Poison in the Water

by Marissa de Luna

  It all started to make sense – the ever-evasive Mr Harris, the last minute design conventions in Mainland China she was made to attend, conveniently when Alicia had planned a trip or when she had wanted to go to London. Had it been Alex – pulling the strings. Had she just been his puppet?

  She stood up and made her way to her bedroom. Her limbs were heavy as if she had the flu. She opened the second drawer in the chest opposite the bathroom, searching in between her clothes for the small fuchsia pink pouch that Maryanne had given her. Celeste pulled the delicate gold chain out of its casing. The gold bumblebee swung towards her. This was the chain she had deemed too cheap to wear previously; her diamonds had always taken preference.

  Now she needed strength. She let the tears roll down her face as she unclasped her diamond necklace, laid it on the chest and put the gold chain on. She felt better. After an hour of sobbing into her pillow, she sat up on the bed holding on tightly to the golden bee. She looked out over the harbour through the haze and realized then that she had to finish what she had started. She had to look through everything on her husband’s computer. She had been in the dark for too long and it was about time she opened her eyes.

  *

  Back in the cold white study Celeste stared at the folders on Alex’s computer. Her mobile phone beeped. She picked it up. It was Alex. He had sent her a picture of himself inside what looked like a shopping mall. She put the phone back on the desk without replying, too tired to care where Alex was right now, too tired to wonder whether or not he was lying.

  Opening the folder labelled Finance she found at least a dozen folders inside. She opened the one titled Property and scanned the documents. There were dozens of properties owned by different trusts. She located the folder called Trusts and looked at its contents. The documents inside revealed that Heavenly Ltd owned an apartment in Mayfair that she had never once stepped inside. She cringed at the name. Had Alex really set up a company using his moniker for her? Heavenly Ltd solely belonged to Alex. It took Celeste at least an hour to familiarize herself with the different property deeds. Nothing appeared to be owned by both she and Alex. Absolutely nothing. Graham and Sarah seemed to have their family home in Essex in their sole names, but everything else was under the ownership of a company or trust. Did that mean if she left Alex she wouldn’t have a home to live in? Alex would never do that to her. She closed the folder and clicked on one called Bank Accounts. There were statements from banks she had never heard of and balances in various currencies that made her eyes water. Alex had money, but all this, she had never imagined such amounts. He always said it was too vulgar to talk about money – money he was clearly stashing here, there and everywhere.

  Celeste straightened her back, trying to understand what she was looking at. Alex’s words of caution came back to her. If files get corrupted it could cost Renshaw millions. But Alex wasn’t scared she would corrupt some files, he was worried she would find out who he really was.

  She stopped looking through the folder, skimming over titles such as Profit and Loss, Insurance, Utilities and Directors. She paused at the folder titled Boys’ Toys. After what she had just seen it was clear that Alex could afford a boat like Bill’s ten times over. Why hadn’t he just bought one?

  Finally, Celeste found the folder she was looking for. The folder that would tell her what she wanted to know. She sat staring at the label Cross for almost a minute before she plucked up the courage to open it.

  56

  5th August 2012

  Mid-Levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong

  There were hundreds of documents in the Cross folder neatly filed. She scanned a saved email exchange between Bill and Maryanne. It didn’t tell her much. She closed the document and opened another and then another until she found what she was looking for. She sat back in her chair looking at the document detailing the purchase of Cross. Heavenly Limited, the company owned by Alex in its entirety, had financed it. So Cross had nothing to do with Bill and everything to do with Alex.

  Her instincts had been right. She had just hoped on this occasion that she was wrong, that there would be some rational explanation for what she had previously seen, but Alex had orchestrated the whole Cross transaction. Celeste clenched her teeth as she read through document after document. Why? Why did he do it?

  She searched in the Cross folder to find any clue as to how Alex had made this happen, but there was nothing. Not a scrap. And she wanted to know more. The very name of the company Alex had used made her seethe with rage. Had Alex set up the company, Heavenly Ltd, to hide behind in case Celeste had started to dig into find who the elusive Mr Harris was? She had mentioned it so many times to Alex over the years: how she had never met her new boss. In fact, Alex had offered to look into it for her. Of course he had, and she had trusted him. ‘Seems above board,’ Alex had reported.

  Alex had once told her to record all her negotiations with suppliers and other designers, and she had ignored him. He was always paranoid that people would go back on their word. If Alex practiced what he preached, then surely his emails would tell her what she wanted to know. She clicked on the minimized email window at the bottom of the screen and tapped in Alex’s password once more to log in. She was getting better at finding information she wanted. Alex had extracted and saved emails between Maryanne and Bill, so it stood to reason there would be more emails that would show his involvement. It wasn’t enough that Alex owned Cross, she wanted to know exactly why he bought it. I was trying to help Maryanne out. She was struggling she needed the money. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to think it was charity. She could hear his excuses as she scanned his email folders.

  She picked the folder labelled W.H. Now she was certain it stood for William Harris. She remembered the beautiful soft slippers she had been given to wear on Bill’s yacht, his initials emblazoned in silver on the white fabric. How had she not realised it then? She double-clicked on the first email in the folder.

  Nothing.

  She clenched her fists and banged them on the table. She had to find out. If she asked him, he would never tell her the truth. She knew Alex must have had some correspondence with someone about the purchase. He was always tapping something into his phone. Alex backed every spoken business word with a written note because he didn’t trust anyone. Of course he didn’t, not when he was so deceitful himself.

  Celeste decided to use the search function in Alex’s email account to find emails that mentioned Cross and Bill. Twenty minutes later, after opening countless emails, she found herself staring at an email conversation between Alex and Bill. The email had dictated exactly what Bill was required to do.

  Bill would act as Alex’s representative and deal with Maryanne when required. Alex was financing the entire project – or the ‘dawn raid,’ as Bill had referred to it as in his correspondence. A dawn raid, of course. Another sketchy memory came back to her. Alex explaining the trading term for when one company buys a large number of shares in another company at the start of a day’s trading in order to take over. How many times had Bill and Alex joked about the dawn raid? ‘Share stuff, hon,’ Alex had said when she had asked him what they were talking about. ‘You wouldn’t be interested.’ ‘I am,’ she had protested but he and Bill had laughed it off. She took a deep breath and started reading the email chain.

  Won’t she know? A rich investor wants to save this dying company and open a branch in Hong Kong. Celeste isn’t stupid. She’ll twig, Bill had written.

  She won’t question it. The company’s on its way out. My accountant looked over the figures today. Thanks to Celeste, Robbie knew exactly where to look and what questions to ask. I think you’ll find we are going to get a good deal. Alex replied.

  You’re going to lose money on this.

  Worth the investment.

  You need a stay at home wife like mine, Renshaw. Why don’t you just tell Celeste about your plan?

  I have to make her believe she’s doing this on her own
terms.

  Because you love her or because you are trying to control her?

  Won’t answer that, Bill.

  Yeah, both you and I know the answer to that. Anyway your choice Renshaw, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. So now that you’ve decided you want to burn your cash tell me where do I fall into all of this?

  I need to use your identity.

  Again? I’m beginning to worry.

  Have I ever misused it?

  No comment.

  Heavenly Ltd is going to buy the company from Maryanne.

  Maryanne will know who owns the company if she goes looking.

  Maryanne needs this cash more than you know. She’ll know not to say anything and I can keep it that way. You’ll be the main contact. I’ll provide the finance and you’ll get a nice bonus out of it.

  You say you never misuse my name but I had the Emerald Rooms call me up the other day questioning a rather large spend the other night. What have you been up to? I’ve told you Rachel’s more bear than bull. She’ll be moving into your London apartment if you’re not careful.

  Already asked mate. Shall we make this bonus a yacht?

  Now you’re talking.

  I’ll buy a boat under a new company.

  I have a boat.

  You could do with an upgrade.

  I suppose it’s time.

  You can keep it for the duration of the deal. You can even bloody name it. It’ll be delivered to Hong Kong and moored there.

  And Celeste won’t be any wiser because she will think it’s all my doing.

  Exactly.

  And you’re just going to give me a boat?

  I’ll use it as a joint owner. Once it’s over I get the boat back or if you’re nice we can carry on sharing it.

  Why would you want a second hand boat with a name you haven’t even chosen?

  Me owning a yacht moored in Hong Kong won’t do me any favours with Warwick right now. He is not one for an obvious show of wealth and I don’t want Graham to think he can take his kids on it.

  Warwick’s anti-retail isn’t he? How did you manage to get that past him?

  He doesn’t know about Heavenly Ltd. But back to the boat, he’ll come round soon and then I’ll have something to sell and upgrade.

  Fucking genius. I should never underestimate you, Renshaw. You make an offer hard to refuse. But that’s it after this. No more Face Off. No more Emerald Rooms.

  This is it.

  Won’t Celeste recognize me?

  You’ll never need to see her.

  And my name?

  She knows you as Bill.

  Bill Harris and William Harris, really? It’s not that hard to figure out. Sure you don’t want me to use Clark Kent?

  Ha! Sorry to break it to you Bill, but the name William Harris is as common as muck. She won’t make the connection and I’ll be there to put her right if she does. You never question things right under your nose.

  Ok Renshaw, send me the details of what you want me to do.

  *

  As Celeste read through the email exchange between Alex and Bill again, tears blurred her vision. Now she knew why Alex had been so angry that Bill had put his initials on the yacht slippers and towels – it was because it was his boat. She realised now that Alex wasn’t keeping Bill’s conquests safe from Angela as she had foolishly thought. He had been using Bill’s identity. That’s why at The Emerald Rooms the drunken blond had targeted her. It was Alex Rachel was having an affair with, not Bill. Rachel knew Alex as William. Celeste looked at the date of the email – it was 2008. Alex had been cheating on her from the beginning.

  57

  5th August 2012

  Mid-Levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong

  ‘It’s not true,’ Celeste said out loud. ‘It can’t be true. This isn’t Alex. Not my Alex.’ She was smarter than this. He could not have duped her so easily. She was the one who had got that graduate job at Cross on her own merit. Alex hadn’t been on the scene then. She had worked her way up to being a highly regarded designer. Her clothing had won awards. And then she started relying on him, hanging on his every word. Believing everything he said – without question. When had that started? She had listened, taken his advice, told him about the difficulties Cross faced and given him the upper hand, without even knowing it.

  Could Graham have organised the whole thing? Did Graham, or even Warwick, have it in for her? She had been certain Kealana had been sent to check up on her when she first moved in with Alex. Had Kealana been ordered by Warwick to set this all up on Alex’s computer, especially for her to find? It would be a hoax, an elaborate hoax. But somehow despite the excuses she conjured in her mind, she knew what she had seen had more truth in it than she wanted to believe. The late nights, the frequent trips, the excuses that Graham was incompetent. They were all diversions and smokescreens created by Alex.

  With a trembling hand Celeste checked back in the Finance folder, the Cross folder and through the emails. She followed the trail of money from one of Alex’s private accounts to Heavenly Limited and then disappearing right around the time Maryanne broke the news to her that she had sold the controlling share in Cross in November 2008. She couldn’t deny the transaction. It was all there in black and white.

  And the apartment in Mayfair. Alex owned that. She searched online how to check the ownership of a property and realised she could do it on the Land Registry website. Carefully, she set up an account, verified her email and typed in her credit card details to purchase a copy of the record. It confirmed that Heavenly Limited owned the apartment. She went back into the Property folder and then the folder of photographs. She trawled through the contents until she saw what she had missed the first time – pictures of the apartment being redecorated, Alex sitting behind a mahogany desk. The same desk she had seen Rachel sitting behind. She went back to that picture now. She had thought it was Bill’s office. It wasn’t. It was taken in Alex’s apartment. When she took a closer look, her heart sank. The signature Cross letterhead was on his desk. How could he?

  She needed to speak to someone, anyone. Just to confirm her suspicions. Everything she read was merging into one. It was too much to take in. She couldn’t call any of the ex-pats. Their allegiance was to Alex. Graham and Warwick were certain to cover for him too. Graham already knew he had put his foot in it by calling her to ask about her husband’s whereabouts and he was sure to feel Alex’s wrath soon. Bonnie didn’t want to know her, and Alicia... she had been cruel to Alicia. How could she call her now, after everything she had said?

  With no other option she checked the time difference and called The Emerald Rooms.

  ‘Hello. Hi,’ she said into the receiver. She took a deep breath trying to steady her voice. ‘I’m looking for…’ she hesitated. Should she ask for Bill or Alex? Did the staff know that Alex was Bill? Bill’s email implied that they didn’t. But Celeste was sure they would know. Either way, how would she distinguish between the two without revealing who she was? If she told them her name, they would be sure to alert Bill.

  ‘Hello?’ came the voice at the end of the line.

  Celeste disconnected.

  58

  6th August 2012

  Mid-Levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong

  Celeste stood in the tea bar in the vast lobby of their apartment building holding on to her Styrofoam cup. She was trying not to think about the last two days. She replayed what she had seen over and over in her mind – trying to make sense of it. Trying to think of a logical explanation as to why Alex would do this. But after a sleepless night looking for some explanation it had finally sunk in. She had spent much of the morning looking through Alex’s possessions in their bedroom for some clues to his betrayal, but there were none. Alex was smart – she had always known that, but he certainly wasn’t the man she thought he was. He had betrayed her. She could no longer deny that. Now she had to find out what else Alex was hiding from her. Were Rachel and those women in the Low Stock folder
the only ones he had slept with or were there more? She realised that there were eight folders in the Low Stock folder, but she had only opened the first six. She needed to finish what she started. She felt a sharp stabbing pain in her abdomen as she walked across the lobby and had to steady herself on the black console table near the elevator. She looked outside the panelled glass windows and could see the street signs swaying in the wind. The streets were deserted.

  ‘You okay?’ the porter asked. ‘You don’t look okay. Don’t go outside. Typhoon is still happening. You’ll blow over.’

  Celeste swallowed. She wasn’t okay. Her life was falling apart around her, and there were still folders on Alex’s computer that she had to look in. He would be back late tonight.

  ‘I’m not going outside and I’m fine. Please, just call the elevator.’

  ‘Yes, Ma’am.’ The porter did as he was told, and Celeste managed a smile, even though her eyes were glazed over.

  ‘You feeling sick with baby?’ Charlie asked.

  Celeste felt another pain. She had been worried about the dull ache she had been experiencing in her abdomen over the last couple of weeks. She had even been to the doctor for a check up, but he had said it was just a urinary infection. He had given her some tablets and told her to drink plenty of water. It hadn’t helped and something didn’t feel right. Once the typhoon was over she would make another appointment at the clinic. She took a deep breath, like the doctor had told her, and nodded at the porter. She needed to take it easy. Stress would only make it worse the doctor had said. And she was stressed. Highly stressed.