Those Left Behind - 10. Searching for Answers

“You know, I can’t remember the last time I did this.”

Arthur made an interrogatory ‘Mmm’ sound.

“Wake up next to someone different. I spent the last ten years or so waking up next to Jackie.”

“Last week?”

“Shit, of course. It seems weeks ago. This is becoming a habit”, Ludo felt for Arthur’s hand under the covers, “And a welcome one.”

“And waking up next to no-one else?”

“Well, there was the odd one-night stand, but never overnight.”

“With women?”

“Bloody hell, yes. And I felt guilty at first, I didn’t go out of the way looking for it but, there were temptations at odd sales conferences and stuff. Then...”

“Then…” A hand came up and rested on Ludo’s chest, then made its way tantalisingly down.

“There was a young bloke, freaked me out entirely.”

“That bad, eh?”

“Quite the opposite. We didn’t do much, but I enjoyed it too much and wanted to do more, and I wasn’t gay, was I?”

“So?”

“I packed it away in a box. Didn’t think about it and avoided temptation.”

“Till now.” Ludo could hear the amusement in Arthur’s voice.

“I hardly expected to be making eyes at one of Damian’s school friends’ Dads.”

“Making eyes, so that’s what it was?”

“What about you?”

“Well, quite some time ago. Looking after a kid is something of a passion killer, all you want to do is sleep.”

“Tell me about it!”

“It made me wonder how on earth anyone manages to produce a second kid.”

They laughed.

“How was it for you, you were out, weren’t you?”

“Sort of. It’s not a secret, but not something I broadcast around. And what with work and Adam and that…”

“No time for anything else.”

“You know, most guys who move on from their first wife, find the second already within their circle.”

“Friend, secretary, that sort of thing?”

“Yeah. All I had was work, and I do most of that at home, or the school run.”

Ludo laughed, “Bloody hell, even if I’d been in the market, I’d have not touched those harpies. So, what did you do?”

“There was the odd weekend when Adam went away, but nine times out of ten it was a failure. The planned date didn’t work out or the guy wasn’t one you’d want to take back home, or the sex was uninspired. I never got to the point of telling the bloke that I had a son.”

“Shit. Must have been…”

“Depressing.”

“Real passion killer.”

“Yes. I had imagined finding someone who would be up for the odd meeting, occasional weekends, maybe more. But there was never anyone that came close.”

They were quiet, hands exploring gently, then Arthur continued his train of thought, “I don’t know how guys do it?”

“What? Date?”

“No. Cheat. It was hard enough just arranging things with the right person when it was above board, if there’d been a significant other to add into the mix…”

“Perhaps the danger adds to the spice.”

Arthur gave a dry laugh, “Or perhaps we’re just not cut out for it.”

“Well, Jackie did once accuse me of being suburban, us in fact. Said our tastes in entertainment were suburban.”

Arthur made a snorting noise, “I thought the suburbs were meant to be a hotbed of illicit sex and swinging.”

“Huh. Must be another bit of the country. Besides, would you swing with any of Adam’s friends’ parents.”

That drew a belly laugh from Arthur.

“I hear noises.”

“I think we might be about to be invaded.”

The bedroom door opened, and two faces peeped round.

“It’s OK, you can come in.”

The two boys, both still in their pyjamas and with sleep tousled hair, both stared, rather wide eyed.

“Did you spend all night together?”

“Yes.”

“Did you do stuff?”

Arthur glared at Adam, “Right. I think it’s time you got washed”, he turned to Ludo, “I’d better supervise, no knowing what sort of mess he’ll leave, otherwise.”

Pulling on a pair of cotton pants, Arthur led a reluctant Adam to the bathroom.

“Dad, can I ask a question?”

“Ok”, Ludo had a fair idea what it would be.

“Do you and Arthur do stuff, sex stuff?”

“Sometimes, yes, and sometimes we just cuddle.”

Damian looked thoughtful, there was more, “If Mum was around, would you be doing stuff with him?”

Wow. “I don’t know. Your Mother and I were going through a difficult period. But if we’d been getting on OK, then I wouldn’t be here with Arthur. If that’s what you’re wondering. But if Mum and I were getting on better, then perhaps we’d be different people, you just don’t know.”

“If Mum comes back?”

“We’ll just be friends, and we’ll share looking after you. You’ll stay at the same school. OK? It’s horribly confusing I know, but we’ll do our best and I’ll try and be straight with you. But there are some things that I don’t know, and others that I’m not going to tell you, yet. Like what Arthur and I get up to. So off, bathroom.”

Damian grinned at Ludo and scampered away. He caught up with Arthur after the children were at school.

“Damian OK?”

“Yes, some of it is just curiosity.” Arthur looked at Ludo inquiringly. “What we do in bed.”

“Bloody hell he’s only ten.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it too. I’m sure they’ve been discussing us.”

“And what did you say?”

Ludo shrugged, “Vague information and MYOB.”

“They could probably Google it now.”

“Yeah. But I think he mainly wanted reassurance that everything was all right.”

“Missing his Mum?”

“Not sure. Worried about any changes. Worried about his Mum coming back even.”

“Wow. You sure?”

“Not certain. But I think Damian’s been having a tough time of it somehow. I feel I should have been noticing more.”

“You think you should have kept him off school today?”

Ludo pulled a face, “To do what? Sit around and worry. I’d figured that a bit of routine would help.”

“There’s always the talk.”

“I was hoping there wouldn’t be much.”

“Yet. It’s going to come, you know.”

“Have I got my head in the sand?”

Arthur rubbed his hand, the two were having a mid-morning coffee break, not that any real work had been done at all. “No, just hoping that it will all get cleared up.”

“Miraculously. Either that, or Jackie really is…”

“Don’t go there, yet. You need to keep an open mind.”

Ludo gave a big sigh.

“What?”

“Thinking about Jackie, and Damian. When he was born, it seemed idyllic.”

Arthur snorted, “Well, he must have been a miracle baby then.”

Ludo grinned, “Oh, there were the usual problems, but with him coming it made the three of us complete. Both Jackie and I took a lot of time off work, and even when I went back, I tried to do as much as I could, to share everything.”

“Why do I sense a but coming.”

Ludo wrinkled his nose, “Perhaps I was too idealistic. I’d imagined that we could share everything, but Jackie went back to work a bit too early and wasn’t keen on finding Damian a nursery. Oh, she said that it would help socialise him and prepare him.”

“And you?”

“I worried about what he was missing out on.”

“You never think about staying at home, full time?”

“Perhaps I should have, but as Jackie hadn’t got her promotion yet, neither of us was the breadwinner, we needed both incomes and, well, I was idealistic, imagined that we could share things. By the time he went to Primary School, she’d got the offer of the better job, was spending more time at work.”

“So, it was all on you?”

“Not all, but it was apparent that the minutiae of Damian’s life didn’t interest her.”

“A Nanny?”

“She never mentioned the idea, but then I’d always been set against it. Having your kid being brought up by someone else. For fuck’s sake, all that means is that the kid’s become a sort of trophy to have at weekends.”

“Happens a lot.”

“Yeah, well, not for me. What about you and Adam, couldn’t have been much fun when Maria died.”

“Maria was the capable one, fearfully organised.”

“Come on, you’re not so bad.”

Arthur gave a rueful smile, “Something I had to learn, apply working practices to home life. The early days were hell, frankly. I had no-one to talk to. Maria’s Mother was distressed, coping with her husband and the death of her daughter.”

“Didn’t she worry about Adam?”

“Adam was Maria’s idea, her project. I don’t think her parents were that bothered about grandchildren, they’d big plans for their retirement.”

“Shit.”

“Oh, Maria’s Mother is friendly enough, but she spends most of her life travelling and now lives in Jersey. So, it’s hardly somewhere to pop to, is it.”

“Jersey? She have connections there?”

“Not at first. Just friends there, but she remarried, and he was based there. Gives her a nice life.”

“Leaving you and her grandson.”

“Struggling away. I wasn’t coping well, and then Uncle Edwin weaved his magic.”

“He was your great uncle?”

“Dad’s Father’s younger brother. Made a nice pot of money for himself and decided that my having a son was the best thing ever. Started doting on his great nephew. Much to everyone’s surprise.”

“There any other relatives?”

“Not close. Dad was an only one, and there was only Grandad and Uncle Edwin. Not a prolific family. But Edwin decided that his great-nephew was a lot more than a cute poppet to be sent home again after a visit. Told me straight.”

“That he was going to support you?”

“Yeah. No question, I needed to get my act together, find a part-time job and make a life for Adam, stop moping.”

“Not quite Lord Bountiful.”

Adam laughed, “No, Edwin wasn’t like that. He’d made his money from sheer hard work and was enjoying it. He thought everyone should work hard and play hard.”

“Bracing.”

“You bet.”

“So, what did you do?”

“Found a full-time nanny for a bit, someone brisk and business-like, made it clear that part of her role was to help me learn.”

“Novel.”

“Took a bit of doing. Found an older woman who fitted the bill. We developed from there. As you can imagine, for the first few years or more, there was just work and Adam, I had no bandwidth for anything else.”

“Shit. I can imagine.”

By Wednesday, Ludo was starting to get his mojo back. He sat down and wrote a summary for his boss of all the work he had on hand, though it had to be done long-hand, and then laboriously photographed and emailed using his phone. But it was done. When Arthur had got back from a trip to his house to fetch more clothes for Adam, he found Ludo turning the house out.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Searching.”

“I thought the police had done that?”

“All the obvious, but not the unobvious and the crazy”

“You don’t mind me rooting around your house?”

Ludo smiled, “You can root anywhere you want!” They both had enough Aussie colleagues to relish the double entendre.

Jackie had left a remarkably small footprint. Had she been careful or was there nothing to find? But they soldiered on. At one point the two were working together, going through all the books.

“If this is serious, then it’s only a matter of time before the press get hold of it, especially if it’s a spectacular amount that they’re supposed to have embezzled.”

Ludo looked at Arthur, “You reckon?”

Arthur shrugged, “Good story, bank fraud, loadsa money, evil bankers, husband and son abandoned.”

“Or complicit?”

“Precisely. Even juicier.”

“Shit. What do you reckon I can do?”

“Not a lot. You need to have a word with the school and make sure someone’s with Damian when he’s coming and going. You read all sorts”.

Ludo sat down, suddenly depressed again, “You mean press camped outside the house?”

“Depends on how things go, but definitely phone calls, maybe callers, maybe more?”

“It’s not fucking fair; she waltzes off and leaves all this shit. And the police think I did it.”

Arthur looked supportive, but nervous, “I had an idea. It might make logistics easier if there were two of us. Either Adam and I move in here, or you and Damian move in with us. But your place is bigger. Sorry, it sounds a bit pushy, and I didn’t want to pressure you about the relationship, but I care about you and Damian and thought it might be easier.”

“Two of us to fight them off!”

They smiled, “Something like that.”

Ludo nodded, “Ok. Let’s do it. Tell the boys tonight. We’ll need to move all of Jackie’s things.”

“Where’ll you put it?”

Ludo grinned, “In the garage! We’ll do it carefully; Damian doesn’t need to see me putting his Mum’s stuff into binbags.”

By the time they went to collect the boys, they’d just about been everywhere in the house, both logical and illogical. They started to gather Jackie’s things, though the bulk would be done tomorrow.

“What happened to her laptop?”

“Always with her, she never used a separate one at home. The work one had some crazy security system on it, made mine look simple.”

“She didn’t use anything else?”

Ludo shook his head, “Nope, and shredded everything vaguely relevant.”

They’d not found much, few photos that Ludo did not recognise and a couple of receipts. They might be relevant or not.

“She never used your laptop?”

“Nah, security issues, blah, blah.”

“Shame, we might have found something.”

“Hang on, there were a couple of occasions that she used my laptop for personal stuff when hers was being upgraded. But she deleted everything afterwards.”

“Might be worth mentioning to the police?”

“Mmm. Grasping at straws.”

“What about backups?”

“What about them?”

“Well, does your laptop have its files saved?”

“Oh, yes, the firm has a clever system, saves it in the Cloud.” Ludo smiled, thinly, “You think something of hers might be there?”

“It’s worth exploring.”

“So, how come you know some much about backups and IT issues?”

Arthur smiled, “The need to make a bit of cash. When Maria and I first married, money was tight, and I took a job working on an IT helpdesk. I learned a lot, but Oh boy was it tedious. Then Maria got sick, and well. Life got in the way. But I worked for small firms, so everyone got involved in the IT problems, and the time stood me in good stead. And again, it seems.”

Ludo called the IT people at work. It took some doing, lots of explanations and more, it didn’t help that Ludo didn’t really have the vocabulary off pat. But they said they’d get onto it.

***

“You were right.”

Lesley smiled, “I often am lovey, what about this time?”

“Jackie being involved in something dodgy, probably illegal.”

For once, Lesley seemed at a loss for words. The three of them were having coffee at the café in town, sitting on the terrace and enjoying the view of the Parish Church. Following their first meeting, Ludo and Lesley had managed to snatch another quick coffee last week, but that seemed a lifetime ago. It felt as if they had so much to do, but in reality, there was a danger of running round in circles in headless chicken mode, so Lesley’s suggestion of coffee had been very welcome.

“This isn’t some sort of joke?”

“I wish it was.” And Ludo, with the odd comment from Arthur brought Lesley up to date.

“You’re shitting me. This sounds a damn sight more than putting a hand in the till.”

“The Serious Fraud Office have been investigating.”

“Big stuff.”

“Big enough for her and Andreas to disappear.”

“With all the loot?”

“Presumably.”

“Any word on how much they’ve managed to snaffle.”

“Not at all, the police are keeping most of the details to themselves.”

“Hmm.” She put her head on one side. “What’s this to do with why she was so hacked off with you on Friday?”

They rehearsed the arguments but got no further than Arthur and Ludo had already.

“How’s the kiddie?”

“Well, bearing up. But he’s furious.”

“With you, with her?”

“With her. She evaporated without so much as a say so. And, well, it’s difficult. I don’t want to bad mouth Jackie to him.”

“But what the hell do you say to a kid about his Mother in a situation like this?”

They talked round the situation more, without coming to a conclusion. But it felt good to simply talk to someone who was on their side and in front of whom they did not have to constantly watch what they said in case it was misconstrued.

“Look lovey, keep in touch. Don’t bottle things up”, she stared at both of them. “Either of you. Work’s hardly sweeping me off my feet at the moment, so I can often manage coffee. I’d offer to help mind the boys if you needed it, but when I’ve done that for friends it’s usually ended in disaster; me and kids don’t mix without adult supervision.” She grinned, “What I can do is talk, always happy to do so, so let’s meet and you can let off steam.”

“She’s nice. I found her a bit much at first, but she has a knack of being in sympathy without being over soppy.” They were walking up to the school to collect the boys.

“She was great when I married Jackie. Suddenly everything changed; Damian came along, and Jackie had a terrible pregnancy and then went back to work too quickly. Lesley somehow knew when to be practical and when to be sympathetic.”

On the way back to Ludo’s place, the boys chatted happily about school, though Damian seemed more reserved than usual.

Once juice and a biscuit had been downed, the two men sat the boys down and explained. Both became saucer-eyed at the idea of the press, the prospect of fame and excitement fighting with the knowledge of what had led to it. The news about Arthur and Adam temporarily moving in was greeted with similar enthusiasm. Eventually the boys went upstairs. Damian rapidly reappeared, why was everything moved around?

Ludo explained, both about moving Jackie’s things and also his and Arthur’s search to find papers that might help the police. Damian went back upstairs, looking thoughtful. He returned later with three of his drawings, part of what Jackie and Ludo had referred to as his botanical series, detailed pictures of plants and trees.

“What are these?”

Damian turned them over, the paper had printing on them, “Mum used to have a pile of paper for shredding. I was short of drawing paper, and I took some. I thought it didn’t matter as she was throwing it away.”

They were parts of bank statements, it looked like, but for accounts Ludo didn’t recognise. It was time to phone Graham Marcus. To Ludo’s surprise, the man answered promptly. Ludo started to explain but Graham stopped him. He was planning to come round, he had news about the case.

***

“Ludovic, the husband has found some things, sir.”

DI Donaldson rolled his eyes, “A bit convenient. What sort of stuff?”

“Papers and photos. I thought I’d go round there, besides there’s the news about the SFO releasing details of the case.”

“Can’t see as how that’s going to help things our end, but they’re insistent. Be nice.”

“As pie.” He smiled, “You reckon there’s more?”

“There’s something, and at the moment that gentleman is our only link.”

“And Jacqueline Wilson?”

DI Donaldson sighed, “They’ve lost her. Prats.”

***

They agreed that the boys would be present when Graham Marcus arrived. He was quite late, he apologised that something had come up and he was calling on his way home, but the boys were wound up, excited and anxious.

Ludo offered Graham Marcus a drink and to his surprise the guy said yes.

Smiling, he commented “I’m not on duty officially and can manage one”, and he took a glass of wine.

First the photos.

“Where were they?”

“Stuck behind the drawers in her desk and dressing table.”

“You don’t recognise them?”

They were simply snaps, photos of Jackie against mountainous background, Switzerland perhaps. Sunny, and welcoming, even idyllic.

“No. Jackie and I never went anywhere mountainous like that and”, Ludo pointed to one picture of Jackie, “I don’t recognise that outfit either.”

Graham Marcus nodded, “Interesting, we’ll try and identify them. And she never went on holidays without you, or perhaps business trips.”

Ludo shook his head, “We always holidayed together, and the business trips were mainly to bank offices, at least that’s what she told me.”

“We can check with the bank.”

“And there’s these.” Ludo handed Graham the receipts.

“You don’t recognise these either?”

“Not at all. We Googled the places. I’ve never been to them and wasn’t aware that Jackie had.”

“Thank you”, Graham Marcus moved himself on the sofa.

“There’s more.”

He smiled, “You have been busy.”

“Damian.”

The boy stood up and said his piece.

“When was this?” Talking to the boy the policeman came over as surprisingly friendly. Damian struggled to give an exact date, but the policeman thanked him.

“And you don’t recognise the accounts?”

Ludo shook his head, “We only have one bank account, since we first married. A joint account, both our salaries were paid into it and as far as I knew, Jackie never had another. Besides, I wasn’t aware that there was any money to squirrel away.”

A smile played around Graham Marcus’ lips, “Good work.”

“One more thing.”

And they explained about the backups. IT had phoned back; they might have identified some files.

“This is personal stuff that she did on your laptop?”

“Yes, it just happened to coincide with the backup cycle.”

Graham Marcus smiled, “Well, I am certainly no technical expert so will have to take your word for it. It might be something, or nothing. Thank you, we’ll contact your IT people. Get the stuff and I’m sure our boys and girls’ll love going over it.”

He had news of his own. The SFO planned to release information to the press. Andreas and Jackie had gone completely to ground, so the SFO were going public. No timetable but be prepared. Arthur explained what they were planning. Graham Marcus nodded. After the boys had disappeared upstairs, he stood up, but he had something more.

He thanked them for being so helpful and said that he realised what a difficult situation Ludo had been left in.

Ludo smiled, “You mean that I’m a possible suspect?”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it as strong as that but…”

“You wonder how much I know.”

“Yes, sir. Unfortunately for you, proving absence is harder than presence. The press may jump to conclusions, the wrong ones.”

“You mean Ludo’ll be tarred as a conspirator too?”

“That is very possible.”

There wasn’t much more, and he left shortly after.

Thursday, Arthur came over, joining Ludo to walk back from school.

“Don’t you have to work?”

Arthur shrugged, “I have lots of holiday due and nothing is that urgent. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult concentrating.”

They lost themselves in physical labour, and by the end of the day Ludo had the house cleared of Jackie’s things. Storing it in garage wasn’t ideal, but if only the bloody woman would get in contact, then they could make more concrete plans.

Arthur had to disappear at one point, the police wanted to talk to him again, nothing serious sir, just a few questions. They decided that doing it at Arthur’s house would be better, besides there were bits and pieces he needed to collect. Ludo offered to go with him, but ultimately what could he do? Ludo finished off sorting out Jackie’s stuff whilst he waited, trying not to dwell on things.

“How did it go?”

Arthur pulled a face, “It seems that I’m an IT genius now.”

“You’re kidding me.”

Arthur shrugged, “To give them their due, they are clueless about IT. But my background rings warning bells.”

“Because?”

“Clutching at straws? Helping Jackie in her nefarious deeds? The fact that you came up with the idea of your firm’s backups. That sort of thing. ‘Just few loose ends, sir’”

“And?”

“Tried to disabuse them, not sure how much went in. It’s a bit difficult when the person asking the questions doesn’t have enough technical background to understand the answers.”

Ludo gave a grim laugh, “You can hardly start pointing that out.”

“Precisely. So, it ended up a pile of nothing. They’ll check with my employers, past and present, find out that I was IT support and not much else. Literate but not a nerd.”

“Will that cause problems?”

“Better not! But who knows after this mess is over, where will we be?”

“Where indeed.”

When Damian came home, he was excited to find there’d been a letter for him. Ludo had assumed it was a rogue birthday card, Ludo had an elderly cousin whose ability to track birthdays was wayward, at best.

“It’s from Mum!!”

Damian handed it to Ludo; it was a postcard of the Arboretum de Tinques. So, she’d remembered. The message simply said she loved him and would be in touch. Ludo scanned it (Alastair had been good as his word and a new laptop had appeared in double quick time) and emailed the scan to Graham Marcus explaining the background to the image. They had an exchange of messages but there was no news.

***

“As far as we can tell, sir, the husband and son are simply sitting there, waiting. And either the husband is a good actor, or he’s at much at sea as us.”

“No idea where she might be holed up?”

“The husband produced just a list of holiday destinations and Cynthia’s been in touch with the bank, but nothing has come from that angle either.”

“The photos.”

“Might be something or nothing. We’ve sent the details to the SFO and French police, see what they can dig up.”

“So, it looks as if it was a well-planned affair. Either it all went to plan, and that argument is a smoke-screen or an invention, or the plan was well laid enough that they’ve got a nice little bolt hole.”

“And travel documents, their passports have not showed up anywhere.”

“And where’s the fucking money?”

“We sent the bank statements off to be examined. A quick search showed up accounts that appear to have nothing to do with the husband.”

“Seem?”

“Well, the money needs to have been moved somewhere, through to a shell company probably, and there might be traces, I am assured. Needs the technical guys again.”

“Fucking case. Too many technical details and not enough proper policing. What about the boyfriend?”

“Cool customer. Almost started telling our blokes their job, explaining how IT works.”

“Bloody hell. So, he look likely?”

“Not immediately. There’s no dirt in his background. Lots of temporary and part-time work whilst bringing up his son, more permanent stuff recently. All small beer. If he’s an IT genius or a financial whiz, he’s keeping it well hidden.”

“So, apart from him being a bit of know-all, and of course being the husband’s bit on the side…”

“More than that sir, they are living together now. For support.”

“Is that what they call it. I don’t know, keep an eye and keep digging. Hope the tech guys or the banks come up with something.”

“Won’t be quick, sir.”

“Well, have SFO come up with anything? Course not. Bunch of ponces. Sorry, pardon my French. But for God’s sake, they’ve been watching the pair for how long, and still the two disappear.”

“You reckon she’s done a runner and is leaving the husband to carry the can?”

Di Donaldson frowned, “Cool bitch if she has. The kiddie must be besides himself. Still, keep at it a while longer, would look good if we’re the ones to turn something up.