Executive Affair (26 page)

There was only one phone that the patients could use and it was inconveniently located in the hallway. She rudely slammed
the door of the television room to block out the noise, before picking up the receiver.

‘Julia? It's Cherie.'

‘Cherie? It's very late,' Julia said, her voice immediately defensive. She knew she had behaved badly when Cherie visited. She knew she owed her an apology.

‘Look, I know it's late but I thought you would want to hear the good news,' Cherie said, sounding excited.

‘What good news?' Julia asked cautiously.

‘Robert's back,' Cherie revealed, almost triumphantly. ‘Wayne saw him at work.'

‘You're kidding me … really?' Julia asked, sitting down slowly on the worn armchair next to the phone stand. She tucked the smooth silk of her dressing-gown around her legs.

‘Yes, really!'

‘He must have been worried that I went away on “holiday” without him.' Julia gave a small laugh. The sound was foreign. It seemed like months since she had laughed. ‘Cherie, I'm sorry about last Sunday … I wasn't feeling myself. This place is enough to drive any normal person around the bend.'

‘It's no problem, I understand.'

‘Okay, thanks … well, goodnight – I guess I'll see you soon.'

‘Keep your chin up. You're halfway through – I know you can survive it.'

‘I hope I can …'

‘Do you want me to come and pick you up next week?' Cherie offered.

‘Thanks, that would be great.'

‘Okay, I'll get Wayne to mind the kids – he can work from home. We'll do something nice, something to celebrate your new beginning,' Cherie said enthusiastically.

Julia was grateful for her kindness, her endless support, but she didn't know how to put her gratitude into words. She went back to bed and sat up against the pillows, reliving all the good times with Robert, excited about their future. He was back. Soon she would be able to see his suntanned face, run her fingertips through the bristle of his beard, feel his arms around her.

Donald acknowledged Robert with a civil nod as he shut the door behind him.

Robert sat down. They faced each other silently until Donald got up to pace restlessly around the office.

‘This company, ARS Corporation … I vaguely remember Julia buying a shelf company last year,' Robert said, moving in his seat to keep up eye contact. ‘I think I can remember agreeing to be a director. She said she wanted to start a small business … I wasn't listening too carefully at the time.'

‘Maybe you should learn to listen more carefully in the future!' Donald's words were harsh but Robert knew him well enough to detect a slight softening in his attitude since yesterday.

‘Point taken,' he said.

‘Why would Julia do this?'

Donald was standing by the door. Robert turned in his seat to face him.

‘She's an alcoholic … She's mentally unstable … To tell you the truth, she's capable of anything.' He sighed, remembering how she had trashed the room in Sydney.

‘Do me a favour and choose your next wife more carefully,' said Donald, making a gruff stab at humour.

Robert resisted the temptation to remind him that it was he who suggested they marry in the first place. To avoid gossip, of all things!

‘I can't get this clear in my head,' Donald said, his shrewd eyes focused on Robert. ‘There must be someone else involved. If it was Julia, she must have had a contact in Amtech Australia to pull this off.'

Robert had expected his line of questioning. He had nothing to substantiate his suspicions about Frank; however, he acknowledged that Donald deserved as much information as he could give him.

‘Yeah … I've been thinking along those lines too,' he said slowly. ‘The only person I can think of is Frank Williams.'

‘Who is Frank Williams?'

‘The sales and marketing manager.'

‘Why do you think it's him?'

‘I'm only guessing here, but he signed off on the invoices from DC Solutions, and he has a gambling problem so he probably needs money … and he knows Julia – they were very friendly when she went to Sydney a few weeks ago.'

‘When we finish here, ring that HR guy in Australia and tell him to get rid of Frank Williams immediately,' Donald instructed ruthlessly.

‘I have no proof –'

‘I don't care. Get him out of Amtech.'

It was out of character for Donald to be so rash. Robert's reply was quietly determined. ‘I don't want to get rid of Frank the way you did with Claire Quinlan.'

‘Who's Claire Quinlan?'

Robert realised that Donald wouldn't have bothered to commit Claire's name to his memory.

‘The girl who uncovered all this and did the right thing by escalating it.'

‘Of course we had to get rid of her,' Donald spluttered. ‘If this
stuff leaks out, we're in serious trouble. Cathair would certainly pull the plug.'

‘That may be true, but I still think that terminating Claire was unethical and unfair,' Robert persevered. ‘She's a professional – she could have been relied on to keep quiet while we investigated.'

‘I don't have the privilege of knowing her personally. I had some tough decisions to make. It was a crisis, damn it!'

Donald's face was a deep purple. Robert had never heard him swear before.

‘I'm just saying you were very fast to get rid of her,' Robert commented, an outrageous thought coming into his mind.

Very fast, suspiciously fast. And I'm almost certain that Frank has a US-based accomplice.

Donald didn't respond, his face still an unhealthy colour. Robert dragged his thoughts away from Frank's accomplice to say, ‘I've checked all our bank accounts and can't find where Julia would have lodged the money. If it was her, I'm not sure that I can retrieve the money without police assistance.'

Donald had to sit down on his chair. He glared at Robert from across the desk. ‘I decide when the police get involved, not you, and right now I can't afford an indiscretion on their part.'

‘Believe me, I have the same concerns as you –'

‘Cathair should be signed by the end of next week,' Donald cut in. ‘The police will be informed then and no sooner. Understand?'

Robert did understand: in Donald's eyes Robert's job was hanging by a thread, the flimsy thread of Donald's own paranoia about the scandal leaking out.

The meeting was over. Donald's shutters were up.

Robert was on his way out when Donald reminded him,
‘And remember, pay this Frank Williams some money and get him out of Amtech.'

Robert stopped in his tracks.

‘No, Donald, I will not pay Frank Williams out. If he leaves the company I have no way of finding out what happened, or clearing my name.'

He continued on his way before Donald thought of pulling rank.

‘I wasn't expecting you home tonight,' Claire said, looking up when Fiona came in. It was late; she had spent the last few hours updating her résumé.

‘You're going to kill me,' Fiona grimaced as she shut the door.

‘What have you done now?' Claire asked, laughing.

‘I blabbed to James and Paul that you had been seeing Robert.'

‘You didn't!' Claire's amusement vanished.

Fiona nodded. ‘Sorry.'

‘That was really stupid!'

‘I know. I know.'

‘James will tell everyone … Emma … Stacey …'

‘He won't. I made him promise.'

Claire took a few deep breaths before asking, ‘What else did you tell them? You didn't tell them I was paid money to leave, did you?'

‘No … only that you had a fling with Robert … I tried to backtrack but they immediately started firing questions at me.'

‘Of course they would! You don't get much juicier office gossip than that!'

‘No, it was different,' Fiona said, sitting down with a long
sigh. ‘They weren't interested in the gossip, they were asking other stuff.'

‘What do you mean? Was Paul jealous?'

‘No … at least I don't think so …'

‘Charming! I'm not sure why he ever went out with me.'

‘David had told James you left Amtech for a competitor – he wanted to know who it was.'

Claire groaned inwardly at the complex web of lies. ‘What did you tell him?'

‘That I couldn't remember.'

‘Did he ask why Robert left so suddenly?'

Fiona rolled her eyes. ‘Why Robert left, whether he would be returning to Sydney … that's why I didn't stay over tonight – I had a pain in my head from all the questions.'

Claire could feel the beginnings of a headache herself.

‘Just make sure you tell them nothing else. It's bad enough as it is,' she said, getting up to go to bed.

‘I won't. And I'm really sorry.'

After another restless night, Claire got up early the next day and went back to her résumé. She was finding it difficult to summarise all the experience she had gained over the last nine months: everything she'd learned about managing the inputs and outputs of the Finance department; everything she'd learned about the forces driving the business and the deals; everything she'd learned from being mentored by Harry and then Robert. It seemed that just as she'd found her rhythm with the job, she'd lost it. It wasn't fair.

‘I've got the answer to all your problems right here,' Fiona declared, waving a sheet of paper as she came in from work.

‘Really? That's a relief!' Claire said sarcastically.

‘Yes, it's the intervention of fate.' Fiona was being unusually overdramatic. ‘I saw this internal advertisement at work today. It's for a project controller in our Melbourne office.'

‘Melbourne? What's that got to do with me?'

‘Well, you said you wanted to get away from Sydney. Going to Melbourne would be a hell of a lot better than running home to Ireland in defeat!'

‘But I don't even know anybody in Melbourne,' Claire said with an incredulous laugh.

‘I've got a few contacts in our office down there. They're really nice people.' Fiona's face was earnest.

‘I've never been a project controller before,' Claire pointed out. ‘They probably want someone with previous experience.'

‘But they need someone quickly and you have the huge advantage of being available immediately.' Fiona thrust the printed page in front of Claire. ‘Have a look at the job description – you'd be well able to handle it.'

‘It does look interesting,' Claire admitted when she finished reading.

‘See … I told you … Give me your résumé and I'll pass it on to our HR department tomorrow.'

‘But I don't know if I want to go to Melbourne.'

‘Just give me your résumé. It won't hurt to apply. You can decide about going to Melbourne if and when they offer you the job.'

The phone rang just as Claire was about to give Fiona a rude retort in relation to her domineering ways. They both knew it was Robert.

‘I'll get it,' Fiona said immediately.

‘No, I will.' Claire scrambled to the phone ahead of her. She had decided that she wanted to talk to him.

‘Claire?'

Hearing his voice was painful. ‘Yes.'

‘It's Robert.'

‘I know.' She waved Fiona out of the room.

‘I've been trying to get hold of you for days. David told me yesterday that you were gone. I'm very sorry.'

‘Don't give me that bullshit. I'm not an idiot,' she said, her voice level but her words severe. ‘I know David was acting on your instructions to pay me off.'

‘You're wrong. Call David and ask him. He can confirm that I didn't find out you were gone until I got back to San Jose. I've already had harsh words with Donald about it. It was bad judgement on his part.'

Claire didn't answer him. What did it matter if he wasn't behind her ‘retrenchment'? It was only one sin of a long list.

‘You know, I was really angry with you for not talking to me before you went to David. You didn't give me a chance – you believed the worst straight off.' He sounded hurt.

She was forced to defend herself. ‘What did you expect me to do, Robert? You're a director of ARS Corp – it was there in black and white.'

‘I also admire you, for having the balls to deal with it head on. However, I only admire you when I'm not furious with you.'

She knew he was smiling. Again, it was easier not to respond.

‘You can't possibly think I would be involved in something fraudulent, can you?'

His question presented the perfect opportunity to tell him precisely what she thought.

‘You tell me, Robert. You're the one who said he didn't want to pay his wife a divorce settlement …'

‘Claire, don't you know me? I didn't want to pay Julia any money as a matter of principle, nothing else. I want you to think about something,' he went on. ‘Actually two things … Are you listening? Firstly, David said the initial payment was made at the start of July, the week after I arrived. How do you think I managed to get DC Solutions set up so quickly after I got there? Now, the second payment, that came up when I was in Hong Kong, right? Remember, I was away for the best part of three weeks. How do you think I orchestrated the payment from overseas?'

He's right. I hadn't thought of the logistics.

‘I don't know.'

He was chipping holes in her reasoning, huge gaping holes. She had other things to say to him but his logic made her lose her train of thought.

‘All I ask is that you think about those two things. I need your help to get to the bottom of this. I think I know of one person who's involved. But I need someone in Australia to help me piece it together – I need you. I'll call you back tomorrow once you've had some time to think it over.'