‘You’ve got a frown on your face,’ James said.
He walked noisily into the cramped container that was the office on the site. He was holding a drawing which he placed heavily on the small, dusty desk.
‘All I hear is you shouting your head off at some of the people working on the building,’ Claire said.
‘It’s what happens in places like this. Nothing wrong with that.’
‘I hope you’ve calmed down from the last time I was here because I need to talk to you about money. First, there’s £15,000 in cash you’ve had. You avoided it last time I asked, so where’s it gone?’
‘I’ve still got most of it, but I’ll scribble something out for you. End of week.’
‘No, James. This is not going away – it’s urgent.’
James pretended not to hear and started to study the drawing he had just placed on the table.
‘I want to know what’s going on because there’s another invoice you’ve signed off, just like last time, a duplicate of one that’s already been paid. But this one is over £10,000 and for Alison’s the plasterers. So, I’m going to check back on everything that’s gone out from the account.’
‘Show me what you’re talking about,’ James said, not looking back at Claire.
James scanned quickly the plasterer’s accounts, but within a few seconds, he put them back on the desk.
‘I’ve told you later this week. And if a mistake has been made, we’ll put it right.’
‘No. You haven’t done it, so I’m going to call Davies the plumber. Remember £7,500 paid twice?’
Claire’s voice was rising, and she stared directly at James for a response. She felt his arrogance and, not for the first time in the past couple of weeks, it was grating on her. This was going too far.
‘Give me space; leave it to me. I know how to talk to these people, you don’t.’
‘There are big mistakes with big money. I’ll check the bank account tomorrow to see if it’s back there, so get on with it.’
‘Remember this place is quite unique. One off. It’s always going to have problems as it grows. And that takes money.’
‘I don’t think you understand what I’m telling you, James. No more flashing your pen across accounts to pay unless you’ve checked them. And if I keep finding—’
James interrupted Claire again with his dismissive tone.
‘The gossip around the site is that a man called Harry Stone owned the old house before it was burnt down. He’s a bit of a cowboy. Is that right?’
Just the name of Harry Stone momentarily stopped Claire. She did not want to talk about him; she looked away and she closed her eyes. But the image of Harry Stone in the new building kept on coming back to her. Claire started to close her laptop.
‘Before you go, I want another £2,000 in cash. There are some labourers coming to clean up the site tomorrow and they will need cash they can hold and feel,’ James said.
‘Don’t keep asking for money. You’re not getting it.’
‘If you keep carping on about the petty cash, it’ll never get this place built. So please bring some more ready money for me.’
‘No,’ Claire said bluntly.
A minute later, as Claire was folding her papers, James looked at his watch.
‘I’ve got tickets for the theatre. The Price at Wyndham’s, revival of a classic play. Next Saturday evening. And what about dinner afterwards?’ James asked.
Claire turned, hesitated, James’s invite was a surprise. At that time not a welcome one.
‘I’ll check what I’ve got on. I’ll let you know,’ Claire replied but avoided looking at James’s face.
The skeleton of Arrow Hall was even more gaunt as Claire left the site. At that moment she felt low and alone. It didn’t help that she was going to view a flat in Knightsbridge and maybe take a lease on it. The distance from Rick was becoming wider, and moving to her own new flat was her first step to make a clean break. From here, she was not going back.
But what was James after with his invite to theatre and dinner? Later that evening, with the image still in her head of a dingy, small apartment she had just been to view, Claire could not resist, and she texted James.
If Arrow Hall was ever going to get finished, she had to find out if there was anything but bluster behind James’s arrogant façade.