by Rob Wyllie
She closed her notebook and stood up. 'So, good progress I think Magdalene? And I must ask, have you been to an art auction before?'
'Never.'
'Well I think you will find it very interesting. The little Casagemas is under the hammer at Sotheby's next Tuesday and you really must come along. The guide is only eighteen thousand pounds which I think is an amazing opportunity for you. Especially since you like the painting so much.'
Maggie nodded. 'Yes, I'll look forward to that, it's very exciting. And I must say, you have been so helpful, I really do feel I'm in good hands.' And it was true. Lotti Brückner had an authority about her that could not be easily faked. As far as that part of her back-story was concerned, Hugo Morgan had nothing to be worried about.
But there was something he should be very worried about. 1991 was a big year, the year of the traumatic fake divorce of the non-existent Magdalene Slattery's non-existent parents. And also, if Lotti Brückner was really thirty years old, the year of her birth. And yet she had said nothing. No reaction. Nil. Suspicious, because in Maggie's experience, whenever your birth year was mentioned in conversation, you just couldn't help yourself. You would smile modestly and say that was the year I was born. Everyone did it, as if it was a programmed reaction. Lotti hadn't. So she had definitely lied to Morgan about her age.
Then to her surprise, she noticed Jimmy take out a cheap ballpoint from an inner pocket of his jacket and reach across for one of the catalogues. She wasn't wearing her reading glasses, but by squinting hard she could just about make out what he had scribbled in a corner of the cover, before, with a knowing smile, he slid it across the table to Lotti.
James McDuff 07461 095712
Chapter 12
It was an incongruous setting for a meeting with a billionaire, but the fact that she could have given him an update on the Lotti investigation in a five-minute phone call was neither here nor there. He was the customer, and if he wanted a face-to-face meeting in a fast-food restaurant, then so be it. It was early for lunch, just quarter to twelve, and the place was only half-full when she arrived. Hugo Morgan was already there, seated in a quiet corner opposite a young girl in school uniform who could only be his youngest daughter Jasmine. Two tables away, Maggie recognised Vinny the security guy who had been at the Brasenose Trust quarterly update, dressed casually in an ill-fitting track suit and Chelsea FC beanie hat, clearly trying but failing to merge into the background. She shouldn't have been surprised. A rich and prominent financier needed to be very careful when he ventured out in public, especially with the events of the last couple of days. First the graffiti on the wall of his Kensington mansion, then the threatening letters in the post, the crude messages formed from words snipped from newspapers, like something from a nineteen-forties movie. Actions have Consequences. Justice for Greenway. As she approached him, she noticed he had one in front of him now, studying it closely as if that would yield a clue to its origin.
'Hello Hugo,' she said, glancing at the sheet as she took the seat opposite him. 'I've heard.'
He smiled. 'Yes, pathetic isn't it? I mean, Justice for Greenway, what a joke. They should have been sending all this stuff to bloody Belinda Milner. It was her that screwed these shareholders, not me.'
Maggie looked at him, momentarily dumbstruck. Bloody Belinda Milner, dismissed so callously by this man, had killed herself leaving a husband and teenage daughter. But the fact didn't seem to concern him in the least.
'Yeah, she was totally useless,' he continued. 'Anyway, this is my youngest daughter Jasmine. We call her Yazz.'
She gave Maggie a shy smile. 'Hi.'
'Hi Yazz, nice to meet you,' Maggie said. 'Gosh, is that a double cheeseburger? I haven't had one of these for ages, but you've helped me make up my mind. That's what I'm going to have too.'
'We don't do this too often,' Morgan said apologetically, 'but we've been at the dentist this morning getting measured up for a brace so we decided a little treat was called for. Although as you can see we've opted for water rather than anything teeth-rotting. And Yazz is as thin as a pencil so it won't do her any harm, will it darling?'
'No dad,' she said through a mouthful of fries.
This was a side of Hugo Morgan Maggie hadn't seen before. He was much more relaxed in the company of his youngest, shorn of the thrusting action-man demeanour that was his normal accompaniment, and the girl was perfectly delightful and clearly adored by her father. But then she remembered the discarded Felicity Morgan, shut out from these precious family moments simply for getting too old. Yes, maybe her initial impression was right after all. It was best not to get taken in by all this happy families stuff. And it was a bit strange that he was here for an update on the Lotti matter in the company of one of his kids. But then she learned Morgan's tame gorilla wasn't just there to protect his boss. He was the baby-sitter too.
'Yazz, go and sit with Vinny, will you darling?'
'Can I get a coke please?'
He smiled. 'Yes, well I'm sure if you ask him nicely he might get you one.' Obediently, she picked up her burger carton and slid off to Vinny's table.
'What a lovely girl' Maggie said. 'You must be very proud of her.'
'I am of course. She's lovely. Both of them are. I'm very lucky. Are you eating by the way? If you are I'll get Vinny to sort it.'
She tapped her phone. 'I've got the app. My son Ollie loves them. I know I shouldn't indulge him, but as you say, an occasional treat doesn't do any harm.' She gave a guilty shrug which he acknowledged with a wry smile.
'Anyway, how have you got on? With Lotti.'
'Yes, well I've made contact. Twice in fact, and undercover of course. I'm now Mrs Magdalene Slattery, a rich Hampstead widow. It's all going pretty well I think.'
He looked at her sharply. 'Especially with Robert Trelawney?'
She blushed. 'How did you know about that?'
'Lotti's told me all about her new client. About you.'
Now she was beginning to realise what she had known from the start, that accepting Robert's invite had been a mistake, adding an unnecessary complication to affairs. But it probably wasn't going to be a smart move to admit that right now.
'I thought it might help me with the investigation, find out what he knows about her. After all, he would have presumably checked her credentials before taking her on.' Said out loud, it sounded perfectly plausible. 'I do feel a little bad about deceiving him, but it's part of the job I'm afraid.'
Her explanation seemed to have convinced him. He shrugged then said, 'Yeah, I guess so. So, what about Lotti?'
Maggie smiled, happy to leave the little awkwardness behind. 'Yes, well, so far, so good I think. She certainly is very knowledgeable about her subject, I've no doubt about that. And so far she has been very discrete about her private life. She has told me she is with someone -that's you of course- but that is all she's revealed. As I say, very discrete and professional.'
She wondered if Lotti had mentioned Jimmy to her fiancé. No particular reason why she should perhaps, but given that she had told Morgan about the Trelawney date, she might be expected to mention that her new client Magdalene Slattery seemed to already have a boyfriend. That would be the type of tittle-tattle that a couple might find amusing. But he didn't bring it up.
'Well that's all very reassuring,' Morgan said. 'So what happens next?'
Maggie had anticipated the question and was able to answer it half-truthfully. 'Well Lotti has arranged for me to go to Sotheby's to look at a Casagemas...'
He gave her an amused look. 'A what...?'
'He's a Catalan artist,' she said, laughing. 'And no, I'd never heard of him either. But maybe you should look him up Hugo, because I think you may end up owning one of his paintings soon. But yes, Lotti and I are going to the auction together and it will give me the chance to get to know her better.'
The other thing that would happen next, and which in actual fact was happening at that very moment, was a deep dive into Lotti Brückner's back-story. The fa
mily history, the galleries in Switzerland, that should be relatively easy to verify, as would be her academic record. If she really was a graduate of Germany's prestigious Heidelberg University, then there would be records, and naturally the year of her graduation, if she had earned a degree at the institution, would give a pretty reliable clue to her real age. Neither she nor Jimmy spoke German, but Elsa, the super-smart Czech girl who administered their shared Fleet Street office did, and she would run through a burning ring of fire for her adored Jimmy Stewart. Maggie had left them scouring the internet for contact phone numbers and she wouldn't be the least surprised if they had progress to report when she got back. But she wasn't planning to share any of this with Hugo Morgan right now.
'Yes, so I think a couple of more meetings and I should have all the information I need. But it all looks perfectly ok at the moment.' Except for that thing about her age. They needed to get to the bottom of that and she intended to keep that doubt to herself until she had some evidence that either confirmed or demolished her suspicions.
Morgan nodded. 'Well that's great Maggie, I'm relieved. But actually, that's not the only reason I wanted to meet with you.'
She couldn't hide her surprise. 'Excuse me?'
He slid the cut-and-paste letter across the table. 'These guys. I want you to find out who's doing this. Find out who's behind it all.' Now she understood why he wanted to meet in person. This wasn't something you could do over the phone.
'Hugo, this isn't really our line of work...'
'Why not?' he said. 'You're investigators, aren't you?'
'Yes, but... isn't this a matter for the police?'
'I've tried them and they don't want to know. No crime has been committed sir. Just some cranks sir, ignore them and they'll go away. That's all they had to say. Bloody useless. So come on. Will you do it, or do I need to find someone else?'
She was acutely aware of what happened the last time she'd given an impulsive answer to an unexpected question. But this time she had a Plan B. So in for a penny, in for a pound. That was another of her dad's favourites. But she tried her best to sound reluctant.
'Ok Hugo, we'll take a look for you. But please understand, I'm not promising anything, and obviously if anything serious happens, you'll have to get the police involved.' That was the stock answer, but she already knew a policeman who might well be interested in Hugo Morgan and his little Justice for Greenway problem. Plan B. What was it he said his department did? Cases that weren't really cases but might become cases, something like that. The only problem was, she wasn't sure if Frank was still speaking to her. How could she have known he was going to ask her then, of all times? First he went bright red, then he clammed up, then with barely a word to either of them, he'd made some stupid excuse before rushing out of the bar. What a fool she had been, blurting it out without thinking. I'm sorry, I've got a date with another guy. No wonder he'd reacted the way he did, and now God knows when or even if they would get another chance.
Morgan nodded. 'Yeah understood. But I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. It's not great for business. It spooks the investors and we've got a lot of money to spend on that damn mine if we've any hope of turning it around.'
'Well obviously we'll try,' she said. 'But really Hugo, this isn't something we've done before.' That was true, and what was also true was that she didn't have the faintest clue where to start. But she realised she was already intrigued by the case, and she was pretty sure that if she and Jimmy brainstormed it for half an hour or so, some plan of action, however half-baked, would probably emerge. Somewhere to start at least, which was all they needed.
'Expenses are no object of course,' he was saying, 'because I expect you'll have to go up there and dig around a bit. Quite a nice part of the country.'
She smiled. 'Yes, I love the Lakes. We went there a lot when I was a child.'
Yazz and Vinny the security guy had appeared alongside them with her order, which they had collected from the counter. This time it was Yazz who was wearing the Chelsea beanie hat, pulled down so that it almost covered her eyes. 'Double cheeseburger with large fries and a large Diet Coke,' he announced in a comically formal tone. 'And a large regular Coke for the little lady.'
Yazz gave her father a fond smile. 'Is that all right daddy? Vinny said you wouldn't mind, not this once.'
He laughed. 'Sure darling, but you'll have to brush your teeth twice as much tonight before bed. And don't forget to give Vinny his hat back. It's his most treasured possession.'
'He's fond of her, isn't he?' Maggie said after they had gone back to their table.
'Yeah, versatile guy. He'll do anything for us. He's officially my driver, but he can handle himself, so, yeah, he comes in very useful.'
She'd witnessed his usefulness first hand at the Brasenose event when that journalist was intent in causing trouble. Officially, he might be his driver but she had little doubt where his real value to Morgan lay. The menacing hard-man, the skills honed on match days in the quiet streets around Stamford Bridge. After a few pints at the Red Lion, there would be a bit of a rumpus with the away supporters, then onto the match itself, a few more beers at the ground warming them up for the monkey chants and profanities they enjoyed hurling at their opponent's black players. Yes, a handy guy to have around when there was trouble, no doubt.
But then a thought came to her. That journalist from the Chronicle, whatever his name was. If anyone knew who was behind this Justice for Greenway stuff, it would be him. It shouldn't be too hard to track him down and she knew he would definitely agree to speak to them as soon as she mentioned she was working for Hugo Morgan. Brilliant. Now she had a plan and couldn't wait to get started.
'Hugo, if you don't mind, I'm just going to take my lunch with me and head back to the office. You've just doubled our case load so we don't have time to hang about. And Jimmy's been doing some more work on Lotti's background. I'm keen to find out how he's got on.'
He gave a broad smile as he stood up, extending a hand. 'Yeah, by all means Maggie. I'm paying you by the hour so I don't want you swanning around on lunch dates on my tab. So off you go then. Quicker you get started the better, and let me know as soon as you find out anything interesting.'
That wasn't going to take long.
◆◆◆
She got back to the office to find Jimmy and Elsa half way through their own takeaway meal, his desk littered with half a tree's worth of so-called eco packaging, which caused just as much litter and landfill as the old polystyrene items. She was sitting on the edge of his desk, leaning over, quite deliberately in Maggie's opinion, so that he could get a view of her neat cleavage, on full display in the deep v-neck of her lambswool sweater, and as usual, they were sharing some private joke. Minx. That was the word that always came to mind when she thought of Elsa. Pretty and smart, and no more than twenty-five years old, lust for life radiating from every pore. And a lust for Jimmy Stewart too, although as far as she was aware, a lust unconsummated. He didn't speak about his private life much, although she was pretty sure he wasn't seeing anyone at the moment. What she did know was that he had been hit pretty hard when his relationship with that Swedish country singer had fallen apart. From time to time she caught him looking at her Facebook and Instagram posts. Astrid Sorensen, a real princess and bursting with raw sexuality. Nashville's new biggest thing. The woman who had ruined his marriage, leaving him wallowing in regret.
'Hi guys, I see you're having fun,' Maggie said brightly. 'You know, I was just thinking. We've not really looked at Lotti's social media, have we?'
'There isn't any,' Jimmy said. 'Not that we can find.'
Elsa nodded. 'Yes, that was first place we looked. But nothing.'
'Nothing at all?'
'She's on email and WhatsApp but that's all,' Jimmy said. 'We thought maybe it was because of Hugo.'
'We Google search and found she was on Instagram until few months ago,' Elsa said, 'but her account is deleted now so no information. So we think Hugo says no to
social media. That can be only explanation.'
Maggie smiled. 'Well we can easily find out if that's true. I'll ask him. But don't worry about that right now. Have you found anything else?'
'Yeah lots,' Jimmy said. 'Elsa's a wee genius, she should have been an actress.'
She already is, thought Maggie, a wry smile crossing her lips.
'Zu erste,' he said. 'That means firstly in German. Elsa's been teaching me. Zu erste, we called the gallery in Zurich.'
'Yes, I call gallery and ask for Lotti. The girl says Abwarten bitte...'
'That means please wait in German,' Jimmy said, raising a hand in apology when he saw the sharp look from Maggie.
'A moment later, another voice who is Frau Brückner. Lotti's mother I think. I say I am Elsa Berger and I was at Heidelberg with Lotti. It is my thirtieth birthday and I want her to come to party but I can't find her because she is not on Facebook...'
'Which is true,' Jimmy said, 'although of course you know that.'
'And she says Heidelberg? Of course, very nice, then tells me Lotti is now working in London.'
Maggie gave a deep sigh. 'Well, that's all very...' Disappointing, that was the word she was searching for. But why should it be? They had been engaged to check out the background of Lotti Brückner, and if she turned out to be exactly who and what she said she was, then that had to be considered a success.
'...satisfactory isn't it?'
'And there's more,' Jimmy said. 'I hope you won't be too disappointed.
'What do you mean?'
He gave Elsa a nod, indicating she should continue.
'So I phone registrar office of Heidelberg University and ask for help. I am HR in big company and Miss L Brückner wants job. Can you confirm she holds degree I ask? She says it is online and I must email for one-time user-code and password. I email and user-code and password comes.'
