by Wendy Reakes
The lift took them up to the second floor, to the top, where the executives reigned. Steven Banks was waiting to greet her when she stepped out. He shook my hand and ushered me towards the office. “Bring us some coffee please, Shelley,” he threw over his shoulder and Katherine couldn’t help getting a small amount of satisfaction from that. Inside, another executive stood up to greet her, introducing himself as Benson Hart, Group Director in charge of operations. She sat down just as Shelley brought in a tray of coffee, served from silver pots.
“Thank you for coming in to see us, Katherine,” Steven Banks said.
“Thank you, it’s nice to be back.”
“Back?” he said. “You’ve been here before?”
“Yes, a long time ago. I bought my first four restaurants off you, albeit they were pubs before I turned them into restaurants,” she said.
“So how many do you have now?” Benson Hart asked.
“Ten, with two undeveloped.”
“Why haven’t you developed them?”
“I’m currently low on capital…” She put her cup down on the table. “Would you like to tell me why you asked me here?”
“We’d like to buy your brand,” Steven Banks said.
Katherine nodded, as she at last understood why she’d been invited. Honestly, she’d guessed as much. Her fleet of restaurants were hitting new heights and her name was becoming well known in the world of entrepreneurs. “I wish you’d told me that on the phone. You could have saved me a journey. I’m afraid my restaurants aren’t for sale.”
“Okay, but hear us out.” Steven Banks offered. “You’re running two units undeveloped, which is weakening your portfolio. You have little buying power with such a small estate, which means your margins are low. You have no more working capital and from what I gather, you’re managing your estate single handed, which probably means you have very little time for anything else, other than your businesses.”
“What else is there?” she joked, and then realised she’d meant it. Sadly!
Steven Banks nodded and smiled. He had clearly felt the same. “We’re offering you a way out of all of that. We’ve put a very good financial package together, plus we’d like to offer you a job, at executive level of course. That means you’ll still be involved with the business, still able to keep your hand in.”
“What sort of job?”
“We’d like to set up a brand of about thirty sites, including your ten. The brand would be as it stands at the moment, high quality dining with an edge. Your job would be to turn it all around, to uniform them all.” He went on, glancing at Benson Hart “You’ll report directly to me, and Benson here would stay on the pub side, so you’d pretty much have a free reign, employ your own people and so on. The salary is £150,000 a year, plus bonuses of potentially one hundred thousand per annum. Plus, the usual share options, pension, private health care and so on…”
She considered his offer for a moment before she said “If I accepted your offer, I’d want to keep Kathy’s in Ealing.”
The two men looked at each other and nodded. “Of course we’d have to adjust the figures accordingly.” He pointed to the file on the table in front of him. “But I suppose we could go along with that. Naturally we’d expect you to be completely impartial, if you were to retain ownership of one. You would have to be very careful about your dealings.”
The meeting had continued for another hour and at its conclusion Steven Banks stood up. “I expect you’ll want to think about all this. Perhaps you could ring me when you’ve made your decision.”
“There’s no need. I’ve already made my decision and I accept.” She held out her hand to shake on the deal.
Steven banks showed her to the door. “We’ll base you in our London office and there’s a house in Chelsea which you can use. We can also provide you with an apartment in Bristol, for you to stay at when you’re on that side of the country, and of course there’s the company car. Choose the model you want and let us know. We’ll have that ready by next week.” Our lawyers will be in touch with the details of transfer of ownership of the restaurants. Steven Banks turned the knob on the door to see her out. “By the way, when can you start?” he asked.
She shook his hand. “Monday!”
She’d started immediately, throwing herself into the role they had created for her and with all the business and social engagements she’d attended, there had been very little time for a private life. Not that she wanted one. A man would just get in the way and she was happy enough.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Madge brushing her hand over the shoulders of her jacket. “I should have the three suits ready in six weeks and then we can concentrate on the other three for the winter.”
Katherine looked at her watch. Just enough time to visit the new site in the city centre.
Chapter 69
Jack Taylor was having a very bad day.
Detective Inspector Watts had telephoned that morning. He wanted to see Jack at his base in Gloucester. “Sometime in the afternoon,” he’d said. “To discuss ‘the case’.” It was all Jack had needed. He wanted to stay in Bristol since Penny was flying in for the weekend. She had something she wanted to discuss with him.
“Can we meet in Bristol instead?” Jack suggested to the Inspector. “I’ve got to pick up my wife from the airport at midday.”
“Okay, where?” Brian asked.
“There’s a café on Clifton Downs called Pete’s. I’ll see you in there at two o’clock.”
Penny’s plane got in early. He met her at the arrival gate at ten to twelve. “Darling!” she screamed when she saw him. “I’m here!” He was unable to stop her from running into his arms. A porter was on her trail with a trolley full of suitcases. She hooked her arm into Jack’s, nodding to the attendant behind her, prompting him to follow them. Jack unhooked her arm and turned back. He reached into his pocket, pulled a crumpled fiver out of his jeans and handed it to the attendant. The man tipped his hat as Jack took hold of the trolley.
“You should have let him do that, Jack. That’s what they get paid to do. It took me long enough to persuade him to help me in the first place. You don’t get service like you used to, anymore.” She glanced back at the retiring porter. “Let’s go back to the flat, darling. I’ve missed you so much.”
“I don’t think so, Penny. I’ve got a meeting at two,” Jack says. “I’ll go and put your bags in the car and I’ll meet you back here at the café over there.” He pointed towards a pavilion restaurant to the right of the terminal. Jack wheeled the trolley away towards the car park. Something had happened, he could tell, she was never that nice to him.
Penny had taken the job in Rome. It had been the end for them when she’d decided to leave, at least as far as Jack had been concerned but they gave it a go for a few weeks afterwards, on a trial basis. The trial had been a disaster, especially when, on the third week, she rang to say she had to stay in Italy for the weekend, “Its business,” she’d said but Jack hadn’t believed her. That Monday he got a call from her boss, Cornell Piper. “Maybe you should ask your wife what sort of business she was on at the weekend,” he’d said. “The business of cheating! The bitch!” he’d screamed, slamming down the phone.
Jack surprised himself at how dispassionate he’d been at finding his wife had been cheating on him, not just with her new client but with her boss and one-time lover too. As far as Jack was concerned, it was just one more nail in the coffin of their marriage.
Penny had moved out the following week, taking up permanent residence in Rome soon after. Since then they’d kept up contact mainly because she’d always seemed so needy. When it suited her! And Jack, like a self-confessed fool took pity on her every time. Crazy, he knew that, but Penny had a knack of persuasion that sometimes even he couldn’t resist.
While the whole break-up had been going on, Jack had lost his beloved dog, Max. Penny had suggested that he’d pined away for her, but it had been cancer. The night he died Jack had taken a
spade and walked to the Clifton downs. There he dug a hole and went back for Max. His boy was heavy, but Jack carried him across the grass and buried him without ceremony. He was gone, nothing was going to bring him back, but at least Jack could think of him there on the downs where he’d walked him each day.
At the airport, Jack put Penny’s bags in the boot and slammed it shut. When he got back inside he found her tucking into a sandwich. “Good of you to wait,” he said.
“Sorry, darling, I was famished. I knew you wouldn’t mind,” She swallowed a piece of baguette, torn from the end. “I didn’t order you one because I didn’t know what you wanted.”
“Yes, difficult! I can see that,” Jack said. “You’ve known me…. what is it now? Seven years, and you still don’t know I only eat plain cheese sandwiches.”
“Fine, Jack.” Penny retaliated. “I’ll get you one.”
“Forget it, Pen. Why don’t you just tell me what you want to speak to me about?”
“I want us to get back together.” She put her hand on his. “I want to give it another go, Jack.”
Jack laughed. “You’re not serious.
“Why not?”
He sat forward and took the baguette she was about to bite into and threw it on the plate. Penny looked startled. “Because you left me to go and live in another country. Because you cheated on me with two men that I know of. Because you’re selfish and self-absorbed, but most of all, because all of that is in my past and I’ve moved on.” Jack threw up his hands. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”
Penny looked like she’s going to cry. “Don’t even think about it, Pen. We’ve been down that road,” he said. “So what’s really happened? Now let me guess. Don’t tell me, he’s chucked you out and you’re moving back to Bristol.” Her expression told Jack he was spot on. “I might have known.” Jack reached into his back trouser pocket and pulled out his wallet. He dragged out a ten pound note and threw it on the table next to her abandoned sandwich. “Let me at least buy you lunch,” he said before he stood up.
“Jack.”
“Jack nothing. I’ve had it, Penny. You’ve already taken too much of my life. Where are you staying?”
She looked optimistic. “The Regency Hotel, but...”
“I’ll drop your bags off this afternoon, after my meeting. See you, Pen.” And then he left.
Jack satat a table in the window of Pete’s café with a hearty portion of bacon and eggs in front of him. Just as he picked up his mug of coffee, Detective Inspector Watts came in through the door. Jack turned to catch Pete’s eye. “Coming right up, Jack,” Pete called as he began filling a stainless steel pot with hot water.
Brian Watts pulled out a chair. It scraped on the tiled floor and on Jack’s nerves. “I’ve ordered you tea,” Jack said.
“Ah, you remembered.”
Jack grinned. “Not really. I just watch a lot of telly. It’s what you cops do isn’t it? Sit around and drink tea all day.”
“Yeah, that’s right, Jack. It’s a tough life, what can I say?”
Pete placed a pot of tea and a white china mug on the table in front of Jack’s companion. The café was practically empty except for two old fellas playing dominoes, sitting at a table on the other side of the room. They were always there whenever Jack came in. They always said hello and called him ‘big man’ as they passed around some playful banter.
“What’s up?” Jack asked.
Detective inspector Watts lowers his voice. “We’ve got Warner.”
Jack put down his fork. “No way, when?”
“Well, not got him exactly, but we will have,” he said. “With your help, Jack”
“Here we go again. Didn’t you have enough the last time?”
“We know more now, Jack, and we think that he thinks the trails gone cold. It’s been over four years since Ben Corner was killed. Warner’s all nice and relaxed and he’s going to start up again, I just know it.”
“That’s what you said five-years ago.”
“Look, we know he’s using Fields Transport in Reading. We want you to go in and talk to the boss, find out if he knows anything about it.”
“Why me?”
“I don’t want Warner getting wind of any police sniffing around. You know the score. You know Warner.”
Jack stiffened. “Speaking of which…have you ever met Warner face to face?”
“Yeah, course! It was the day after the bomb. It was the only time we brought him in. We didn’t want to alert him to the fact we were onto him and without any concrete evidence his brief would have eaten us for breakfast…. And spat us out again.”
“Well, brace yourself, detective, you’re about to meet him again. He just walked in.”
Frank Warner went up to the counter and gave Pete a strong firm handshake. “How’s it swinging, Pete?” he asked as he glanced about. “Not many in today.”
“I was flat out at lunchtime, Frank, no worries there.”
“Glad to hear it!” He lowered his voice. “I want a word with you in a minute about that delivery I’ve got coming.”
“Oh yeah!” Pete threw a teabag in a mug and filled it up with hot water from the boiler. “Why’s it coming here, then? It’s not for me is it?”
“Nah! I just need somewhere for it to go until I can get it distributed. You’ve got that garage at the back of the caf’. It can go in there.”
“I’ve got my car in there.”
“Put your car on the road until I get the stuff moved. It’s not difficult, Pete.”
Pete picked up the signal. “No problem, Frank,” he said.
Pete shouted to the two men on a table on the other side of the room. “Hey, big man, any more teas for you two?”
Frank turned towards the window. He recognised one of the men immediately. Frank smoothed the lapel of his sports jacket and turned the thick gold band on his finger. “So what’s the old Bill doing in one of my cafs?” he roared, laughing.
Detective Inspector Watt’s turned his head towards him without pause. He smiled and stood up to shake Frank Warner’s hand. “Mr. Warner,” he said. “Good to see you again. It’s been a long time. How's it going?”
“Yeah, I’m all right, ta! Let me get you two boys some more tea. On the ‘ouse!” He looked at the big man next to the copper. He wasn’t wearing a white shirt under that jacket. Can’t be old Bill. “There’s something familiar about that face though. Have we met?”
“I don’t think so,” Jack answered as he stood up.
“No, I remember now. Long time back! You’re one of Gordon Bentley’s men aren’t you?” he said. “You were in his office when we set the deal up on Benny’s. It’s Jack isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah! That’s right. I remember now,” Jack said. “Jack Taylor!” He shook Frank’s outstretched hand.
“Well, well. It’s been a few years since we did that.” Frank guffawed. “So what’s all this then?” He nodded towards their table.
“Me and Jack are old mates. We drink together in the Pig and Whistle in Chelsea.”
“Good pub that.” Frank replied. “So what are you doing in this neck of the woods? Bit off your beat ain’t it?” he laughed.
D.I Watts laughed too. “Just visiting.”
“Well, well. It’s a small world, eh!”
“This one of yours then, Mr. Warner?” D.I Watts looked around the café.
“Call me Frank. Yeah, I’ve had this place for… Christ! What is it now? Oy Pete, ‘ow long we had this place?”
“Nine years,” comes the voice from the back.
“Nine years,” Frank repeated with a yellow smile.
Jack looked at his watch. “Well, we’d better get going, Brian.” he said. “Good seeing you again.”
“You too, Jack. Say ‘allo to me ol’ mate Gordon for me.” He patted Jack on his back.
Frank Warner watched them go, waving to them as they walked past the window at the front.
He shook his head. He was stuffed!
Jack lookedsideways as they walked down the hill. “Do you think he suspected anything?”
D.I Brian Watts kept his face front.
“We’re stuffed,” he said.
Chapter 70
Kathy’s of Bristol was about to open after taking three months to complete, which was why she’d spent most of her time in the city.
The company had added fifteen more sites to her portfolio in the past year and so far she’d only launched three. The other twelve were either at design stage or awaiting planning approval. The year 2000 was going to be one of her busiest years, she pondered as she pushed open the door to the new Bristol restaurant.
“Katherine.” She heard Alfred Brooks’ voice. Alfred worked exclusively for her since he’d designed the Coach. He knew how she worked, what she like and more importantly what she didn’t like. She trusted him. They were a good partnership.
“How are things going, Alfred?”
“She’s all yours”
“It looks fantastic, as usual. This is our biggest one yet, so everything has to be perfect. The size of the place dictates that we have to get everything spot on. We can’t afford any mistakes with this one.”
“Have I ever let you down?”
“No, of course not.” She hooked her arm through his. “I just feel nervous about this one. I think I’m tired too.”
“When was the last time you had a holiday?” he asked.
“Um, I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ve ever had one.”
“And what about a man? When was the last time you had one of those?”
“Um, I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ve ever had one.” She laughed.
“You’ve got to get yourself a life, Katherine. You can’t keep going like this. You’re burning the candle at both ends. Time will run out soon and you’ll find yourself alone.”
“Don’t worry about me, Alfred. I don’t need a man complicating my life. I’m happy as I am.”