Anxious that everything as she had known it was fast running away from her, this morning Claire drove at speed. Just before mid-afternoon, as Claire weaved down the small lane, her nostalgia for Arrow Hall returned. It was the old iron gates that had made the entrance to the first Arrow Hall that set it off. They were always there, wide open, shrouded in a green canopy of moss and with a large bush growing through one side. This part of Arrow Hall had never changed, and it was Claire’s hope that she would never see those gates moved from their open welcome. But as she entered the site, Claire quickly reminded herself that she had to move on from all that.
There was only one contractor’s vehicle parked on the grass; the cabin door was closed; and Claire held the new keys tightly in her hand. She walked to the half-finished building, through the front door to what would be the entrance hall and then straight into the morning room which had been Stone’s study. But this time it was different; Harry Stone would never again sit at his desk in this spacious room, often his voice raised on the phone.
Inside, building work had not yet reached the first floor, so it was not possible to see through the rooms that had once been her flat in the west wing of Arrow Hall. Someday, this place would be free from the clutter and noise of building work, but Claire stood and gazed for a minute, saddened that she would never be here to finish what she had started so eagerly just a few weeks ago.
She walked quickly to the cabin. Inside, James’s laptop, papers and drawings were still on the table, gathering inevitable dust. It even felt mouldy and damp in this cramped place, but it was ready for a fresh start just as she had left it. As she watched from the cabin, waiting for Rick, tension returned, tightening the frown lines on her face. A few minutes later, Rick, dressed casually in a fresh, deep-blue, short-sleeved shirt, came into the cabin. He looked as sophisticated as she had always known him. The difference between seeing James and Rick in this small space was stark. Rick kissed her on her cheek as she tried to avoid looking at his eyes.
‘Claire, it’s good to see you again. I feel I’ve been away a long time.’
‘Yes, Rick. You’ve been away five and a half weeks, and in that time, I’ve barely had three calls or even texts from you. And each time you did call you were too busy to listen. So, what’s going on?’
‘I don’t want to talk about New Zealand now.’
‘Have you thought about Arrow Hall at all while you were away?’
‘Only when we’ve spoken, which hasn’t been easy, I know. But, Claire, first, before anything else, I need to say sorry about being so sharp the other day. I was very travel weary, and I should not have spoken like that. Please forgive me,’ Rick said.
There was a pause and Claire looked down to the floor.
‘I need to see Arrow Hall finished. Urgently. So where are we on the rebuild? How much have you spent so far?’ Rick shot the question quickly at Claire.
‘Over £300,000, but looking at the original tenders for the work still to be done, it’s going to take double. And maybe more to get the gardens landscaped and the old moat reseeded to make it look green again. I’ve printed a detailed list of exactly what has been spent, and I’ve tidied the papers – they’re all in here. The surveyor you send to replace James will soon follow the trail of where we are.’
‘The site looks derelict, abandoned. So where are all the contractors?’
‘It’s James, you appointed him to run the site. He’s too arrogant. He lost control and none of the builders would work with him. Some just walked off; he was lucky not to have a brick thrown at his face, and when it got serious, he had a knife flashed over his back. I sacked James two days ago. And when you’ve got time to listen, I’ll tell you what he was up to.’
‘Claire, please, I’ve always got time to listen,’ Rick said.
‘Did you ever check James out before you let him onto the site?’
‘I had no reason to.’
‘I wonder how much he’s creamed off working for you on other sites. Nothing sophisticated, just fake bills from a carpenter that doesn’t even exist. Invoices that don’t add up, invoices signed off for payment twice. Shady bank accounts to receive all this money. Why you gave him £15,000 in cash I can’t imagine. I was never able to get from him where even one penny had gone.’
‘You are scathing, so let’s have it. Who else was in on this?’
‘Probably a contractor or two on the site, probably the one who knifed James, and then there was Harry Stone, you remember him?’
‘How could I forget. That man must have seen you coming.’
‘He says he should have held out for a bigger price when he sold the site to you. This little trick was his way of making up for it.’
‘What’s the total that went missing? How much are we talking about?
‘Just a penny or two short of £120,000.’
‘Wasn’t it missed before it got to that enormous sum?’
‘Rick, I didn’t miss anything. I found what was going on; I’ve confronted James and Harry Stone. And Harry has repaid you £60,000 and sent £60,000 to Plaistow Children’s Hospice, a charity he supports. It’s finished. And so is James.’
‘I think we should go to the police with this,’ Rick said.
‘Harry Stone is dying. He only has a short time to live. Prostate cancer. Going to the police is not going to do much good. And, Rick, the clear-out of Arrow Hall is complete, ready for you to do what you want with the place.’
‘I’m not having Harry Stone tell me which charity he wants to send my money to, so go and tell him I want the £60,000 back.’
‘Rick, I’ve told you he’s dying. Please let’s move on,’ Claire shouted.
‘I come home to find this place spinning out of control. And I only bought the derelict building because I thought you loved Arrow Hall.’
‘You bury yourself in New Zealand on a vanity project; we don’t talk for several weeks; and then all you do is criticise when what I needed was for you to listen. Rick, that’s not good enough.’
‘I can’t let it go on like this, you know that, Claire.’
Rick quickly shuffled some of the papers on the desk as if he wanted to hide something.
‘I know this is not what we set out to do here. But I’m needing to sell Arrow Hall. I’ve got to raise some money quickly. And quite a big sum.’
Claire knew those words were coming. They had never really been hidden. Her tenseness again tightened the frown lines on her forehead.
‘In the past few weeks, I’ve cleared up an undercover fraud, seen fights on the site with large knives slicing at James and all I get now is that you’re going to sell the place.’
Claire’s anger at this whole debacle was growing. She turned away.
‘Please, Claire, I had something planned if only you would stay and listen to me.’
‘No. It’s final. If you’re going to sell, then I’m finished with it. All I can say now is goodbye. I never wanted it to finish this way. I’ve rented my own apartment, and I’ve cleared everything out from your place – I’ve moved out. I won’t be back. And thank you for the good times. There have been many, Rick, and…’ Claire struggled to finish.
The keys to the cabin and the large metal industrial gates jangled as she put them on the table. She turned and walked quickly from the small, enclosed space. There was nothing more she wanted to hear from Rick that would make the break easier. And Claire did not wait to listen.