‘I said I wanted to see the past five years’ accounts, Mr Jardine, not next year’s. So make sure that the full IRS version,’ said Alex, emphasizing the word ‘full’, ‘is on my desk within an hour.’
‘It might take a little longer than that, sir.’
‘Then I might have to find someone who understands how many minutes there are in an hour, Mr Jardine.’
Alex had never seen anyone leave an office as quickly. He was about to call Mr Harbottle, when the phone on his desk rang.
‘I’ve tracked down Miss Robbins, chairman,’ said the switchboard operator, ‘and I have her on the line. Shall I put her through?’
‘Please do.
‘Good morning, Miss Robbins. My name is Alex Karpenko, and I’m the new chairman of Lowell’s.’
‘Yes, I know, Mr Karpenko. I read about your appointment in this morning’s Globe, and of course I heard your moving eulogy at Mr Lowell’s funeral. How can I help?’
‘I understand that Mr Ackroyd sacked you last Friday.’
‘Yes he did, and ordered me to clear my desk by close of business.’
‘Well, he had no authority to do so. As you were Lawrence’s personal assistant, not his. So I was wondering if you’d consider coming back and doing the same job for me?’
‘That’s most generous of you, Mr Karpenko, but are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a younger person to herald in a new era for the bank?’
‘That’s the last thing I need. I’m sinking under a sea of paperwork, and I have a feeling you might be the one person who knows where the lifeboat is.’
Miss Robbins stifled a laugh. ‘When would you like me to start, chairman?’
‘Nine o’clock, Miss Robbins.’
‘Tomorrow morning?’
‘No, this morning.’
‘But it’s already eleven thirty-five, chairman.’
‘Is it?’
‘Hi, Alex, I’m Ray Fowler, company secretary. What can I do for you?’ he said, thrusting out his hand.
‘Good morning, Mr Fowler,’ said Alex, making no attempt to rise from behind his desk, or to shake the outstretched hand. ‘I want a copy of the minutes of every board meeting held during the past five years.’
‘Not a problem, sir, I’ll have them sent up immediately.’
‘No, you will bring them up yourself, Mr Fowler, along with any notes you made at the time when you drew them up.’
‘But they may have been mislaid or destroyed after all this time.’
‘I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, Mr Fowler, that it’s against company law to destroy any material that might later prove relevant in a criminal inquiry.’
‘I’ll do my best to locate them, chairman.’
‘I seem to remember President Nixon saying something similar when he was ordered to produce the Watergate tapes.’
‘I hardly think that a fair comparison, chairman.’
‘I’ll let you know how I feel about that, Mr Fowler, but not until I’ve read the minutes.’
‘He did what?’ said Ackroyd.
‘Asked to see the bank’s audited accounts for the past five years and all the board minutes with any attached handwritten notes,’ said Ray Fowler.
‘Did he indeed? Then we’ll have to be rid of him before he gets his feet under the table, and starts causing any real problems.’
‘That might be easier said than done,’ said Fowler. ‘We’re not dealing with Lawrence Lowell any longer. This guy’s smart, tough and ruthless. And don’t forget he now has control of fifty per cent of the bank’s shares.’
‘While Evelyn owns the other fifty per cent,’ said Ackroyd. ‘So he can’t do anything without our backing, certainly not while we still have a majority on the board.’
‘But what if he were to find out—’
‘Let me remind you, Ray, if the IRS were to discover what you’ve been up to for the past ten years, I can tell you exactly where the buck will stop, and as I’m not President Truman — it won’t be with me.’
There was a knock on the door.
Alex checked his watch: fifty-eight minutes and twenty seconds. He smiled and said, ‘Come in, Mr Jardine.’
The door opened and the bank’s finance director led six of his staff into the chairman’s office, all of them laden down with boxes.
‘Here are a few to be getting on with, chairman,’ said Jardine, making no attempt to hide his sarcasm.
‘Put them over there,’ said Alex, pointing to a long table against the far wall.
The six assistants immediately carried out his orders, while Jardine stood and watched.
‘Will that be all, chairman?’ he said confidently.
‘No, it won’t, Mr Jardine. You said these were a few to be getting on with, so when can I expect the rest?’
‘I’m afraid that was my feeble attempt at a little humour, chairman.’
‘It fell on deaf ears, Mr Jardine. Could you ensure that no one from your department leaves the building tonight before I do, and that includes you. I have a feeling,’ he said, glancing across at the stack of files, ‘I’ll be needing several questions answered before I go home.’
‘Evelyn, we have a problem.’
‘Douglas, I expect you to take care of any problems at the bank, especially now you’re the chairman.’
‘But I’m not the chairman,’ said Ackroyd. ‘Just before he died, Lawrence appointed some guy called Alex Karpenko to take his place.’
‘Not him again.’
‘You know the man?’
‘Our paths have crossed,’ said Evelyn, ‘and I can tell you, he doesn’t take prisoners. But as I now own one hundred per cent of the bank’s shares, I can remove him whenever—’
‘Lawrence also left his fifty per cent holding in the bank to Karpenko. The guy’s already started digging, and if he were to find out—’
‘Do we still have a majority on the board?’ asked Evelyn.
‘As long as you turn up to vote, we do.’
‘Then I’ll have to fly back for the next meeting, won’t I. And, Douglas, the first item on the agenda will be to remove Karpenko from the chair and replace him with you. All I expect you to do is organize the meeting without him working out what we’re up to.’
‘It may not be quite that easy,’ said Ackroyd. ‘He’s already taken possession of your brother’s house, and I suspect your villa in the south of France will be next on his list.’
‘Over my dead body.’
‘And he’s also given orders to transfer the entire Lowell Collection to the bank as security in case the IRS wants to value it.’
‘That could be a problem,’ admitted Evelyn.
‘I have to tell you, Karpenko is one tough bastard,’ said Ackroyd. ‘You clearly don’t know the man.’
Alex spent the rest of the week studying balance sheets, dividend returns, tax payments, and even junior staff wages. But it wasn’t until Wednesday afternoon that he came across an entry that needed to be checked a third time before he was sure that no responsible board would have sanctioned it.
He stared at the item again, thinking it had to be one nought too many. It was tucked neatly in between two other figures of a similar amount so as not to draw attention to the entry. He double-checked the sum and wrote the figure down on a pad by his side. Alex wondered how many more such entries he would come across before he reached the present day.
The following morning, Alex found a similarly large withdrawal appearing on the balance sheet without explanation. Once again, Alex wrote the figure down. It was already dark by the time he came across the third entry, which was for a far larger amount. He added the figure to his growing list, and wondered how she’d been allowed to get away with it.