Looking For Lucy by Julie Houston

Author:Julie Houston [Houston, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781789542271
Publisher: Head of Zeus

*

‘Jesus, Clem, we need a drink.’

‘There’s a Costa over there,’ I said, walking automaton-like down the stairs from the rather plush offices of L. W. Montford (Solicitors) before turning into Midhope’s main high street and the rain. ‘Should have brought our brollies,’ I added numbly, ‘or at least one of those plastic rain-mate things like your granny used to fish out of her bag as soon as it started raining. Did your granny have one?’

‘Gin, we need gin,’ Izzy said, taking my arm in a tight grip and steering me across the road and into the nearest bar. ‘You’ve had a shock, Clem. You can’t go home like this just yet.’

‘So basically,’ I said, grimacing as the gin hit the back of my throat, ‘Peter didn’t have a penny? Is that what the man’s just told us?’

‘Well, not just that he didn’t have a penny to his name, unfortunately he also owed thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds.’ Izzy took a good mouthful of her own drink, blew out a long breath and looked at me.

‘Would you ever have guessed that he was a prolific gambler, Izzy?’ I asked, and I know I sounded icily calm. How was I calm after what the solicitor had just imparted? ‘I mean, when did he do his gambling? Where did he do it? He never once said he was off to… off to the bingo or the… the dogs?’

‘Rather more serious than two fat ladies and clickety click, Clem, I reckon,’ Izzy said grimly. ‘Where the hell does all this leave you, sweetie? That’s the question?’

I smiled, still weirdly calm. ‘Back where I started, I suppose. The man said the house will have to be sold to pay off what Peter owes. But can you believe he was taking money out of his company to gamble? Having said that, surely if it’s your own company you can do what you want with the money in it…?’

‘Bloody hell, Clem, no, of course you can’t do that. People give financial companies like Peter’s money to invest, to work for them, not to gamble it away. Every little old lady who has trusted Peter with her pension pot is entitled to just that: trust. You can’t fiddle the books and play about with money that you are looking after, like Peter’s done. It’s against the law. Those solicitors were right—there will be a huge investigation started into financial malpractice. You’ll have the law, the taxman, creditors, every man in the street on your back wanting their slice of the cake. It’s not just as simple as selling the house and paying people back, Clem. He’s been fiddling the books for years, it seems. Those solicitors seemed to think even if he hadn’t died it was all about to blow up in his face…’

‘The house is only bricks and mortar.’

‘Oh, don’t be daft, Clem,’ Izzy said crossly. ‘It’s your home. It’s Sophie, Max and Allegra’s home too.

‘Not anymore, it’s not. Oh, Izzy, what a mess.’

‘Yes but, Clem, the big decision you have to make is the children.

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