Chapter 21

Gasping in shock that someone was about to catch them making out in the downstairs toilet, Con and Andrea jumped apart, whilst Rebel, the guilt party who had betrayed them, shot by a pair of legs through the now open doorway and was gone.

It was Laura, who looked just as surprised as they did. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, and began shutting the door again.

"It's okay," Con said. He caressed Andrea's fingers for an instant before pushing by Laura to get out, "I've told Andrea that you know about us being together." He paused for a second and went back for the wine, feeling his heart still warmly beating fast. He was just in time to see Andrea being shoved back into the washroom by Laura and the door being closed again.

Con entered the living room, but was perturbed to find it deserted.

"We're through here, Zarkoff," Fenton called.

Con followed his voice through to a connecting space that he had never been into before. All the Hardy men, Vanessa and James were sitting around a huge dining table, which was far too big for the room. If it had been a billiard table, there would have been no room for the full stretch of a cue.

Fenton was still wearing his darkened glasses, which seemed odd as he was not going to offend anyone with his bruising by taking them off. Con considered whether Fenton secretly liked the air of brooding inscrutability it gave him.

He was not the only one hiding fading injuries – Frank was wearing a turtleneck sweater, despite the uncomfortable temperature in the room. Con doubted that Laura knew about Joe's loss of control and the last thing Frank wanted to do was draw attention to his haematoma neck collar.

James shoved one of the chairs out with his foot as an invitation for Con to sit between him and Frank. "Safe here, Unc."

"Thanks." Con settled down and felt Rebel circling to lie at his feet under the table. He addressed Vanessa with a smirk, all the way over the other side of the room. "Does your mom hold poker tournaments?"

"Eh?"

He spread his arms wide over the table. "The size of it!"

Vanessa giggled. "Mom bought it for the farmhouse, but after we downsized, Mom didn't have the heart to get rid. Clinging to the dream of owning a farmhouse again…to be able to afford the upkeep. Things have been tighter since she had to close the studio."

Fenton cleared his throat. "Enough with the pleasantries, I want to know how it's been going at Compute-Soft." He looked over the top of his glasses at Frank. "Son?"

"Productive. Uncovered a couple of things. Perhaps the most interesting, but not necessarily the most important being about Nick Parton."

"Vanessa's ex-line manager?" Fenton asked.

"Correct."

"Tell me it's something we can use to teach him a lesson?" Joe pleaded.

"Sorry bro, no can do. He's not what he appears to be. He stared at my chest just as much as Van's, and—"

"So, he's multi-directional? That's even worse!"

Frank tipped his head. "Multi-directional? What on earth…?"

"You know – swings both ways?"

Frank sighed and shook his head as James sniggered. "No Joe, don't get ahead of yourself. He has A.S."

"A.S.?"

"Asperger Syndrome."

"What's that?"

"It's a condition that means Nick has trouble with social interaction and communication. Making eye contact will be difficult for him, as well as reading facial expressions and body language. It must affect his ability to form relationships, which is why Vanessa found it so difficult to work with him. Nick told me he thought Van had been 'excellent', which really meant something considering he must lack empathy."

Embarrassed at misjudging Nick Parton, and visibly angry, Vanessa blurted out. "I wish someone had told me! I didn't realise being psychic was part of my résumé!"

"Perhaps they thought Nick should tell you?"

"Hardly likely was it?"

Fenton put up a silencing hand. "Can we bear in mind that Mr Parton's condition doesn't automatically eliminate him as a suspect. He was still the one who provided Lawrence Bale with Vanessa's list. He could still be the instigator."

Frank nodded his acquiescence and Vanessa seemed mollified.

Joe, by contrast, looked downright disappointed. "I'm still not convinced he isn't a slime."

"Trust me, Bro, he's not the sexual predator at Compute-Soft, I doubt he even has a partner. The title of wanton deviant goes to Mr Bale's secretary, Elaine." Frank performed a histrionic shiver. "Practically assaulted me."

"Who assaulted you, sweetheart?" asked Laura from the doorway, holding a large and heavy looking serving pot.

Frank micro-flinched and his eyes slid towards his brother. Although being hit with the dumbbell hadn't been an 'assault' but an accident, Joe thought otherwise and apparently Frank had worked that out. Worse of all, Con knew that Frank's grimace, however small and controlled, was never going be missed by the quick-smart Laura Hardy.

Frank's mouth made a silent 'O'.

Joe reddened.

Laura's eyes narrowed.

James jumped up. "Let me help you with that, Mrs H," he said and spent the next few seconds carefully exchanging the hot dish from her hands into his, including the towel she was using to protect her skin from the burning heat.

Con was unsure if it was a deliberate act on his boy's part to create a diversion, or whether he was just being well mannered, but it worked and Laura went back out again with a smile and a thank you.

Twenty minutes later and they were tucking into a delicious meal; the dish of potatoes on its way around the table, everyone having to practically lie prostrate across the tabletop with their arms at full stretch to pass it around.

Frank was in the middle of telling them about his further findings: "The earlier companies that Vanessa highlighted had been charged the full amount for a product they didn't receive – they appear to have now been given a refund, at least in the earlier cases. More recent examples I've uncovered haven't…yet. Most telling is that those reimbursements aren't recorded as refunds; it just looks as if they've been invoiced for the lesser charge. In my opinion someone is on the take. Someone is charging customers the full amount, then waiting to see if the 'oversight' is noticed, if not, the money is pocketed and the accounts and order form altered to cover it up. God knows how long it's been going on for."

"Lawrence Bale?"

"He certainly wanted Vanessa gone quickly when she noticed the anomalies in the accounts, and he must have free access to the finance databases. After all, he is the CEO."

"How would Nick Parton or Heather Jones feature in this?"

"I don't know that any of the above feature in it, even Bale, but it's looking less likely to be Nick Parton. Would he be able to communicate sufficiently on a personal level to be able to act as an accessory? As for Heather Jones…" he shrugged, "…absolutely no evidence of involvement, other than being called to sit in as a witness to Van being sacked. And from what Vanessa said, Heather was pretty uncomfortable."

Fenton finally removed his glasses and placed them down to rub between his eyes. "It is looking a little far-fetched as far as Nick and Heather are concerned. Did you make any further progress?"

"I phoned the companies that had received the software products…in the guise of doing a satisfaction questionnaire, to see if I could gauge if anyone had noticed they'd not received the product they'd ordered. While I was doing that, I found something else out..." Pausing, Frank stretched for the potatoes as Joe propelled the serving dish towards him to give it a head start.

"What did you find?" Fenton prompted.

Frank lifted the lid and started spooning food onto his plate. "Every one of them had received and been charged for an additional after sales inspection of the new software. Which is...well...weird."

"What's so strange about that?" Con asked, accepting the potatoes as the next customer in the queue.

"None of the companies knew anything about it, denied it in fact…even though according to their accounts, they'd paid for it. Look," Frank lifted his briefcase and extracted a printout, "I highlighted all the entries."

Fenton accepted the paperwork and quickly flicked through them before sending it round the circle so everyone else could have a look. "That is odd."

"What does it mean?" Laura asked.

"It means that a mysterious benefactor is paying for an after sales service charge that doesn't exist and didn't happen."

The list had just reached Joe and he was reading the entries and slowly chewing on a mouth full of beef. Everyone was silent, senses numbed by confusion.

Laura tapped the table. "Oh come now, surely the might of the HR&S agency can come up with some sort of explanation as to why that's happening?"

"Money laundering, Dudes…" Joe piped up, pointing his knife at the paper.

"What?" Frank asked, mid bite.

"Money laundering. While you were in Seattle, I was researching—"

Frank gaped and his fork dropped back down onto his plate, food forgotten.

"—don't look so shocked! Yeah, even me, the self-proclaimed jock does research sometimes. How do you think I passed the time while you were on sabbatical? It wasn't all wild women and drink...although there was some of that I'll admit." Joe winked at Vanessa and switched his attention back to the paperwork. "Someone is paying their illicitly gained income through Compute-Soft's accounts."

"If you're assuming Lawrence Bale, why would he do that if he's already got the cash?" Frank challenged.

"Because of the amount he's taking. If it was just a few bucks here and there, not a problem, but it's a hefty amount, so the IRS were likely to start noticing. He could hardly hide that in his expenses for very long, could he, especially if he wanted to invest it? And I don't see him as the 'hiding-my-money-under-the-mattress' type."

"I see what you mean," Con said. "He needs to make it legitimate?"

"Exactly. What he probably does is place his ill-gotten gains into a temporary account and then feeds it all back into the business in the guise of a legitimate charge – in this case, through false invoicing of an after sales service. Then pays it back to himself legitimately either in the form of a wage, bonus, or expense. All above board, tax paid."

Miffed at being out performed, Frank leaned to snatch the papers back. Taking a quick look, he said triumphantly, "but if that was the case, the extra money squirreled away from Compute-Soft's products would tally with the service charge amount on each account. But it doesn't."

Con caught Fenton's eye and they smirked. Frank's expression was one of, "HA! Explain that one away, Bro!" as he had lobbed the verbal challenge at his brother.

Joe immediately volleyed it back, "Who's to say this is the only scam he's running, Dude? It's just the only one we've uncovered. He'd be a pretty dumb criminal if he 'invoiced' for the exact same amount fleeced, wouldn't he? He wouldn't want to create a pattern."

Frank said nothing, just scooped up a large amount of potato and shoved it into his mouth.

"Joe, that was brilliant!" Vanessa said in admiration.

"As I keep trying to tell everyone…don't be fooled by the handsome exo-skin and baby blues."

"Is Bale the blackmailer then?" Andrea asked.

Frank swallowed. "No. The physical descriptions don't match and he was in the office when the blackmailer was hanging around outside earlier. It's probably an accomplice, or someone he's hired."

"Who's being blackmailed?" Laura asked.

Con blanched and Fenton made a noise in his throat. No one had given a second thought again to the fact that Laura knew nothing about that situation. Everyone was too 'into' the discussion to consider what they were going to say before opening mouths and spewing forth. Fenton put his glasses back on and sank back, becoming invisible.

Laura waited.

Then Joe, surprising everyone for the second time that evening, by calmly answered his mother's question. "It was Vanessa. Someone took a photograph of her and Frank in a certain pose to get a list she'd taken from Compute-Soft. They were going to send it to me if she didn't do as she was told."

"What kind of photograph?"

The atmosphere in the room became oppressive within an instant.

Eventually Fenton spoke. "It was just a picture. It doesn't matter."

Laura looked around the table at everyone's faces. "It clearly does. Don't think I missed that look Frank and Joe gave each other earlier – nice attempt at a cover-up though, James. I'll ask again, what was the photograph of?"

Frank's eating utensils hit his plate with a clatter. "Bathroom visit," he muttered and got up from the table to leave.

Vanessa rose up as well.

"What aren't you all telling me?" Laura asked and reached to stop Vanessa from going in the same direction as Frank. "Don't go, honey."

"I'm not, I'm getting the picture for you. It's in my purse – it wasn't fair to leave it pinned up in the office so I brought it home." Vanessa paused by Joe's chair, "Is that okay, Sweetie?"

Joe thought for a moment and then shrugged an agreement.

Vanessa was back a second later with her bag. She pulled out the picture and gave it to Laura. After a few seconds of surveying the photo, Laura said: "It's a lovely picture."

"Mrs H, but did you just say 'it's a lovely picture'?" James asked.

"Yes I did, why?"

"It wasn't the reaction Frank got out of me," Joe muttered.

Laura smiled. "Well it is a nice picture, but that's all it is. If whoever took this thought it was a picture of a couple in a lovers' embrace, then they know little about non-verbal communication and posturing. Lovers don't hold one another like that. If Frank and Vanessa were having an affair, their whole bodies would be touching but their lower bodies aren't. So if they are embracing, it's only as friends." She raised her shoulders and smiled. "It really is a well taken photograph, can I have a copy?"

Con got up and went to join Fenton who had also raised himself to lean over Laura's shoulder and take a reappraising look. When he looked himself, Con had to admit that Laura was right on the nose, Frank and Vanessa's bodies definitely were not connecting, only their arms and very upper bodies.

Frank warily re-entered the space, so Con caught his eye and grinned as a way of letting him know all was well.

Vanessa was almost laughing, probably in relief, at Laura's valid assessment and accepted the picture back. She put it back into her purse and started fiddling with the zipper to close it again. "I can scan you a copy if you really want one, Mrs H." She frowned down at her bag and then pulled something free, which she held up in triumph. "At last, my luck is changing, I found a pin!"

Frank immediately plucked it from her fingers and dropped it into a glass jug of mineral water. Too light to sink, it floated on the membrane at first until Frank pushed it under, and then it quickly dropped to the bottom.

"What did you do that for?" Vanessa asked.

"Van…that wasn't a pin, it was a bug. Someone's been listening to you."