To Face The Past

by Karen Abbott

  She thought Matt might get in contact … but he didn’t. And when she saw him at breakfast in the dining-room he gave no more than a pleasant greeting to her. She wished she could have sat at the same table as Matt, but didn’t want to do anything to draw attention to their warmer relationship. When Leanne eventually joined him, she was glad that she hadn’t. Maybe Matt still needed to pursue his friendship with her in order to catch Phil with his hand in the till.

  Saturday brought the new influx of visitors, all eagerly anticipating their coming week of historical venture into the Victorian world. Phil made a very sympathetic speech about the fate of the re-enactment society that had been booked for their entertainment and soon had everyone eating out of his hand, commending him for his speedy work on their behalf.

  The local historical group gave some very creditable performances and the hastily arranged activities were enjoyed by the guests. Phil seemed inordinately pleased with himself and Eva began to wonder when Matt was going to expose his misdeeds … if, indeed, there was anything to expose.

  The Theme Week ended to tumultuous applause. Phil was especially gratified to welcome Will Dagnall to the closing banquet, pleased that the chairman of the consortium had witnessed his success.

  Will heartily congratulated him. “And I hope you are able to pack a holiday bag for first thing in the morning,” he added jovially. “I’ve just heard that a colleague of mine has been able to book the two of us into a hotel in Scotland which is renowned for its excellent golf facilities. They are running an annual event next week and I want you to see what they do, with a view to organising something similar for us here once the golf course has been upgraded.”

  The initial delighted look on Phil’s face slipped slightly. “Very kind of you, Will. Normally, I would leap at the chance … but you know how it is after an event like this! A mountain of accounting to finalise! Mustn’t neglect my duty, hey!”

  “Nonsense, old chap!” Will paused and regarded Phil critically. “You do still want to be the one to organise the golf course here, don’t you? I can always ask Matt to come along instead.”

  “N..no, no! That’s not necessary!” Phil backed down. “I’m just thinking of all the work to be done here. It could be left for a week until my return, I suppose.”

  “No need for that! Why have two assistant managers if you don’t let them assist! Matt is perfectly qualified to do whatever is necessary! No, I insist! And to show you that I mean business, I’m banning you from your office as from now!” He looked at his watch. “I’ve arranged for us to be picked up by private helicopter at eight o’clock tomorrow morning!”

  Phil’s face underwent a series of changes but there was no escape for him. Apparently, his success had merited a week away. A working holiday to die for!

  Eva caught Matt’s eye and smiled in delighted satisfaction. It was as well that neither Phil nor Leanne was watching them or they would have felt even more concerned than they did already.

  Leanne was waiting for Matt in Reception at eight-thirty on Saturday morning. She didn’t seem too pleased to see Eva, but managed to smile a welcome.

  Matt frowned slightly. “Good morning, Leanne. I didn’t know you were on duty today.”

  “Well, no … but with all the guests leaving and quite a number of new ones arriving, it’s going to be frantic in here today. I thought you would need some extra help … especially with Phil being whisked away like that!”

  “It’s all under control,” Eva assured her.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Eva,” Matt said thoughtfully. “We have a hundred percent departure list and eighty-four new guests arriving throughout the day. Gwyneth is already chivvying her staff to be at the ready, waiting to hear which guests have cleared their rooms. I think we’ll be glad of extra hands! Thanks, Leanne. Where do you think you’ll be of most use? Here on Reception?”

  “Oh, I’m sure Eva has all of that in hand!” Leanne smiled. “I thought I’d help you. I heard Phil say there was a mountain of work to be done in his office.”

  “What a good idea, Leanne! Will you make a start while I just check this through with Eva?” He looked at his watch. “I’ll be with you in ten minutes. That all right?”

  Eva nearly exploded but a warning look from Matt made her hold her tongue.

  “What are you up to?” Eva asked the moment Leanne was out of hearing. “She’ll try to remove any evidence!”

  “That’s the idea! Phil’s desk cupboard is locked and I haven’t got the key. My guess is that Phil has given it to Leanne. Do you think she’s had time to open it yet?”

  Eva grinned at his audacity. “I’ll count to twenty, then go and see.” As she turned, Leanne reappeared in the inner doorway.

  “Meriel is already doing it,” she complained.

  “What?”

  “Meriel?”

  Matt and Eva moved as one towards the office door. Eva arrived there first. She stepped into the office. Meriel was hastily pushing a wad of papers into a briefcase.

  “What are you doing, Meriel?” Eva asked.

  Meriel half-turned towards her, her face was a picture of guilt.

  “Er … I thought I could deal with these at home. It’ll save wasting time here. I’ve worked with Phil from home before.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Meriel,” Matt said from the doorway. “I will deal with them myself.”

  Meriel jumped at the sound of his voice, dropping the briefcase, spilling its contents across the floor. She dropped to her knees, frantically gathering the papers together.

  Matt reached down, picking up one of the papers. “My! This looks interesting! Look, Eva! It looks like a list of some rather large regular payments Phil has received. Unless I’m very much mistaken, these names will turn out to be hotel suppliers. Now why would so many suppliers give Phil amounts like these?”

  Eva pursed her lips in pretence of thought. “‘Backhanders’ for buying from them, d’you think? Wow! Burt was right! No wonder Phil got rid of him!”

  “Nonsense!” Meriel laughed shakily. “Dad wouldn’t write down their names like that if it was anything like that! It’s probably just a list of estimates.”

  “Dad?” Matt queried mildly.

  Too late, Meriel realised her mistake. “I mean …” The look on Matt’s face forced her to silence. She slowly stood up. “Look! Okay, I’m Phil’s daughter. It’s no big deal! I can explain. He didn’t want me to be shown any favouritism, so we kept our relationship quiet ... that’s all!”

  “So, what’s this in aid of?” He indicated her bulging bag.

  “Like I said, he asked me to do some tidying up.” She laughed nervously again. “You know what you men are like! I tell you what, why don’t I sort it all out for you here instead?” She made as if to pick up the briefcase again but Matt moved it out of her reach.

  “Not so fast, Meriel! Let’s go through it together, shall we?”

  Meriel’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “I don’t see the point, do you?” She picked up her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Sorry I can’t stop! I’ve just remembered a previous appointment.”

  “Don’t try to leave the country, Meriel. We’ll be in touch!”

  “Don’t bother!”

  Leanne stood in the doorway. “What’s going on?”

  Matt and Eva exchanged glances.

  “Meriel has had to go home, Leanne,” Matt told her. “We really need you on Reception with Tricia. Would double time suit you? Eva and I need to sort through this lot.”

  Leanne opened her mouth to object but thought better of it. “I suppose so,” she said ungraciously, turning away.

  Matt and Eva spent a fruitful day going through the contents of Phil’s desk, amazed at the quantity of Phil’s double-dealings.

  “He must have been creaming off up to fifty thousand pounds a year!” Eva estimated incredulously.

  “Much more!” Matt reckoned. “That’s if you include the peripheries of his wh
eeler-dealings. Just look at this! He owns DigiGamesMasters and rents out his machines to a whole list of hotels. I don’t yet know the terms he offers them but, if it’s anything like ours, he literally prints his own money.”

  “And had the cheek to charge us for repairs and replacement of machines!” Eva marvelled. “And tried to put the responsibility onto me!”

  Matt was reading the papers in his hand. He suddenly whistled. “Wow! This is the big one! Guess who owns the firm of promoters that ran our two theme weeks!”

  Eva gaped at him. “Not Phil?”

  “The very same!”

  “You mean he had us paying him to run the theme weeks, pay for the advertising, and all the costs … as well as letting our rooms at rock bottom prices? I’d like to know what the customers paid!”

  “Sixty-five pounds per night! I asked a pal of mine to make a tentative booking!”

  Eva was shocked. “He made thirty pounds per head, per night! Why, that’s …”

  “Well over two and a half thousand pounds per night for two weeks … plus all the rest!”

  “Then why are you grinning like that?”

  “Because, my precious, when the fraud squad have had their fill of this, I think we’ll find that Phil has well and truly tied his own noose!”

  Chapter Ten

  Saturday passed in a whirl of visitors checking out and more visitors checking in. Phil’s desk and the entire inner office were off-limits, as plain-clothes policeman minutely examined its incriminating contents and packed everything into plastic bags and boxes. Both Phil’s personal computer and the one in the inner office were removed for examination, leaving the reception staff to work from hurriedly photo-copied records.

  Matt immediately phoned Will Dagnall on his mobile, telling him of the morning’s developments.

  “They’re coming straight back,” Matt told Eva. “He wants me to arrange to meet them with the fraud squad. I’ve to go on from there to an emergency meeting in London with the consortium. I’m afraid our chief accountant is in for some questioning as well. That’s another thing I’ve to deal with before he has time to do a runner. Do you think you can take care of everything here?”

  Eva was dismayed at the prospect. Now that the hotel’s problems were sorted, she had hoped to be able to talk things through with Matt about their personal problems. Maybe Matt just wanted to get away now that his task had ended successfully? Sadly, she nodded her agreement. “I’ll manage.”

  “Hey! Don’t sound so mournful! We got a result, remember!”

  She managed a weak smile.

  Matt promptly stepped towards her and lifted her chin. “I won’t be gone forever,” he said gently. “I know we need to talk. I’m hoping I’ll be back on Monday. Can you wait until then?”

  Cheered slightly, Eva nodded. It would be a long week-end, but she’d manage.

  To everyone’s surprise, Gwyneth Oliver packed her bags and walked out. It made Eva think again about Carys’s dismissal and when she called to see her later in the day, Carys admitted that Mrs. Oliver had forced her to leave.

  “She said I had to say that I had made a mistake over the rooms being let as doubles. She said I would be sacked if I didn’t.” Her face reddened and she looked down at her hands, twisting them nervously. She looked up again, her eyes brimming with tears. “When I wouldn’t agree to lie, she said she would give me a hundred pounds if I left quietly. I knew it would be hard to get another job without a reference ... and I took it. I feel that ashamed ... only we needed the money, didn’t we, Mam?”

  “No-one will hold that against you, Carys. You were put in a very difficult position. You can be reinstated immediately, if you wish.”

  “Can I?” Carys beamed. “That’s wonderful, it is! Hear that, Mam? Thank you Miss Cunningham!”

  By the following day, gossip was rife in the hotel. Everyone was aware that something untoward had been going on but Eva knew it wasn’t up to her to enlighten them as to what it was.

  Will Dagnall and Matt returned on Monday morning and spoke to all the hotel staff that were on duty. He didn’t give all the details. He wasn’t sure they would be believed!

  “Suffice it to be said that Mr. Crawleigh has been found to have been involved in several fraudulent activities. He has been relieved of his hotel duties and the matter is now in the hands of the police.” He looked around the shocked faces. “Some of you may be asked to give statements to the police. Answer as simply and honestly as you can. If any of you have been involved in any of his dealings, I advise you to come to see me as soon as possible. Any co-operation will be regarded in as favourable a light as possible. That’s all I have to say for the time being. Oh, and Matt Talbot and Eva Cunningham will be sharing the job of managers until the end of the season.”

  Will had already secured their agreement but Eva wasn’t at all sure she had been wise in agreeing. She and Matt needed to sort out their past. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure she would manage it.

  Mid-morning brought a panic call from the kitchen. Head chef, Tony, had left straight after the meeting without a word to anyone!

  Matt hurried to investigate. Tony’s room had been cleared of all his personal possessions ... and there were up to eighty lunches to prepare! Did Tony’s hasty departure mean he had been involved in some of Phil Crawleigh’s mis-dealings? It looked that way.

  “Telephone Johnny,” Matt commanded Tricia.

  Johnny was with them within the hour. He cut down the menu and cancelled all non-residential meals. With everyone working at full pelt, the emergency was dealt with.

  “I can’t stay or come in tonight, though,” he warned Eva when she called in at the kitchen to check that everything was under control. “The baby is due any day now and Amanda is scared of being left on her own. I need to be with her. And the kids come home from school just after four o’clock.”

  Eva’s face fell. “We’re well and truly stuck, then,” she said despondently. “We can’t get any agency staff at this short notice.” An idea came to her, albeit reluctantly. “I’m off duty in half an hour, Johnny. What if I go and keep Amanda company? The baby’s not actually due today, is it?”

  “No, but you never can tell! She was late with our first one … and early with our second.”

  “Well, let’s hope this one waits a bit longer!”

  Eva arrived at Johnny and Amanda’s house just after three o’clock that afternoon. The neighbour who had been sitting in with her was relieved to be able to depart.

  “I’ve got to get to the shops,” she explained. “Otherwise my own lot will be rioting when there’s nothing in for their tea.”

  Eva didn’t have much experience with young children but Thomas and Megan were well-behaved and were happy to be allowed to watch the television when they came home from school.

  “Have you come to bring our new baby?” Megan asked her. “Where’s your black bag?”

  “No. I’m just here to keep your mummy company whilst your daddy is working.”

  “Mrs. Davies-next-door says it will come when it’s ready!” Thomas declared. “I bet it comes tonight!”

  “Don’t say that, Thomas!” Eva protested lightly. “I think your daddy would rather like to be here when the baby is born.”

  Amanda began to make sausages, beans and chips for their tea but Eva could tell that it was tiring for her to be on her feet for so long.

  “I’ll take over,” she offered. “I’m not used to cooking for a family,” she apologised, “but I think I can manage now you’ve started it.”

  She set a place for herself and Amanda as well but Amanda didn’t feel like eating.

  “I’ve done enough eating for this baby,” she joked. “I feel as though I’ll go ‘pop!’ if I eat any more. Do you mind if I lie down on the sofa while you eat?” Amanda was standing with her hand pressed into her lower back.

  Eva cast a worried glance at her.

  “Is your back aching?” she asked anxiously.

  “Just a lit
tle … but don’t worry, it’s been aching for days now.”

  A hilarious bath time with the children was followed by story time and, after a few false departures, the children settled in their beds. Eva rejoined Amanda downstairs.

  “That’s that for tonight, then! No wonder you’re exhausted! They’re a lively pair, aren’t they?”

  “And some! They’re good children, though and very excited about this new one.” She patted her swollen abdomen. “I must admit, the sooner it comes the better as far as I’m concerned.”

  “But not tonight!”

  “If you say so!”

  They chatted quietly, with half an eye on the television. Amanda wanted to hear all about the shenanigans at the hotel and Eva told her as much as the rest staff knew. She lightened the conversation by describing the Victorian Week they had just enjoyed, experiencing a growing unease as Amanda frequently changed position and rubbed her back.

  At length, Amanda let out a low moan and lay back against the cushions Eva had arranged for her. “Daft, I am! But I think maybe Thomas is right, Eva!”

  “What? Oh, no! Shall I ring the hospital?”

  “Yes. The number’s over there.”

  “What about the children?”

  “Will you stay until Johnny gets home?”

  “Of course.”

  Eva dialled the hospital.

  “An ambulance will be on its way,” she told Amanda. “Now, have you got your bag ready? Shall I pop upstairs and get it?”

  “Ooh!”

  “What’s the matter?”

  Amanda struggled to her feet. “I think I need the loo. Thank goodness we have downstairs one.” She was barely inside the small bathroom when Eva heard her say, “Oh, no!”

  She rushed over. “What is it?”

  “My waters have gone! I think the baby’s coming!”