Where the Rain Gets In (17 page)

Margaret made herself a full pot of
coffee. She alternated using a plunger jug with an espresso pot heated on the
stove, depending on the type of coffee she’d opened; today it was filter coffee
in the plunger. She boiled the water in the kettle and then poured in a small
amount to warm the jug. She swirled the water around the upper part of the jug,
trying to heat each part of the glass, and then emptied the water into the
sink. She took the jar of coffee from the fridge and filled out four heaped
scoops into the jug. She replaced the top on the coffee jar and returned it to
the fridge. Without re-boiling the kettle, she poured in enough water to cover
the coffee and waited to let it seep into the grinds. She shook the jug to make
sure the water permeated through to all the coffee. Every time she did this she
thought of the movie Betty Blue, the scene where they’re making the coffee and
waiting in awkward silence while they let the coffee grinds soak in the pan.
Margaret poured in the rest of the boiled water to the top of the jug. She
placed the plunger in the jug and rested it on top of the coffee. She took a
tea towel from the rack on the front of the stove and wrapped it around the coffee
jug.

While she was waiting for the coffee,
Margaret cleared the kitchen table and wiped it down with a cloth. She kept her
college bag on the shoe rack behind the kitchen door; she took out the books
for her project and set them out across the kitchen table. She left a space to
her right for her coffee and toast.

She took a mug from the cupboard and
poured in some of the water that was still in the kettle; she did the same with
a plate. She hated using cold crockery and she liked her toast to stay warm
once it was ready to eat. She took two slices of bread from the packet in the
bread bin, put them in the toaster, and pushed down the lever. She tipped the
hot water from the mug into the sink and reached up to the cupboard for the
sugar. Using the teaspoon in the sugar bowl, she put a single spoonful into the
mug. She left the spoon in the mug and returned the bowl to the cupboard. She
unwrapped the towel from the coffee jug, plunged down the plunger and poured
the coffee into the mug. She stirred the sugar into the coffee. She tipped the
hot water from the plate into the sink and dried the plate with the towel. When
the toast popped up, she placed it on the plate and reached for a jar of honey
that was kept by the side of the kettle. Using the spoon from her coffee, she
scooped some honey on to each piece of toast and then threw the spoon into the
sink. She carried her coffee and toast over to the kitchen table and sat down.

Margaret drank her coffee and ate her
toast as she read over the work she already had done on her project.

It was ironic, Margaret thought, that
she was now the only member of her family to show the slightest interest in
going to college. Her children certainly weren’t bothered; they seemed to have
picked up on their father’s low opinion of what studying for a degree might
bring them. Jack had tried college for a while, if only for his mother’s sake;
but he couldn’t stick it and seemed happier now he’d come out and told her.
Mike junior didn’t even bother to pretend.

“What would I want to do that for?” he
asked. He wanted to see places and earn money.

Margaret was disappointed, but
disappointed in the way of all parents who have never been to college and want
the best for their children.

She cleared away her plate and washed
the crumbs of toast and sticky honey from her hands. She washed the teaspoon at
the same time and, without drying the spoon, took down the sugar bowl again
from the cupboard and poured herself some more coffee. She settled down to work
and studied like this for almost an hour before being disturbed by the front
door bell.

Margaret was tempted to ignore it – the
kitchen was a long way back, through the hallway, from the front of the house,
and Margaret couldn’t be seen from the front door. But when the bell rang a
second time, she decided to answer the door and take it as a sign that she’d
done enough work for now. She looked at the time – it was almost ten o’clock,
and she knew she should be getting ready to leave.

Margaret walked along the hallway, and
saw through the glass in the front door that it was Eugene. She wasn’t
surprised, but she regretted not anticipating who it might be; it was too late
now though.

“Eugene,” she said.

“Margaret,” he said. “May I come in?”

She opened the door wide and stood to
one side.

“You can,” said Margaret, “but I’m on my
way out.”

Eugene hesitated; he smiled a lopsided
smile, and then looked back down to the ground.

“I’m through in the kitchen,” said
Margaret, and walked back into the house.

Eugene didn’t follow her, and Margaret
took the opportunity to grab the things she needed for the morning. She pulled
off her sweatshirt and picked up her jacket. She took a second to make sure she
hadn’t forgotten anything. She had thought she might take everything with her
for the day, but now she’d have to come back at lunchtime for the afternoon
case files. She picked up her bag, and checked for her car keys inside.

“I was looking for Mike,” said Eugene
down the hallway.

“Well, he’s not here,” said Margaret.
She pushed past Eugene and pulled the door to behind her. Eugene had to step
back from the porch of the house.

“Margaret – ”

“I’m late, Eugene,” said Margaret. “I
told you – Mike’s not here.”

“I know, but I – ”

“So why come looking for him then?”

“Because it’s actually you that I really
want to speak to,” said Eugene.

Margaret locked the front door.

“Well it’ll have to wait,” she said. “I
have a counselling session at eleven, and it’s out at Alderley Edge.”

Margaret walked down the steps in front
of the house.

“Please, Margaret – ”

“I told you,” she said again, “I’m
late.”

Margaret walked through the gate and
into the street. She pressed the remote for her Renault Clio, got in, and drove
away.

K
atie’s meeting went on for an hour. It
was her meeting, so there was nowhere to hide, and she had to put Mike’s phone
call to the back of her mind. She was relieved Carmel wasn’t in the room.

This was Katie’s weekly get together
with her three trainees, to go over the changes and fluctuations in the
accounts they’d been given. She could have gone over them individually, but
this way one person’s mistake was everybody’s lesson. She knew of course what
was happening to the accounts before the meeting but she let the trainees
describe what was going on. She encouraged them to be open and frank about what
they were doing – they might as well be if she already knew – and there were
never any recriminations at this stage of their training. Nobody actually
changed the make-up of a portfolio without first going through Katie. She tried
to have them focus separately on currencies, stocks and bonds so they each
brought something different to the table.

Katie wasn’t herself but she got through
the hour. When she returned to her office though, it was impossible to avoid Carmel’s
look of concern.

“Are you okay?” asked Carmel.

“Fine thanks,” said Katie, but she
didn’t linger by Carmel’s desk to pick up her messages. And she deliberately
closed her door; something Katie only ever did if she was in a meeting or on a
very difficult call.

What the hell was Mike thinking? Because
he was in trouble, he was determined to drag Katie down as well? So much for
all his grand gestures when he set up the scam, keeping Katie well away from
the stock purchase of Halibro. Unless they’d followed where the money went
next? But if she didn’t actually do anything, could they chase her for the
money – or prosecute her for fraud? Would they really pursue it so far? And
could they really touch Katie in a different jurisdiction? The movement of money
was international but, unlike Mike, she wasn’t an American citizen; they knew
where they could stick their subpoena if they tried it on her.

What was the most likely thing to
happen? That they would try to stop her trading? That was easily done. Just a
hint of an association with what Mike pulled off was enough to say goodbye to
her job. Let’s face it – they could do whatever they liked if they put their
mind to it.

Is this what Mike was contacting her to
warn her about? Well, she’d been ready for twenty years to walk at a moment’s
notice. Her money was safe and her passport was in her bag. Mike was more
exposed, it was true, but there was little Katie could do to help him. She
didn’t believe for one minute that he was scared; and even if he was – what was
it to her?

If they followed the money to her then
they could follow it elsewhere – to Bruno, for instance.

So Mike knew how to find her – how like
Mike. Katie could have tracked Mike down too, if she’d chosen to, but she
hadn’t. Did he come across her by chance – this was likely, given her high
profile over these past few years – or did he seek her out? Was he watching her
before they found him? This was Mike remember; of course he was watching her –
watching but not contacting, as agreed. Perhaps, unlike Katie, Mike didn’t need
the clean break to see it through? Was he watching out of concern, to see that
she was okay? Well, she’d been okay for a long while now – at least by the
measure of the world – so what was he playing at?

Come on, Katie; stop fucking around! You
know exactly what’s going on here. Stop pretending – this is about Bruno and
you know it.

There was a knock at Katie’s door and
Carmel walked in. She closed the door behind her and sat down in the chair by
Katie’s desk.

“Carmel?”

It was obvious to Katie that Carmel
didn’t really know how to put whatever it was she’d decided to say.

“Carmel,” said Katie, “if this is about
this morning and my being rude, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“No,” said Carmel, “it’s not about that;
at least, not about you being rude. You’re the boss and bosses are rude
sometimes – ”

“That’s no – ”

“But you aren’t, usually, so don’t
worry. God knows you’re a weird fuck, but one thing you’re not generally is
rude.”

Katie smiled.

“So,” she said, “apart from telling me
I’m a weird fuck – what is it?”

“That phone call, this morning – ”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said
Katie. “He won’t be calling again, that’s all.”

“But it’s not all, is it?” asked Carmel.
“As I said, you’re a weird fuck and you keep yourself to yourself and that’s
fine, especially in your position. I know I gossip and everything but it
doesn’t mean anything and that’s not why I’m here – to find out what’s going
on. So, I don’t know what that was all about this morning and I don’t want to
know – well, I do want to know but I know I’m not going to find out, so I might
as well pretend I don’t care – but I do care about you and I can see you’re
upset, so that’s why I came in.”

Katie nodded that she understood.

“I appreciate it Carmel, I do, but
there’s nothing to be done about it and I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think so,” said Carmel.

“What do you mean – if I say I’ll be
fine then I’ll be fine, surely?”

“Not necessarily; in fact, no, I don’t
think so. Tell me to mind my own business if you like; as I said, you’re the
boss – ”

“Stop saying that,” said Katie.

“Well you are,” said Carmel, “but the
one thing you never do is insult my intelligence, so don’t start now. If you’ve
had a shock or an upset, or if this person is bothering you, then it’s okay to
ask for my help. Or take the rest of the day off to get it sorted, that’s all
I’m saying. Everybody has shit going on in their lives; it’s bound to surface
sooner or later, and you don’t necessarily want to be in work when it does. Do
you hear what I’m saying?”

“I do,” said Katie. “I do.”

“After all, you are – ”

“ – the boss; yes, I know. Thanks,
Carmel; really, thanks.”

“Just don’t . . . well, just don’t
whatever, okay?”

“I won’t,” said Katie, “I promise.”

But as Carmel left the room, Katie still
didn’t know what she would do about Mike. She knew it was pointless to stay in
work – Carmel was at least right about that. There was nothing that couldn’t be
left to another day. Katie’s attendance record was more or less perfect. Better
to think this through at home than behind the closed door of her office.

But even then, she thought, nothing
would be resolved without seeing Mike.

Damn him and damn whatever he was about.

Okay – think; breathe.

Mike would know that Bruno never
collected the money. Mike would know everything because he always did – stop!
There’s no way he could know about Bruno, so is that what he’s here to find
out? Because if they’re looking for the money, they’ll be looking for Bruno and
Mike doesn’t know where that might lead? And he wants to make sure it leads to
Katie and not to Mike?