‘As long as you’re sure,’ Kate said. It was understandable her wanting to make sure. She did well out of her divorce, and I knew I could too if I’d wanted. The truth was, I didn’t want.
‘There was something else.’ Kate paused, ensuring the refocus of the group. ‘Whilst I was fiddling with wires and things I had to rummage around on the floor to make sure the camera was plugged into the PC box properly – I know, me crawling around on the floor, I’m such an amazing friend blah blah blah.’
She flipped her head from side to side but I wished she’d get to the point.
‘Anyway, underneath that heavy mahogany desk there was a teeny gap between that and the floor and I spotted a little corner of something peeping out. Worried I’d knocked something over I pulled it out. It was a file.’ She bent down to rummage in her Mulberry tote and pulled out a file, which she laid on the desk. ‘I don’t think it had fallen under there accidentally because it was pretty well wedged in. But look, the folder is marked “for shredding” so why would you hide that? Anyway, I sensed it might be something important and pulled it out for a look and interestingly the documents inside seem to link to . . . guess?’ Her wide eyes darted between the three of us eagerly.
‘We don’t know,’ said Megan.
‘Get to the point,’ I said.
‘Bracken Peel. They’re a huge company and it seemed odd there was a file on their accounts and things under James’s desk. Wasn’t there something in the news about it? Wasn’t one of the directors arrested or something?’ she asked.
I cleared my throat. ‘Yes, he’s been accused of embezzlement. It’s the huge case James and Samantha were working on.’
‘Embezzlement, as in squirrelling away money into secret places?’ Kate said, pushing the folder towards me.
I scanned the documents, most of which were bank statements from offshore accounts and invoices set up in businesses registered in Grand Cayman. There was one link joining the dots. The businesses were in the name of Phil Brady, the director accused of embezzling money, and the invoices were all to Bracken Peel for various services. The bank statements showed mostly deposits, regular deposits, for large amounts. Twenty thousand pounds here, fifty there, and there were copy invoices for matching amounts. It had been going on for years.
‘What is it?’ Sam asked.
‘It looks like it could be evidence proving embezzlement, unless Phil Brady has multiple legitimate businesses set up abroad. But they’d have been investigated, and why would James hide this? It’s either innocent or it’s not but either way, it shouldn’t be stuffed under a solid mahogany desk, it should be part of the case.’ I looked to Kate for answers I knew she didn’t have.
‘Could he have been paid off?’ Sam asked, stretching over the table to see the documents.
I shrugged. ‘Not that I’d noticed but I didn’t have anything to do with James’s finances.’ I tapped my finger on the table, trying to think of a reason James would get involved in something like that. Then something hit me. ‘Ages ago, when he was feeling guilty about leaving me by myself so much, or at least pretending to feel guilty, he mentioned how the case would be worth it in the end. At the time, I thought he was talking about how it would put the law firm on the map, but maybe you’re right, Sam. Or maybe his motivation was both.’
‘My guess is, the money was coming from the Bracken Peel account and this account belongs to the director.’ I pushed the folder to Sam who eyed it carefully.
‘Yes, it does look suspicious – large sums of money moving into an offshore account, but would he really hide this file to protect a guy they knew was guilty? Sam said.
‘I don’t know.’ I shrugged. I didn’t know anything any more.
‘Give me that.’ Kate took the folder back and began flipping back and forth between pages. ‘There is only one reason I can think of. Here.’ She took out a few of the pages and spread them across the dining table. ‘Look, there isn’t just money coming in, there’s a payment of ten thousand here, and again here, and again there and more payments of twenty-thousand pounds all to the same account. One hundred grand to lose a few bits of paper sounds like a motive to me.’
‘That isn’t solid evidence; we’d have to join the dots if we were going to prove this,’ Megan said.
‘So where does this leave Samantha?’ Sam asked.
‘Well all the payments going out are to the one account. Either she’s in on it and has been promised a cut of the money or she knows nothing about it.’ Kate shrugged. ‘We need to see who this account belongs to.’
Things were moving too quickly. ‘Hold on a minute, the plan was to get some evidence of James having it off in the office – this could send them to prison.’ I didn’t want that.
Kate shook her head. ‘The photographs will come in handy for your divorce, but Haiden and Haiden could just shrug it off. If we can prove that James accepted bribes, it will definitely pack a bigger punch. Listen, the case is going to trial soon. Haiden and Haiden have time to turn this over, present it as “new evidence” and get a ticking off. The director will have to change his plea to guilty and they will have to adjust the defence accordingly. If they want to take action against James it will bring the whole firm into disrepute. My guess is they’ll ask him to resign.’
‘It’s a risk,’ I said, but it made sense. The case had already made the national news. Did they want a ‘minor blip’ on their hands or a major ‘cover-up’ scandal? ‘You’re right. Sam, what do you think?’
‘Do it.’
‘Okay, so now we need proof,’ Kate said.
‘We need to prove
