Dark Secrets

by Doug Pountain

  “No, I fully understand that Carol and I wouldn’t want it any other way, I am so very grateful just to have had the opportunity to try”. Just then Graham came in and sat with the girls.

  “You did very well Joyce, in fact you did better than I expected and also far better than some who have tried, so the job is yours if you want it, but I think first I had better tell you a little more”.

  “You took a test to apply for a job without knowing what that job actually is, and I know that is in reverse to normal job applications. But I can assure you that this work is like no other and definitely not normal in any way, shape or form”.

  “What I am about to tell you is more than just confidential, and if you balls it up it could cost you more than just your job, so let me explain what I mean by that. This country has some of the biggest financial institutions in the world, no one deals with cash anymore, in fact money doesn’t really exist, and it’s invisible”.

  “Money only exists on computers in banks etc., no one actually pays for anything anymore, instead we use plastic which in turn goes onto computers that then take invisible money from other computers, you know all of this already from your time in accounting. But a lot has changed since then”.

  “We now find that there are people who are absolutely brilliant at diverting this so called invisible money in any direction they like, some are just criminals and they are only interested in fast cars and fancy holidays, and most of these are caught eventually, these people are just “smeg’s”. But there are other types of frauds linked to big business and big time criminal gangs and also terrorists, and we are talking of “mega bucks” These people are dangerous, and believe me if you get in their way you are fucked, and by that I mean well and truly fucked”.

  “You would simply disappear, and most certainly no one would ever find the pieces, if you know what I mean. My client base is very diverse and they expect complete security and deny ability, and so that if anything goes wrong they can appear to be completely clean. What you need to remember is that should a large organisation discover they have been robbed, and that’s what these frauds are, then should that information become public knowledge then that particular companies share price could fall dramatically which means they have lost even more money, which in turn could lead to job losses and sometimes if the fraud is large enough it could also spell the end for them, which in turn makes the company directors look like “dicks” which in fact most of them are anyway”.

  “You would be taught by some of the best hackers and fraudsters in the business, and I would place you in some of the biggest share dealing rooms and money transfer offices, not just in this country but anywhere in the world. There are no set hours, and you would also be expected to mix socially with these people. You would need to get into their lives and also be prepared to help them steal the money if it helps us to discover exactly who is involved”.

  Joyce looked at Graham and then at Carol now a little concerned as to what she had been told.

  “What happens if I am rumbled”? She asked.

  “You will never be alone, you will always be wearing an ear piece and a wire so that we can communicate with you at all times, and also hear everything that is going on, and if there are any problems we can have you out in minutes”.

  “Our main problem is that after a few years in this game you may be recognised at different places and so we would always move you on. When was the last time you drove a car”?

  “It was a few years ago”. Replied Joyce.

  “Well in that case you may need you to take a special driving course, you know high speed and evasion tactics. Right, now down to the nitty gritty, your starting salary would be £100,000 plus a car, plus all expenses including a clothes allowance, and also don’t forget the barn is included. But before you say anything remember that the training is tough and unforgiving, but you will also be expected to be able to protect yourself and even maybe, including fire arms, but that’s for the future”.

  Joyce sat there totally dumfounded at what she had just been told.

  “But what would happen if I fail the training”?

  “Then, as now you can live in the barn for as long as it takes to sort yourself out and there would be no time limit for you to do that, the choice is yours”.

  Carol sat there silently looking at Joyce and waiting for her to reply, hopefully with a positive answer.

  “I must admit that I am a little apprehensive as I don’t wish to let you down, but if you are happy to take me on then I would be very pleased to accept”. Said Joyce.

  She and Carol stood up and shared a large hug, but with Graham now her employer she reached out to shake his hand.

  “Don’t be bloody daft, I am still your friend you know”.

  And he also gave Joyce a large hug.

  “When will my training begin”?

  “It has already started the moment when you walked into my office”.

  “Look, wherever you go in future, I want you to practice taking notice of everything in your area, keep looking round, keep testing yourself time and time again, keep checking distances to objects so that even in the dark you could walk round a room without bumping into furniture or whatever”. And Graham finally left the girls to finish their coffee and returned to his office.

  “What do you do Carol”? Asked Joyce.

  “I arrange all of his meetings and trips and take care of communications with everyone”.

  “How many are there”?

  “Well now there are 4 of you, but you are the only female”.

  “When will I be able to meet the others”?

  “Funny you should ask that, but David is coming here this afternoon for a few days before his next assignment, and so you will be able to speak to him and ask any questions you want, I also think he will do some further training with you”. She replied.

  “Now I really am nervous”. Said Joyce who was still recovering from the interview, but now at least her legs had stopped wobbling.

  “Right, I will make my back to the barn and practice a few things, I hope I don’t let you down Carol”.

  “I am sure you won’t, but just before you go there are a couple of things I ought to mention to you”.

  “Oh that sounds ominous”. Said a very nervous Joyce.

  “No not at all, you have definitely decided that you are not going back to John, is that right”?

  “It certainly is”. Replied Joyce.

  “Well in that case take David with you later this week and get your watch back and anything else you want, you will be safe with him just in case John is there, and also you will also need to speak to our solicitor about getting a divorce or your husband might want to know how you are living and what you are living on and we don’t want to many questions asked do we”?

  Joyce was just about to walk out of the door when she remembered about the alarm.

  “Carol can you turn off the alarm for me please”?

  “Press 4479 on the keypad by the door, but remember to put it back on when you get to the barn”.

  “Thanks Carol, see you later”.

  Joyce made the short journey along the drive, and back into the barn, and she remembered some of the things she had been taught when she used to go to judo classes when she was 16, but that seemed like an age ago here and now. She looked around at the furniture and started to count the number of steps from the door to each item and whether to turn right or left to avoid each piece of furniture. Next she closed her eyes and tried it again, but she had forgotten about the hanging light and walked straight into it banging her head, but grim determination took over and she tried time and time again until she had perfected a complete tour of the room with her eyes firmly shut.

  There was now nothing in this world that was going to stop her from being a somebody instead of a door mat to a piece of shit, this was now her life on her terms and if it was to get a little rough it was not going to get to her. She now realised after the meeting this mo
rning that she was now finally master of her own destiny and that no man was ever going to get the better of her again. Lunch time came and went and eventually about 2pm she heard the gates open, she looked out of the window and saw a red F type Jaguar pull up in front of Carol’s house and a tall, well-built man get out. Graham stepped forward and greeted him with a handshake and a large man hug followed by Carol giving him a smacker of a kiss, and all three walked into the house with their arms around each other, could this man be David? Certainly he looked the right shape and size to be able to protect himself.

  Joyce found herself getting quite excited by the idea of meeting such a strong looking man after living with a fucking wimp for so many years. It was about an hour later before the phone rang, but although it startled her just a little, it now caused her no fear.

  “Come on, get your arse over here and meet David, and you will stay for dinner won’t you”? Said Carol.

  “I am on my way”. Replied Joyce.

  This time she remembered the alarm before she made her way along the drive, she knocked on the door and Carol shouted to her, “Come in, don’t stand out there”.

  Now in the kitchen she was introduced to David,

  “Isn’t he gorgeous”? Said Carol.

  “That’s not fair, don’t embarrass Joyce”. Said Graham.

  David moved forward as he took hold of Joyce’s hand and bowed gently as he kissed it.

  “I am very pleased to meet you, and I also understand you are going to be joining us in our great adventures, is that correct”?

  “I have accepted an offer to at least try and help as best I can, but whether you class that as joining you, then that will have to be your decision at some later date, but I am up for the training if you are”. Said Joyce.

  David looked at Joyce, not in a sexual way, but you could tell he was assessing her stature and also the determination in her eyes.

  “May we use your office please”? Asked David.

  “Of course you can”. Replied Graham.

  David was over 6 feet tall and very athletic in build and about 40 years old, in fact you could describe him as very handsome, and in many ways and in another period of time Joyce could easily have got the hots for him, but this was business, and at this moment in time that was all that mattered. Now alone with David in the office she suddenly felt herself become a little shaky.

  “Show me your keyboard skills”. He said,

  “What would you like me to do”?

  “Well type me a letter describing your holidays”.

  “It’s been so long since I had one of those I don’t think I can remember”.

  “Never mind, do it anyway”. Said David.

  She started to type but with very little urgency in her actions. “Faster, remember someone is coming and you have to get it done before they arrive, come on quicker, no, faster than that, more I want more”.

  After about 5 minutes of continuous typing David stopped her.

  “Let’s count how many words you have done, good would be 60 words per minute but I will settle for 40”.

  He counted up the number of words on her sheet and her score was 42.

  “That’s not bad for someone who’s been inactive for a long time, but you must practice. Let me tell you a little secret, instead of typing every word, type every other and you can decipher it later, it’s the same with speed reading, just read every other word, and again with practice you will learn to memorise pages of text without writing a word, or better still use a camera like I do”.

  “Is that not cheating David”? She asked him with a smile on her face.

  “It may well be, but who gives a toss when you are in a hurry”. He replied.

  “How are your nerves and your composure”?

  “Not that good I am afraid, after all those years with a bastard I had very nearly forgotten who I actually was”.

  “Yes Graham told me, we also have to go and collect your watch don’t we”?

  “Yes and I hope he is not in”. She said.

  “Well that’s not a problem even if he is”. Replied David.

  “Carol tells me that you are a whizz with numbers, but this next little test has nothing to do with that, now I don’t want you take fright at what I am about to do but I want you to stand up and face me”.

  She did as requested and as she looked at him she now realised what a good looking man he really was.

  “Now I want you to close your eyes and let’s see what sort of composure you really do have”.

  Joyce did as she was requested and closed her eyes with no idea of what to expect, when suddenly there was an enormous loud bang as David suddenly dropped a large metal tray on the tiled floor behind her. Of all the things going round in her mind this was certainly not one of them, but she took it in her stride and moved very little.

  “You’re a star and I can see that with a lot of effort you are going to make it in this business, now give me a cuddle and say you forgive me for frightening the shit out of you”.

  Joyce stepped up to the challenge and decided to go one better and gave him a full blooded kiss on the lips. “Fucking hell, you’re a good kisser, I wonder what else you do”.

  “Not what you’re thinking, well not yet anyway, I am right off men”. She said.

  “We are not all the same you know”?

  Joyce looked at him and realised that even though he was a big man, she could tell that he would never hurt a woman, she had enough experience now to recognise those sort of men and David was certainly not one of those.

  “I have never met an investigator before, can you tell me a little more about what we would be doing”? Asked Joyce.

  “Well most of our work is pure observation, that’s why attention to detail is so important, even the most trivial thing can tell you a lot about a person. I can tell just by looking at you that you are putting on a very brave face, but if we are working together or alone we must trust each other completely. You have to remember that given the amount of money sometimes involved with these bent deals and the people involved, your life and that of your team could well be on the line, so always remember, detail, detail, detail”.

  “A lot of our time will be spent in share dealing rooms or money transfer offices, and at any one time there are millions of pounds passing through, the money is always just numbers on a computer screen, but you will learn to spot strange occurrences. Sometimes a small amount will be transferred to a particular account as a tester, before within a very short space of time a much larger amount will go into the same account. This can happen as a particular person is checking to see if anyone has noticed two separate amounts of money from the same source to the same account, and if no one has noticed, they can then launder very large amounts into the same account without a problem”.

  “The money is then moved round many more times and sometimes through different countries before it returns back to its original starting point. But remember it is now clean money and yet not one piece of currency has been used or changed hands”. Said David.

  “So what you are telling me is that the proceeds of crime from anywhere in the world pass through London many times a day”.

  “Yes, but remember this happens 24 hours of every day, and the amounts involved are sometimes much larger than some small countries total economy. These people can, and do influence political decisions and also if it suits them they can bring down governments. Our own government like many others around the world is always working hand to mouth, and that’s why they have to borrow money, there is normally more going out than coming in and it leaves a lot of economies tottering on the brink of a possible disaster which could easily be caused by these people with access to the money markets, what you have to remember is that it is bankers who run countries and the world and certainly not politicians”.

  “Thanks for that, I hadn’t realised just how important this work is nor how dangerous it was either, but please believe me when I say that I am not put off in any way.
Come on let’s go and join the others”. Said Joyce as she held his hand and led him back into the kitchen. But Graham was now standing by the table with a very strained look on his face,

  “Did you two get on alright”?

  “Yes we did, but what’s wrong”? Asked Joyce.

  Graham again paused for a moment deep in thought.

  “Well I have just had a phone call from the men who came to see me the other evening and it looks like the operation may have to be moved up”.

  “But we are no were near ready”. Said Carol.

  “If we do have to go ahead then it would mean that Joyce would need to be operational by next Monday, and if that’s the case we have only 4 days to get her up to scratch before we all have to move to London”.

  Joyce was by now very confused by this remark. “Why, what happens in London”? She asked.

  “Right, let me explain in a little more detail”. And Graham opened a folder containing all the details from his previous evenings meeting.

  “The operation is at a private bank in the city and the men that came to see me are the directors of the bank and a junior government minister. They are convinced that a great deal of money is being spread bet on the fall of this government or at the very least a new Prime Minister, and it looks as though most of the funds for this are passing through this particular bank, and the money we believe is coming from Russia. The indication is that they have inside help at the bank to move it on its way, but the only way we can find out and confirm this is by putting you two in there”.

  “But I am not experienced in share dealing” Said Joyce.

  “No, you may not be, but Carol is red hot, so be prepared for a very intensive course. Are you ok with that David”?

  “Yes not a problem”. He replied.

  He looked at Joyce with so much reassurance showing in his eyes, that it made her feel much better not only about herself, but also about what was being proposed.

  “Remember what we spoke about, teamwork, well I will be there for you every step of the way”. And he held her hands and gave her a large hug.