52 Waratah Avenue

by Lynne Wilding

  Clearing his expression of any ill-temper, he glanced towards Michaela. She was concentrating on the instrument panel, tapping one or two of the instruments with her index finger to make sure the dials were working. The headphone and mike were attached to her head as she waited for clearance to take off.

  He smiled as he watched her intense expression. She was a magnificent-looking woman. His body began to ache from suppressing the desire to have her in his arms. He wanted her, desperately, but there was more … he had come to believe that he was in love with her. He eased his body back into the seat — they weren’t made for comfort — as he considered that. In the past he had made it his policy not to become emotionally entangled with the women who slipped in and out of his life; he didn’t need any emotional encumbrances. Still, somehow, without his realising it, Michaela had got under his guard. He was going to marry her. He’d decided that a while ago, but he had to get rid of the competition: Leith Danvers. While her lover was around he didn’t stand a chance.

  As the plane taxied down the tarmac, Lenny mused over how he could achieve Danvers’ demise. Thanks to his incompetent underlings, Danvers had survived something that had been intended to silence him permanently. That wouldn’t happen again … there were a lot of interesting ways to kill someone and make it look like an accident. It had to look accidental. If it appeared to be out-and-out murder, Michaela might put Danvers on a pedestal and never be able to forget him. He had heard of a hit man based in Melbourne who was good at faking accidents … Earl said he was expensive, but … to get the job done right, it would be worth it. Another thing he had to do when he returned from Coffs was to have a talk to his old mate. McRae had dismissed Michaela and banned her from the Ashworths store. She was hurting over this and he didn’t like that. There had to be a way to make Neil re-employ Michaela. Bashing him senseless wasn’t going to work; it had to be something subtle enough to exert the pressure needed to get what he wanted. He, Lenny Kovacs, always got what he wanted.

  ‘Michaela, how long will it take to get to Coffs Harbour?’ Lenny shouted over the noise of the engine.

  ‘ETA is two and a half hours,’ she replied.

  He watched her pull back on the plane’s wheel and the Piper Cub lifted towards the sky. Yes, when they got back, he had a few matters to attend to …

  Colin Coberg never went to an employer’s home address and especially not on a Sunday but, after he’d talked to Jeffrey Markham and told him he had found what the Beaumonts wanted, they agreed to meet at Laura Beaumont’s home at 3 pm that afternoon. A touch irregular, still, for the amount of money the Beaumonts were paying him, well worth it.

  He, Jeffrey and Leith Danvers arrived at approximately the same time and were ushered into the living room by Daphne.

  ‘Mrs Beaumont will be down presently,’ Daphne said with a smile. ‘You’re in time for afternoon tea. I’ll make up a tray.’

  Without preamble Leith asked Colin, ‘So you’ve got him?’

  ‘I assumed that time was of the essence, as they say, that’s why I’m here. I’ve had a team working around the clock to unravel the false paper trails, the figure-work that didn’t add up. It’s a brilliant piece of fraudulent accounting.’ There was a hint of admiration in Coberg’s tone.

  ‘Good afternoon, everyone. Brilliant, but criminal,’ Laura commented as she came into the room.

  ‘Yes,’ Colin agreed. ‘Neil tried to incriminate the CEO and your younger daughter, but that was merely a ruse to throw the auditing process off track.’

  Laura gestured for everyone to sit and nodded for Daphne to pour the tea from her sparkling silver tea service; she liked to observe some traditions, if not others. ‘Colin, I assume you’ve come to tell us that you have sufficient evidence to prove that Neil committed the fraud?’ She asked the question almost conversationally, as if they were discussing the weather.

  ‘Quite conclusive, Mrs Beaumont. I’ve rushed a report through.’ He dived into his briefcase and brought out a folder. He lay the paperwork out on the coffee table, away from the plate of home made cakes and biscuits that Daphne had prepared. ‘There’s enough evidence in that report for the police to take an interest.’ He looked at both lawyers as he said that.

  ‘I’m not sure Laura will want to do that, involve the police,’ Jeffrey advised Colin.

  Laura prefaced her words with a smile. ‘I’d rather keep it within the family, if you know what I mean. A scandal might kill my brother — he had a heart attack last year — and it would embarrass his family terribly, as well as straining our family’s relationship with each other.’

  ‘Laura,’ Leith protested as he manoeuvred his cup in the hand with the plaster cast. ‘This report is what you need to unseat Neil.’

  ‘I know, Leith. And unseat my nephew I will,’ Laura’s expression was knowing, ‘in my own way.’ She looked at each man as she said, ‘Thank you, all of you, for your help, and your consideration.’ Her glance came to rest on Leith’s plaster cast. ‘Are you up to a little Sunday afternoon visiting, Leith?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Good. As soon as we’ve finished our tea, we’ll visit Frank with,’ she pointed to the report on the table, ‘this. Then the three of us will go to see Neil.’

  Jeffrey looked a touch glum at being left out. ‘What about me, Laura?’

  She patted his hand. ‘A confrontation of four? I don’t think that’s a good idea. Too many of us. Stay here, Jeffrey, make yourself at home, watch TV or take Rufus for a walk; you know how he loves a run down on the sand. We’ll be back before tea. Then you can take me out for a nice celebratory dinner. Agreed?’

  Jeffrey smiled, pleased that she hadn’t forgotten him after all. ‘I know just the place. I’ve discovered this charming restaurant called Edna’s Table. I’ll book us a spot …’

  Porter was commissioned to drive Laura and Leith to Frank McRae’s home at Drummoyne.

  Laura knew her brother would be in on Sunday afternoon because the rugby league season, which he loved, had just started. She wasn’t looking forward to breaking his heart by telling him that his middle son was a thief, a cheat and a liar, but it had to be done to save Ashworths.

  As expected, the confrontation with Frank was not pleasant. He blustered, he shouted, he made counter accusations but, in the end, after Leith had patiently explained everything — twice — and Elsie, tears running down her cheeks, had agreed that her son had behaved badly, Frank’s resistance caved in. Then it took half an hour for Leith, not Laura, to convince him that he should come with them to Neil’s new apartment in the city and confront his son with the evidence.

  Neil, as Ashworths’ CEO, had moved upmarket and now rented a lavishly furnished penthouse apartment — courtesy of Ashworths — overlooking part of Sydney Harbour. Prior to their leaving, Frank called to make sure Neil was there, saying that he and Elsie were popping in for a brief visit as they sometimes did. Neil would be there.

  When Neil opened his apartment door and saw the deputation before him, alarm bells rang. With difficulty he swallowed the sudden lump that lodged in his throat, his skin paled to an unhealthy shade of grey, and he stood staring — and increasingly rigid.

  Frank pushed his son aside and led the others into the room. ‘You’ve got some explaining to do, son,’ he said tersely.

  In shock, Neil said the first thing that came into his head. ‘Where’s Mum?’

  Frank turned ageing blue eyes on his son. ‘She couldn’t come because she’s home bawling her eyes out — because of you, you rotten shit. You’ve broken her heart, not that you probably give a damn about doing it.’

  ‘I-I … I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad. What are these people,’ he pointed to Laura and Leith but didn’t name them, ‘doing here?’

  Leith gave Frank a questioning look and was given the nod to take over. ‘I think you know, Neil. The game’s up. Coberg’s auditors have discovered your fraud, how you’ve been siphoning off money from Ashworths for years. They haven
’t nailed down the final figure, but it’s several million dollars.’

  ‘Bloody ridiculous! You can’t prove anything,’ Neil bluffed. He’d begun to perspire profusely and was shifting about restlessly, shuffling from one foot to the other. And he couldn’t look anyone in the eye, especially his father. His father’s angry stare was making him doubly nervous. Everyone in the room knew that Frank McRae had an awful temper when roused.

  ‘We can and we have,’ Leith said. He thrust a copy of Coberg’s report onto the coffee table. ‘It’s there, in black and white. By the way, Colin said it was a brilliant piece of fraud. His staff had to work around the clock and had the devil of a time tracking down all the details. In the end though they’ve done it and the trail leads directly to you, not Daniel Blumner, and not your cousin, Michaela.’ His lip curled derisively at the smaller man. ‘To you.’

  ‘You little bastard.’ Frank couldn’t contain himself any longer. He reached forward and grabbed a handful of Neil’s shirt. ‘The lies you told the family — that the Beaumonts had run the company into the ground, and if you hadn’t acted we might have lost everything.’ He slapped Neil across the face. ‘How you’d borrowed a huge amount of money to buy the shares to take control of the company, so you could restore it to its former status.’ He slapped him again. ‘You’ve shamed me in front of my sister, my closest living relative, you slimy, lying creep. I believed you.’

  Frank’s face was reddening with anger and sharply contrasted with his snowy-white head of hair. He shook his head in disgust as he continued the attack. ‘I should have known better. You were always a sly, crafty kid, like your mate, Kovacs. You grew up into a sly, crafty man. Your aunt can have you put away for years for this, you stupid …’ In frustration he slapped Neil again, then pushed him away.

  Leith almost sprang to attention. Neil knew Lenny Kovacs. Had known him for years! All at once the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. Neil and Kovacs. Was it possible that Neil had fed information to Kovacs, and it was his gang who’d stolen product from the wharves, done the warehouse job and broken into the Pitt Street store? Earlier Boris had had his suspicions about Mark McRae’s involvement. But it hadn’t been Mark — it had, most likely, been Neil, though they would never get him to admit it. Neil was too deeply embroiled in the Ashworths fraud to implicate himself in anything else. Laura’s impassioned plea broke through his train of thought.

  ‘Frank, stop,’ Laura pleaded, concerned that he’d bring on another heart attack if he didn’t calm down. ‘Violence won’t get us anywhere. Tell Neil what you’re going to do.’

  ‘Oh, yeah.’ Frank nodded, recalling what they’d discussed in the car. ‘I’m taking the fifteen per cent of McRae shares in Ashworths and giving them to Laura to control. That means that with her family’s holdings she has fifty-five per cent of shares, and you’re not the CEO any more. Not from this moment on.’ He watched his son, one hand holding his reddening cheek, shake his head at this news.

  ‘Dad, you can’t … We, the McRaes, can be so rich. I’ve got it all worked out.’

  ‘Shut up and listen, you little creep,’ Frank growled at him. ‘Laura’s giving you a choice, son. My advice is to take it. She wants you to sign over control of all the shares you bought, using the dummy companies you’d cashed up with the money you obtained fraudulently.’ He watched Neil shake his head. ‘Don’t shake your head at me. Listen, you dumb shit! If you don’t sign the shares over, she will have you arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. With my blessings,’ he added pointedly. He looked at Leith. ‘How long a gaol term do you reckon he’d get, Leith?’

  ‘Depends on the judge. From four to ten, I should think.’

  ‘You’re finished in Sydney,’ Frank told Neil matter-of-factly. ‘No-one will have a bar of you when this gets out and, unfortunately, some, if not all of it, will.’

  ‘Neil …’ Laura put a gentling hand on Frank’s sleeve and took over. ‘If you re-assign the shares to me, there will be no charges, providing you leave Sydney within twenty-four hours and don’t come back.’

  ‘Don’t … come … back …?’ Neil said slowly. It was too much, trying to comprehend that his dream, his life, was falling apart. His plan to control Ashworths, his aspirations in the business world, all gone. Inside he was going numb, he couldn’t work out how it had happened, where he had gone wrong. Yet, confused as he might be, a part of him was busy trying to figure a way out of the mess. Shit, why couldn’t he think of a way out? This, how could this be happening? He had planned every detail so well and for so long, wanted to succeed so much.

  Neil stared into Laura’s eyes and saw no pity. Leith, too, was hard-eyed. And his father … no forgiveness there. He scrambled for a reason to stay. ‘But … I, my children …?’

  Frank waved a hand to silence him. ‘Don’t worry about them, you never did much of that, anyway. Elsie and I will look after Stacy and the kids.’

  Suddenly Neil’s legs threatened to give way. He stumbled to a lounge chair and slumped into its plush leather. ‘But I He scratched his head, his hands were trembling. ‘I … Can’t we …?’

  ‘No, we can’t.’ Leith’s tone was firm. ‘Laura’s being generous in giving you an escape route. You will leave the country, go anywhere you like, within twenty-four hours of signing the shares over to her. Ashworths will even pay your airfare. But if you return, Neil,’ he pointed to the report, ‘charges will be brought. Am I making myself clear?’

  ‘But … what will I do?’ He glanced to his father for direction. ‘Where will I go?’ Then, to everyone’s embarrassment, he burst into tears.

  Laura looked at Frank. Her brother’s expression was so sad — he was losing a son and, in spite of Neil having disgraced himself, his love for him still showed in his eyes. Knowing her brother so well, the last thing she should do at this time was offer sympathy. That could come later, when all the details had been digested and the hurt had settled.

  ‘We’ll go now.’ Laura gave Frank an understanding smile. ‘Do you want to stay?’

  ‘I’ll get a cab home.’ Frank’s tone was brusque with hurt as he stared at his sobbing son. ‘It’s best if you go. With regard to the shares, I’ll call you first thing in the morning.’

  As Leith and Laura rode the elevator down to street level, Laura leant back against the wall and sighed. It had been quite an afternoon, and she was glad the ‘unpleasantness’ was over. She glanced at her watch. Michaela would be home soon, and Caroline too, from her Tai Kwon Do exhibition. She looked forward to telling them that soon everything would be as it once was with Ashworths. The usurper had been dethroned, and everything could get back to being business as usual.

  Chapter Nineteen

  In early April Coffs Harbour, during the day, was hotter than Sydney. A holiday destination for New South Wales and interstate tourists, Coffs wasn’t quiet on Sundays — there was always somewhere to go, something to see, something to do. Lenny, sweating in the leather jacket he wore, was happy to drop Fern and Michaela at the town centre. He then zoomed off in the cab to see a friend of his who’d retired here, just out of town. That way he could kill time without becoming bored out of his brain, until they met for lunch — the same pattern they’d established months ago, from that first flight to Cooma.

  Smiling as the cab pulled up at his friend’s beachside home, he remembered the treat he’d promised them. A visit to the porpoise pool, one of the attractions near the water, before they returned to Sydney. Young Fern was looking forward to it and he suspected that Michaela, though she’d played it cool, was too.

  Coming out of the porpoise pool area, after the show, Michaela looked up at the sky. She did that as standard practice when she was flying, the weather being an important factor in her flights. Dark, rain-laden clouds were rolling in from the ocean; a storm was coming. Lenny had promised Fern afternoon tea in town before they left but, seeing the weather, she had other ideas.

  ‘I don’t like the way the weather’s building.
Fern, let’s take a raincheck on afternoon tea, because we should get back to the airport. I’d like to get in the air and be heading south before this storm breaks. It looks like a severe one.’

  Lenny saw Fern’s disappointment. Over several months he’d got used to the kid — even though she didn’t always come with them — and he liked her, as much as he could like any kid. He pressed Michaela. ‘You sure?’

  ‘Yes.’ She didn’t like to fly in bad weather and they were so far from home. And the possibility of a long, bumpy return flight, being buffeted by wind and rain for over two hours, was not her idea of enjoyable flying. As well, there was the possibility that her passengers could become airsick and make the flight even more unpleasant. If they left early they’d probably outrun the storm.

  ‘That’s okay,’ Fern said good-naturedly as Lenny hailed a cab to take them to the airport. ‘I’m still pretty full from lunch and would only be stuffing myself, anyway.’

  ‘Little piggy …’ Michaela teased, grinning, as she ruffled her niece’s hair.

  As soon as they were airborne, Michaela knew it had been a wise decision to leave earlier than planned, even if Lenny seemed more disappointed than Fern. There had been a slightly unpleasant encounter back at the porpoise pool, and she had been put off by Lenny’s uncalled-for and unwanted possessive behaviour, which made her think again about the things Leith had said in his apartment. Was Lenny the unsavoury character the man she loved believed him to be? Certainly, the way he’d carried on when a young man had accidentally bumped into her and almost knocked her over had been over the top. Lenny could have been trying to make sure that the man realised the error of his ways, still, his proprietorial manner — an arm around her shoulder — as if they were on a date, and the glare he’d given the man as he’d backed off, gave her food for thought. Lenny had never acted like that before. On the other hand, perhaps she was reading too much into the incident. She made an effort to check her irritation over the episode.