The Conundrum of a Clerk by Linda Rae Sande

Author:Linda Rae Sande [Sande, Linda Rae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-17T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

QUOTES ARE DISCOVERED

A few minutes later

When Charity Crofter took her leave of Omega House, Daisy hurried back to her desk and opened the drawer containing the odd ledger. After her discussion with Charity about the impending repairs, and remembering the instructor’s comment about the door lock, Daisy now guessed why there were so many more entries than just the three repairs she knew were imminent.

She removed everything from the drawer, piling the other leather-bound ledgers onto her desk in an effort to get to the bottom of the drawer. When she did, she found a sheet of pasteboard that had been folded in half. Lifting it by one edge—she had to use her fingernails to pry it out from its tight confines—she finally managed to extract it without bending it.

Pulling back the top, she found a sheaf of papers of various sizes within. The top sheet, a letter printed with the calling card for Thatcher and Sons at the top, contained the formal quote for the replacement of all the roofs at Warwick’s. The next sheet, a parchment with the stamp of the British Cast Plate Glass Company and a date from six months ago, was a detailed accounting of every window needing replacement followed by the amount each one would cost to install.

The colorman’s quote followed. Although not as detailed, it showed the addresses for all the buildings on the school grounds and the total for exterior and interior painting.

Relieved at finding the information—this was the documentation she sought to explain Mrs. Streater’s entries in the odd ledger—Daisy now dreaded what she would find beneath. There were at least ten more sheets, all for companies that had apparently been hired to perform some sort of maintenance task at the school.

Comparing the numbers from the stack of quotes with the entries Mrs. Streater had made on a ledger sheet—numbers with some letters next to each entry—Daisy confirmed they matched the quotes for the maintenance work. The roofer’s quote matched the first amount, as did his initials. The window quote matched the second amount. From there, she was able to match up most of the entries with the quotes for the work that was scheduled to be performed. Work that included new door locks, gas lighting in the classroom buildings, and carpets in the boarding houses.

When she totaled the amount, she cringed.

Would Mr. Streater have enough blunt to cover invoices that would total nearly ten-thousand pounds?

Returning the ledgers to their drawer but leaving the pasteboard folder with its contents on her desk, she was about to write a note seeking an audience with Mr. Streater. Then she caught sight of the time on the clock.

Daisy didn’t have an opportunity to consider the matter further. She had to change clothes and be ready to leave soon.

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