The weekend was a disaster. The only good thing about it, at least as far as Zak was concerned, was that he had no need to worry what his children made of him. With their friends for company, Rose and Ken practically ignored him. He was useful when they needed a lift to the shops or to visit other friends but even in the car, they hardly spoke to him. It would have been depressing if he were not so grateful for the reprieve, temporary though it might prove to be. Indeed, it was with twin sighs of relief that he saw Rose and Catherine onto the train on Sunday afternoon and returned the boys to their school in East Lothian later that same afternoon.
When they arrived back in Barnton, Jenny, who had not spoken since leaving Musselburgh, sailed imperiously into their house without a backwards look. Once again Zak was thankful. He was in enough hot water as it was. His table manners had not been up to standard and Jenny had already made a few muttered complaints to him, imagining he was either being deliberately clumsy to annoy her, or because he was trying to be funny. Also, because he’d tried too hard to fit in, his conversation had left a lot to be desired.
Dejectedly, he put the car away and went in. Jenny, her coat off and clearly ready for battle, stood waiting for him in the hall.
'What on earth do you think you’ve been playing at all weekend?’ Even before he could reply, she was off again. ‘You’ve been acting weirdly ever since you came back from your trip to Carlisle, and don’t think I haven’t noticed. You even had the gall to have sex with our maid in our own home.’ Zak thought that was most unfair and tried to interject but Jenny was unstoppable. ‘Then you embarrass me no end with your stupid attempts to ingratiate yourself by pretending to be someone else. And all of this in front of your children and their friends. But I’m telling you now, I’m having no more of it. I want you out of this house first thing tomorrow.’
At last, Zak managed to get a word in. ‘I thought we’d agreed that little incident with Naomi wasn’t my fault.’
His choice of words might have been better because he only succeeded in starting Jenny off again.
‘Little incident!’ she shrieked. ‘You call it a little incident when the maid decides to strip naked in front of your husband and offer herself to him? I can tell you now; I don’t consider it a little incident. I’ve never been so embarrassed in all my life. I can’t imagine what you thought you were playing at. And when I think what you’d been saying to me just moments earlier. You disgust me. If nothing else, it proves just how often you two were at it before I caught you; and under my very nose as well. Little incident, indeed.’
She had him there. In his own mind, he had no doubts that his other self and Naomi had been enjoying each other’s company for quite some time. He finally resigned himself to the inevitable and nor did he try to make any more excuses.
‘Where do you suggest I go?’
‘You can go to the devil for all I care. Just get out of this house.’ With that Jenny whirled around and marched up the stairs to her room. ‘And don’t forget to lock up,’ she yelled back over her shoulder.
Zak went into the sitting room and poured himself a large Gin and tonic. Things were deteriorating rapidly. He’d hoped to soften Jenny up over the weekend but all he’d done was antagonised her still further. The only thing left to do was to accede to her request and check into a hotel first thing the following day. Perhaps his absence would make her heart grow fonder.
The next day, Monday, Zak spent a difficult morning in the office. He conscientiously tried getting to grips with his new responsibilities, all the while trying to hide his ignorance. Nevertheless, through it all he was extremely depressed by the downturn in his relationship with Jenny. Later in the afternoon he had his planned meeting with Phil who was all smiles when he arrived.
‘It’s looking really good, Zachary,’ he began. Then, seeing the hang-dog expression on Zak’s face, he stopped short. ‘Are you feeling all right?’
‘Come on in and sit down, Phil. I’m fine, really. It’s just that Jenny and I had a pretty big bust up over the weekend and she’s kicked me out.’
‘She did what?’ He surprised Zak by the depth of his disquiet. Then, in a more moderate tone, he continued. ‘That sounds serious. What happened?’ He was all concern and sympathy and Zak warmed to him.
‘You know we’ve got a maid called Naomi?’
Phil nodded. ‘And a very attractive young lady she is, too.’ Then, noting the look on Zak’s face, he added, ‘You and she haven’t been…?’
Zak could only nod miserably.
‘And Jen caught you at it, did she?’
Zak started to nod before changing his mind. ‘Yes, she… No, of course she didn’t. It wasn’t like that. It’s just that when Jenny unexpectedly came into my room, she saw…’ Again he tailed off. There was no need to go into humiliating detail. ‘Let’s just say she wasn’t happy with what she saw and she put two and two together and made five.’
‘And on the strength of that she’s kicked you out?’
‘She kicked us both out. I suppose it was a rather compromising situation she burst in on,’ Zak said unhappily. Then, forcing himself to be cheerful, he added, ‘But we’re not here to talk about my marital problems, we’ve got business to discuss haven’t we? However, for your information, and until I can smooth things over with Jenny, I’ll be staying at the Mount Plaza Hotel. I’ve booked myself into a small suite of rooms there. Now, what was it you were saying about things looking really good?’
Solicitously, Phil said, ‘Are you sure you’re up to it, Zachary? I can always come back tomorrow if you’d prefer. I know it’s easy for me to talk because I’m not the one who stands to gain by the deal, but I suppose we have to be philosophical about these things. If we miss this opportunity, we miss it. Who knows, something else might come along, eventually.’ Full of doubt, his voice tailed off. It was a doubt Zak could hardly fail to detect.
‘No, I’d like to work through the figures with you,’ he began anxiously. If this deal was as good as Phil was suggesting he would be a fool to miss it through inaction. ‘In any case, it’ll help to take my mind off my other worries. Be warned though, with this other upset hanging over me, I’m not sure how much I’m going to take in.’
Needing no second bidding Phil, who clearly was very keen that the purchase should be re-examined, opened his folder and began.
‘The two businesses have a large overlap, which is a big advantage for us and at his latest asking price, I don’t see how we can go wrong. We have an accurate valuation of all his stock and equipment; I have here three independent surveyors’ reports giving values for the site and the buildings; and even using the most conservative of the three estimates, Wragg doesn’t appear to be asking anything for the goodwill in the company. He just wants shot of it. I spoke to his accountant on the weekend and it seems he, Wragg that is, had a minor heart attack a few months ago and his doctor has ordered him to take things easy. He plans to sell up and go to live in the south of France. His bad luck and our good luck, I suppose.’
‘How about staff and how much do they cost?’ Zak was rather pleased with his question. It showed he wasn’t completely stupid.
‘He’s got twelve staff all told and his wage rates are similar to our own. Of course, if we buy the business, there’ll only be one boss and only one financial director so, even including the cost of a manager down in Carlisle we’ll be able to make significant salary savings. As I said, it’s almost too good to be true.’
The gambler in Zak was keen to dive in head first but somehow his other self still managed to exert a restraining influence over him.
‘You’re the Financial Director, Phil, and if you say it’s a good deal for me, I have to believe you.’
Phil nodded and sat back, a pleased look on his handsome face, which gradually turned to one of surprised concern as Zak continued.
‘It’s just that when something seems too good to be true, it’s often just that, as I know to my cost from a recent experience.’ This last sl
ipped out before he could stop it. Fortunately, Phil seemed to miss the significance of the remark as Zak hurried on. ‘Are you sure there aren’t any hidden catches?’
‘Like what?’ Phil said, the slightest touch of irritation sounding in his voice.
‘Well …’ Zak began. He was already way out of his depth but he began casting around for possible snags. ‘…What if the area around has been designated for a major re-development project or perhaps Wragg has some massive debt we don’t know about, you know, that sort of thing,’ he said lamely.
‘I don’t know if you mean to, but what you’re suggesting is, I haven’t done my job properly.’ Phil had a bleak look on his face.
‘No, that’s not what I meant at all,’ Zak apologised.
‘Then what did you mean,’ Phil said, gathering his papers up as he spoke.
God, Zak thought, can’t I do anything right. In just one weekend I’ve brought my marriage to an end and now I’ve upset my Financial Director. I’ll be losing my business next.
Aloud he said, ‘I’m sorry, Phil. I’m not trying to suggest you’re not doing a great job; which of course you are. I’m sure you’ve checked everything out very thoroughly. So, OK, let’s say we go ahead with the deal. Where’s the money coming from to buy it?’
With a barely concealed expression of exasperation on his face, Phil spoke slowly, as if to a small child.
‘As I’ve explained before, you use your reserves to help run the Carlisle end of the operation for the first year, and we take up the bank loan I’ve already arranged for the actual purchase. You can see from the figures I’ve provided that you’ll be able to repay the bank loan in seven years. We’ve been through all that with Crowley so we know he’s happy with the arrangement.’
'Crowley?’ Zak enquired.
‘Stafford Crowley, the bank manager, of course,’ Phil filled in, looking suspiciously at his boss.
‘Yes, of course. I’d forgotten for the minute. Sorry mate. I told you I wouldn’t be able to think straight,’ Zak apologised. He couldn’t remember when he’d had to apologise quite so frequently.
All the while, his mind was racing. Should he delay making such an expensive acquisition or would this be completely out of character with the man he now was. Already he suspected that his dithering was making his Financial Director view him with considerable suspicion.
Throwing caution to wind, he stood up.
‘All right, Phil, if you think we should go ahead, let’s do it.’
A huge beam of relief washed over Phil’s fine features.
‘An excellent decision, Zachary and I know you won’t regret it. I’ll contact Wragg straight away to let him know we’ll be going ahead and in the meantime I’ll set up a meeting with Crowley to make sure there aren’t any last minute hitches on the bank loan. Then we can let our solicitors loose to finalize the contract.’
Zak was petrified. He had just made a huge decision when he knew next to nothing about the business. Putting a brave face on it, he forced himself to smile and relax. ‘This calls for a little celebration,’ he said, and going over to the cupboard where he knew his other self kept a few bottles of spirit and some glasses, he poured a couple of stiff measures of whisky.
‘Success!’ they toasted each other.
When they sat down again, Zak said, ‘How are you and Valerie getting on these days?’ According to the personnel records, Valerie was Phil’s estranged wife.
‘We still see each other, of course, and I have to say, we get on much better now that we’re not under each other’s feet all the time.’
‘How long is it since you two split up?’
‘It’s getting on for a year now, I suppose.’
‘Goodness me, how time flies. It hardly seems that long to me.’ Zak made what he assumed would be the appropriate comment. ‘It must have been difficult at the start though.’
‘Fortunately, we’ve both got our work to fall back on. And if you’re wondering how your separation from Jen will affect you, you’ll soon get used to it, believe me. Of course, you’ve got your kids to think about as well but with them away in boarding school most of the time, it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to adjust. They won’t be the first kids whose parents have split up. In any case, you and Jen will be back together again before you know it, just mark my words.’
‘I’m not so sure about that. She’s pissed off with me big time at present.’
Phil eyebrows rose at Zak’s colourful turn of phrase but he quickly recovered and said, ‘Don’t worry. She’ll get over it. They always do.’
That was all nonsense, of course, as Phil should be the first to acknowledge. His wife had not got over it, which was why he and she were still separated. Indeed, she was now suing for a divorce.
Over the next couple of days Zak was alarmed at the pace with which Phil managed to tidy up all the loose ends in preparation for the signing of the deal. He had expected that such a large and complicated acquisition would entail many further weeks of preparation, during which time he’d hoped to acquaint himself with at least some of the ramifications of the deal. Worryingly, Phil’s efficient and highly professional performance gave little or no time for any of that. Zak’s dilemma was further aggravated because, whenever he wanted to examine any of the many documents involved in the transaction, Phil always seemed to need them for some other vitally important task, which forced Zak to wait until his Financial Director completed whatever it was he was doing. It was both frustrating and unnerving. Zak had never dealt with such large sums of money before and he lay awake at night cursing his weakness for not cancelling the take-over when he’d had the chance. After all, he reasoned, and regardless of Phil’s pessimism, there would be other opportunities to expand his business interests, should he ever want to do so. His first priority was to familiarise himself with what he already owned. Indeed, from what he could see, his present business was already extremely successful in its own right and was fully capable of providing him and his family with all the comforts they could ever need. Why put all that at risk? Privately, he now railed at Phil’s efficiency.
And nor was Phil correct about Jenny. After spending two lonely nights in his suite at the Mount Plaza Hotel, Zak rang her to try to smooth things out but immediately she recognized his voice, she made it perfectly clear her mind was still set on a divorce and, without further ado, put the phone down. Dejected and rejected, he was just resigning himself to another miserable, lonely evening in his room when, unexpectedly, the phone rang. Thinking it must be Jenny calling back to say she was sorry she had hung up on him and that she now realized how sensible it would be to meet to discuss their differences over a meal or a drink, he rushed to pick it up.
‘Hello Zachary, it’s me,’ the person at the other end greeted him. The voice was familiar but he could not immediately place it. Then it hit him.
‘Naomi, how on earth did you get my number?’
‘I got it from your office, earlier today.’
‘You shouldn’t be calling me here, Naomi. I’m in enough trouble with my wife as it is. In fact, I don’t think we should see each other again.’
‘You can’t mean that, surely. Not after all we’ve meant to each other. You said you love me and you know I love you.’
Rather roughly, he said, ‘If that’s what you thought, why has it taken you so long to get in touch with me, then?’
‘When your wife threw me out and you didn’t do anything to help me, I went back to my parents’ home on Mull. I only came back to Edinburgh today.’
Zak squirmed as he stood listening to her. It was true; he had not acted at all decently as far as Naomi was concerned. He’d been thinking only of himself. Now, on more mature reflection, it was obvious that he had a clear responsibility towards Naomi if only because, almost certainly, he was the one who had started the affair.
Naomi continued, but with no hint of reproach in her voice. ‘The truth is I felt so ashamed when your wife caught me like she did, I didn’
t think I’d ever be able to face anyone again. It was only after I arrived home that I realized I’d done nothing to be ashamed of. All I’d done was go to the man I love. You know your wife doesn’t love you any more, Zachary, and I can’t understand why you refuse to accept what everyone else can plainly see.
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Of course you don’t but closing your eyes to the truth doesn’t mean it isn’t going on.’
‘What on earth are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.’
‘I’m making perfect sense. Do you honestly believe she goes playing Bridge with her friends every Thursday evening?’
He suddenly felt cold. What was Naomi trying to suggest?
‘Of course she plays Bridge on Thursdays. That’s where she says she goes and I’m sure that’s what she does.’
‘It’s Thursday again tomorrow, isn’t it? Do you think she’ll be off playing her Bridge again?’
‘If she’s not too upset with what’s happened, she’ll probably try to soldier on as usual.’
Zak did not like the way Naomi was trying to smear his wife’s reputation which was why he tried to be as supportive as was possible.
‘I know you think I’m just being spiteful, Zachary, but as you haven’t seen what’s been going on right under your nose for the past year, I’ll prove it to you tomorrow evening, if you’ll let me.’
‘There’s nothing to prove. I trust my wife and I don’t intend listening to you trying to blacken her character any longer. I’m going to ring off now, Naomi, and don’t try calling me here again.’ With that he put the phone down.
But the seed of suspicion had been sown.
Zak had never had an affair. All he knew about the subject was what he read in books or saw on television. But one thing he had gathered from all that was, when a wife kicks her husband out of her bed, or pretends she’s too tired for sex, that often means she’s getting her satisfaction elsewhere. Jenny was a very attractive woman and would never be short of admirers. Had she strayed? Was her Bridge a cover for something else? According to Naomi, Jenny and he had been experiencing difficulties for the past year. Of course, he had no knowledge of that but if that were the case, he could only speculate about what might have precipitated the breakdown in his marriage. It was a pity he’d been given so little time to test the temperature of his relationship with Jenny before the incident with Naomi had finally split it asunder. If she was right, he’d never stood a chance.
SWITCHED: The man who lost his body but kept his mind. Page 16