was at the top of the hill alongside his B&B, if I would like to rent one he had contacts that could arrange it for me, there was great fishing in the sea just around the corner. I said why would I want to rent a Holiday Home when I had him and Rose to look after me, ‘point taken’ he said with a grin’, I was curious to see the Holiday Home although I didn’t let on to Walter, there was something about that place that made me want to see more.

  Reaching the top of the hill, I could see the cottage with its white painted outside and neat garden, I was just about to explore when I heard voices, it must be holiday makers I thought as I moved to a look around from a distance. One thing was sure you could hide away here for years without anyone other than the likes of me knowing you were there, this thought prompted me to return to the place where I first discovered the shaft when spending time having lunch at the top of the hill. I reached the path leading to the area that had seemed so familiar before. Walter was right; leaning over the hole you could h
ear the sea from inside, the tide must be in I thought as I tried hard to see as far down as possible. I became very wary as the same feeling had I experienced on my last visit came over me again, with the realisation that if you fell into the hole no one would know you were down there.

  A wave of nausea came over me as I felt sure this was the place. Without thinking I began running down the hill with the shale shifting beneath my feet, making me slip and slide as I fell to the bottom out of breath dishevelled and needing to take stock of myself, why would I keep thinking such things when the chances of them being correct were so unlikely. Walter caught sight of me and called out asking when I would be ready for lunch, he then made a comment about the look of me. “Are you ok Bill, you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” I must have looked like I felt, a wreck.

  After my shower, I went down and Rose bless her, had worked her magic once again, the lunch was delicious and with two or three rums with Walter and Co. I was soon back in the real world. In future when I came here, I would definitely not go up there again.

  I took lessons in fishing the next day and before I knew it I was on my way back to the small Island and the condo, I always felt safe and secure here with Walter but I was looking forward to seeing Paul, it wouldn’t be long now before he arrived and I couldn’t wait.

  I stocked the cupboards with goodies and the fridge with beer and rum, a celebration would be underway for me at least now that I was convinced Paul had nothing to do with any of the mess in my past. As if by premonition, an e-mail arrived giving me details of the date and time of his arrival. I replied asking for the flight number, explaining that in his absence, I was renting a small open-top car and would be picking him up.

  “What, how did you manage that without a driving licence?” he wrote back.

  I replied it was a long story and I would fill him in when he got back. Little did he know we had an awful lot of talking to do.