Chapter Fifty-Three
Meanwhile, across town, Nick and her lawyer were sitting in Judge Applethwaite’s private offices. Two representatives from the FCA were also present but neither party had spoken to each other.
The judge entered the room and Nick wiped her palms on her trousers. It was an informal gathering, and he was wearing a suit rather than his robes, but Nick still felt the weight of the British legal system enter the room. Having ensured that everyone was comfortable and offered them all drinks he cleared his throat.
‘Now, this is a little irregular, but I don’t believe in wasting taxpayer’s money, or my time so let’s get down to it. Mr Clements, I understand that the FCA has now had time to read through the additional evidence that De Foix Investments have put forward?’
‘We have,’ said the man who then stopped speaking, proving that he was not prepared to offer more than the very minimum.
‘And?’ asked the judge tersely.
‘And having reviewed the documents we are reasonably confident that the files were tampered with over a sustained period of time in order to portray an alternative reflection of the reality which they were intended to represent.’
Really, thought Nick, it was either like pulling teeth with the FCA or verbal diarrhoea. No in between.
‘And in light of this “alternative reflection” is it your intention to drop your prosecution?’ asked the judge .
‘It is,’ said the man succinctly.
Nick sat stunned as her lawyer turned to shake her hand. It was over. Just like that, weeks of gut-wrenching fear were gone. The judge smiled at her kindly and finally Nick could relax enough to remember that he used to be called Sooty and smiled back, relief flooding her face. She felt her face prickle and really hoped she wasn’t about to start crying in a room full of men. He was about to speak when Mr Clements spoke again.
‘There is more.’
Nick’s heart sank. Now everyone stared at the investigator who seemed reluctant to speak – in fact, the pause went on so long that the judge snapped at him to get on with it.
‘The fact is, last night we received a confession from an individual owning up to the tampering of the files. She says she did so at the direction of a third party. We are happy that given this confession and the previous evidence, De Foix Investments are innocent of all charges and are in fact the victim of a crime themselves.’
Finally, he turned and looked at Nick directly.
‘For which we are very sorry, and we shall now be pursuing charges based on this confession and the evidence you uncovered.’
Nick was stunned, the mole had voluntarily confessed. This meant she would be utterly above suspicion.
‘Who was it? Who is the third party?’
Mr Clements seemed reluctant to speak. A man used to keeping a closed lid on all aspects of an investigation. That is until the judge poked him .
‘For heaven’s sake, you pursued this poor girl with false evidence and nearly dragged her through the courts. The least you can do is supply her with a name. Or need I remind you that she is now the victim and due all care and attention?’
The two FCA agents looked at each other and then nodded.
‘The perpetrator is a Miss Daisy Hall.’
Nick gasped in disbelief; Aster had warned her, but it seemed impossible. She sat in stunned silence as Mr Clements continued.
‘She alleges that she acted alone within De Foix Investments at the direction of Harrington Holdings. We have already issued charges against Miss Hall and will be inviting Harrington’s in for an interview. It seems Miss Hall secretly recorded many of their conversations where they discussed how they planned to frame you. I imagine arrest warrants will follow the interview.’
Tears leaked out of Nick’s eyes. How could Daisy have done this to her? In hindsight it seemed obvious, she had found her the properties that turned out to be Harrington properties, she gave her the dog. She simply hadn’t ignored the connection because Daisy was a friend and a trusted colleague. Christ, she had often referred to her as her right hand and had meant it.
‘Excuse me, I—’ Words failed her as she stood up. ‘May I leave?’ she asked the judge who nodded sadly. Turing to her lawyer, she asked him to tidy things up for her and walked out of the room and down to the lobby where her family were waiting.
** *
Ari, Aster and Mary were all waiting in the downstairs reception area. The women had all travelled down to London the previous night. Mary was finding the constant change of scene invigorating and she was enjoying watching her granddaughters in action. They were a formidable team and she looked forward to meeting Clem and Paddy at some point. Ari had invited them both to come to Hiverton and had offered Mary a small cottage on the estate if she wanted it.
The idea that she would be able to see Leo and William on a regular basis had made her decision easy. She had a decent pension thanks to Mrs Cherry, as well as a decent nest egg. As much as she enjoyed the company of her neighbours in Birmingham, her property was rented, and the move would be straightforward. She had said yes immediately, and Ari was delighted. Now they sat and waited for Letta to come out. A door closed upstairs, and Letta came down towards them visibly crying. Aster and Ari ran forward hugging her but Mary remained where she was as she watched the three girls embrace each other until they broke free, all wiping their eyes. Eventually they walked over to her.
Aster looked murderous, Ari looked overjoyed, and Letta looked as though she had been hit by a train.
‘What happened?’
‘The FCA have withdrawn their investigation. Nick has been cleared of all charges,’ said Ari, still holding Letta’s hand.
Mary looked questioningly towards Aster.
‘Turns out Harrington’s were behind the entire thing and Nick’s personal assistant –who was with her right from the start – has been working for Harrington’s all along. I’m going to destroy them. ’
‘No, you’re not, Aster,’ said Letta, finally finding her voice. ‘The law is going to do that.’
Mary looked at the three girls – they should be celebrating but she could see the cost of the betrayal on Letta’s body. She knew what it was to have her reality shaken to the core, but the girl would rally, she had her family around her, and her business and reputation had been restored. To be sure this was a blow, but she would get over it.
‘Right, girls, back to the house. Letta, I know this feels like a blow and I’m sure that’s what you’re focussing on, but you need to stop that right now. Life happens too fast to waste time on regrets and introspection. There’s champagne at home and we are going to raise a glass to a successful outcome.’
***
Outside the building and across the road Gabe leant against a brick wall and waited. He was desperate for a final view of Letta. He was certain she would be exonerated, and he wanted to see her smiling. After all his family had done to her, he couldn’t bring himself to talk to her, but he hoped that the universe would permit him just to sit back and watch. All his hopes for a future with her had turned to ashes when he discovered the depths of his family’s involvement. How she must hate him right now.
Across the road the doors opened, and Letta ran into the arms of her sisters. He recognised Mary, but he only had eyes for Letta. She was laughing but at the same time wiping tears from her face. He loathed the thought that people close to him had inflicted such pain on her, but he hoped now, that in some way, he had managed to atone for their betrayal. As he walked away, he knew that he would never forget how beautiful she looked laughing and crying in the sunlight surrounded by her family.