Lies of the Dead Read online

  He didn’t see Janine then or at lunchtime, and wondered if this was a waste of time. He thought of her voice on the audio file, and as he left the hotel for his late afternoon vigil, he told the receptionist he’d stay another night.

  As he turned onto the street leading to the square, a taxi stopped at the far end. A woman resembling Janine got out and paid the driver. Given the distance, Tom wasn’t certain it was her, but the woman was the right height and had dark auburn hair. He quickened his pace. As he reached the square, Janine waited for the lift in the building.

  His heart raced, and as he wandered around the bookstore he felt a sheen of sweat on his forehead. He had found her.

  He hoped she wouldn’t work long, and wasn’t sure if he was anxious or excited. He barely managed the pretence of browsing. About twenty minutes later she appeared, and he shoved the book back onto a shelf. This time she didn’t have the laptop bag. Maybe she had been at a client’s office. He didn’t care, she was here now.

  She sauntered along the street, and Tom slowed his usual pace. He followed her into the underground. After two days of sitting around, things were finally moving. It hadn’t been a stupid idea.

  He didn’t check which line she headed for, he’d worry about that later. He focused on keeping her in sight, but with enough distance between them so she wouldn’t spot him if she turned. The escalators were easy, as he could see her auburn head a dozen or so steps below him, but the tunnels were a problem. They were narrow and busy, and if he didn’t stay close enough he might take a wrong turn and lose her.

  Finally they were on the platform. Thank goodness she was taller than average, which made it easy to pick her out from the crowds of tourists and commuters that thronged the platform.

  The train rattled into the station, and Tom got into the same carriage, further along. He stood by the door, but lost sight of her when she sat down. No matter, he’d see her when she stood to get off. How could people travel like this every day? Crammed in together with no fresh air.

  The tube stopped, but Tom didn’t see her move. More people pushed on, the doors closed and they were off again.

  The station names didn’t interest him, he focused all his energy on the spot he’d last seen her.

  His chest tightened when she stood, and he waited until she was off the tube and headed towards the platform exit before he got off.

  Back at street level, the earlier drizzle had cleared. There were people around, but not enough to make him worry he might lose her.

  She turned into a side street, and Tom quickened his pace. He turned the corner in time to see her enter a small block of apartments. What to do now? He continued along the street and discovered it was a cul-de-sac. Good, that meant if she went out again she’d have to go towards the main road. Hopefully she didn’t have a car, as that would really screw things up. He turned, and sauntered back past the flats. This would be more difficult than the office. He couldn’t hang around outside the flats all night.

  Back on the main road, he checked to see if there was somewhere he could keep watch on the intersection. The cloud cover was thickening and the light wasn’t good. He couldn’t wander far from the intersection, or he’d miss her if she went out. That was a point. After a day at work, she probably wouldn’t go out. She’d cook dinner and watch television.

  He strode back to the apartments and pushed open the heavy front door. Thank goodness there wasn’t a security pad which required a number to get in, but there was no indication of who lived in the apartments either.

  His phone rang. Andi. He left the building as a young couple arrived home from work.

  ‘Anything new?’ asked Andi.

  Tom told her what had happened, and briefly grinned at her excited exclamation when she heard he’d found Janine.

  ‘I wish I was there.’

  ‘You wouldn’t. It’s chilly, and will probably rain again soon. I don’t have a clue which flat she lives in. Now I’ve thought about it, I should have spoken to her earlier. I’ll have to come back tomorrow and talk to her then.’

  He glanced around at the sound of voices. An older woman limped towards the entrance door, as someone held it open for her.

  ‘Thank you, dear,’ the older woman said.

  ‘Not a problem, Mrs White. How’s your knee?’

  The voice was kinder, softer than it had been in Liam’s flat, but definitely Janine.

  ‘Still painful, but better than it was.’

  ‘Andi, I’ve got to go.’ He shoved the phone into his pocket as he hurried after Janine, and caught up with her at the main road.

  ‘Hello, Janine.’

  She turned, and then stopped. The look of recognition on her face turned to fright. If she knew him better, she’d realise he was as nervous as her.

  ‘What do you want?’

  Tom sensed she was trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

  ‘Just a talk. I want some answers. I’ll even buy you dinner.’

  The streetlights came on, and in the dim light he saw her hand trembling on the strap of her bag.

  ‘I was on my way to the Thai restaurant.’

  ‘Good, that’s settled. Thai it is.’

  They walked side by side. He didn’t know if she thought about running, but he couldn’t honestly see how anyone could be intimidated by him.

  ‘Table for two,’ he said, inside the Thai Palace. ‘Somewhere quiet.’

  They sat at a table towards the back of the restaurant.

  ‘How did you find me?’ asked Janine, after they’d ordered.

  ‘It took a bit of work, but you mentioned your company name when you blackmailed Liam.’

  She gasped, and what little colour she had drained away.

  ‘How do you know?’ she whispered, then shook her head. ‘It wasn’t like that.’ She seemed almost on the point of tears.

  Tom felt guilty, but then gave himself a mental shake. This woman might have caused Liam’s death, and this could all be a put-on to gain his sympathy.

  ‘Liam recorded your conversation and left it with a lawyer.’

  Her mouth opened, but no words came.

  He glanced down at the table, but all he saw was her hand trembling against the white linen. ‘The lawyer didn’t hear the audio, just Andi and I. For now.’

  What! One minute he felt sorry for her, and the next he tried to sound like a hard man.

  ‘I want to know what you and Liam did. I want to know why he killed himself.’

  A slim Thai waitress approached their table. Tom leaned back in his seat as she spooned rice onto their plates. Another waitress placed their menu selections in the centre of the table.

  Tom put some chicken curry on his plate. Janine hadn’t moved.

  ‘Eat something,’ he gestured at the food. ‘And then we’ll talk.’

  She managed a mouthful, before she put down her fork. ‘It wasn’t like that at all.’

  ‘What was it like? I need to know.’

  ‘My parents pushed me into accountancy. I didn’t like it, still don’t, but I’m good at it. I find errors, things that are wrong. I work as an auditor for HFC’s clients.’

  Tom wanted her to talk about Liam, but guessed she needed to feel her way into what she had to say.

  ‘I hate it,’ she went on. ‘My life is about the negative. I wanted to be an artist, but my father told me there’s no money in that.’

  She sighed, and looked at Tom. ‘I know you want to hear about Liam, and what happened between us. He was smart. It was hard to find, and I almost didn’t. Some companies are their own worst enemies. No processes. No real internal audits.’

  She sat up straighter, as if to help her make Tom understand. In stumbling sentences, she explained Liam’s job and how he used clients’ money for his own trades. How he made the trail murky and difficult to find, and moved money through many different accounts.

  Tom tried to follow what she said, but he’d never been interested in, or understood, what Liam did. How coul
d people earn so much money, but not produce anything?

  ‘Liam was responsible for settling his own trades and error accounts,’ she paused, and then muttered. ‘The whole thing’s ludicrous. They didn’t monitor those accounts properly. You’d think they would have learnt by now.’

  ‘I don’t really understand what you’ve told me,’ said Tom.

  ‘The details aren’t important, at least not for you. Liam was good at what he did. I mean legally. He made the company a lot of money, so they didn’t check his accounts. But I’m certain what I found wasn’t anywhere close to the whole story. There were lots of trails, many of them led to legal deals, but something felt wrong. Liam wasn’t even annoyed. He treated the whole thing like a competition, as if it would prove which one of us was smarter.’

  ‘Did you two… did you go out?’

  Janine snorted. ‘No, definitely not my type. Good-looking, but I couldn’t trust him. I suppose that sounds ironic with what you think of me.’

  ‘I’m not here to judge you,’ said Tom. ‘I need to know about Liam, and what he did.’

  ‘As I said it took me a while, and Liam changed the rules all the time, as if it was a game. But one day I had proof. I’m sure I only discovered a small percentage of what he’d actually taken, but I caught him out.’

  ‘So what did you do?’

  ‘I took electronic copies of the files and accounts. Snapshots really, because it was all live and could change if he moved enough stock and money around. Like I said, he was clever.’

  She started to explain again, but Tom shook his head. ‘What did you do then?’

  ‘I went home. I should have written up my report and submitted it immediately. The full report wasn’t required for a few weeks, but I’d discovered something big. I knew I should report it, so Liam’s manager could put stops on the accounts before he did anything else.’

  ‘But you didn’t?’

  She picked up the napkin and twisted it, pressing folds into the white linen. ‘No, I didn’t. I sat at home that night and thought how much I hated what I did. Not that I agreed with Liam, but all I could think about was the money and what it meant.’

  As if she’d become aware of what she was doing, Janine refolded the napkin and placed it on the table. ‘My father used to say, “You’ll never earn money as a painter”. But you can’t look for errors and the negative in life every day without it wearing you down. That night, I saw a way out through Liam.’

  ‘So what happened?’

  ‘I rang him the next morning, and arranged to meet out of the office. I asked him for twenty per cent of what I’d discovered. He could afford that easily.’

  ‘How did he take it?’

  ‘He laughed at me. Oh, he agreed to our “little deal” as he called it, but he laughed at me. Said I was so serious about my job and responsibility, but ready to sell out at the first chance. And I wasn’t smart enough to think of it myself, but used his skills. I could tell from his smile and attitude I hadn’t figured out everything, but I didn’t care. It was enough for me to leave my job.’

  ‘So he didn’t argue about it, or say he couldn’t or wouldn’t pay.’

  Janine shook her head. ‘I was so nervous. I don’t know how I managed to get through my speech. It took me hours to decide what to do, and then I kept changing my mind about what to say to him. I wrote it down and tried to memorise it, so I wouldn’t forget. I’m sure he could tell.’

  ‘What did Liam do then?’

  ‘He agreed to pay me, although he spoke to me as if I were an idiot. He needed time to get the money together, as most of it was tied up in deals and other stocks. We agreed he would put some of it in an account for me the following week, and the balance two weeks after that.’

  ‘And did he put money into an account?’

  ‘No, he disappeared.’

  The distance between them became a huge rift.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ muttered Janine. ‘I didn’t mean to sound like that. Whatever I thought of him, he is your brother.’

  ‘Yes, he is,’ said Tom, ‘but I wonder if I ever knew him at all.’

  The waitress asked if they had finished. They both nodded.

  ‘I’m sorry about how I must have sounded when we met at Liam’s apartment,’ said Janine. ‘I was terrified of what he would do. What trouble he could make for me. I couldn’t get through to him at work. They said he wasn’t in. I thought maybe he’d reported me, and they wouldn’t let me contact him. He was always so plausible.’

  Tom nodded. Yes, Liam’s stories had always been totally credible.

  ‘As well as phoning him, I went around to his apartment. I’d tried there twice, but didn’t see any sign of him. When I saw the open door, I couldn’t believe it. You and Andi appeared, and I thought it was something Liam had concocted.’

  ‘I realise now he was capable of a lot of things.’

  Janine had fidgeted with the table cloth or napkin for much of the conversation, but now she stared him straight in the eye. ‘I know this will sound like an excuse, but I’m sure what I did wouldn’t have made Liam kill himself. He wasn’t that type of person. He was far too in love with himself, and always needed to prove he was smarter than everyone else.’ She paused, and then added, ‘That didn’t come out how I intended. I must have been crazy that night.’

  ‘You don’t paint a pleasant picture of Liam,’ said Tom. ‘But as I find out more about him, that’s what it tells me. He wasn’t a good person, but he was my brother.’

  Tom paid the bill, and was surprised at how pleased he felt when Janine waited by the door for him. Stupid. She knew he could find her, but all the same.

  They walked along the road together.

  ‘So you never saw Liam, or heard from him again after that day.’

  ‘No. He said I’d have some of the money the following Wednesday. I was busy, and concentrated on the other account managers. I had the files I needed, so I mostly worked from my own office at HFC. I didn’t expect to hear from Liam until the next week. I rang him when he didn’t get in touch, but he wasn’t there. That’s when I found out he’d rung in sick. I guessed he’d tricked me, but I didn’t know what to do. If I reported him then, they’d want to know why I hadn’t said anything the previous week. I rang his mobile, and, as I said, went round to his apartment. I found out what happened when I met you.’

  ‘But if he’d stolen money, why couldn’t you just say that?’

  ‘It’s not that simple. He used clients’ money for deals they hadn’t approved, and moved it through other accounts to fudge what he did. He was very clever. If he’d just embezzled money it would have been easier to prove. Plus, he made Thornley Trust a lot of money. I’d have to be very sure of my facts, and have firm evidence before I approached them, or they’d prefer not to know.’

  As they turned the corner, a figure stepped out of the shadows in front of them. At the same time, Tom felt a solid bulk press up behind him.

  ‘Keep things quiet, and let’s walk along together to the lady’s flat, shall we?’

  Chapter 16

  Tom

  Once they were in the bright lights of the apartment foyer, Tom glanced at the two men. One wore a suit, but that didn’t make Tom feel any better. The man looked fit; his bulk muscle rather than fat. Tom gauged he and the man were about the same age; late thirties. The second was younger, in his twenties, and his nose had obviously been broken in the past. Tom had read about people who inflicted pain for fun, but this was the first time he’d met someone who fitted that description. He looked vicious, and Tom didn’t want to find out if his instinct was correct.

  The man in the suit gestured for Janine to press the button for the lift. There was no one around, and Tom hoped someone would be in the lift or come into the building. Now would be good. But the lift was empty.

  There were just four doors on the sixth floor, which was also the top level. That cut down the number of people who might hear them, if things turned nasty.

&nbs
p; Janine unlocked her front door, and the vicious looking one pushed them into the room.

  ‘Sit down over there.’ The older man pointed to the sofa, and Tom sat at one end. Janine sat next to him, and he felt the warmth of her arm and leg against his. Her body shook. So she didn’t know these men, unless this was an Oscar-winning performance, but he didn’t think so. The younger man stood behind the sofa, and Tom tried to push away images of the thug’s large hands around his throat.

  ‘My name’s Dave,’ said the older man. ‘And that’s Mickey behind you.’

  ‘What do you want?’ Tom’s voice came out higher pitched than he wanted, and he gave a cough to clear his throat. Mickey sniggered.

  ‘Don’t worry. He usually has that effect on people.’

  Mickey looked brutal, but while Dave talked pleasantly, and could be someone you’d pass in the street without a second glance, he also appeared more than capable of inflicting punishment.

  ‘Your brother surprised us. He’s the last person we expected to top himself. The boss wasn’t happy, and life’s not pleasant when he’s unhappy.’

  It was always Liam.

  ‘I know very little about Liam’s life, or your involvement.’

  The two men didn’t look as though they would be clients of Thornley Trust and Investments.

  ‘Your brother gambled. He was a regular visitor at the special card games the boss arranges. He bet a lot of money. Won a lot.’ Dave emphasised the last three words.

  Tom glanced at Janine, but she also looked puzzled.

  ‘I didn’t know Liam gambled. I realise your boss wouldn’t like it if he won, but I don’t see what that’s got to do with me.’

  ‘Nobody wins as much as your brother, unless they cheat. But we couldn’t prove that.’ He shook his head over the last sentence, sounding rather upset. ‘Funny thing though, his luck changed. When your brother took his last swim, he owed my boss a lot of money.’

  ‘But that’s not my fault,’ said Tom.

  ‘You’re family, and family needs to clear the debts, or you’ll pay the hard way.’