End Game Chapters 13-14

Chapter 13 Creative Accounting

Days turned into weeks and still Laurel Hunter was not to be found. If people were confused by her absence, nobody said anything.  Darren continued to go about his normal business, though with a slightly more distracted air. He knew it was too much to hope that no one would notice, but no one said anything.

One evening Rueben Hammond sat in his office, working late yet again. He was going through the books for the business, but they just wouldn’t balance this evening. He rubbed a hand over his sapphire blue eyes in frustration.

A deep frown creased his forehead. He was worried, though he didn’t really know why. All he knew was that Darren, his business partner was acting oddly. He was however far too discreet to say anything. He knew that Darren would come to him, if and when he needed to. He just hoped it wasn’t too late to help him when he did. There were discrepancies in the accounts. Rueben didn’t like this. It appeared someone had been stealing from the company and only one person other than him had access to that particular authorisation code. That was Darren, but how could it be Darren? He was so honest. Deciding he could do no more tonight, Rueben went home to his wife. An early night for once, Danielle would be pleased.

This assumption turned out not to be true however. Danielle Hammond was not pleased to see that her husband had left the office early once in a blue moon. In fact by the end of the evening, she was rather wishing he'd stayed the night there. He was distracted all night, snapping at her unfairly, so that she retired to bed early deeply hurt. He tried to apologise, but she just kept reading her Catherine Cookson novel. Great! She would hold a grudge against him for days now.  He barely got any sleep that night, tossing and turning, much to Danielle’s irritation as he kept her awake too.

"What is wrong with you?" she snapped at breakfast the next day. "You were as twitchy as a fox caught in a trap last night"

Rueben winced at the example she'd chosen to use.

There were a good many things bothering Rueben at the moment, besides the apparent creative accounting. There was that meeting to award the new contract. They had discussed this only a few months before. It had been a tossup between two companies and Rueben thought they’d reached a decision, agreement. Then today Darren had voted the other way. Darren’s vote. as the slightly more senior partner had swung matters. The contract had been awarded the other way. There might well have to be a meeting to dissolve the partnership. Not something he wanted, but needs must sometimes, he reasoned.

Chapter 14 Consequence of Conscience

Darren’s evening as you can imagine was little better. The children were keeping their distance these days, as he was as likely to snap as the average piranha fish. He tried to do some work for the office, but he couldn’t concentrate. The angry red crossings out, signified that. Now he lay on his bed, staring at their wedding photograph in its silver frame. Five weeks since she’d kissed him goodbye and promised not to be late, that they’d do something special.

He had by now realised that the house had been searched, the safe. The bastard hadn't forced the safe. He'd got the combination from somewhere. Had he got to her by then? What had they done to Laurel to make her give that up. His mind was spinning with worst case scenarios. His wife cold on some pathologists slab, Steven telling him she'd been dragged out of the river. Every time these thoughts occurred, his breathing accelerated uncontrollably.

Courtney had made him a doctor’s appointment with Adrian. This he had attended to shut her up, but he’d been less than honest. Nonetheless Adrian had put him on anti-depressants and upped his already large Vallium prescription. 

What wouldn’t he give to have her in his arms now? Safe, happy? Instead here he was with a million unanswered questions. Had she been hurt? What was she thinking? She was secretly blaming him, despising him? Who were they anyway? Why him, why his wife? What should he tell the kids? Would he ever see her again?

His mind spinning with the same unanswerable questions, he fell asleep. Only to be jerked awake again by the sound of his phone, delivering  a text message. He sat up and flipped his phone open.

2morrow, the park, midnight, be alone, bring the money, be under the trees.

His heart sank like a stone and he swallowed, cleared his throat. He felt as though he was choking. He retched, but nothing came up. Deadline day and he wasn't ready. Cold sweat drenched his forehead.

The following day Rueben went into the office, still undecided. There could be an innocent explanation. He hovered outside Darren’s office. He could see him, filling in forms with his silver Parker pen, a 21st birthday present from Laurel. Laurel, now there was something else that was worrying him.  The last time Darren had mentioned her, he’d said they’d had a row. That was 5 weeks ago and Laurel had not been seen, or heard from since. Darren? Surely not. He knew him didn’t he? Rueben went back to his desk and twiddled his fingers, his conscience uneasy. Coming to his decision he picked up the phone and dialled a number.