The Fund. Jeff Edwards

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ arrived in Jersey at the scheduled time and they were soon heading towards their hotel in St Clair. Fred was giving Brian directions from a map in his lap and they were soon hopelessly lost.

      ‘Will you get that woman out of your mind and concentrate on what you’re doing,’ admonished Toby before sticking his head out the window and asking a passing pedestrian for directions.

      The local woman soon had them going the right way.

      ‘It’s a good thing that our meeting at the bank is not until tomorrow. It’ll take Fred that long to get us there,’ commented Brian good-naturedly.

      Fred slunk back into his seat and refused to take part in the rest of their conversation. He couldn’t get the unhappy Opal Soh out of his mind.

      When they eventually found their hotel they were surprised to find that the Sohs were at the reception desk before them. Fred listened in and noted that they were checking into one of the hotel’s most luxurious suites.

      Being made to stand in line also allowed him one more opportunity to admire the rear end of the delectable Mrs Opal Soh.

      Toby dug him in the ribs with his elbow. ‘Will you stop drooling!’ he laughed, ‘You’re making the floor wet.’

      The Sohs completed their check-in and were escorted to the elevator along with their luggage.

      Fred and his companions stepped forward to take their place at the desk and were in time to overhear one receptionist comment to another. ‘So, we have the marvellous Mr Soh with us again and of course he has Mrs Soh with him.’

      ‘Except this Mrs Soh is definitely not the same Mrs Soh as last time,’ giggled the other.

      ‘Or the one the time before that.’

      ‘I think this one might be the real thing,’ said the first girl. ‘This one is wearing a wedding ring. The others didn’t.’

      Fred looked at his friends with a worried look on his face.

      Brian held up his hand. ‘No, Fred! Don’t even consider it. I can hear your mind clanking over from here.’

      ‘But she should know!’ Fred hissed.

      ‘It’s none of our business. Now sign in!’ said Brian sternly to his friend.

      With no wives accompanying them, the three men booked into three separate single rooms and then made their way upstairs to settle in.

      After emptying his suitcase Brian opened his laptop and keyed in his code.

      Several emails appeared, one from Lana wishing him luck and promising all manner of good things when he returned. He smiled as he sent her a reply and wished she could be here to enjoy the view from his window. He told her he would take a few photos of the area that she could use as the subject of a future painting.

      Among the other messages was a long report on H Leong Soh and his wife Opal.

      The computer whizzes had recorded their conversations with Soh and had taken the opportunity to give Brian a full background report on the person to whom they had been speaking.

      The ‘H’ stood for Harry and it appeared that Celestial Clothing was just one of his enterprises as the list of companies he controlled began to scroll down the screen.

      Finally, the computer gave up details of a more personal nature. Photos from various sources, mainly newspaper articles, confirmed that Opal Soh was indeed his current wife and that they had been married for just a couple of years. They had one daughter named Sunny.

      There was a lot more information, but Brian couldn’t see any point in pursuing the matter at this time. He saved the information to a folder and decided that he would delete it completely once the car had been repaired and paid for.

      He knocked on the adjoining door and Toby opened it.

      ‘Do you think we should tell Fred about the watch we presented him with before we left?’

      Toby shrugged. ‘Is there any point?’

      ‘No. I suppose not,’ he conceded. ‘Our people are on the ball back home. They’ve sent me a profile on Soh. Opal is really his wife by the way.’

      ‘Fred will be disappointed. Was there anything else of interest in it?’

      ‘Well, it seems Mr Soh shouldn’t be a risk when it comes to getting the car repaired. He’s loaded.’

      ‘That’s good news. So, our little information net is up and working?’

      ‘And working well.’

      * * *

      That evening the three dined at a restaurant overlooking the ocean and after a leisurely meal they decided to take a stroll along the seaside.

      Brian had brought his camera and was snapping off shots as they walked along a roadway that skirted the harbour with boats of all descriptions tied up at wharves just below them.

      ‘How many shots are you going to take?’ asked Toby as they slowed once again to allow Brian to catch up.

      ‘Never take one when you can take a dozen. You never know which one will turn out to be the best picture you’ve ever taken. If you restrict yourself to just one then you cut down the chances of getting that one perfect shot. Besides, I can delete the ones I don’t want later.’

      They continued walking for a time until Fred broke the silence. ‘Isn’t that Soh’s car over there?’ he said, pointing to a Mercedes parked further down the street.

      Toby nodded his head. ‘You are completely obsessed, aren’t you?!’

      ‘It is their car. I’m sure of it.’

      They continued walking and as they reached the vehicle Fred exclaimed, ‘See! I told you it was!’ and pointed at the damaged front bumper.

      ‘So what?’ asked Toby.

      ‘I wonder what they’re doing down here at the docks,’ asked Fred.

      Brian shook his head in exasperation. ‘You really are becoming a bore. If it means that much to you go and ask them. They’re down there,’ he said, pointing.

      At the end of a pier stood the Asian couple and Fred noted that Opal Soh now wore sunglasses and the same clothes from their trip. She was standing apart from her husband as he spoke to a pair of men dressed in the rough woollen clothing of seamen. The conversation between the three men was very animated, until Soh finally turned to his wife and waved her away.

      Unlike his wife, Soh had changed his clothes and was now dressed in a short black leather jacket with correspondingly dark trousers.

      He followed the men down a rickety gangplank and onto a small fishing trawler.

      Opal Soh stood watching from the pier as the men cast off and the trawler moved into the bay.

      Brian was busy taking photos, recording the unfolding events on his camera, as Opal Soh finally turned away from СКАЧАТЬ