52 Waratah Avenue

by Lynne Wilding

  Michaela glanced surreptitiously at each board member. Daniel’s expression gave nothing away, though she noted the gentleness in his eyes as he smiled at Jo. Neil was his usual taciturn self, prepared in advance to give the thumbs down to anything she suggested. Warren was still, as far as she knew, an unknown quantity. She hoped he’d see the advantages of her idea. The other three board members didn’t work for the company; they had been offered directorships when the company went public. She knew their vote could go either way. Four out of the six needed to be positive to get her proposal up and running.

  As soon as everyone was settled, she began …

  An hour and a half later she had given a full and detailed presentation of her proposal, with graphic illustrations showing shopfitting and suggested lines of clothing. There was a revamped Silks restaurant, scaled down to Silks Coffee Lounge but keeping the overall ‘racing’ feel so her mother wouldn’t be too disappointed. She finished with cost and projections of increased sales; the climax was Jo’s innovative advertising campaign.

  After a moment’s silence — she didn’t want to give them too much time to think up negatives — Michaela asked, ‘Any questions?’

  Neil was quick off the mark. ‘Where do you think we’ll get the money to fund this when Laura has had to liquidate private assets to provide a share dividend before the November AGM?’ Michaela, as usual, was grandstanding, trying to make herself seem important, Neil thought. Sometimes he felt like throttling his younger cousin for her need to show how clever she thought she was.

  ‘We’d borrow. That’s standard procedure when expanding, isn’t it? And you’ll note I’ve factored repayments into the overall profit margin.’

  Neil shook his head. ‘As company secretary, with the market the way it is, interest rates climbing and the share price still dropping, I say it’s not the right time to expand.’ He smiled thinly, his expression challenging Michaela to find a way around that statement.

  ‘I congratulate you, Michaela, on a thoroughly well worked-out plan,’ Daniel said generously, ignoring Neil’s negativity. ‘You’ve covered every angle and, based on that, I’m inclined …’ he paused for a couple of seconds, ‘to think it bears further investigation. A company that stands still,’ he glanced purposefully at Neil, ‘risks stagnation and decline. Ashworths is in a competitive field and we should always be thinking of ways to improve business and increase market share, as we did by putting the 18 to 28 Off The Rack boutiques into several shopping malls. They’ve been very successful. Michaela has given us the figures on those profits and how they’ve lifted the general sell-through. Why shouldn’t we look at doing the same in the main store then, perhaps in time, interstate?’

  ‘I’m not sure the shareholders will like it,’ said Kate Murray, one of the directors. She ran her own accountancy business and, like Neil, was inclined towards conservatism. ‘It could mean no share dividends for another two years, and as we know investors like to receive dividends.’

  The two other directors, retired politician Trevor Winterson and businessman Garry Howard, nodded their heads sagely, indicating their agreement with Kate.

  ‘There could be some resistance,’ Michaela agreed, ‘but in the end I believe they’d receive a dividend cheque that would make up for any profits they might have forgone as we develop the 18 to 28 concept throughout the stores.’

  ‘You seem very confident about this.’ Warren’s tone was thoughtful as he thumbed through the bound report she had passed to each board member on finishing the presentation.

  ‘I am, Warren. I’ve spent a lot of time checking out shopping malls in the CBD and suburbia. The trend is to focus on the young. The eighteen to twenty-eight age group has a growing disposable income, not too many responsibilities and these people are very fashion-conscious. Look at media advertising. Fashion as well as leisure ads are increasingly being geared to the younger person’s dollar.’

  ‘But we’re more traditional, Ashworths always has been,’ Neil put in sourly. ‘We cater for the wealthy and the well-to-do, in the city and the country. The company has always made good profits doing that type of business, so surely we don’t need to change our focus.’ He stared meaningfully at Michaela. ‘I’m sure Laura will think so.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Michaela conceded. ‘But will she, really? My mother started out as a milliner before World War Two. She had three stores by 1947. She could have remained a milliner and eventually gone out of business because so few women came to wear hats, except for formal occasions. But she had a dream, and she saw the potential of providing a boutique department store for well-off Sydney women. My mother went with the idea, and Ashworths is now a national company listed on the Stock Exchange. The 18 to 28 department should be regarded as no more than an expansion to Ashworths. We’ll still cater for the people we’ve always catered for and I, for one, wouldn’t want to see that change.’

  ‘You’re very passionate about this idea, aren’t you?’ Trevor Winterson commented, beginning to be persuaded.

  ‘I am,’ Michaela said firmly. She took a deep breath and went on, ‘So much so that I’m willing to pledge my inheritance against it. Most of you know that I’m due to inherit quite a lot of money when I turn twenty-five. That’s only a year or so away. If the company isn’t willing to take the financial risk, I’ll legally pledge my inheritance to fund it in return for more Ashworths’ shares.’

  ‘We couldn’t allow you to do that,’ Daniel said brusquely. He looked at each of the board members. ‘I think Michaela has something here and we should look into it thoroughly, cost it out to the last dollar and cent. May I have a show of hands on the proposal? Those in favour?’

  Michaela held her breath as the hands began to go up. Daniel was first, then Warren, Trevor Winterson and, more slowly, Garry Howard. Neil’s and Kate Murray’s hands remained in their laps.

  ‘Four to two,’ Daniel announced. ‘The proposal is carried.’ He looked at Michaela. ‘If the costings check out, what time frame do you envisage for getting it up and running?’

  Michaela, stunned that she’d won, couldn’t think for a moment.

  ‘We’d hoped for autumn,’ Jo filled in for her friend. ‘But, realistically, with shopfitting and gearing up for the fashions, etc., spring would be more achievable.’

  ‘Yes, spring,’ Michaela confirmed. She caught Caroline’s eye and they smiled conspiratorially at each other.

  ‘We’ll need a working committee.’ Neil’s tone was glum. Aware that everyone in the room knew he hated things not going the way he wanted, as the company secretary he had to give lip service to the proposal. His goal would be to find flaws in the calculations, enough to sink the idea. Once and for all.

  ‘Of course,’ Warren said. ‘Michaela and Jo, naturally, and Neil, and perhaps Trevor. Yes?’

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  The six members of the board and Tania Wildman, Daniel’s secretary, who’d taken notes on the meeting, filed out of the boardroom until only Michaela, Jo and Caroline were left.

  ‘You did it!’ Jo said with the widest possible grin. Spontaneously, she hugged her friend.

  ‘I’m still in shock,’ Michaela admitted with a shaky laugh. ‘It was touch and go for a while.’

  ‘Yes, but Trevor helped to swing Garry Howard around to your way of thinking,’ Caroline said as she joined them and made it a group hug. She looked at her younger sister and smiled. ‘It was a wonderful presentation. Mum would have been very proud.’

  ‘She won’t like the idea of canning Silks,’ Michaela’s frown betrayed her anxiety over that, ‘but there isn’t anywhere else to put the 18 to 28 department.’

  ‘She’ll see the wisdom of your proposal,’ Caroline answered. ‘It’s a bold, innovative idea and once she’s got used to it, I believe she’ll get right behind it too. The only difficulty will be Neil, but I guess you know that.’

  ‘Of course, he’s so miserly with Ashworths’ money — anyone would think the money belonged to him instead
of being company funds,’ Jo put in drily.

  ‘I’ll worry about Neil if my figures don’t stand up … but I’m sure they will,’ Michaela said with some of her old confidence. The board had gone for the idea … it was beginning to sink in now. The first hurdle had been scaled successfully.

  ‘So, what’s next?’ Caroline asked.

  ‘A time frame, for everything. We need to get merchandising into action organising new product, and line up builders to dismantle Silks and then shopfitters — I’d use the same ones who came up with the floor plan I presented today and …’

  ‘The advertising program is done,’ Jo advised. ‘It’s ready to go as soon as Daniel and Warren give final approval.’

  ‘Investors should be happy when they find out the company is doing something positive to address falling sales, and they’ll be getting their dividend cheques three weeks before the AGM,’ Caroline informed them.

  ‘Thanks to Laura’s generosity,’ Jo reminded them. She glanced at her watch and galvanised into action. ‘Oh, hell, I’ve an ad deadline. Got to rush. Daniel has to okay it before it goes to press.’ She looked at Michaela for a few seconds before she half-turned towards the door. ‘When do you want to meet about the 18 to 28 time frame?’

  ‘Tomorrow morning, in my office. 9.15 sharp.’

  After Jo left, Caroline and Michaela began to clear up the paperwork and draft proposal that had been presented for the ad campaign, with flip charts, an easel and supporting figures on the whiteboard.

  ‘What’s this I hear about Daniel and Jo?’ Caroline asked. ‘Staff say they’ve been seen out together.’

  Michaela grinned widely. ‘It’s hard to keep a secret at Ashworths. Yes. Jo and Daniel have had a couple of dates. I have high hopes that that romance will lead to marriage.’

  Caroline stared, her expression slightly stunned. ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes.’ Michaela’s tone was confident. ‘Daniel’s been keen on Jo for some time. I’ve watched him watch her when he thinks no-one is noticing him. It would be perfect too, they’re both Jewish, and he loves kids. I think he’d be a really good stepfather to Joshua. Moreover, he’s the kind of man Jo needs, someone steady, to calm her down. She needs a man she can trust, and I can’t think of anyone more trustworthy than our Daniel.’

  ‘You little matchmaker.’ Caroline shook her head in amazement, but her smile betrayed that she was in accord with her sister’s efforts.

  ‘I wanted to ask a favour of you, Caroline.’ Michaela went off on another tangent as she scooped up paperwork and placed it in a folder. ‘I’ve decided to take that pilot’s job with the businessman. Remember, I spoke about Lenny Kovacs, about meeting him at the air show. Leith’s checked him out and he’s into property investments. We assume he wants to invest or check out several country towns to see if it’s worthwhile investing in businesses there.’

  ‘How can I help?’ Caroline wanted to know.

  ‘I thought Fern might like to accompany me and Mr Kovacs on our first flight. I’m taking him to Cooma this Sunday and in three weeks’ time we’re going to Dubbo. He’s given me a roster that will see me flying him to several country locations over the next six months.’

  ‘Fern usually spends weekends with her father.’

  ‘I’ve taken the liberty of asking Nick — he’s okay with the idea, thinks it would be good for Fern to see the New South Wales countryside. I want your okay too.’

  ‘Oh …’

  Michaela tried to interpret Caroline’s ‘oh’ and her expression. She didn’t seem overly keen on the idea. ‘I am a qualified pilot with two years’ flying experience under my belt. Nick, Joel and even our mother can vouch for my competency,’ she reminded her. ‘As well, the plane Mr Kovacs has leased is almost brand new. I don’t need the work, but I would like to build up more flying hours. Still if you’d rather I …’

  ‘Oh, no, it’s not that! Your suggestion’s taken me by surprise, that’s all. I didn’t know you’d decided to work with Mr Kovacs,’ Caroline said quickly. She was, really, only slightly miffed that her sister had approached Nick before she said anything to her, but there was little point in griping about that. Such action was typical of Michaela’s high-handedness. ‘Look, I don’t have a problem with you flying. I’m sure you’re very good, as you are with most things you do. If Fern wants to go, then it’s fine with me.’

  ‘Wonderful. I’ll ask Fern tonight.’ Michaela beamed at Caroline. She didn’t want to mention that she had decided to ask Fern to accompany them because she would be more comfortable with a third party in the plane than alone with Lenny Kovacs. Not that he had said or done anything that made her feel threatened; it was just that, as yet, she hadn’t got to know him. When they were more used to each other, then she wouldn’t need a third party to come along on the flights.

  A gentle tap on the door brought their conversation to a halt. The door opened and Boris Jakelic’s bulk came into view. He entered the boardroom.

  ‘Daniel said you were in here,’ he began. ‘I’ve been talking to him about the warehouse robbery, and thought you might like to know what progress the police have made. As the police said previously, the crims who did the job are professional. They found no clues inside the warehouse.’ He saw the expectancy drain from their faces. ‘But in the guard’s room, by the gate, they’ve lifted a fingerprint that doesn’t match anyone’s on security or in the warehouse. It’s a thumbprint, a good one, on top of a desk. They’re running it through the criminal records department. Evidently fingerprints stay in the file forever, unless a person requests the police delete them after about ten years. It’s the best lead so far.’

  ‘The print could belong to anyone, couldn’t it?’ Michaela queried.

  ‘If it were in the warehouse, yes, there are twenty part- and full-time employees there. But in the guard’s room, only a handful of people go in and out.’ Boris shrugged his massive shoulders. ‘It’s a long shot, but until some of the stolen product starts to surface and police try to trace the source, it’s a start.’

  ‘Thanks for letting us know, Boris,’ Caroline said graciously. After he’d gone she followed, towards the door. ‘You did well today, Michaela. Everyone in the room was very impressed. You’ve shown that you’re a contender for the CEO’s job some time in the future, without a doubt.’

  Michaela smiled her thanks before Caroline exited the room. For a while she stared thoughtfully at the closed door. Could she be wrong about her big sister’s ambitions? Caroline wasn’t interested in the top job, after all? She let out a slow, reflective sigh. Most of the time she hated to be proven wrong, but if it were so in this case she wouldn’t mind.

  Leith Danvers prowled about his high-rise apartment, unable to return to bed and go back to sleep. Minutes ago he had farewelled Michaela, who’d left at 6 am to get to Bankstown airport for her flight with businessman Lenny Kovacs.

  Kovacs. He cast his mind back to the day he’d almost knocked Michaela for six, trying to remember what the man looked like. He couldn’t remember. Usually he was good with faces, an advantage in the legal business. Even Michaela had difficulty describing him, the man appeared so nondescript. He frowned. Interesting that. He had had a legal check done, and a credit check, had a legal clerk make general enquiries about Kovacs, and the man appeared to be what he said he was: a legitimate businessman with a broad spread of interests. He had a sizeable share portfolio. He owned a block of older-style flats in Bondi. He gave generously to several charities and he owned a share in a racehorse, a five-year-old mare called Lucky Lucy that was tracking pretty well according to racecourse buffs. Also, he was sufficiently cashed-up or had access to capital to invest in country businesses if he so wanted — that’s what Michaela said he wanted to do.

  All seemed on the level with Mr Kovacs, but Leith hadn’t let it rest there, because Michaela was involved. He’d checked out the man’s home, and that had been an enlightening experience. Late one afternoon he had bowled up to Kovacs’ address in Tamarama; th
e place was a veritable eastern suburbs mansion with a million-dollar view. The front door had been opened by a mountain of a man, a rough-looking character who’d brusquely informed him that Mr Kovacs wasn’t in. In the background he’d seen a woman vacuuming.

  All relatively normal. Except that he didn’t believe it was normal to have a thug answer the front door! But then, there could be a logical reason for the man being there, so he gave Kovacs the benefit of the doubt. He’d even peeped through a crack in the garage door and seen two cars: a Mercedes sports, top of the range, and a large BMW sedan.

  There was absolutely nothing for him to be suspicious about, Leith assured himself as he made a plate of scrambled eggs, added chopped shallots, grated cheese and a dash of tabasco sauce to the mixture, and took it and his coffee onto the terrace. At 7.30 am the spring morning, ten floors up, was more than ‘pleasantly cool’, but being originally from Sweden that didn’t bother him.

  Kovacs was okay. He was worrying unnecessarily, but … He had this funny tingling sensation at the back of his neck; it came whenever a case or a brief he was working on didn’t add up. Something about Kovacs wasn’t kosher, but he couldn’t put his finger on the problem. That niggled at him and he couldn’t let the thought go.

  On the surface Lenny Kovacs appeared to have nothing to hide, but he intended to dig deeper. Often, his legal experience told him that when he did, surprisingly different layers were found. Besides, his motives were of the highest order, to be sure that Michaela was safe …

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lenny wasn’t happy, but he worked hard not to show it. Who needed a fourteen-year-old brat in a cramped plane, anyway? Fern Beaumont might be an okay kid, but he’d looked forward to having several hours alone with Michaela, even if they couldn’t talk inside the cockpit while they were in flight because the plane’s engine was noisy. He’d looked forward to buying her lunch too. He would still do that, but with the unwanted encumbrance of young Fern.