The Unsuspecting Housewife

by Olivia Charles

  “Why don’t they just go and get him?”

  “They say he is out of their jurisdiction and can only arrest him in England. I think this way is quicker and saves them a hell of a lot of man hours and money.”

  DC Wooster knocked on the door and the two officers requested to return to the room, turned on the tape recorder and invited Clive and Henrietta to state their full names after they had done so themselves. They informed her that colleagues had been deployed with a warrant to search her car and her home. They asked to state the registration number of her car and the location of the vehicle, they also asked her to confirm her current address and alarm code. Henrietta was horrified that Oscar would be home and may be traumatised by the event. They assured her that a female officer would be deployed for the purpose of ensuring the boy was cared for. Henrietta was overcome with Clive’s suggested objective of getting out quickly and returning home as soon as possible to comfort her son but umpteen questions were fired at her about her relationship with Newman and each time she strayed towards his abuse of her, the officer interrupted and redirected her only to answers on the financial issues in question.

  They asked her about her previous houses and how she afforded them and whether she had ever had a mortgage before she met Terry Newman. They asked where and how she derived her income and were surprised to learn that she extrapolated so much profit from regular house moves. The interrogating police officer asked how Henrietta paid tax on her moves, at which point Clive intervened to explain that the money Henrietta banked each year was ‘legitimate non-taxable profit from her principle residence and classed as Private Dwelling Exemption’. Both police officers sniggered and intimated that Henrietta’s house moves could be seen as an elaborate scheme to avoid the tax man.

  DC Wooster then enquired about her relationship with Aiden Hoare and showed her the eight pages of her mortgage application for the farm which had been separated and were now enveloped in plastic document sleeves. Upon examination it was apparent that each page had been very neatly hand written in ink by Aiden and the final page signed by Henrietta, so the typo error Aiden had put forward as his excuse for the over payment was evidently untrue. Additionally page five, the sum to be borrowed, had been altered from £125,000 to £485,000, in Aiden’s hand. Henrietta was shocked and confused and could not offer the investigating officers an explanation other than his greed for an increased commission. She was horrified that Aiden would act in such a callous and avaricious manner against the wishes and interests of his client and the rigid regulations of the IFA. She slumped back in the uncomfortable plastic chair and closed her eyes to consider Aiden’s detrimental actions and subsequent deceit. Clive tapped her hand comfortingly and asked:

  “May I enquire where this document came from? I don’t believe it was in the bundle Mrs Champion handed in to you and it appears to have been sent to Newman’s flat.”

  “Mr Goode, whilst your client has suggested that we have ‘done nothing’, we have in fact been piecing together a far bigger fraud from the documents given to us. We have made several arrests and searched several properties. This evidence was seized at the address of Mr Aiden Hoare, who amongst others has been arrested, charged and released on bail.”

  Henrietta’s racing thoughts were interrupted by further questions about Aiden’s involvement in her financial affairs and what other documents he may have forged but Henrietta did not know. They asked her how she had purchased the Spanish villa but she asserted that she had not. They asked whether she had employed Aiden to create any false documents for her but she was adamant that she had not, but started to reluctantly accept his continued involvement with Terry and how he must have created a false picture of his financial status, by ‘borrowing’ hers.

  When it was evident that the interview was over, DC Wooster spoke:

  “Mrs Champion I am arresting you on a charge of ‘suspicion of a conspiracy to defraud, of money laundering and of making false instruments to be accepted as genuine in relation to mortgages on two properties, one in England and one in Spain for two point six million euros. I must inform you that anything you say may be used as evidence against you.” He turned off the tape recorder and swelled with professional pride.

  Henrietta was numb and Clive was flushed with both professional embarrassment and a need to extricate himself from his non-fee paying client. He turned to face her and whispered:

  “Don’t worry, when they piece all this together, it will be over and you will be vindicated. Try and see it as a temporary inconvenience and don’t take it personally. However I would suggest you find a solicitor, as I am not qualified in criminal law.”

  “Mr Goode, thank you for your attendance, it has been most helpful to us. Your client will now be remanded on Police Bail.” Clive was unsure about the officer’s tone of voice but gave Henrietta a brief kiss on the cheek, a pat on her hand and was relieved to walk out of the modern brick Police Headquarters. He was psychologically shaken and felt cautioned himself.

  DC Wooster led Henrietta to a small room where he watched as she was weighed, measured, had swabs taken from her mouth and had her photograph taken whilst holding a defining board in front of her. She had her finger prints taken and was handed a moist disposable paper cloth to wipe the black ink from her hands. After she had been processed, the constable returned her keys and phone and gave her a formal sheet of paper which told her what day and time to report to the police station to sign for her bail. He also told her that they would call her at a later date to collect any property which had been removed from her home or car, once they had finished with it.

  When she got home she ran inside and hugged Oscar and asked him to tell her what had happened in her absence. He told her that two uniformed men and one plain clothed woman had demanded entry and showed him a search warrant. He said he had been frightened but was told to sit in the lounge with the woman whilst the men searched every room. He described how they had methodically riffled through her files, all the drawers and cupboards and demanded a key to the safe. He told her that he knew she would be upset, so he had tidied up after their departure. Henrietta asked Oscar what they had taken and he pointed to a receipt on the dining table which identified only one item; her new lap-top and charger. She hugged and comforted her son and told him that she didn’t care about the computer.

  February 29th 2009.

  Henrietta phoned Simon and told him what had happened. He was distressed that he had not been made aware of the interview and asked to meet with her again in private. After hours spent trawling through copies of the paperwork Hetty had given to the Police, she offered Simon a significant payment to help her. He realised how serious her predicament was both financially, as he had expected, but also personally and he was abhorred by the developing story of abuse, threats, theft and extortion. He began to pity her vulnerability and felt utterly compelled to help, as it seemed the Police had not believed her, whereas he on the other hand was beginning to understand what had truly happened. He realised he needed assurances before he continued to help Henrietta and they could only be obtained by going to Spain and speaking directly to certain individuals who Henrietta had mentioned to him.

  Several weeks and bail signings at the police station passed, during which Henrietta appreciated the friendliness of the woman on the reception who handed the register to her for her to sign and on each occasion Henrietta asked when her computer would be returned. Eventually, on one of her trips, the receptionist instructed Henrietta to take a seat and wait. The secure door to the reception blipped and DC Wooster and a female Constable walked over to Henrietta with the turquoise lap top computer in a large sealed plastic bag.

  “Mrs Champion, your property.” He handed it to her. ”You were very clever to wipe the hard drive clean before we got to it. I don’t know how you did it but our experts couldn’t recover anything from the memory.”

  “It hasn’t got a memory, it’s new. It is my first computer and I am learning.”

  “
Oh please, in this day and age? Very smart, but I will make sure you go to jail.” He gave her a challenging and defiant look.

  “What? Don’t be ridiculous, I haven’t done anything.”

  “Then how can you account for your lifestyle, if it’s not the proceeds of crime? No middle aged mother retires at forty, owns a debt free house, owns a car like yours, or wears expensive clothes and jewellery like those!” He gesticulated to the main door and her Mercedes which was in the street, then waved his hand up and down in Henrietta’s direction and sneered. “I’ve had time to look you up Mrs Champion and can tell you that my opinion of you has changed. You have not paid any income tax in the last six years!” He was animated and triumphant.

  “I know. I haven’t been employed during the last six years!” She responded drolly.

  “So, I’m right, the proceeds of crime then!”

  “Am I on Candid Camera or something?” Henrietta asked exasperatedly and turned to address the female officer who looked embarrassed and lowered her head to sever eye contact with Henrietta. “I pay other taxes, have you checked those?” She asked the pertinent question but the DC Wooster had already swiped his pass card on the secure door’s sensor and opened it for his Constable, whom he followed.

  Henrietta was left aghast and abandoned. She looked over towards the benign receptionist for some form of reassurance but she frowned and carried on typing.

  June 2009.

  Simon suggested a brief social trip to his wife, to visit friends who had retired to live in Sotogrande and whom they had not seen for more than a year. One week later he packed his golf clubs and toiletries and his wife packed their clothes and sun screen.

  Once in Spain, the ladies lounged and chatted by the pool and the men went off in Ian’s car dressed in golf gear with sets of clubs in the boot. Simon had pre-warned and confided in Ian that he needed to make various investigative trips before any golf games could be played, beginning with Terry’s restaurant and as they drove around the area, Ian divulged as much gossip and information as he had gleaned on his old friend’s behalf. After five days in Spain, Simon knew no more than he did when he arrived but was convinced from what he saw and heard, that Henrietta had told him the truth.

  Simon realised that the only way to interview the people involved with Mr Newman and Henrietta’s debacle was to make another trip, this time with Henrietta, under the demise of a short holiday with Oscar during his academic break and in between her bail signings, as unusually there had been no restriction placed on her travel by the police. Simon’s wife was untroubled by the proposed trip but Henrietta was reticent to go back to what she called ‘the scene of the crime’. Simon ignored her protestations and used the money she had given him to pay for flights and two acceptable rooms at the luxurious Club Maritimo hotel in the port. He took the view that he may be assisting the lady, but he had standards of hygiene and comfort which he could not ignore and it was also conveniently near Terry’s restaurant and bar.

  Simon was the sort of person who was not easily overlooked and he made sure that he made an obvious social event of the entire trip and instructed Henrietta to invite several of her previous acquaintances for drinks in the hotel or nearby bars as he wanted to force Newman’s arm. Henrietta felt sick at the prospect of seeing Terry again but Simon was disappointed to discover that Terry had not been seen in weeks. His bar was now closed, as was the new restaurant in Estepona which had a sign stuck to the door saying it was under new management and would be re-opened shortly. Even Margot could not say what had happened to Terry or where he had gone, but she had taken advantage of his disappearance to secure a role and income by taking over the running of his restaurant. Margot was evasive about the extent of her communication with Coleen and seemed less friendly with Henrietta. It was all very odd but made Henrietta and Oscar feel relieved that at least they could feel safe if Terry was elsewhere.

  Simon needed to substantiate the expense of the trip and persuaded Henrietta to take him to meet Terry’s lawyer. Once in front of Margarita Lopez, he was respectful and polite but had more in-depth and searching questions about the Villa purchase and the legal dealings of Mr Newman which took up almost two hours of the lawyer’s time. He did not like what he heard and realised how seriously Henrietta had been duped. In his eyes, the whole transaction was negligent beyond belief by all those involved and was morally shameful.

  On the final day, they planned a pleasant lunch in the sunshine with Josh’s parents, whilst their boys were having fun riding around the Costa on bikes with other friends. It was a lovey day and Henrietta was determined to treat the gregarious couple to a much needed ‘thank-you’ for their kindness to Oscar. The foursome chatted easily and frequently at cross purposes, which meant Simon initially ignored Henrietta when she tried to interrupt him and announce the presence of Terry’s new girlfriend who came over to the table to verbally abuse Hetty for all to hear. He rose to his feet and called out loudly for the Port Security to remove the foul mouthed woman. As the security guards approached Coleen ran off, jumped in her car and drove away but all the while kept swearing and making threats to Henrietta from the car window as she fled. The event dampened the mood and Simon reluctantly acknowledged the sort of abuse Hetty had endured and understood why she was reticent to return to Spain. He vowed to protect her and intercede on her behalf whenever he could, as he hated bullies.

  His chance to prove his mettle came within the week, when they returned to Derbyshire and shared a bottle of wine with Gaynar at their favoured country pub and recanted tales from their recent trip to Spain. Henrietta thanked Gaynar for the introduction to Simon and filled in the less important but more amusing snippets. The conversation flowed as swiftly as the wine until Hetty’s phone rang. It was Oscar who was clearly upset:

  “Mum we’ve just had another of those nasty phone calls. A man asked to speak to you, but I said you were out. I hate those calls.”

  “Were you threatened this time?”

  “No, but the man said he was watching me. What shall I do?” The boy was frightened.

  “I am on my way. Don’t answer the phone again and don’t open the door to anyone.” She put down the phone and started to make her excuses to leave but Simon asked her to explain her sudden departure. She told him about the multitude of life threatening calls which she and Oscar and even her mother had received. He was shocked but Gaynar appeared blasé and topped up her own wine glass.

  “Did you know about these phone calls Gaynar?”

  “Yes, I’ve even heard one or two.” She admitted.

  As Henrietta started to walk away, her phone rang again and she saw a withheld number.

  “Is it your son?” Simon asked.

  “No, it is a withheld number. I think it will be one of Terry’s heavies, possibly Hit Man Mark.”

  “What a pleasant soubriquet, does he have one for all of his associates?”

  “Yes, everyone.”

  “The man is an imbecile. Give the phone to me.” He listened as a vulgar man threatened to harm Henrietta or her son unless she retracted her statement with the police. Simon boomed down the phone: “Who is this? Let’s meet and you can take on a fully grown man rather than defenceless women, children and old ladies!” He took a drag on his cigarette then added; “I will be at the ladies side from now on and I am not frightened by spineless bullies!” He sneered at the handset as the caller had hung up. “Well, that should put a stop to those from now on.”

  He smiled confidently and squeezed Hetty’s hand as she passed behind his chair and bent to kiss Gaynar goodbye. “Do I get a kiss?” He asked and she reluctantly obliged. “Good grief, I’ve had warmer kisses from total strangers.” He smiled and waved as Henrietta left for home to comfort and reassure her son.

  November 2009.

  Simon was angered by the threats from the ‘low-life’ employed by Terry Newman and decided to phone the partner of a large law firm whom he knew from his Gentleman’s Luncheon Club in London. Henrietta’
s case was sanctioned to be assisted by one of the firm’s solicitors at their Derby branch and Simon took her to meet the highly regarded criminal law team; her ‘troops’ as Simon called them. The firm wrote to the police and the court to be recognised as Mrs Champions defence lawyers and applied to the Legal Services Commission (LSC) for legal aid funds to cover their work. Henrietta was told that she must sign on the dole, so that she would have a registered income for the purpose of claiming legal aid.

  It took Henrietta more than a week to drag herself to the Unemployment Benefit building in the city centre where she waited for more than an hour in the rowdy and intimidating reception. By the time she was eventually interviewed by a middle-aged woman in a brightly coloured outfit with equally vibrant glasses, she was so traumatised that she managed to say no more than her name and her National Insurance number before she burst into tears. The civil servant was aghast but tried to continue with the requisite questions which Hetty tried to answer between sobs. Finally the woman asked Hetty to sign a form and the ordeal was over.

  “Mrs Champion, you are clearly not fit for work but I will put you on our system and you will have to sign here every two weeks. At least your National Insurance contributions will be topped up and someone will send you a questionnaire to fill in, to assess you for work related activity. Ok? Take care.”

  Henrietta got up and left the depressing building feeling worse than ever before. Not only did she feel helpless about her appalling legal demise but now felt completely hopeless socially too. She aimlessly wandered the city centre streets and could see that people avoided looking at her as she cried. She felt invisible and abhorrent until she walked past a disused shop doorway and someone finally spoke to her: