Still Waters

Iris and Sarah left the branch and made their way back to Iris's. They sat and explained to Lucy what they'd found. Lucy said that she thought the Police would not be able to get a warrant to inspect the account, as they were not pursuing Joe's bigamous relationship. Iris asked why? Sarah explained that she had no reason to press charges and Lucy added that it would not be deemed to be in the public interest to charge Iris, since it was obvious that she had done nothing wrong. It was not likely that the Crown Prosecution Service would want or need to take the matter forward. The main culprit, Joe, was dead; justice would not be served to pursue Iris.

Later they sat and tried to work out a strategy. Sarah had a nominal position in the company and theoretically would take over the day to day running of the firm. She knew that she would have access to the books and would be able to take over Joe's personal accounts as his legal widow, once the Inquest had established cause of death and a Death Certificate was issued. At that point the funeral could also be arranged. Iris listened wide eyed. Sarah said that the money she had in cash should be put in Iris's account to make sure she had sufficient for the next few months. This was because they were unsure whether there were funds in Joe's Manchester account to transfer this or next month.

"Can you afford this?" Iris asked.

"I wouldn't do it if I couldn't," Sarah lied, but saw that Iris saw right through her. "OK I'm not entirely sure, but you need it more than I do."

"What will you do?"

"I can go back and take over in the office, I have authority to make payments, and I'll feed my own account. Give me your bank details and I'll make sure your account is topped up if Joe's account can't make the transfer."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"No, probably not after the last forty eight hours, thank you."

"We'll get this sorted and you will always get what's due to you. That's a promise. Whatever else, whatever the whys and wherefores we are family now, and we stick together and support each other. That much is a given."

"Thank you; I don't know how I can cope without you. Joe picked an angel in you."

"Remember that when I'm old and grouchy."

They laughed and sat together, planning their future, knowing their lives were now forever intertwined.

The following morning Sarah packed and left after taking the children to school with Lucy. Iris stayed in bed for an extra half hour then rose, showered and dressed. Sarah sat in the lounge and rising smiled as Iris came in. They hugged long and hard. Sarah promised to try to get things sorted as soon as was possible and looked forward to Iris coming down with the children next week to stay over pending the Inquest. They parted and Sarah began her return journey. Late morning, back in her home, she phoned Iris to let her know she was back. Iris sounded so low, that Sarah told her the only dirty joke she knew, which left Iris giggling and snorting. They parted, with Sarah promising to phone Iris tomorrow.

Later Sarah used her car to travel from her Surbiton home to the offices in nearby Tolworth. She was reasonably well known at the offices and she was quickly shown to Joe's room. She glanced at the old mail and then examined the desk and filing cabinets, both of which were locked. There was nothing to assist, so she asked Joe's secretary to ask Leo to come in. Leo Brooks was Joe's Finance Director and as such would have a handle on the finances and the state of play. Leo was in his early sixties and probably close to wanting to retire. He was a short round-faced man, with wire glasses and a mop of grey frizzy hair. His suit was well worn, but clean and tidy; his tie plain and unfussy. Sarah sat him down and made him a coffee.

"Leo, you obviously know more than most here. Where you aware of Joe's err..." Sarah waved her arms theatrically, trying to find a word or phrase to round out her sentence.

"Affairs, or peccadilloes?"

"Quite! Were you aware of anything? Please, please be honest Leo, don't try to spare me."

"I was not personally aware of Joe's other er... lady... wife, err... But he had set up a personal account in Manchester, at a Barclays Bank branch."

"You transferred money to it from the company?"

"Joe's drawings from the Company were very, very modest. The company is doing well, so I assumed he used it for expenses, since he never claimed anything when he was up there. I told him he could save the company a bit by filing receipts for meals etc., because of the tax breaks for entertaining. He was adamant though that it was OK."

"OK so the account was kept topped up by regular payments?"

"Well not regular; he would ask me to move money, perhaps nine hundred or a thousand occasionally, but usually about six hundred, when he left on a Wednesday afternoon."

"So there was no permanent transfer set up? No standing order?"

"No Mrs. Walters, he never arranged anything like that."

"OK Leo, oh and please call me Sarah, Mrs. Walters was his mother, not me."

Leo laughed and drank his coffee.

"Leo, thinking of the company as it is; could you give me a sort of heads up on where it stands currently? I'm talking, assets, liabilities, cash in hand and at the bank, contracts, that sort of thing. Not now but in a couple of days. Also as the senior person here, can you take the reins for a week or two and then help me get on top of things? Show me the ropes as it were."

"I'd love too, but, you do know as a director you can legally step in and run the show on your own right now?"

"I could Leo, but there are people out there who need a job for a while. Without your help I'd trash the place in weeks, if not days."

Leo laughed again,

"Are you going up to Manchester soon?"

"Leo strictly between thee and me, I've been up to see Iris, Joe's Manchester wife. She's lovely but she needs a bit of support, I don't hate her, or pity her now. After meeting her I find her charming and she just needs a bit of self-belief and she'll be amazing. She bakes well and she loves and cares for her children with a passion. Joe used his Manchester account to feed her account; they're at the same branch."

"Oh! Oh well then, perhaps we need to regularise the transfer."

"Leo you read my thoughts, can you do that?"

"I'll arrange it; can you send me an email or text to confirm?"

"Good point Leo, wait a minute."

Sarah went to Joe's desk and drew out a sheet of headed paper from the bottom tray of the plastic stacking office organiser on it; she admired the quality. Scribbling a note, she dated and signed it with a flourish. She handed it to Leo. He grinned and nodded,

"That'll do nicely Sarah, thank you. I haven't said anything so far, but I am sorry for your loss."

"Thanks Leo, it's been a hell of a time recently, but we're managing. Thanks for your time; I'll let you get on. If you need anything from here just come and get it."

"Thanks Sarah, I'll take the remaining post, we've already out sorted the stuff that needed immediate attention."

Leo ambled over took the post and disappeared out the door. Sarah walked back to Joe's desk and pressed the intercom switch.

"Joy can you pop in here please, bring your notepad and a pen."

A minute later Joy, Joe's PA, came in. She was a tall willowy woman of nearly fifty, her grey hair swept back in a ponytail. She wore large framed glasses and a figure hugging dress which came just below her knees.

"Hallo Joy, this must be a bit of a strain for you, are you coping OK?"

Joy nodded then looked down, a hand coming to her face. Sarah walked to her and hugged her, feeling Joy's arms around her. After a few minutes, Joy pulled back, extracting a handkerchief from nowhere and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. The handkerchief disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Sarah stood open mouthed for a second.

"Come and sit down Joy, I have a few questions and tasks for you."

Sarah sat Joy down at the comfy sofa and coffee table area across from the more formal desk and chairs. Sarah made two coffees and sat next to Joy.

"Joy, I don't need to ask you about Joe or anything like that, well not directly, but I do need some information. OK?

Joy nodded and flipped open her pad.

"Right, for starters, do you have any keys for the desk and filing cabinet, if not can you get a locksmith in to remove the locks."

"I have duplicates in my desk, I'll get those for you when we finish."

"Perfect; now as regards day to day running, I've asked Leo to assume control. Will I have trod on anyone's toes doing that?"

"Not at all Leo has always been the one everyone turns to when Joe's not here."

"Good. Now I need an organisation chart, for here and Manchester, with Heads of Departments, then a list of their people, with their extension numbers. I need to know what's on Joe's diary for the next month or two and a list of business contacts and numbers."

"OK got that, give me an hour or so."

"Great stuff, I need to get up to speed, but I need to do it without causing havoc here."

"I'm fairly free at the moment," Joy said with a touch of irony. Sarah laughed and stood.

"Give me a day or so and I'll have you running around like a twenty year old."

"Could you make it running around after a twenty year old please?" Joy said with a twinkle in her eye. Sarah laughed and watched Joy leave. She returned two minutes later with the keys and handed them to Sarah with a grin.

Sarah began to unlock the desk, checking the contents and finding everything just a bit mundane and ordinary; an old blotter, a diary for last year, two mugs with the company logo. She had noticed on arrival the picture of the four of them in a frame on his desk. She glanced at the photo again and felt her heart flip. She sighed and carried on looking, nothing out of the ordinary and so no clues here then, she thought.

The filing cabinet was just as helpful; old sales information, a holiday chart (four years old). Company bank statements, with some heavily annotated in pencil (Leo's writing probably), a flyer for the company's products. Then at the back of the second drawer slipped between two folders, paydirt! She carefully pulled out a smaller folder, half the size of the others. Inside were bank statements and a cheque book for the account in Manchester. She looked through the statements and, just as Leo said, transfers irregularly throughout the year, but more significantly a regular payment out to another account with the narrative 'Household Account', bingo.

She found her mobile and dialed Iris, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Hi Sarah, what's up?"

"Iris, there's a regular transfer of fifteen hundred pounds every month into your account, so there will be funds for you. I'm going to set up a regular transfer to Joe's account so there will always be money there to fund it. We've found it Iris, we've found it."

"Oh my God Sarah, bless you, thank you so much, that's such a weight off my mind. Now can I do anything?

"Yes I rather think there is something you can do, can you be the Mrs. Walters who goes into the Altrincham plant to check on things at that end?"

"Really?"

"Yes, it'll be perfect, you can be Altrincham's Mrs. Walters and I'll be Tolworth's Mrs. Walters."

"You think I can do it?"

"I know you can do it."

"OK, I'll go over later this morning; I'll give you a ring when I'm there."

"Perfect, speak to you later."

Sarah went back to investigate the filing cabinet further. She found nothing else untoward and she felt slightly disappointed. It was clear that whatever he had been Joe was scrupulous in keeping Manchester and London separate. The only tiny clue to his separate lives being that folder; carefully hidden between the others. She flicked through several folders and realised everything was three or four years old. Perhaps they only used this cabinet for archive stuff.

Joy knocked and came in, she had a buff coloured folder in her hands. Opening it she revealed several pieces of A4 pages covered in print; she handed it to Sarah.

"That's the organogram on top, it's for here and Manchester, I've double sided it so you have it all in one. Also in here is a list of Joe's business contacts and their numbers. I've also included what they do, so you can see what he needed them for or knew them for. So, some are suppliers, some are clients and the rest are just business cronies he met at the local Chamber of Commerce sessions."

"I didn't know Joe went to any Chamber of Commerce meetings? When do they take place?"

"Tuesday monthly at lunchtime, they have a buffet lunch and a guest speaker."

"I'll look forward to that; I take it I can go?"

"Would have thought so, can't see why not. I'll phone the organisers and get your name changed for Joe's."

"Right, I'll start ploughing through the contacts; suppliers first, assure them of our continuing needs and that we'll be business as usual."

"Good luck with that, call if you need anything."

"Will do, thanks Joy."

Sarah moved to the desk as Joy left. Scanning through the contacts she placed a circle in pencil beside the suppliers. Taking a deep breath she picked up the phone and started to press the numbers on the keypad.

"Sarah, it's Joy, you need to press nine, to get an outside line, sorry should have told you," Joy's voice echoed from the handset.

"Balls! Thanks Joy should have remembered." Sarah giggled and flushed red.

She tried again and this time at the dialtone she punched in the number, it rang several times.

"Archie Forbes, hi Joe, how's life treating you?"

"Mr. Forbes, this is Sarah Walters, look I don't know how to tell you this, but Joe's dead, he was killed in a car crash about a week ago, it was in the Midlands so I don't suppose the message has got out yet. I'm his wife and I'm trying to pick up the business and keep it going. I am a Director of the Company and I want to make a go of this"

"Aw Shit! I'm so sorry to hear that. Joe was a lovely guy, I enjoyed doing business with him, he drove a hard bargain, but he was fair about it."

"Good to hear, so can I take it that as long as we pay, you'll be happy to continue business with us?"

"Aye, he never let us down with a payment, always prompt, are you in Manchester yet?"

"I'll be around soon, just sorting out this end; I may get a relative in to look at Manchester first. When I am up there I'd like to come across and meet you personally."

"I'd welcome that, always good to meet face to face and know who you're dealing with."

"My thoughts entirely, OK, well it's nice to speak to you Mr. Forbes and I look forward to meeting you in the near future."

"Aye me too, and it's Archie by the way, no formalities between us, OK."

"OK Archie, bye."

"See you around."

The phone went dead. As it did Sarah's mobile rang. She saw it was Iris's number and answered it immediately.

"Iris, how's it going?"

"Fine, I've met the Plant Manager and his Foreman, had a quick tour and now I'm in Joe's office. His PA's called Joyce and she's given me a heads up on the place, plus the keys to the filing cabinet and his desk."

"Iris, is there a photo of the four of you on his desk?"

"Yes there is, how did you know?"

"Because there's one of us four down here on this one, he was very careful wasn't he?"

"Wow, he certainly was; he had that covered really well, how cute."

"Quite, but never mind, have a look in the filing cabinet, try between the folders, see if he's slipped anything in-between. That's where I found the bank stuff down here."

"OK I'll have a quick look."

Sarah heard the sound of a metal drawer opening then the rustle of the folders and papers. Iris was breathing quite quickly now.

"OH! MY! GOD!..."

"What is it? What have you found?"

"Pictures!"

"Pictures, what do you mean? What sort of pictures?"

"Pictures of you and me, sort of undressed, naked, I... Oh No!"

"What?"

Iris began to cry, Sarah bit her lip, waiting and waiting;

"Some of these are fairly graphic Sarah. You and Joe, me and Joe, making love. He must have hidden a camera somehow in the bedroom, or the ceiling or something. It's our bedrooms. Well mine anyway. I'll assume the other one's with you are your bedroom. Oh you look great, I look flabby," Sarah flushed, "Oh my! You wax?"

"That was not something I would have thought of ever sharing with you," Sarah said as Iris giggled. Sarah flushed a deeper red.

Oh my God!..." Iris was giggling again,

"Iris what is it?"

"Nothing,"

"Iris, you're hiding something. How many are there?"

"Dozen's twenty, thirty, Bloody hell , Oh no! I'm pregnant in some of them, the bastard! I look like a beached whale!"

"OK, Iris, can you put them in your bag, are you OK to take them home and hide them until I can get there and see them?"

"Yes I've got a thick shopping bag with a zip on it; I'll put them in there."

"Good, now I know you're shocked, God knows what else we'll find, but you have to be strong and hide any emotion now, you can do that can't you."

"Yes, I'm OK now. It was such a shock though, bloody pervert."

"Iris, you won't accidently lose any of them will you?"

"Guides Honour."

"Where you ever in the Guides?"

"No!" Iris laughed again, Sarah smiled,

"I'm going to have trust you on that then."

"What the hell did he want with these? He got to see and touch us whenever, was that not enough?"

"Do I have to spell it out?"

"Oh no! you mean he'd..?"

"Probably."

Iris began to laugh, giggling and chortling into the phone."

"I wish he'd photographed that," she giggled.

Sarah snorted and laughed out loud. Eventually they calmed down and after a review of what was happening at the factory they said goodbye.

Sarah sat back, then rose and made another coffee. Returning to the list she began to methodically contact everyone on the list. At four thirty she finished and sat back exhausted. Nearly all had been happy to continue relationships with the company. Many expressed sincere condolences and wished her every success with running the company. Most offered help and assistance if she hit problems. Some wanted to know when the funeral would be. Sarah stood and arched her back, pushing out the kinks that sitting all afternoon had caused. Finally she picked up her bag, locked the desk and cabinet and left for home. Making sure she sent Joy home too, she spent ten minutes with Leo in his cubicle of an office.

Later in the evening she sat with her mother and discussed her day. At the mention of the photos her mother flushed red and mumbled something under her breath, but refused to reveal what when pressed by Sarah. At around eleven they both decided to go to bed, her mother sleeping in the spare room again. Sarah lay for ages wondering why Joe had turned out to be so different from the Joe she thought she knew. Finally she fell into a troubled sleep, waking early and knowing that any further chance of sleep would be impossible.

Rising quickly, she showered and went downstairs to make coffee; becoming aware of a presence in the lounge. She walked in to find her mother seated in the armchair drinking tea.

"Couldn't sleep, so I came down to think and have a cup of tea."

"Oh Mum! I'm so sorry to land you with all the crap that's coming out; I really had no idea about any of this."

"I know, I know, it's alright, I do understand, trust me I do understand. Last night I was shocked to think Joe would do such a thing, but I have to confess, I'm not surprised. Your father was rather fond of looking at naked women. He kept a pile of smutty magazines in his den and, he thought I didn't know. I suppose they'd be quite tame considering what's out there now. I found it shocking at the time, but understandable, we were experiencing difficulties at the time. "