Four Warned Read online

  Dick left the bedroom and went down to the kitchen. He asked the cook to prepare him a salad, and then strolled into the drawing room, picked up The Times, and glanced at the headlines. A new leader of the Tory Party, a new leader of the Liberal Democrats, and now Gordon Brown had been elected leader of the Labour Party. None of the major political parties would be fighting the next election under the same leader.

  Dick looked up when the phone began to ring. He walked across to his wife’s writing desk and picked up the receiver, to hear Jill’s voice on the other end of the line.

  ‘The board meeting is fixed for next Thursday at ten o’clock, and I’ve also arranged for you to see Sam Cohen in his office at eight tomorrow morning,’ Jill said over the phone. Dick removed a pen from an inside pocket of his blazer. ‘I’ve emailed every member of the board to warn them that it’s important,’ she added.

  ‘What time did you say my meeting was with Sam?’

  ‘Eight o’clock at his office. He has to be in court by ten for another client.’

  ‘Fine.’ Dick opened his wife’s drawer and grabbed the first piece of paper available. He wrote down, Sam, office, 8, Thur board mtg, 10.

  ‘Well done, Jill,’ he added. ‘Better book me back into the Grand Palace Hotel, and email the minister to warn him what time I’ll be arriving.’

  ‘I already have,’ Jill replied, ‘and I’ve also booked you on a flight to St Petersburg on the Friday afternoon.’

  ‘Well done. See you around ten tomorrow.’ Dick put the phone down, and strolled through to his study with a large smile on his face. Everything was going to plan.

  * * *

  When he reached his desk, Dick wrote the details of his appointments into his diary. He was just about to drop the piece of paper into a wastepaper basket when he decided just to check and see if it contained anything important. He unfolded a letter, which he began to read. His smile turned to a frown long before he’d reached the final paragraph.

  He started to read the letter, marked ‘private and personal’, a second time.

  Dear Mrs Barnsley,

  This is to confirm your appointment at our office on Friday, 30 April, when we will continue our discussions on the matter you raised with me last Tuesday.

  Remembering the full effects of your decision, I have asked my senior partner to join us on this occasion.

  We both look forward to seeing you on the 30th.

  Yours sincerely,

  Andrew Symonds

  Dick immediately picked up the phone on his desk, and dialled Sam Cohen’s number, hoping Sam hadn’t already left for the day. When Sam pick up his private line, all Dick said was, ‘Have you come across a lawyer called Andrew Symonds?’

  ‘Only by reputation,’ said Sam, ‘but then I don’t work on divorce law.’

  ‘Divorce?’ said Dick, as he heard a car coming up the gravel driveway. He glanced out of the window to see a Volkswagen swing round the circle and come to a halt outside the front door. Dick watched as his wife climbed out of her car. ‘I’ll see you at eight tomorrow, Sam, and the Russian contract won’t be the only thing on the agenda.’

  * * *

  Dick’s driver dropped him outside Sam Cohen’s office in Lincoln’s Inn Fields a few minutes before eight the following morning. The senior partner rose to greet his client as he entered the room. He gestured to a comfortable chair on the other side of the desk.

  Dick had opened his briefcase even before he had sat down. He took out the letter and passed it across to Sam. The lawyer read it slowly before placing it on the desk in front of him.

  ‘I’ve thought about the problem overnight,’ said Sam, ‘and I’ve also had a word with Anna Rentoul, our divorce partner. She confirmed that Symonds only handles marriage disputes, and with that in mind, I’m sorry to say that I will have to ask you some fairly personal questions.’

  Dick nodded without comment.

  ‘Have you ever talked about divorce with Maureen?’

  ‘No,’ said Dick firmly. ‘We have had rows from time to time, but then what couples who have been together for over twenty years haven’t?’

  ‘No more than that?’

  ‘She once threatened to leave me, but I thought that was all in the past.’ Dick paused. ‘I’m only surprised that she hasn’t raised it with me before consulting a lawyer.’

  ‘That’s all too common,’ said Sam. ‘Over half the husbands who are served with a divorce petition say that they never saw it coming.’

  ‘I certainly fall into that category,’ admitted Dick. ‘So what do I do next?’

  ‘Not a lot you can do before she serves the papers, and I can’t see that there is anything to be gained by raising the subject yourself. After all, nothing may come of it. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare ourselves. Now, what grounds could she have for divorce?’

  ‘None that I can think of.’

  ‘Are you having an affair?’

  ‘No. Well, yes, a fling with my secretary – but it’s not going anywhere. She thinks it’s serious, but I plan to replace her once the pipeline contract is signed.’

  ‘So the deal is still on course?’ said Sam.

  ‘Yes, that’s why I needed to see you so urgently in the first place,’ replied Dick. ‘I have to be back in St Petersburg for May the sixteenth, when both sides will be signing the contract.’ He paused. ‘And it’s going to be witnessed by President Putin.’

  ‘Congratulations,’ said Sam. ‘How much will that be worth to you?’

  ‘Why do you ask?’

  ‘I’m wondering if you’re not the only person who’s hoping that the deal will go through.’

  ‘Around sixty million –’ Dick hesitated – ‘for the company.’

  ‘And do you still own fifty-one per cent of the shares?’

  ‘Yes, but I could always hide—’

  ‘Don’t even think about it,’ said Sam. ‘You won’t be able to hide anything if Symonds is on the case. He will sniff out every last penny, like a pig hunting for truffles. And if the court were to discover that you tried to trick them, it would only make the judge feel more kind towards your wife.’ The senior partner paused, looked straight at his client, and repeated, ‘Don’t even think about it.’

  ‘So what should I do?’

  ‘Nothing that will arouse suspicion; go about your business as usual, as if you have no idea what she’s up to. Meanwhile, I’ll fix a meeting with counsel, so at least we’ll be better prepared than Mr Symonds will think. And one more thing,’ said Sam, once again looking directly at his client, ‘no more affairs until this problem has been sorted out. That’s an order.’

  * * *

  Dick kept a close eye on his wife during the next few days, but she gave no sign of there being anything wrong. If anything, she showed an unusual interest in how the trip to St Petersburg had gone, and over dinner on Thursday evening even asked if the board had come to a decision.

  ‘They most certainly have,’ Dick replied.

  ‘Once Sam had taken the directors through each clause, gone over every detail, and answered all of their questions, they pretty much approved the contract.’ Dick poured himself a second cup of coffee. He was taken by surprise by his wife’s next question.

  ‘Why don’t I join you when you go to St Petersburg? We could fly out on the Friday,’ she added, ‘and spend the weekend visiting the Hermitage and the Summer Palace. We might even find enough time to see Catherine’s amber collection – something I’ve always wanted to do.’

  Dick didn’t reply immediately, aware that this was not a casual suggestion as it had been years since his wife Maureen had accompanied him on a business trip. Dick’s first reaction was to wonder what she was up to. ‘Let me think about it,’ he eventually said, leaving his coffee to go cold.

  * * *

  Dick rang Sam Cohen within minutes of arriving at his office and reported the conversation to his lawyer.

  ‘Symonds must have advised her to witness the signing o