‘Hello, John. Has the bank burnt down?’
‘Not yet, but I do need a word with Seb fairly urgently.’
‘The bank’s burnt down,’ said Samantha, handing the phone to her husband.
‘You wish. John, what can I do for you?’
‘Sorry to bother you this late, chairman, but you asked me to alert you if Miss Lombardo presented any more large cheques.’
‘How much this time?’
‘Forty-two thousand.’
‘Forty-two thousand pounds?’ Seb repeated. ‘Hold up the payment for now, and if Victor doesn’t turn up tomorrow, I’ll have to speak to our legal team. And, John, go home. As my wife keeps reminding me, it’s outside banking hours, so there’s nothing more you can do about it tonight.’
‘A problem, my darling?’ asked Samantha, sounding genuinely concerned.
‘Yes, I’m afraid so. Do you remember that woman we saw dining with Victor at the Caprice?’ he said, picking the phone back up and beginning to dial.
‘How could I possibly forget?’
‘Well, I think she’s taking him to the cleaners.’
‘Are you calling Victor?’
‘No, Arnold Hardcastle.’
‘That bad?’
‘That bad.’
‘Hi, Jessie, I’m glad you were able to make it,’ he said, giving her a hug.
‘There’s no way I would have missed it, Grayson.’
‘Congratulations on winning the Founder’s Prize,’ he said. ‘I bet it won’t be long before a West End gallery is showing your work.’
‘From your lips to God’s ears,’ said Jessica as the artist turned away to talk to another student.
‘What do you really think?’ whispered Richard, as they strolled around the gallery.
‘It’s a great show, even if I’m not sure about the teddy bear.’
‘I wasn’t talking about his teddy bear. How do you think the meeting with your parents went?’
‘As I told you, Mom thought you were dishy. You’re a lucky girl, were her exact words.’
‘I’m not sure your father felt the same way.’
‘No need to worry about Pops,’ said Jessica as she stared at a magnificent vase. ‘Once Mom starts to work on him, he’ll come round.’
‘I hope so, because it won’t be too long before we have to tell him.’
The chairman, the chief executive and the bank’s in-house lawyer were seated around an oval table in Sebastian’s office at eight o’clock the following morning.
‘Any sign of Victor?’ was Seb’s first question.
‘No one’s seen him since Friday night,’ said John Ashley. ‘He told his secretary he was going on a business trip but would be back in time for the board meeting.’
‘But that’s not for another ten days,’ said Seb. ‘Doesn’t Carol have any idea where he is?’
‘No, and he didn’t leave a contact number.’
‘That’s unlike Victor,’ said Seb.
‘Carol told me he’s never done it before.’
‘Curiouser and curiouser.’
‘Do you think the time has come to call in Barry Hammond?’ suggested Ashley. ‘I’m sure it wouldn’t take him long to track Victor down, and also to find out everything there is to know about Miss Candice Lombardo.’
‘No, we can’t have a private detective investigating the deputy chairman of the bank,’ said Seb. ‘Is that understood?’
‘Yes, chairman. But Miss Lombardo presented another cheque yesterday for immediate clearance,’ said Ashley as he opened her growing file.
‘How much this time?’ asked Arnold.
‘Forty-two thousand,’ said Ashley.
‘Do you have any idea what it’s for?’
‘No, chairman, I do not,’ replied Ashley.
Seb studied a balance sheet that had never been in the black and was about to utter a single word to let his inner team know exactly how he felt, but thought better of it.
‘What’s our legal position?’ he asked, turning to the bank’s in-house lawyer.
‘If the account is in funds, or the guarantor is good for that amount, we have no choice but to clear the cheque within forty-eight hours.’
‘Then let’s hope Victor returns soon, or at least contacts us in the next couple of days.’
‘Isn’t there a paper trail of any sort?’ asked Arnold. ‘Phone calls, credit cards, hotel bills, plane tickets, anything?’
‘Nothing so far,’ said Ashley. ‘His secretary has instructions to call me the moment she hears from him, but I’m not hopeful, because I have a feeling that if we do find Victor, Miss Lombardo won’t be far behind.’
‘There’s one other person who might know where he is,’ said Arnold.
‘Who?’ asked Seb.
‘His wife.’
‘Absolutely not,’ said Seb. ‘Ruth is the last person I want contacted under any circumstances.’