Ghigau 24

24. Monday 17th

 

 

Lenny set off for the office just after midday. The once lush-green parks had turned the colour of straw, their ancient trees drooping like fatigued giants, as if the energy was being sucked out of them by the unabating sun. He tried to remember when he had last seen a cloud and then wondered how long this drought would last and whether Nikki would be home before the weather broke. 

    When he arrived Jake was out at lunch and not expected back for another half an hour. Lenny sat looking at Jake’s vacant and messy desk, wrestling with his conscience and fighting the urge to walk over and open Jake’s laptop. He disliked being sly or dishonest but instinct told him that he wasn’t being given the whole story about Jake's gambling debts and it didn't take him long to put aside his qualms.

    Both he and Jake kept electronic diaries and shared work meetings, messages and emails with each other, but the diary system also had the facility to log private events, which were unshared, and this was what Lenny wanted to see. He clicked on the screen of Jake’s computer. The white password box with its blinking cursor appeared. He typed in SCRUM69  (Jake had never been careful with his passwords, or particularly original) and the screen cleared to reveal a desktop background picture of Ellis Genge scoring the only try against Scotland in the 2020 Six Nations Tournament. 

    Lenny opened the diary app and scrolled back a week. The personal appointments were easy enough to spot as they were highlighted in purple text rather than white on a black background. 

    Lenny glanced up to check that Jake hadn’t arrived. He had a view of the back of Liam’s head at the reception desk from this position, and could just about see the leading edge of the main door to the street, which remained closed.

He selected ‘PERSONAL ONLY’ so that just Jake’s private appointments were shown…

    Hairdresser…

    Gym…

    Drinks with Oliver… (one of Jake’s Rugby buddies)

    Mr Smith…

 

    Mr Smith? This entry was in bold with an exclamation mark. There was a location, an address in Watford that didn’t mean anything to Lenny. He brought up Google and typed the address in. Street view revealed it to be a bland looking semi detached house in a residential street. ‘Why did you mark this in bold mate?’ Lenny muttered to himself.  He clicked again to open the entry but the notes section was blank. 

    Jake’s voice boomed out from the other side of the glass, “Liam you reprobate, what’s happening? Any action?” 

    Lenny could hear Liam’s giggly response but the words weren’t clear. He hurriedly closed the diary app, shut the laptop lid and put the mouse back roughly where he thought it had been before he disturbed it. By the time Jake entered the room he was at his own desk, shuffling papers.

    “Afternoon,” said Jake cautiously. Clearly he hadn’t expected Lenny to be there and looked embarrassed to have been overheard bantering with Liam.

    “Hi Jake,” Lenny kept his tone even, but his stomach churned a little in anticipation of a tense conversation.

    Jake sat in the client chair on the other side of Lenny’s desk, he was short of breath and sweating.

    “How are you mate? I saw the press conference thing, you really held it together well. Came across really good, I thought.” Jake wore an expression of deep concern.

    “It wasn’t easy, I felt… awkward.” Lenny confessed.

    “Of course, of course,” Jake nodded. “But like I say, you came across really well, very genuine, very…” He dried up.

    “Everything seems to take so long, meanwhile Nikki is out there somewhere, God knows where or with whom, it’s driving me crazy. I have to do something. I just don’t know what.” Lenny said gloomily.

    “What makes you think she’s with someone?” Jake looked shocked.

    Lenny deduced that Jake hadn’t seen the cctv. He filled him in with the latest developments and as he relayed the information about the car that Nikki had been filmed getting into, he thought he saw Jake’s face stiffen just a little, but perhaps he was imagining it.

    “That’s crazy Lenny, just so crazy, Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief, why would Nikki get into a strange car?  But at least you know she’s ok, I mean she hasn’t had an accident or anything, you know?”

    Lenny pointed out that it only meant Nikki was ok when the images were captured, nobody knew what had happened since. But he agreed, it was better than finding out she’d been run over or worse.

    “Are they tracing the car?” Jake asked.

    “They’re looking in to it. Apparently it was on false number plates, or at least cloned from a similar car.” Lenny responded, as he stood to go and make them a coffee.

    “That makes it sound very organised, as if it was planned.” Jake observed.

    Lenny turned to look at Jake. He sat back down slowly, thinking.

    “Do you know I hadn’t thought of it that way. How did I not see that? It does seem as if someone knew she would be there doesn’t it?” He frowned, trying to make sense of this idea, then realisation dawned on his face. “And that they planned to take her!”

    “You mean like, kidnap her?” Jake said, doubtfully. “But didn’t you say she got in the car of her own accord?”

    “Yes, it looked that way, Lenny agreed. But…” He stood up again and crossed the room, pressing his fingers to his temple, as if to marshal his thoughts, before turning to Jake. 

    “But there wasn’t any audio so we don’t know what whoever was in the car was saying to her, who knows what she was being told? Maybe they threatened her.”    

    He fumbled for his phone and held it out at an angle so that Jake could see the screen. 

    “I’ve got the cctv here, look.” He brought up the video and tapped play. The grainy image of the car, and Nikki talking to the passenger in the rear, appeared.

    When it was over, Jake sat back and thought for a few moments before speaking. 

    “I don’t know what to think Lenny, it looks like she got in the car of her own accord but without knowing what was said, who knows why?”

    Lenny ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. “I know, I know.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. Lenny was first to speak.

    “Look Jake, this situation is impossible for me. I can’t concentrate on the business and worry about my missing wife…” He left the statement hanging there.

    Jake’s face creased with concern. “Listen mate, take all the time you need, of course, goes without saying.” He went to put a hand on Lenny’s shoulder and then seemed to think better of it.

    “I need more than time.” Lenny said. His face was calm but inside his heart thumped a little faster. 

    “Whatever you need, of course.” Jake said, his voice quieter. Head inclined, he was reluctant to meet Lenny’s gaze.

    Lenny waited until Jake looked up and then said, “I think it’s time for me to move on Jake, I want to sell.” He stood and paced the office slowly, letting his words sink in, then went on, “I’m happy if you want to buy me out, but given the circumstances I can appreciate that might not be possible. Our agreement states that if either of us wants to sell and the other can’t meet the price, then we sell the business. And that’s what I want to do.” 

    Jake’s face, calm until now, crumpled all at once, “Jesus Lenny, seriously? You can’t do that to me man.” He half stood, then sat back down heavily, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. He said quietly, “You’re just under too much pressure Lenny, the whole thing with Nikki, my debt thing, it’s all too much. You just need to step back, take a bit of time to think mate.”

    Lenny remained standing. “It’s not the pressure Jake. It’s the trust.” He felt himself becoming agitated and made an effort to measure his speech. “You said this would never happen again, but it has happened, and it’s still not sorted. Pretty soon I might find myself in partnership with your bookies if things go badly. You’ve put me in an impossible position. Either we can agree a way forward or I’ll be getting a lawyer.”

    Jake’s head snapped up. “Christ Lenny, there’s no need for that!”

    “Well, then don’t fight me on this Jake.”

    “But what about the GREnergy contract? It’s worth more than we invoiced for the whole of last year, just for this job. We can’t lose that.” Jake’s expression pleaded with Lenny.

    “I can’t help that, there’s never going to be a right time Jake.” Lenny was firm.

    Jake was spluttering now, “B..b..but surely we can wait until we get that under our belt? I mean can’t we kind of do the ground work, maybe get things in place and then finalise after we have the contract under way?” His face was a picture of desperation. “And how are we going to make a successful sale while this situation with Nikki is going on? I mean, until she’s back you aren’t going to be able to handle things as it is, never mind the extra pressure of trying to sell the business.”

    Lenny felt a tug on his reasoning. Jake was right about this point. He had been so focused on getting out he hadn’t really considered how difficult it might be. And when Jake had said, ‘until she’s back’ he had felt a lurch of panic at the same time as a rush of gratefulness to Jake for assuming Nikki would be coming home. He folded his arms, he didn’t want to appear weak. He realised he didn’t care any more about the GREnergy contract and the involvement of a man like Aidan Hulme, it just didn’t matter. He only cared about Nikki and getting her home. The business was just something to turn in to cash if possible, its reputation would be someone else’s problem not his.

    Finally he said, “If I can see progress Jake, I mean real progress, a sales document drawn up, an audit, business agents appointed, etc. I’ll agree to delay until the contract is under way. I would say that’s three months tops.”

    The relief on Jake’s face was obvious. “Absolutely, absolutely Lenny,” he said.

 

Later, at home, Lenny looked up the address in Watford again and resolved to go and take a look. Despite having it out with Jake, he still felt uneasy, as if something, or someone, just beyond his view, in the periphery of his understanding, might be manoeuvring against him.