by Rona Halsall
Annoyed with herself for wasting time, she decides to go back to Mary’s and start on some Internet research. Then she’ll ring Jack later. She’s almost at the exit when she hears footsteps behind her and before she can turn, a hand grasps her by the shoulder. Her heart leaps and she reacts without thinking, survival instincts kicking in. She swings round, body hunched low and punches whoever it is in the stomach with as much force as she can muster, ready to run as soon as they hit the floor.
Eight
Then
Natalie stood in the police station, fidgeting with her hair, her chaperone standing a few yards away, as she waited for John Bergman to come to the phone. Technically he was Tom’s solicitor, they were buddies from school, but she’d met him at several social events. She’d had to ring his home number, given the late hour, and his wife answered, not too pleased about the interruption to their evening. She’d tried to fob Natalie off and it took a few minutes of pleading to persuade her that it was important enough to disturb her husband.
‘Natalie?’ His booming voice filled her ear. She registered a note of caution and cringed. She didn’t really know him well enough to be asking for a favour, but he was the only legal person she knew.
‘Look, John, I’m so sorry to ring you at home…’
‘We’re having a dinner party.’
‘Yes… yes, your wife said.’ Natalie’s hand tightened round the receiver, almost ready to put it down. ‘I’m so sorry to disturb you, but I have a problem. I need your help.’
‘Oh?’ He sighed.
‘I think… I think I’ve been arrested.’ Her cheeks were burning.
‘Ah.’
There was a silence. She waited for him to ask her why, but he didn’t, so she stumbled on.
‘Something to do with the business.’
‘Look, Natalie, I have to stop you there. It would be a conflict of interests for me to speak to you.’
‘What?’
‘Anything to do with the business, I’m afraid I act for Tom.’
Was this man being deliberately obtuse? ‘Okay, but we’re married, so don’t you act for me as well?’
‘I’m sorry, Natalie. I can’t discuss my client’s business or personal interests with you.’
His words were harsh and unexpected, taking her breath away.
‘Okay, I understand that,’ she said, carefully changing tack, keeping her voice as calm as she could. ‘But is there someone in your firm who could act for me?’
The phone buzzed. She’d lost the connection and she cursed the battered handset she was using. She dialled again. The number was engaged. She tried again and again and it wasn’t until her fifth attempt that it dawned on her that he’d taken the phone off the hook. She stared at the handset like it had just bitten her, a sense of foreboding draping itself around her like Dracula’s cloak.
‘No luck?’ asked her chaperone.
She shook her head and chewed at her lip. What now?
‘Would you like the duty solicitor?’
He lifted the receiver, fingers ready to dial. She nodded. What else could she do?
Shortly after midnight, a young woman in a black suit and white shirt turned up, looking hot and flustered, eyes bleary and red. Natalie thought she must have got dressed in the dark because her shirt was buttoned up wrong and her dark hair was clipped in a comb thing, with a clump falling out at the back. She looked cross. Natalie was furious, like an animal backed into a corner.
‘Steph Bradley,’ the solicitor said, holding out a hand, no smile, a hostile look in her eyes, like Natalie had wronged her in some way. ‘Right.’ She looked at her watch. ‘We’ve got half an hour to go through everything, then you’re in for an interview under caution.’
Natalie swallowed. ‘Can I speak to my husband?’
‘No,’ the solicitor said, frowning at Natalie as if she was stupid. ‘And you won’t be able to speak to him while this case is ongoing, given that he’s your employer and is a potential witness for the prosecution.’
Natalie gripped the edge of her seat. She really hadn’t considered that aspect to their relationship. But that couldn’t be right. He wouldn’t give evidence against me, would he? Her mind stuttered as it tried to process the idea that her husband would do such a thing. No. He just wouldn’t. However strained their marriage, he’d been brought up in an old-fashioned way and considered himself to be the protector of his family. His loyalty to her was an undeniable fact. Her thoughts paused for a second. Unless they make him.
Her solicitor sat down and dropped a large shoulder bag to the floor with a thump, then slapped a folder onto the table before taking a notepad and pen from her bag. She opened the folder, read a sheet of paper and frowned before looking at Natalie.
‘Okay, so you’re accused of taking one point two million from one of your clients’ investment accounts.’
Christ! That sounded so bad when it was said out loud. The tension in Natalie’s shoulders notched a bit tighter, her heart thudding in her chest. In the hours that Natalie had been waiting for her solicitor to turn up, she had come to the realisation that there was no way for the money to have disappeared that didn’t involve her. It must have been a mistake, a transposition of numbers. So easy to do when you were tired and had your mind at home with your baby, rather than at work with your clients’ fortunes. But she hadn’t stolen the money. No way. It was an honest mistake. That was all. A mistake.
‘I didn’t do it,’ she said. It sounded feeble, even to her ears. She tasted blood as her teeth nipped at her lip, her heart rate picking up. What happens if nobody believes me?
Her solicitor gave a humph and put down her pen. She crossed her arms, a weary look in her eyes. ‘You’re going to have to do better than that.’
Natalie stared at her and wondered why she was a defence solicitor. Isn’t she supposed to be on my side?
‘This is a mistake,’ Natalie said, tapping the table with a finger. ‘A clerical error of some sort. I don’t know what’s happened, but if I could go to the office and look at my client’s records, then I’m sure I could sort it out.’
The solicitor stared at her, silent for a long moment. Natalie could feel her nostrils flaring, breath puffing out of her as her frustration mounted. Why isn’t this woman listening?
‘Well, you’re going to have to give me something. Tell me how you’re going to prove that you didn’t steal the money because the trail leads back to you. The police have evidence, which they want to discuss with you in—’ she looked at her watch ‘—fifteen minutes.’
Natalie stared at her, lightheaded.
‘I… um…’ Christ, I need to say something, anything to try and get this woman to work with me rather than against me. ‘Okay, so I’ve just come back from maternity leave and have started to pick up my clients again. Mr Christopoulos—’ she nodded to the piece of paper in her solicitor’s hand, which was a summary of Mr Christopoulos’s investment account with the business ‘—he was one of the first clients I ever dealt with, and he insisted I should carry on looking after his portfolio. Wouldn’t let anyone else near it, even while I was off on maternity leave.’
Natalie thought about the small, slender man with a shiny head and bulbous nose, who’d made his money in shipping. A friend of Tom’s father. He had money stashed all over the world, and the few million pounds he invested with Tom’s company was just play money. He liked to take risks and she’d enjoyed doing the research, finding the right companies and funds for him to invest in, advising him when to buy and sell.
The solicitor nodded, made a winding motion with her hand.
Natalie sat up straight, more comfortable now that she had a clear picture of her client in her mind. She could visualise their meeting, hear the conversation in her head. She nodded, her confidence rising. Somebody had made a mistake somewhere, but that somebody wasn’t her. It could be the banking system. Unusual, but it wasn’t unknown for there to be occasional problems.
She looked at her sol
icitor. ‘We had a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Decided things were going well and we wouldn’t make any changes for the time being.’ She frowned as she replayed the meeting in her mind.
‘So, you are the only person in the business who has dealings with this client?’
‘Yes. I’m the only person with the passwords to his accounts.’ That doesn’t sound good, does it? ‘We have a strict procedure, for client security. That’s why this has got to be a mistake. I haven’t done any work on his account for over six months. I know I haven’t.’
‘So, who transferred a lump sum of money into an account in the Cayman Islands if it wasn’t you?’
Natalie started to feel unbearably hot. Beads of sweat blossomed on her brow.
‘The Cayman Islands? Are you sure about that?’
‘Why? Does that mean anything to you?’
Little black dots invaded her vision. She took a sip of water, tried to calm her breathing. Did she remember signing forms to open an account there?
Her fingers rubbed at her temples as she tried to get things clear in her mind. ‘Maybe. I don’t know.’
The solicitor gave her a searing look.
Then the door opened and Geoff poked his head round.
‘We’d like to interview your client now,’ he said, as if Natalie wasn’t there.
The interview under caution was very short. A slam dunk for the police because they’d done their homework and had more than enough evidence. Very neat and tidy.
She stared at the police officers as they read out the charges, their voices sounding far away as she shrank inside her body, like a snail retreating into its shell. It had all happened so fast. This can’t be real, can it? Maybe she’d misunderstood the proceedings in some way? She turned to her solicitor, expecting her to say something to stop the process, but she didn’t. She just nodded and left the room along with the police officers.
Left alone once more, Natalie slumped forwards, her elbows on the table, hands cradling her head. She pulled at her hair, using the pain to blot out the thoughts of what might happen next.
She’d been charged with theft.
What was Tom going to say when he came to take her home? And her mother? She shuddered at the thought, unable to work out how it could have happened, no recollection of making the transfer. But I must have done, mustn’t I? She was going to have to go and see the doctor about these blanks in her life, no doubt about it. This was getting scary now. Worse than scary. She’d just ruined her career, possibly her marriage and goodness knows what effect it would have on her family, the business and their reputation. Had she ruined her son’s future? She lay her head on the table, welcoming the cool metal against her forehead, tears trickling off her nose.
Eventually, her solicitor came back in, grim-faced, looking as weary as Natalie felt.
‘I’m sorry, but you’ve been denied bail. They’re going to be taking you to Stanbridge Prison.’
Prison? Natalie looked at her like a startled rabbit. Was that what she just said?
Natalie shook her head, her heart forgetting its rhythm. ‘No way am I going to prison! No way! I can’t. I’ve got a baby.’ Her chest was tight and she was panting like she was about to give birth. It hadn’t entered her mind that she wouldn’t be going home, not for a minute.
‘I’m sorry, but that’s what’s happening. Apparently, some airline tickets were found in your desk at the office. One-way tickets for you and your son to Brazil.’ Natalie stared at her solicitor, unable to speak. ‘As you may know, the UK has no extradition treaty with Brazil. They think you might take your son and do a runner, so they won’t risk letting you out on bail. You’ll be held at Stanbridge on remand.’
‘But… but…’ The words stuck in her mouth as her world dissolved. ‘I didn’t book any tickets.’ She shook her head. ‘I didn’t.’ The solicitor was packing up her stuff and Natalie grabbed her hand to make her listen, sobs catching in her throat. ‘Please, you’ve got to believe me.’ The solicitor shook Natalie’s hand off hers and slung her bag over her shoulder, giving her a hard stare.
‘Look, Natalie, I’m afraid begging is not going to work with me. The tickets were booked with the Co-operative travel agents in town. The police have been to see them, and they picked out a picture of you as the person they had sold the tickets to. Really, there’s no point lying to me because the only way I can do my best for you is if you tell me the truth.’
‘But I am,’ Natalie sobbed. ‘I am telling the truth.’
The solicitor pressed her lips into a thin line, then turned and walked away, while a police officer escorted Natalie to a cell to await transportation. Alone in an alien world, she huddled in a corner, aching for her son, her husband, her home while fear and misery held on to her like clammy hands.
Nine
Now
Natalie’s hands fly to her mouth as Sasha hits the ground with a thump, arms hugging her stomach.
‘Sasha! Christ, I’m so sorry,’ she says as she crouches beside her, hands flexing, unsure whether to touch her or not. ‘You startled me.’
‘Fucking hell, Nat!’ Sasha forces the words through clenched teeth. She turns onto her side and gets onto her knees. Natalie stands, biting her lip as she watches Sasha struggle to her feet and lean against the wall, still hugging her stomach. ‘Christ!’
‘I’m sorry, Sash, honestly… it’s just that…’ Heat flushes round Natalie’s body as she hunts for the right thing to say.
‘Just what?’
‘Where I’ve been, if somebody comes at you from behind, you know they’re up to no good. Pointy object in the kidneys, or neck or something.’ She shuffles from foot to foot, appalled by what she’s done, not sure how this is going to work out.
They stand and look at each other for a moment.
‘Oh, Sash, it’s so good to see you.’
The years of being apart fall away and she wraps Sasha in a hug, drawn to the memory of their friendship like iron filings to a magnet. They’re about the same size, which makes hugging that much easier and Natalie clutches Sasha to her, breathing in her perfume, relishing the feel of Sasha’s cheek against her own. Tension flows out of her in a sigh that goes on and on until her lungs are empty, the warmth of a familiar body making her feel giddy as she embraces the idea that she’s back in the real world. A world where she has a proper friend.
‘I’m so, so sorry,’ she says and hugs Sasha harder. ‘Please forgive me.’
After a moment, Sasha hugs her back and Natalie’s muscles start to relax. Eventually, it’s Sasha who pushes away. She shakes her head.
‘Fuck, Nat! I can’t believe it’s you.’ Her eyes travel up and down Natalie’s body. ‘You’ve… er… Wow, I honestly didn’t recognise you.’
‘I know.’ Natalie flaps at her clothes. ‘Lost a bit of weight. Thought I’d have a go at being blonde.’ She shrugs, her throat too thick with emotion to speak.
Sasha narrows her eyes, puts a hand on Natalie’s shoulder and gives it a gentle rub. ‘Are you okay?’
Natalie laughs instead of answering because that’s a really stupid question. Of course I’m not okay.
‘Wow,’ Sasha says again, eyes searching Natalie’s face, a smile playing on her lips. ‘You’re out already. I thought it was going to be… well, I didn’t know when they were going to let you out. Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘It was a surprise for me as well,’ Natalie says. ‘Ran out of space to lock up dangerous women, I think.’ She laughs. Sasha frowns. Natalie runs a hand through her hair. ‘I would have told you, but I don’t have your number anymore. Would you believe they lost my phone? All my contacts gone, so I couldn’t have told you.’ It’s a poor excuse, she knows, because it would have been easy enough to track down Sasha’s mum who could have given her the number. She stumbles on. ‘And you said you were away filming for a few months, so I… um…’ She smiles at Sasha. ‘Thought I’d surprise you when you got back.’
Sasha raises her eyebrows and rubs he
r stomach. ‘Yeah, it’s a surprise all right.’
The band hits a crescendo of screaming guitars and crashing drums, making Sasha wince. She takes hold of Natalie’s arm, wheels her round and starts walking her towards the exit. ‘Come on, you mad cow, we can’t talk with this racket going on, let’s go and get a drink.’
She steers Natalie out of the building, fingers clasping Natalie’s elbow like a claw. Natalie’s mother used to drag her along the road like this when she was cross with her and Natalie understands Sasha’s reaction, accepts that she deserves it after that punch.
‘I can’t believe you were at that gig,’ Natalie says. ‘Not your sort of thing, is it?’
Sasha laughs. ‘No, you’re right about that. I was dragged along, didn’t have much choice, to be honest. The producer of this film I’m in is a director of the charity that organised the event, so he forced us all to buy a ticket.’ She lets go of Natalie’s elbow and links arms with her instead, pulling her close. ‘Glad to have an excuse to get out of there, to be honest. As you know, I’m a Lady Gaga kinda girl.’ She flicks a puzzled glance at Natalie. ‘Come to think of it, rock music’s not really your thing either, is it?’
Natalie stops and pulls away from Sasha, stuffs her hands in her pockets. She doesn’t want to go to the pub, hasn’t got time for a cosy chat. Enough time has been wasted already. She needs to know, right now, if Sasha’s going to help her or not.
‘I’m in a bit of a rush, Sash. I’m sorry but I can’t go for a drink.’
‘You are joking, aren’t you?’ A flicker of hurt crosses Sasha’s face. ‘After all this time…’
‘Look, I’ve got to find Harry.’
Sasha looks puzzled for a moment. ‘Harry? Oh God. Of course. They moved here, didn’t they? I had totally forgotten. But that makes sense now, why you’re here of all places. Is that where you’re off to in such a rush?’ She sighs, clearly disappointed. ‘It’s okay, I suppose we can have a drink another time.’ She puts out a hand and rubs Natalie’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry about it. I understand.’
