The Knapthorne Conspiracy by Malcolm Ballard (best english novels for beginners txt) 📕

the track that she had first seen, also came out to the road, on her left, about thirty yards away, where the road took a sharp bend to the right. She started along towards it when her mobile, in a pocket of the anorak, began to ring. Bella thought it a strangely incongruous sound in the rural setting, as she stopped to answer it. A male voice spoke before she had a chance to say anything.

“Bella? Is that you?” To her delight, it was Ben Hollingsworth.

“Ben, where have you been? I’ve been waiting for your call!” She hadn’t realised how pleased she would be to hear his voice.

“Sorry, Bella, things have been a little busy lately…”

“But surely you could have phoned? It must be all of three weeks since I came in to see you. I thought you’d forgotten about me.” She was teasing him but his next remark took the grin off of her face.

“No excuses, I’ve just been run off my feet. One of the partners dropped dead in the office a couple of weeks ago. It was awful…” Now, of course, she felt terrible. Without fully realising it, she started walking again.

“Oh, Ben, how dreadful! Was he very old?”

“She," Ben corrected her. "Just turned fifty, a couple of weeks ago. Her married daughter’s expecting a baby any time, it would have been her first grand-daughter, too!”

“That’s so sad. It’s such a shock when something like that happens…”

“It threw us into a bit of a panic, I can tell you. Donna, the woman who died, was notoriously bad at keeping records and we had the devil of a time trying to sort everything out. Anyway,” he said, after a brief pause, “What are you up to? Are they birds I can hear in the background?”

“Yes, starlings I think. There’s hundreds of them flying around…”

“Where are you?” She could tell that he was obviously intrigued.

“Walking along the track that runs across the fields out the back of the cottage.”

“You’re at Willow Cottage?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I’m doing exactly what Rupert would have wanted?”

“Uncle Foxy?”

“Hey, come on, don’t be cheeky. I’ve moved in for the time being to start work. I’ve got a deadline to meet for the new book.”

“What about the formidable Mrs. Flint?”

“What about her?”

“Have you seen her again?”

“I’ve only been here a couple of days but no, I haven’t.” There was silence between them, for a moment.

“When am I going to see you, then?” Ben asked, sounding a little miffed.

“That’s a good question,” Bella replied, steadily approaching the brow of the hill. “The only way that’s going to happen is if you come down here.” He turned his mind to the possibilities knowing how difficult it was likely to be and, for an instant, she thought they’d been cut off. “Ben? You still there?”

“Yes. Yes, of course. I was trying to think how I could manage it. If I can manage it.” He emphasised the if very heavily.

Bella had reached the top of the rise and found herself looking over a small wooded area, down in the distance, beyond which she could see the spire of the village church which was not very far down the road from The Lamb. She estimated that it would take her maybe twenty to twenty-five minutes to walk to the village.

“Couldn’t you say that you’ve got to go and see a client?” she asked, hopefully.

“I’ll have to give it some thought. Tina’s pretty suspicious these days and she’s no fool. I’ll need to be very careful.” Bella felt disappointed but understood how much more difficult it would be now that she’d left London.

“Maybe we’d just better leave it and I’ll give you a call when I’m back in town…”

“No,” Ben said firmly, interrupting her. “I’d really like to see you again, and soon. Let me see what I can do.”

“Ok. If you’re sure.”

“I’m certain. I’ll give you a call when I’ve got something fixed, how’s that?” She had started walking towards the distant trees, intent on getting most of the way there before turning back.

“Fine, I’ll wait to hear from you.”

“Great!” he sounded relieved. “I’ll be in touch.” And that was it, the line went dead.

Ben ended the call, looking thoughtful. He hadn’t told Bella the full story. There was no way that he could. Donna had died in her office, alright, but only after a heated argument between the two of them. Ben still couldn’t believe it. Donna was a virago feared by many of her male colleagues. By a sheer stroke of misfortune she had uncovered the fact Ben had been systematically milking clients’ funds for more than twelve months. She had confronted Ben with the news she was on her way to inform the other partners. Faced with spiralling debt because of Tina’s lavish ways, Ben had known for months that he was going to have to do something about it and had explored all the possibilities. Getting rid of Tina, one way or another, held great appeal but he knew he neither had the balls to do it nor the ability to live with himself afterwards. Appropriating the funds seemed the most logical idea but he had known that he would need an accomplice to help cover his tracks. Enter Barbara Richmond, the firm’s ‘thirty-something’ Financial Controller, who had joined them eighteen months previously and had very soon made it obvious that she had eyes for Ben. Ambitious and greedy, Ms Richmond was very good at her job, displaying a confidence in her abilities that instilled faith in others. The partners were more than happy to just let her get on with it, especially as the firm appeared to be doing so well.

Very particular about her appearance, Ms Richmond had the habit of dressing in formal, dark, business suits, like her male counterparts, a trait that had been responsible for whispered innuendo among the junior staff. She was neither slim nor overweight for her height and possessed a firm, shapely body well-disguised by the