Hello lovely readers. Thank you for your patience. I said I wouldn't post any chapters until I was confident that I hadn't messed up my timeline and plot point resolution. I am sufficiently advanced that I feel I can move forward with this chapter. I don't think I will post the next one, though, until I finish writing chapter 23 that I've just started and is pivotal.
This chapter is very Anna centric. John is still in jail and will be for just a while longer.
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Bitch. Anna couldn't get the word out of her mind. She wasn't prone to the use of foul language, but her mind couldn't get away from thinking of Vera and automatically repeating it out loud. Vera and bitch were already associated together in her subconscious. She must have repeated the unseemly word half a dozen times since that morning. She kept reliving the situation on her drive home, no matter how hard she tried to think of other things.
"I want you out of here in 15 minutes," the woman had bellowed as she walked away and into John's office. She didn't turn back once and closed her door behind her with a resounding boom.
Gwen trotted to where she was. "This isn't fair," she added with consternation, addressing her words to Anthony. The man was visibly shaken and could only raise his hands in in a gesture of hopelessness.
"I'm so sorry, Anna," was all that came from his mouth. There was defeat visibly written all over his face.
Evelyn could hardly compose himself as he looked on in horror. "It's me that's done this. Isn't it?" He was in obvious despair, although his façade, having been trained as a military pilot, shielded most of his emotions away. He couldn't comprehend how his simple actions could cause somebody innocent such a fate. "I am so sorry Anna. I'll go talk to her. Perhaps she'll come to her senses." He walked the few steps to her office.
"Don't Evelyn. I appreciate it, but, I am not sure what good could come of it and it might get you and the others into more trouble."
In the midst of all of the turmoil, Anna wondered if Vera's reaction was one of jealousy. Her and Evelyn's conversation, completely friendly, might have worried her from afar. Could this be a sign of him being her lover? And now, he wanted to try and revert the situation? Did he have any specific influence on her?
"I am not afraid," he answered. "I don't need this job. I am here because I like it and because I respect John Bates. I don't know what she is doing here, but if this is an indication of how the company will be run in the future, then I don't want to be here. She can sack me too if she wishes."
How kind of him, she thought, as she saw him move towards the office. He was the true personification of a gentleman. He opened Vera's door, stepped in and shut the door behind him.
Gwen gasped. Anthony was still speechless, but his eyes popped open with Evelyn's actions.
Anna didn't wait for the outcome. Instead, she set about getting her things. She didn't have too many belongings to gather. There was an old tea mug in the kitchen she cared not to retrieve, as it would lead her to walk by Sarah and the last thing she wanted was to put up with the smug, sour face of that wench so up close. She took her file folder with the internship papers that resided in her desk, a favorite pen that John always had on his desk and that she had pilfered recently, a staff picture that had been taken during the Make a Wish event when they were all bedecked and that was it. Any important papers or evidence, she had already taken home, and thus, there was nothing else that she was worried about.
Anna was thankful that none of the other pilots had observed the situation, and neither had Tom or William, allowing her to make her departure without much fuss. As she moved towards the door to the exit, she turned around one last time. Sarah was at her desk, smiling way too much. Thomas was stood still, without much of an emotion, next to Phyllis. Phyllis didn't move towards Anna, remaining in her place, but the fear in her eyes was evident. She nodded at Anna, as a sincere gesture and her reticent way of saying good-bye. Anna didn't expect a big show of emotions from her, but felt the kindness being bestowed.
"Won't you wait until Evelyn comes out?" Gwen implored, rubbing the tears away from her eyes.
Anna was having trouble containing the rush of emotions that were brought forth. Would John think her a failure for not being able to maintain the position he brought her into? Leaving would make it more difficult to investigate his case and get him out of jail. How would she maintain the link? Plus, she had developed friendships. One look at Gwen and the tears came forth. Gwen had been her ally from the very beginning and was a good friend. The redhead would be missed and Anna hoped that they could continue their friendship outside of the Bates Airlift compound.
Water pooled in her eyes. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Even if he were to manage it, she would take out her ire on everybody. I might as well just go and save all of you from unnecessary turmoil." Internally, she did want him to come out and save her, for it meant that he might be the lover. She wanted to know before she left.
Anthony pulled out his hand, offering it to Anna. Anna took it. She had nothing against Anthony. There was nothing he could have done.
"It's been a pleasure to work with you. When John finds out, he's going to be livid. He liked your work very much and I am sure that when all of this is fixed, and we are back to where we should be, he will see to it that you are compensated, or brought back."
"That's kind Anthony. Thank you and thank him. He and Gwen have my contact information." Before turning away, she added. "My keys. I won't need them anymore." She handed them over.
Gwen hugged her and she hugged back.
When she walked out the door, she could see Evelyn emerge. He nodded negatively. If he didn't manage to convince Vera, then probably wasn't the lover. That meant that it might be Michael or Richard.
Bitch. She said again as she drove into the carpark of her flat. If there was any good to come from this, it was that she now had more time to work on getting John free. This wasn't the end of the world. She would make it work.
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Michael or Richard? Again, there was nothing that said that the lover had to work for Bates Airlift. This was only John's hunch that led him to believe that the lover was from inside, and now that Anna had discounted all but two of the men, she was uncertain that he was right, more than ever before.
Richard was an arse. He had proven time after time that he was a manipulative misogynist, but if he was Vera's lover, what was he doing harassing her¸ and in the office of all places, where Vera could witness it? If he was the lover, he wasn't very devoted to Vera at all. It must be sex, not love. Quite possibly, he and Vera were leeches, sucking the other's blood in a beneficial symbiotic relationship until they had no use for each other. If that were the case, then she understood Vera's motive – seducing one of John's senior employees, one with much influence and power would deliver a hurtful blow. But him, what benefit did he get? Did he think that it would help him gain the partnership percentage? And if he did get it, then what? He would be part owner too, forming a ludicrous love triangle?
Michael had been supportive of John in the past, defending him in the wake of his incarceration. Was that guilt, leading him to take that stance? Had he partaken of his bosses' wife's charms and now, he felt he had to do something to make up for it? Pops and Elsie had followed the trail on his GPS and at no time did it lead to Vera. Was that a sign that he had awoken from his deceptive practices, looking for a way to make it up to him? Michael appeared an honorable man, and the correct course of action if he had awoken and seen the error of his ways, would have been to rescind his employment contract, quietly and quickly, before a scandal could ensue. If he hadn't done it, then it couldn't be him. Anna just couldn't see it.
Neither of the men as Vera's lover made sense and she was just as befuddled as when she started. Another mistake would have to be made, by Vera, and they would be caught. If she still had the lover, it was bound to happen. Vera was getting cocky and confident and that would lead to carelessness and to her downfall. As she sat and pondered, Anna reminisced that the one thing she regretted not doing, was implanting a camera in Vera's office before leaving. Or John's. A camera would have been very helpful and she wondered if she might still have a chance of putting one in. It was unlikely that they would have changed the code on the door after one day since her departure. It had not been changed when Vera left, security not being a big concern of the company's.
She would consider it. Maybe she would go back later that night.
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Anna took the sheet of paper that Matthew had handed her when they met yesterday. It was the last sheet of transfers made from the main operating account into the Swiss account. She was scanning the info into an application that was transposing the data from the sheet into a Microsoft access database so that she could run queries and determine if there was a pattern. The majority of these transactions were at night. In fact, after she ran a query, she determined they were all at night, mostly between 8 and 10 pm, with the odd exception much later. John had an amazing work ethic, staying on until all of the workload was done, but he was usually gone by 730pm. Why would he only commit these fraudulent movements at night? They alternated between his home and his office. It seemed less a strategy and more a result of convenience. Perhaps the actual perpetrator could not commit the fraudulent movements during the day, and had to do them at night. That leant to her theory that Thomas was involved. He always left on time, staying only late one or two days at the end of the month when they needed to close out the books. He couldn't do them earlier in the day because Thomas was working. How could she prove it, though?
Anna ran a query for the dates to determine if there was a pattern there. Maybe all on a Monday, or always on a weekend? Laptop IP address on a weekend and office IP address during the week? None of these queries maintained logical pattern. They were always quite different.
A few minutes later, as she tried to find connections within the data, she saw a date that stood out. There was a transaction two Saturday nights ago, at 11:00pm. This was a week before his arrest. Wait. Was this possible? A chill ran up her spine. She looked again to make sure she wasn't seeing wrong. No, it was there, clearly stated. Saturday, June 21st at 11:00pm. Fifty pounds had been transferred out of the account, except there was no way he could have done it, because at that time, they were in bed together, in Scotland. She waived her hands in excitement. She had the proof that he had not committed this crime.
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"John Bates, how do you plead to the charge of Fraud by Abuse of Position, perpetrated against Bates Airlift?" read the clerk of the court in the packed court room. John wondered who all these people were. Robert was there with Cora and Sybil. Bless them, he thought. The Crawley's were good friends. Vera, thankfully, had not come and that allowed him to maintain his anxiety at a manageable level. If he'd seen her, he might not be able to suppress his anger, and say things that he might regret. He did not know who her lawyers were, as there were too many official looking people in suits. Yet, they must have been there too.
"Not Guilty," he responded at the urging of Charles and Matthew, his lawyers who sat next to him. He felt the flash of a camera go off as he spoke and dreaded that this would end up in the newspapers.
"John Bates, how do you plead to the charge of Theft, perpetrated against Bates Airlift?" the clerk of court repeated again.
"Not Guilty," he responded with the same enthusiasm as before.
"Since Citizen John Bates has entered the plea of Not Guilty twice, the Crown Prosecution service will move forward to try this case in three weeks. Are there any further questions?"
Charles Blake stood up.
"Your honor," he looked directly at the judge who was presiding over the hearing. When the judge nodded, giving him consent to keep talking, Charles added, "My client is an upstanding citizen, with prior military service and deep roots in the community. I would like to request formally that the decision to forbid him bail be withdrawn. He will relinquish his passport, or be confined to his residence if it pleases the court."
John prayed that they acquiesced to this. Could he get a break, please?
The judge looked over the paperwork.
"John Bates owns several helicopters and is a pilot himself. He doesn't need a passport to get out of the country. All he has to do is gain access to one of his assets. I must deny the request. The prisoner will be transferred to Whetherby prison today. Case closed." The man stood up and exited the room. Some people from the audience did as well.
John hung his head in defeat. The bailiff approached the table where they were sitting. John was to be taken away.
"Just five minutes, please." Matthew said to the man and he stood guard next to the table, but made no move to take John.
Matthew spoke very emphatically. "Do not be discouraged. We knew this would happen. This is not a blow to the case. This is only a procedure. We already knew they wouldn't grant you bail. Now, we have three weeks to get the information right and get you out of here."
John wordlessly nodded and noticed Robert, Cora and Sybil approach as close as they were allowed. They stood against a barrier, a mere couple of feet from him. It was close enough that he could listen to what they were saying.
"John, were behind you a 100%," stated Cora and Sybil added, "Justice will prevail Uncle John, and you will get out." They held hands and it warmed his heart. They were sweet to support him. He didn't feel alone in the world when he had such good friends and that helped.
"John, old boy - I'm here for whatever you need. I'm working on that other thing for you and I'll visit you in prison as soon as they let me."
"Time," repeated the bailiff and he reached for John. He was led away from them immediately, ready to start a new adventure in a new facility.
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Anna drove to Bates Airlift at 11:00pm, a time, she thought, where there ought not to be anybody else. She had parked half a kilometer away, on the road, and with binoculars, had determined that there was nobody coming or going. Still, the absence of cars did not mean that the place was empty and she needed to be very careful so as not to get caught. Up until today, all her comings and goings were legal, but since Vera fired her, she would be trespassing and breaking the law. She did not want to get caught up in any legal troubles herself, but the thought of catching Vera was her motivator.
She came closer from where she was and instead of parking inside the lot, she parked her car outside, on the street. She had borrowed her Godparent's smaller car so that nobody, driving by, could recognize her old jalopy. Just like her Godmother, she had a black stealth outfit that was form fitting and flexible, allowing her ample movement. She carried a sack with all of the tools she would need to install the camera.
In no time at all, she was inside the foyer. She had turned in her keys that morning, but had made copies. She was very nervous and almost dropped the keys inside. Her hands were shaking when the entry code was punched in. She held her breath. The light turned green and the magnetic latch released, opening the door. She breathed out relieved. She had never liked this side of the business, those tasks that required illicit actions. She hoped to never do it again. She was only doing this because of John.
As a precaution, she did not turn on the lights. It would be visible from the outside. She took out a flashlight with different intensity settings that allowed her to adjust the light to the task at hand. She pointed it forward, moving about with ease in these familiar spaces.
Anna did not have a key to John's office. She had never asked for one, only requesting Richard, Anthony and Vera's when she implanted the listening devices almost two months ago. She had never been very good at picking locks either, no matter how much Pops tried to teach her. She would have to be smart about it instead and she knew exactly how she wanted to do it.
There was a filing cabinet next to the entrance of John's office. If she could get on top of the cabinet, she could remove the ceiling tile above the door. She could attach the battery operated camera to the metal ceiling grid and carve a small hole on the tile where the camera could watch through. It didn't have to be that big, which was good because she wouldn't want Vera noticing it.
In a few minutes, she brought the sturdiest chair she could find and placed a box of Phyllis' invoice records above it. It was solid enough to give her the height she needed to get on top. She stepped atop it and it was nearly enough, but she still needed a few inches of additional height to get herself up. It was in times like these that Anna resented being so short. She came down reluctantly and went to get another stout box full of invoices. She dragged it across the rug to where she needed it and then shuddered. Her challenge would be to get it on top of the other. The stouter and more perfect the box, the heavier it was. She bent her knees and picked it up, carefully. Groaning, and with all the energy and zeal she could muster, she managed to get it up, on top of the other and finally, the pile was high enough that she could hoist herself onto the metallic cabinet.
Like the sound recorders she had used before, this camera was activated by a motion sensor. If Vera was in the office, it would record her activity. The battery would last a week, and it would transmit the images every night through customer courtesy wireless network. She wished the battery could do more, but a more sophisticated apparatus would require some hard wiring and she could not afford that type of installation at this time. If she did not have what she wanted in a week, she would have to come again and replace it.
She made it up the makeshift tower, conquering the filing cabinet, and moved the ceiling tiles, placing them to the side. She only needed to remove two. She poked her head above the grid in the space of one missing tile, and worked on the space in front. The plan worked well. From her perch above, she could see right through to John's workspace. Vera had removed his pictures and the model helicopters were gone from his desk. How quick she was to make the space her own. If she had any decency at all, she would have stashed them in the cupboard of his office, instead of chucking them out. She made a mental note to check the rubbish bins that lined the side of the compound. They were close to the carpark, so, accessing them wouldn't be a problem. Knowing Vera, she probably did toss out all the things that were important to him.
The process of installing the device did not take long. She had done this so many times before that it was second nature. It was pointed directly at the desk. A fairly sharp knife was retrieved from her sack and she carved a break in the tile. It was less than an inch in diameter and would hardly be discerned. Vera had not been in that office long and would likely not notice the difference.
She put the ceiling tiles back in place, descended her pedestal and moved everything back where it belonged. She took a rag from the kitchen and wiped down the surfaces around where she had worked, removing the dust that had fallen from the tiles. It was imperative that there was no evidence available that something had been moved. When she was certain that everything was in order, she left the building and made it to the outside. A breath escaped her, as she relaxed, relieved that she was no longer in a situation where she could be caught.
Before she went back to her car, she stopped at the rubbish bins that lined the corner of the compound and looked in. She flashed the light inside. Aha! Just what she was looking for. She found John's framed pictures, a total of six, and two toy model helicopters. The helicopters were broken, from the force of being tossed, but Anna was certain she had all the pieces. When she had time, she would put them back together. To get them all, she had to hang herself over the side of the bin with her legs dangling out. She giggled at herself, thinking she must look a sight, her bum perched in midair, and her upper half swallowed by the large container. It wasn't a pleasant task, as the residue of other rubbish produced a horrible smell. Thankfully, these items were towards the top and she didn't need to fully immerse herself in the contents. When she was certain she had everything she needed, she went back to her car, got inside and drove away.
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"Oh thank God she was sacked," firmly stated Charles as they got in position to breach Thomas' flat. He never did like the idea of her working at Bates Airlift.
"As much as I would like to agree, I think she was useful inside. She had access to more data and all of the people. This isn't going to help her get him out." She was gentle but firm. She often had to be with her crabby humored man.
"Is that such a bad thing?" He raised his left eyebrow sarcastically.
"Charles Carson. I cannot believe you just said that. If you know what is good for you, you'll recant right away." Elsie furrowed her brow and spoke with much energy. This was different from her answer of only a few seconds ago.
Oh God. She had the look. She was fuming. She would deny him his pleasures if he continued with this line of thought. "What did I say? I just asked a question!" He resorted to trickery to see if he could dissuade her from her anger.
"A rude and heartless question, that was. Would you say that to our girl's face?" Elsie raised her left eyebrow, mimicking his previous action.
She was sly. That's why he married her. He immediately tensed. Of course he wouldn't say that to Anna.
"I just don't like the man. What if he is guilty? My girl would be destined to a lifetime of jail visits. And what type of relationship do they have, where he cannot show her off, as beautiful and special as she is?"
"That's her choice, love. I don't appreciate that he is married, but come now….. After everything we've seen regarding his spouse, he's really not married, is he? Would you begrudge our girl for falling for a successful, charismatic and benevolent man? You've seen the good he does in the community. Would you rather she is with a half-wit who took advantage of her finances? ….. Or is it that you do not want her to be in love with anybody at all so that she can continue to be your little girl?"
His eyes drooped low. Elsie had hit the nail on the head. Charles had seen Anna's prior beaus. They were all nice fellows, mostly young men her age that she'd gone to school with or met through university friends. But he saw in Anna that she wasn't quite in love with them. They didn't pose a threat, not like they would have wanted. Most of the time, it was Anna who broke with them, leaving their hearts shattered. He was never worried. As long as Anna wasn't in love, she could date as many man as she wanted. But he saw the difference, naïve as he had been to not pick up on the clues from the beginning. Anna's pain since Mr. Bates incarceration was different. He'd never seen her so hurt and suffering. She loved this man. It wasn't that he wanted to keep her alone and for himself, he wanted somebody that truly deserved her. Somebody that would treat her as an equal and that would treasure her. So far, his girl was nothing more than this man's mistress and he was using her to get him out of prison. If he were ever to accept this man, he would have to truly demonstrate how much he loved her. Until then, he wouldn't accept him.
"Mmm? Charles? Which one is it?" Ever his guiding light, Elsie looked on in expectation.
"Alright, so I've been hard on him. But that's only between us. I'll be the gentlemen if I ever see him again. And for her sake, I hope he gets out of jail. I don't want to see Anna suffering."
"Good man." She patted him affectionately, letting him know she was no longer upset. "Now, do you think you can fix your hat? It's lopsided. You don't look like a lost American tourist."
Charles peeked into the mirror to arrange his floppy hat. Elsie chose his outfit well, making him out to be the stereotypical American traveler. He was wearing jeans, trainers, a sweatshirt with the logo New York and a light coat. He had a camera slung around his neck. She was similarly dressed, with a sweatshirt promoting Chicago. She had a big shoulder bag from Disneyland, which held all of their spying paraphernalia, and doubled as a travel bag. She wore her hair in a ponytail. They were Jim Bob and Sue Ann Jones of Dallas, Texas, if anybody cared to ask, and they were staying at the Best Western York Pavilion Hotel that was only about three blocks from Thomas' street.
"How y'all doing?" Charles practiced in an accent that was most definitely not American.
"Oh Lord. If you have to talk, we're toast." Added Elsie in an accent that could very well come off as being from the Midwest. She had a better handle on faking being American.
"How about this?" Charles tried again. "I'm hungry. I want some grub. I want a hamburger and fries." Elsie laughed in his face. Watching her husband practice his Americanisms was adorable. But he had done better. He didn't sound British, but she still wasn't sure he sounded Texan.
They were a block off and had seen Thomas leave a few minutes before. He'd left on foot, leaving his car behind, parked on the street. They stood guard for about half an hour to make sure he hadn't just left on a quick food mission. They needed to get inside his house to bug his phone, place a filter on his network and plant a small camera. Joe had tried hacking into his computer at home, given Anna's suspicion of his involvement, but he'd had no luck thus far. This made them suspect him even more.
The flat did not have a garden and it was easy access from the street. Thomas' property shared an entrance with the flat next door. The entryways were only one foot away from each other. Besides entering the property, they would have to be careful to not disturb the neighbors. Charles would shimmy the door open and his statuesque appearance would cover for Elsie who would enter the premises. She was very nimble and quick, faster than he ever was and could get the task accomplished faster. He would be the lookout. Lately, most of their ruses were set up that way.
They walked up to their target, hand in hand, ever the happy couple.
"Oh, are we lost?" he asked, and scratched his head. This was their excuse in case they encountered somebody.
"Maybe we are," she answered as she pulled out a map from her large travel bag. "Let's look at the map again," she added in her best American accent.
As she did, Charles bent down to pick the lock. He was excellent at this task and he had popped the door in less than a minute. She handed him the map. "Look honey, are we here?"
He opened up the map as wide as possible and she slipped inside. Elsie was amazed at how neat and organized the apartment was. It was very modern and sleek. All of his furniture and accessories were of high quality. Not the average sort of decorations for this neighborhood. It wasn't a bad neighborhood, but it was average. This looked like she could take a picture and it would not be discernible from the layout in a decorating magazine. It seemed more than a man with his type of salary could afford. She shrugged and set to work in finding his home phone.
Outside, Charles stood guard, perusing the tourist map of York, pretending to sort out where he was. They were making good time. Elsie had already been in there for ten minutes, enough for her to get most of the tasks done. He whistled to keep himself distracted and from the corner of his eye, he saw a woman approaching. He kept to himself, but could hear the tapping of high heels on the pavement. A leopard print coat came into his peripheral vision and beneath it, there was a sea of spandex in bright colors.
"Are you lost love?" The woman asked and he had no choice but to look up. He would never be impolite, regardless the situation.
When their eyes met, he almost had a heart attack. Yikes! It was that woman from the police station, from not so long ago. Oh God, he hoped she didn't recognize him. What did she call herself? SUGAR. It was SUGAR the prostitute. OR wait, what did they call themselves these days? Sex workers? Whatever her profession, she was standing in front of him, waiting for his answer.
"No, thank you. Just getting my bearings, is all." He tried not to sustain eye contact in case she should recognize him….which, after a second thought, might not even be possible. In her line of work, she met many men. What were the chances of her remembering him, when their paths had only crossed but for a few minutes?
"Do I know you?" she asked, as she tilted her head to get a better visual of him. She also, not so casually, cupped her breasts and pushed them forward for him to see.
Horrified by her actions and in his best possible Americanized accent, he denied her. "Oh, surely not darlin', unless you've been to Texas?"
Dammit, he thought. His accent must have been off. She looked like she didn't believe him. Her eyes were questioning him silently.
From the opposite direction that SUGAR had come from, he saw another woman approaching. A few seconds before, a car had driven past and parked several meters ahead. This woman had descended from that car.
"Well, if we've never met before, how would you like to get to know a real English woman?" She swayed her hips and shook her ample bosom. "I'll get your Big Ben going, if you know what I mean?" she took a step forward like last time, running her finger down his jacket. "You can go down on my Westminster Abbey, tourist boy."
He was repulsed. She had the same foul breath. The only thing that was different is that she had actually combed her hair. It wasn't half bad. Oh Elsie, where are you? he thought. Why aren't you ever here when I run into this woman? The last thing he wanted was a confrontation with this lady. He'd try to let her down gently. "I appreciate the offer, but my wife will fetch me any minute now." He was cordial and sweet.
SUGAR did not appear affected by the rejection. She stood her ground, still touching his chest. She rather liked his sweet American ways.
He had a firm visual on the woman that was approaching and his heart began to beat even faster than it had when he encountered SUGAR. This was Vera. What the hell was she doing here? And worst of all, was Thomas on his way back? He couldn't warn Elsie to leave, not when Vera could clearly see towards him. She'd have to find a way out on her own. He also needed to cover himself so that his features were not completely recognizable. He'd been in the café with her before.
Before SUGAR could realize what was happening, he put his arm around her back and brought her to him so that he could crush his lips to hers. Vera walked right by him and knocked on the door. She hardly reacted to the couple making out next to her, not that he could tell. She was probably laughing internally at the spectacle, though. He knew he would if he'd come upon somebody in a similar situation. He had a million thought in his head as they continued a very deep kiss. This woman was participating fully. Initially, she was surprised, but as the seconds moved forward, she aggressively contributed, exploring his mouth to the fullest. The most important thing on his mind as he fought off the repulsion, was that he thought he would die. His Elsie not more than a few yards away, and possibly in trouble, and he had a trollop in his arms.
Elsie had already rigged the telephone, and planted the network filter and was finishing installing the camera, when she heard the knock on the door. Could that be Charles? They had a different knock, as a code between them. That wasn't his signature knock. She stayed as quiet as she could.
"It's me Tommy," Vera added as she knocked again.
Elsie panicked. Should she jump out the kitchen's window into the back alley? She'd quickly walked around to get a lay of the land and knew that there was a potential exit there. She walked quietly backwards towards the kitchen.
"Oh my, that was not what I was expecting!" trilled the working woman as Charles stopped to catch a breath. He still had her in an embrace, but dared not look at her or he wouldn't be able to continue. She didn't feel natural in his arms. This wasn't right, but he had to finish with the ruse while Vera was standing there. He kissed her again, this time, moving a few steps away. SUGAR was enjoying this too much. She was biting his lip and almost suffocating him with her tongue that would not relent and she had managed to put her hand into his pants.
"Tommy, where are you?" With no answer, she whipped out her mobile phone and dialed a number. 'It's me. I'm at your place. Where are you?" She rolled her eyes without saying anything, a clear indication of her frustration. "White Bear Claw Pub it is. See you in a few minutes."
Oh, she couldn't leave soon enough. SUGAR had her hands on him. Even though he had tried to stop her from going further into his pants, she was strong. She'd slipped through his grip and was rubbing all over, attempting to stimulate him.
Vera turned away and walked towards where she had come. During this whole time, she ignored the kissing and caressing couple to left, as if it were the most normal thing. They were less than a foot away.
Elsie had undone the latches of the kitchen window and was getting ready to roll it up.
As soon as Vera was at least a half block away, he dropped SUGAR, which startled her and she released her hold on him. He pounded on the door with his signature knock. Elsie was already on top of the counter when she heard it. Oh, Thank goodness, she thought. She was just about to throw herself out which wouldn't have helped her middle aged joints.
Affronted by his sudden separation, SUGAR reacted. "What are you doing honey? I think we have a good thing going on here. I know a great little secluded spot at the park on the next block." She approached him and stopped suddenly. A change in her facial features indicated something was going on in her head. "Wait. I do know you. You're the handsome silver daddy from the police station." She slowly licked her lips as the realization sunk in.
Charles wanted this to end. He didn't affirm it or deny it. "I told you, I am waiting for my wife." He didn't break out of character, still pretending to be Jim Bob Jones.
SUGAR threw herself at him again, but his time, Charles managed to put his hand on his mouth to block his lips when she lunged at him.
Elsie first opened the door, only a crack, enough to gauge what dangers were lurking on the outside. She was greeted to the sight of her husband being accosted by a tastelessly dressed woman. Not that she could complain about the outfit. She wasn't the epitome of Britishness in her current threads. She still didn't know if she should walk out and join him. What if this was a friend of Thomas'? - The one who had knocked? But why would have Charles rapped the all safe code on the door if she wasn't allowed to exit?
"Why are you being so difficult silver daddy? You don't have a wife. A man with a wife does not kiss the way you just kissed me." She ran her hand through his hair. "SUGAR might even do you for free."
Oh Lord. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Elsie, where are you? He implored internally as he answered back. "I do have a wife. She will be here any minute now." He shifted backwards and saw the sliver of the door opened. His Elsie was listening to this! Oh God.
"Look at what you've done to me silver daddy." She pointed to her crotch area and that's when Charles saw it. The she was not a she, but a he. Whatever this person was, he had no idea what politically correct term applied. It had a penis. It had breasts. SUGAR was a man? Where was his penis hiding in that spandex before they kissed? It had been invisible before, but now there was a very visible boner that was taunting Charles. "None of my other johns can do this, but you make me hot with want for you. It's your silver hair and Adonis body. Don't be shy." She, he, it – took a step forward and Charles took a step back. "I'll even let you talk to me in that ridiculous American accent."
Elsie had had enough. The longer they were stood outside, the more possible it would be for them to get caught and for Charles to die of embarrassment. She knew her man too well. He was on the verge of having a heart attack. Before SUGAR knew what was happening, Elsie had come out, closed the door, hooked her arm around Charles and dragged him a couple of steps to separate him away from her.
"He does have a wife, and darling, I know how you feel. He has the same effect on me, but this silver daddy is spoken for." Elsie's hand on her hip, gave her words depth. In addition, her body language conveyed to SUGAR that she was not to be confronted.
The sudden change of situation made SUGAR confused. She looked over them both and realized that this was a bona fide spouse. She couldn't not be. They dressed alike and she had ferocity in her eyes that reflected how she would defend her claim on her man. SUGAR did not mess with spouses. They often won. She took a step back, forlornly.
"I'll be on my way." She turned and kept walking.
Charles stood there feeling daft. He had made out with a man, not a woman. No wonder he felt so much aggression during the kiss. Bless his Elsie for pulling him away when she did.
"Come now darlin' we've got to get back to our hotel." Elsie's near perfect Texan twang shook him from his numbness and they were off.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Waking up natural. Anna couldn't remember the last time she'd given in to the luxury. Now that she didn't have the need to hurry and be at work, she allowed herself a few minutes to burrow awake in her sheets. Mmmm. She felt restored. Yesterday's late night prowling, on top of the heightened emotions of the morning and her mid-day discovery had left her drained.
She sat up and piled the pillows behind her so that she could continue resting in an upwards position. She reached to one of the frames she had rescued the night before. A young cocky John stood in front a helicopter, some 20 years before, beside another equally young and handsome man. She imagined that was Callum. He had similar features to Vera.
A noise in the kitchen caught her attention. She hadn't seen Mary since two days ago and her friend did not know she had been sacked. Mary was very busy these days, alternating between working at the pub and volunteering at Highclere. She put on her robe and walked out of her room, intent on chatting with her friend. She could use some tea too.
She came face to face with a shirtless Matthew who was wearing Mary's pink silk robe and his boxers underneath.
"Matthew." Anna was surprised.
"Anna." Matthew was embarrassed and pulled his robe tight around him.
Mary came bounding out of her room and in the absence of her robe, wearing Matthew's shirt thrown on to accompany her knickers. She hadn't even buttoned it up completely. "Did you manage the machine, darling?"
She froze when she found her friend. "Anna. I thought you'd be at work already." Mary's surprise and embarrassment accompanied Matthew's.
"Yes, I can see, but…" She swiveled to face her lawyer. "I was sacked yesterday, by Vera. I tried contacting you all day, Matthew, and now I understand why I couldn't get through." A cheeky smile graced her lips.
"Um, Anna, can I see you for a moment?" Mary didn't wait for an answer and dragged Anna back into her own bedroom. They left Matthew in the living room, with his mouth open.
Once inside her bedroom, Anna crossed her arms. "So? What is going on?" Neither of the girls were prudes, but, they weren't in the habit of bringing home one night stands. Long-term boyfriends yes, flings no. Anna wondered what category Matthew fit into.
"He finally asked me out again, yesterday, after John's arraignment. He came back to the pub, with Dad, Mum and Sybil, and we got to talking. We went to a quick dinner, straight after he asked, and I invited him back here. You see, he's been a little shy, and he confessed that he thought I was not really into him. Bloody fool stopped calling me because of that! Well, one thing led to another." Mary was flailing, very excited.
Anna hugged her. "I am happy for you."
Mary asked timidly, "You don't mind do you?"
"I don't… but, let's all make sure we are all fully clothed in the future." She winked at Mary, to let her mischievous side shine through. "And now, since he is out there, I have business to discuss with him, if you don't mind."
Anna walked out in search of Matthew, only to find him gone. She set about finishing the task of making the tea that he had started and a few minutes later, he came back more dressed, except for his shirt which Mary still wore. He had an undershirt on, so he was not bare chested this time.
"I am so sorry Anna. I am not sure what to say or how to go from here. This was not very professional of me."
Anna poured them each a cup.
"Can we just get down to business, Matthew? You are still John's lawyer and mine too and we still have a lot to do."
Matthew just nodded his head in agreement, thankful that they weren't going to have any conversations about this. He graciously took the cup as he sat down at the small dining table. Anna joined him.
"I have the evidence that John didn't do it." Anna beamed as she said it, very proud of herself for her discovery.
Matthew's eyes lit up, and Mary, who had overheard them as she walked back into the room jumped for joy.
"How? What?" Matthew couldn't get the words out.
"Oh My God Anna. What is it?" Mary filled the void for him.
"I cross referenced the dates of the withdrawals. The last one, on the list you gave me, was made on a Saturday when John wasn't in York. The IP address is from his home, but he couldn't have done it, because he was away on a trip."
"How can you be sure?" Matthew's brow was raised, mimicking with his face the question he had just asked.
"I am sure. I was with him. I'm his alibi."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"I have good news John." Matthew was pleased that after the steady stream of worsening missives, he finally had something to convey that could be considered positive. Momentous, even. He set down his briefcase on the table and sat.
What is it?" John replied with a hopeful gaze as he sat back against the wobbly prison chair. This was his first visit since his arrival at Whetherby and he hadn't had the opportunity to experience the inexistent comforts of the visitation room.
"Anna's found the evidence that you could not have been the one to do the deposits." Matthew was positively beaming with excitement.
"Did she?" John's face was frozen, as if he couldn't believe it. His Anna was brilliant. There was never any doubt that she wouldn't find the evidence.
"She says the date of the last transfer coincided when you and here were together on the recent trip you made." Matthew kept talking. "She is ready, willing and able to be your alibi. In fact, she's excited that she can do this for you." Matthew was so hyped from the good news that he did not notice John's crestfallen face. "I know it is not ideal, because it is evidence of adultery and that would impact your divorce proceedings, but John, imagine! This is perfect so that we can stop the charges of embezzlement and theft from landing you in jail."
With a stoic and firm voice, John responded. "I won't allow it." His legs shook, undetected by Matthew. He was building courage to be strong.
Matthew was confused. John ought to be excited and he wasn't. He looked even more forlorn than the last time they spoke. "Excuse me? What is it that you won't allow?"
"Anna testifying on my behalf."
Matthew's jaw locked from the stress of what he was hearing. "You can't be serious. Why?" His tone was elevated, but restrained as they had a public around them.
"She is good, and selfless for wanting to be my alibi, and I appreciate it wholeheartedly, but she doesn't know how brutal the press would be with her. They will crucify her, call her names, make her out to be a villain, and Vera would be the poor, offended and victimized wife. This would ruin Anna and I cannot take my liberty at the expense of her image." He was tempered in his delivery of his message, not losing his cool.
"She knows this will happen, John. I discussed all the possibilities and she says she will do it. She says that she can overcome her humiliation if it means that you don't spend a day longer in prison. Those are her words, not mine."
John was flabbergasted. He loved Anna. The absence of her while he was in prison had led him to that conclusion. He understood that her willingness to sacrifice herself must be because she loved him too. She was doing this for him. Yet, he couldn't let her do it. He loved her too much to see her dragged into his troubles.
He also had to think of Daphne and Bryant Landing. The press wouldn't relent until they had all the details of their tryst and he wouldn't want to be responsible for outing the shelter. Those women depended on the secrecy of Daphne's compound to get their lives together while they rebuilt their confidence. It would only take one sensationalist reporter who thought they had a story, to bring unwanted publicity. What if any of those women's oppressors found their way back to them? He made an oath to Daphne about secrecy and he would live by it, regardless of the impact to himself.
"I would expect nothing less from a woman of her caliber. She continues to amaze me." John reflected internally, as if he were speaking to himself and not addressing Matthew. "I do not deserve her support or love. I am not worthy, and my rejection of her offer makes me feel like a louse. I cannot allow her to be my knight in shining armor. I would rather spend a decade in prison than see her spirit reduced to crumbs because of her involvement with me. The answer is no, Matthew. I beg you to separate her from all of this."
Matthew sighed loudly and closed his eyes. John guessed he was counting to ten before he spoke again so that he could be as composed as possible.
"You realize we may never discover how Vera did this and that this is may have been your only opportunity? They will utilize your sexual harassment charges and Vera's lawyers will also dredge up the topic of your Mostar helicopter crash to weaken your character. You don't have any positive things in your favor right now." Matthew was kind with his tone. John had been very firm when he spoke and Matthew did not want to scold him.
"I realize it and I accept my fate. If Vera cannot be unmasked, then I shall stay in prison."
Matthew's face contorted, but he breathed in. He must have convinced himself mentally, because by the time he spoke, he was composed and it seemed that they'd never had this conversation.
"Alright. Then we shall get down to business." He opened his briefcase. "Let's see. Bullock and Sampson have sent requests to depose most of your office staff. There is a Dawson, Barrow, Baxter, O'Brien, Strallan and Gregson called for the day after tomorrow."
John nodded his head in disappointment. He was still annoyed that anybody should be bothered during the process.
"Do any of those people hold grudges against you?" Matthew asked without looking up.
"Pfft. Of course…. And does it really matter? Anything nice any of them have to say towards me will likely be twisted until it is negative. For all practical purposes, they are all bad witnesses."
Matthew looked up from the rim of his reading glasses. He was not amused. "Come now John, let's not be negative. Who is dangerous on that list?"
John relented. "O'Brien and Barrow only. Sarah hates me, and Thomas, while I've never had a problem with him or his work, is a staunch supporter of Vera's."
"I'll depose all of them too, and I will add Anna to our list to make Vera tremble." When John couldn't understand the relevance of the sentence, Matthew had to remind himself that John was unaware that Anna no longer worked in the firm. "She was sacked yesterday, John. She was accused of flirting with Evelyn Napier."
The blood in his veins congealed at the news. His only reaction was to exclaim, "Oh, that bitch."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Come Sugar. I need your assistance to carry this." Elsie couldn't help it. A day after it had happened, she was still trying to poke fun at the situation.
Charles cringed at the mere mention of that name, but stood up as requested to help her carry a heavy tray. "Elsie, please. How long are you going to milk this?"
Elsie had not reprimanded him for the kiss, fully having understood the situation, and neither did she explicitly tease him regarding the sexuality of his friend. But he could tell she was having too much fun with his misery.
"As long as it is no longer fun for me." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek as she made her way to the table. "….and, it's only been one day. I'll drop it eventually."
"Why the miserable face?" Anna could tell Pops was none too pleased at the moment. She was returning from a quick trip to the loo before starting an evidence sharing session with her Godparents.
"Nothing," he responded actively before Elsie could say anything. He preferred the situation he'd encountered remain only between him and his wife. "Nothing at all."
Elsie stifled a laugh and then shifted her gaze in the opposite direction, avoiding Anna's question.
Anna was not convinced that there was nothing going on, but, neither of her Godparents seemed willing to share. They also had too much to discuss, so she let it go. She sat down and pulled several documents forward.
"Joe's been very busy and now it's our turn to make sense of what he's found."
"So, what's first?" Elsie exclaimed as she took the first document from the pile.
"The DNA results. Joe pulled in some favors with a friend at the laboratory and they came this morning. The child is most certainly not Anthony Strallan's."
"What did they compare against?" asked an interest Charles.
"When he wasn't looking, I snatched his coffee cup. I was extra helpful to him one day."
Elsie developed a proud smile. Her little girl was clever. "How very smart of you, love."
"If you knew Anthony, you'd understand that this was not hard at all." Anthony was smart, but easy to distract.
"So, what's next? What do you intend to do about it, now that your Mr. Bates can't be the go between?" Her Godfather's left eyebrow was raised in expectation of an answer.
"I have been thinking about that. This is a side investigation, not something that pertains to our central case, so I am not sure it is a priority. With John also being in jail, I don't know how relevant this still is to him. Now that I no longer work there, I may just come out to Anthony. I am not sure. I am still thinking about it."
"Mmmm. Are you sure sweetheart?" Ever concerned, Charles demeanor reflected worry.
"He's harmless, and I've not decided yet. I'll sleep on it, but don't worry."
"Alright, so what else?" An impatient Elsie offered, hoping to move the topics along.
"The deposits. Joe has found something."
"Don't tell me he's found where they belong too?" Charles was surprised given the wild goose chase a search of this nature represented.
"I am amazed myself. So, on a hunch, after his searches for accounts under Vera's name came up empty, I asked him to search under her maiden name. Mr. Bates marriage records indicate she was Vera Kelly. When he searched under that name, he found two accounts. The first account was something from her youth, something insignificant like a library affiliation. The other - not so insignificant. It turns out, that she has an account at Eagle Investments. When I copied her files, weeks ago, I came across some information from that company and I couldn't make sense of it and Joe couldn't find an account at the time. The files have been sitting on my dining room table and we've only now discovered that her account was under a different name."
"Oh my. How scheming of her." Elsie added with a roll of the eyes.
"Absolutely. For her to have this account in her maiden name and the account is fairly recent, from five years ago, means that she has been planning something. I don't understand yet exactly how this investment firm works, but I am looking into that. The important thing is that the cashier's checks that she has been requesting, those that confused us originally because they matched somewhat what Anthony was also doing, those quantities match the quantities that the account has in deposits. The date they received the money, matches almost entirely to the date she requested the checks. This has to mean something. In this day and age, when electronic transfers are possible, and banking convenience has been developed, doing something the old-fashioned way, means that she is trying to deflect her actions. She didn't want this to be tracked."
"I am sure you are right." Charles gruff voice approved her thoughts. "She's hiding something and we'll have to understand what Eagle Investments is all about to decipher it."
"Yes, I am on to it. That is what I will be concentrating on next."
"Hopefully it will lead to something. I still can't figure out how that ties in with the fraud, though. If it is her money, distributed fairly to her as her monthly gains, why would she need to do all this?" Elsie was being practical in her thinking.
"I don't know if it has anything to do with the fraud, but, this is clearly a deceptive practice and I will find out."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
A visitor? What a welcome interruption to this uneventful day. So far, he had counted the cracks in the plaster of the ceiling as he lay on his bunk bed. There were 17. Whoever had performed the maintenance on this room had done a shoddy job. He welcomed a distraction so that he wasn't thinking about the poor upkeep of the facilities. Anything was better than that. His mind was back to the visit. He wasn't expecting Matthew again so soon. He hoped it was Robert and not somebody undesirable such as Richard. An unwelcome visitor could send his mood in the opposite direction.
It was a short walk from his room into the visitation area. As he turned the corner, he was able to scan into the enclosure. He saw the blonde head sitting alone and his heart began to beat out of his chest. It was the only table unoccupied by another prisoner and his heart knew it was Anna. He could recognize that beautiful hair anywhere. She had come. His beautiful angel. She was here, nervous and by herself. Her hand was fidgeting on the table. This was no place for a beautiful girl like her.
She had her back to him as he walked upon the small table. There were other prisoners with their guests. This was less private than when he was in the holding facility at York, but at least he felt more confident that their conversation would not be listened to. There was too much chatter around them.
"Anna. You came." He sounded flat, an overt opposite to what he was actually feeling.
She stood up at the sound of his voice and swiveled around until she was in front of him. She had been told by the guard at the entrance, that she couldn't touch him and that she would be observed at all times. She wanted to reach out to him, but caught herself. He was right about her nervousness. He could tell, through her eyes, that her confidence was absent.
"I did, and I don't have Matthew's permission. Does that make you mad?" There was a restraint in her demeanor. She didn't know if he would lash out at her.
"I could never be mad at you," he answered as he walked around the table. They sat down. "Matthew doesn't think it is a good idea, but I don't know what is good or bad anymore, so, I'll just enjoy it." He could guess why she was here. It was either the alibi thing or the Richard thing. She would want him to change his mind. He couldn't with either of them.
She smiled at his answer. She had so many things to say. How should she start?
"Vera fired me." Getting that out of the way ought to be the first issue discussed.
"I heard." He stared at her for a few seconds. "On behalf of Bates Airlift, I would like to apologize for the way you have been treated." The delivery of the line was sarcastic and funny, John's attempt to lighten-up their conversation. It worked. Anna chuckled.
"I really am sorry," he added. "I know you didn't sign up for her abuse when you came aboard." He laid his palms on the table, close to hers. The magnetic pull between them was as strong as ever.
"No, I didn't when you hired me as your investigator," Anna looked down bashfully, surveying the distance between their fingers. "….but I did the first time we slept together." She looked up once more to correct him emphatically. "The relationship I entered into with you was with the full knowledge of her existence. I promise you, I can handle her." Her hands also moved forward until they were only an inch apart. How easy it would be for them to touch. She could feel the tension between them. The sensation of having him so close was making it hard for her to breathe.
Bless her. She was so strong, and a fighter. Her touch was what he needed. If only they could indulge. It would make all of the bad feelings go away. He also wanted to kiss her and tell her that he loved her, but this was not the place to do it. A prison visitation room was not romantic or memorable. Thoughts of being elsewhere filled his head. He sighed. If he were ever given the opportunity to leave this place, telling her would be the first thing he would do.
Anna controlled her breathing and tilted her head, concentrating on her mission. She couldn't let his distracting fingers veer her off the subject that she was determined to discuss. "Mr. Bates, there is a purpose for my visit. You know why I am here." She had a pleading look in her eyes.
He ventured to guess, given her visible duress, that it had to do with his alibi. "I do, and I thank you for being willing to sacrifice your good name to defend me, but I can't do it." His words were firm, but soft.
Whether it was allowed or not, she took the risk and placed her hand on top of his. "Please don't be stubborn, John. I am aware of the consequences. I can handle it." Her words continued to plead to him.
Her touch sent a chill down his body. As the electricity generated between them traversed through his entire being, flooding his senses, he allowed his hand to come up and envelope hers, holding it firmly. Like a thirsty man in the desert, the sensation of their skin together quenched his thirst. It filled him with hope and momentarily displaced his despair. He felt her shudder, evidently as affected as he was with this connection between them. It almost made him lose touch with the reality that surrounded them. Her eyes grounded him back to reality. She had used his Christian name – aware that it was something he wanted her to use. Her perseverance made him love her more. Yet, he couldn't do it. Allowing her to take on such a hardship for him, one with very clear detrimental results, would eat him up inside. He could never sit by and see her name besmirched. This was not the right path for her.
"They would ruin you Anna." Reasoning with her would be difficult.
"My only ruin is to be without you." She answered so quickly and with so much passion, she didn't realize the implications of what she was saying until she had said the words out loud. They'd not even exchanged I love you's. She looked down at their joined hands, hoping she hadn't scared him. He'd been unsure about their relationship before. Would he shy away?
He felt his breath catch in his throat. God Anna, don't make this hard. It is my ruin to be without you too is what he thought, but he couldn't tell her.
"…And my ruin would be to see you made a scapegoat, or a villain. You are nothing less than a lady to me, and the public knowledge that we have been together would make others see you as less than that. I could not now, or ever, allow you to be vilified. I could not now, or ever, give Vera the opportunity to target you. She will want to destroy everything that I hold dear… You Anna, will be made to pay for my sins and I could never live knowing that your selflessness and good will and your involvement with me is what brought about your destruction."
"Hands," boomed the speakers above them. The guards had finally caught on that they were touching. They pulled apart reluctantly. He felt lost afterwards, her touch having been an anchor that grounded him. He felt even more lost when he realized she had tears in her eyes. He made her cry and he felt like the least deserving man on the planet. What was it with him that he made all the women in his life miserable? He couldn't even reach out to comfort her. He felt like such a failure.
"John, I love you. I wouldn't forgive myself if I couldn't get you out." She held her breath at the revelation. They'd hardly dated. How long had they known each other? She closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop beating as fast as it was. He'd think her a fool; a childish girl with an infatuation. She didn't care.
She loved him? Oh God, how could he be so lucky and so wretched at the same time? Why would God send him love when he was at his worst and couldn't be the man she deserved? A dozen self-deprecating thoughts filtered through his head, but they didn't matter. She loved him. If a beautiful angel like her could love a mistake ridden, middle-aged, ruin of a man, then life was worth living. She made it worth fighting for. But the price was still too high. Her livelihood in exchange for his was not a fair trade.
She looked at him with expectation. He sat staring at her and a small smile erupted on his thin gray lips.
Only a moment ago, he thought he wouldn't get to tell her or that he would do it in a more romantic setting if he was given the chance. Circumstance dictated that it should be in this place. He leaned in, so that nobody could overhear.
"If we were alone, I would take you in my arms, pull you as close as possible to me, and kiss you until you could breathe no longer. Then, I would whisper in your ear that I too, Anna Smith, love you…."
His eyes crinkled around the edges, obviously a sign of his happiness. They reflected adoration and love. He repeated it again. "I love you, Anna Smith."
Anna wiped away the tears that had collected in her eyes with the rims of her sleeves. Her mascara was probably running, given that black coloring was collected by her jumper's wooly yarn. She must look hideous, but this revelation filled her with a joy she'd never experienced before. He loved her. They were in the most miserable place, they couldn't touch each other, yet, this was the happiest she had ever been in her life.
She too smiled back at him, reflecting how wonderful she felt. "You fool." That is all she could think to say in the moment. "What are we to do now if you won't let me say the truth? We love each other and that is it?"
Her admonishment of him earned her a big smile. He too shed a few happy tears, yet he felt his heart would burst. He was beaming. In the midst of his misery, her presence was a ray of sunshine.
As positively as before, he answered. "My darling, we go on as before. That brilliant mind of yours will find a way to find out who is actually doing this. I have faith in you. If it takes a week, or a year, or ten years, I will be fine. Knowing that you love me, I could bear to be in here as long as I need to be."
Oh God, He was really good at saying such things.
"It won't take ten years. I'm giving it all I've got, but, however long it does, I will be here every step of the way. I will be with you and I will be waiting for you to get out of here. I will wait for you, John Bates. Do you hear me? I will wait."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
What a day. He loved her and she loved him. The most magnificent words she had ever heard had been exchanged in a tacky prison visitation room. If they were ever able to go on with their lives, that would be a story to tell their children.
Children. Sigh… she was getting ahead of herself. No matter the dodgy location, she still felt as if she were in a dream, surrounded by fluffy white clouds that she could prance around in. She didn't know how she got back to her flat after such a conversation or how they continued to chat about the other things affecting the case. They had continued to talk, and miraculously, even with her excitement, she remembered what they spoke.
Once their emotions had settled, he had gone on to stress that besides her welfare, he could not be responsible for outing the shelter, exposing the lives of the residents to more upheaval, or potentially compromising the anonymity of Daphne's royal backer. A scandal? He didn't want that hanging over his head. He didn't budge when Anna recounted that his trips to Galloway coincided with the fraudulent deposits. He was surprised at her resourcefulness when she explained that she had gone as far as contacting Daphne to certify every single one of his flight dates against the deposit record and they matched. They concluded that Vera must know of his trips, somehow, and that Vera was crafty in in also knowing or guessing, that he wouldn't be compelled to use this as an alibi.
They also discussed that John had logged all of these trips for his helicopter on the flight logbooks with a different location than Dumfries. Each trip must be registered on the flight logs, as this was a requirement of the Civil Aviation Authorities, but he had misrepresented every single trip, changing the destination every time. This was also punishable by law. Vera didn't know where he was going, but she knew he wasn't being truthful about it. The penalty for lying was only a hefty fine, but people would want to think that he ran his business the same way and nothing could be farther from the truth. His business was managed with the strictest adherence to the law. This was the only area where he took a personal risk. He wasn't keen on having this discovered and Anna agreed to not pursue it any further. She'd have to find the truth or evidence elsewhere.
They briefly discussed the partnership, as it couldn't be avoided. Mr. Bates was terribly upset that this had to happen and he apologized profusely. She made sure to appease his nerves by saying she understood.
More enthusiastic than ever, Anna got back to work. Besides investigating Eagle Investments, she had to put together the files on the women of Bates Airlift. She had never focused on them before. When she had met with her Godparents to discuss the case, they all realized that in their zeal to discover who the lover was, they had targeted all of the men and the women had escaped attention. Since the investigation had shifted to fraud, this could be anybody, and it was worth the effort to do the background checks. Joe was already working on some of the information.
On a whim, she took out her mobile phone. She hadn't heard from incognitohelper in several days. She thought about the help that had been offered. The tweeter seemed to know things. She tapped the phone nervously on the table as these thoughts ran through her mind. The tweeter always messaged her. She'd never been the one to tweet first. Maybe she should. I't couldn't hurt.
incongnitohelper I was sacked. Still investigating TB and others.
She set the phone down to keep herself busy. Although she was itching to look at the screen and be aware instantly if a message came in, she forced herself to pay attention to the computer screen as she looked at Eagle Investments. Their main company's webpage purported that they were financial advisors and had several investment funds set up. There was a phone number and offices in York. She would make an appointment to pretend to be interested in advice. That would probably be the easiest way to find out what it was all about.
She heard a buzz and drew her eyes to the phone. It had worked. incognitohelper had tweeted back. Nervous excitement coursed through her veins. This better be worth it, she thought to herself. She never thought she'd have to resort to a virtual entity for help.
eyeinthesky I know. We'll have to work harder now. Half of the network is figured out. I will send it to your friend.
The tweeter knew she was sacked? Not a lot of people were aware. It must be somebody from inside Bates Airlift, but who? She shrugged. She should know by now. For as much as the thought herself a good detective, it bothered her that she had not figured it out yet. Nobody in the office had any apparent social media skills. None of them had twitter accounts that they would admit to. Based on Joe's feedback of the difficult to hack IP address, the person would have to have above average computer skills. Nobody seemed to fit that description. The Bates Airlift employees were all rather useless in technology. The office fell to pieces whenever a copier was out of toner. Replacing the cartridges was a cataclysmic event. None of the team had any clue on how to fix the latency issues that plagued the data network or how to troubleshoot basic service interruptions. Whenever they attempted to access their email, the login-in screen would freeze. They'd often have to call their outsourced tech-help line to get anything fixed. The tweeter spoke about the network. If they meant a literal data network, she would never believe that it came from the inside. So who could it be and what did they mean by their comment? What did they mean that it would be sent to her friend? What friend?
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"Robert, may I have a word?" Anna had thought long and hard about doing this. She was taking a huge risk. If it paid off, John would be saved, and she might get positive financial returns in a few years. If it didn't her father would turn in his grave, lamenting her squandering of his money.
"Sure, take a seat." He gestured towards the bar as both Mary and Edith waved at her. She waved back at both of them.
"Actually, can it be in private?" Her demeanor did not give up what the topic of conversation could be about.
Robert looked around. His daughters seemed to have everything under control.
"Sure. Let's go upstairs."
As soon as they were seated, Anna dove right into the conversation.
"I understand you have $25,000 pounds and that you are looking for funding to purchase John's partnership offering."
Robert understood that Anna would be worried about John and he launched into an explanation of how difficult it had been thus far to secure funding from anybody else.
"Well, yes. If I had all the money, I would have already helped him out, but I don't. I have asked a few close friends, but nobody has the courage to take this on when the stakes are so high. A return on investment is not guaranteed."
"I know. That is why I am here. I am ready to be your partner in this endeavor." She looked resolute when she spoke those words.
Robert's face was a mix of doubt and shock. "You, Anna?"
She nodded silently, in affirmation.
"But he needs at least $75,000 more pounds. Do you have that kind of money?" Robert's doubt was laced within his words.
"I have $90,000 pounds left of my father's inheritance, plus some land. I've bought a flat, paid the balance on my Godparent's flat, outfitted Carson's Investigators so they can have professional tools, and paid for my education expenses. I cannot think of a better way to spend the cash, than saving the dream of the man I love."
Robert was visibly choked up. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had no idea Anna had funds. Aware that the flat his daughter lived in was paid for, he always assumed that it had been an inheritance itself. If he had known she had that type of money, he would have come to her first.
Anna continued talking. "Between the both of us, that's $115,000. It's not the optimal amount he needs, but it is more than enough to save the company from demise."
"Yes, that's bloody fabulous." Robert had to stop and think. How marvelously lucky his friend was, finally finding a worthwhile companion with a heart of gold.
"There's just one thing. He can't know it was me. You can't ever tell him. Pretend you sourced it somewhere else. I will be your silent partner and I will choose when and if to let him know."
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A/N: Kudos to Shenty1 for being the first to guess that Anna would have enough money to save John. Tymarie20 also suggested it. And the reappearance of Sugar the prostitute was by request of a lovely Guest reviewer. It took me a while to figure out how to get her back in, but that was for you.
I've been very bad at answering reviews and PM's, but I appreciate hearing back from all of you. Work has been really intense and I have been traveling a lot, and there are days where I feel I can't continue, but then I get one of your lovely messages and it motivates me to finish.
There will be lots of answers starting in chapter 20. I promise! I am still posting updates in my profile if anybody wants to keep track.