The Allegation: A John Mackworth novel

by Tony Davies

  “Andrew brought me into the case and thanks to Debbie I started looking into the La boheme Club. Dangerous for me and not what the culprit wanted. So I was warned off. But don’t worry, I have had my revenge. The police raided the place two hours ago and closed it down. A couple of the members are apparently singing like canaries, as is the manager. Likes rats deserting a sinking ship.

  “On another note, I do think releasing details of Andrew’s relationship with Tee to the press was spiteful. The culprit would have got what he wanted anyway, without resorting to that. It is called ‘sticking the knife in’.

  “And now to the shareholders, as without them the plan had no meaning. They were approached by the culprit who told them that Andrew was the cause of all their problems. He needed to be replaced by someone who could run the company properly. You can guess who he had in mind. They went along with that and started dumping shares in several investments. When Andrew was ruined and replaced by the culprit they would buy them back and enjoy a substantial profit. So much for corporate loyalty.

  “Its quite a story isn’t it. Two murders, a kidnapping corporate intrigue. It’s got everything. All that just to earn more money. Or should I say power? You see the culprit has enough money, but he will never have enough power to satisfy his lust. He wanted control of Westminster and to know he had vanquished the great Andrew Weston.

  Bent stood up and began slowly clapping his hands. “Bravo, bravo. You have got to the bottom of it, but it hasn’t stopped Andrew’s demise.”

  Mack looked at him and shook his head slowly “I hadn’t finished. Two hours ago I spoke to Hendri Irawan. Now he knows the facts, he seems to have realized the error of his ways. As a result, he and his friends have begun buying shares in Atlas and Sunshine. He expects the prices to fully recover. He is heading back to Indonesia tomorrow and has cancelled the proposed board meeting. Before he leaves he will offer Andrew’s a new share option scheme and a five year employment contract to stay on as chairman and CEO. Oh, and I think he will also make an apology at some point as well.

  “After talking it over with Lee Wai, he has handed himself in to the ICAC. He has admitted his corrupt activities, including full involvement in the La boheme Club child prostitution ring as well as the Paradise Cove farce. He thinks he will fare better in an isolated ICAC cell than he would in the open section of Stanley prison where pedophiles are easy prey. It didn’t take long to make him realize that he was going down anyway, he just had to decide where he served his time. And yes, he is pointing fingers and giving detailed accounts of who did what to whom and when.

  “The good news is that Andrew is being absolved of all blame for Paradise Cove. Whether that means Westminster will still get the project is another matter, but I wouldn’t bet against it.

  “The henchman Luk is a bit of a problem though. He knows he is going down for a long, long time for kidnapping, child prostitution, assault etc. It’s all about face and street cred with him and he is boasting that he killed Sam Ng because he ‘grassed’ on him. He thinks that will serve him well in Stanley prison. You know, he is probably right on that score.

  “The downside is that he says he had nothing to do with Stephen’s death, so we shall see what happens on that one. But the police have something up their sleeve on that. I can’t tell you what it is, but I am pretty sure there will be justice for Stephen.”

  Mack’s phone rang and he looked at the caller display. “Sorry gentlemen, I have been rambling on and talking far too much. I have to take this.” As he answered the call, he looked around the room. Andrew was quietly smiling to himself, while Bent look intently at him.

  “No problem, come on in.” Mack put the phone back in his pocket and stood up.

  Don Taylor walked into the room, flanked by two uniformed officers. He walked up to Troy Wilson and said “Troy Wilson, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder and child prostitution. You are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so but what you say may be put into writing and given in evidence.”

  Wilson didn’t flinch and simply held his hands out to be handcuffed. He looked at Mack and hissed “I am Chinese and also I am one of you. I move in both worlds, from the high table to the gutter. Yet none of you knew that until now! You are all fools.”

  He looked around the room “I can run this business better than Weston and the Indonesians know that. Yet I am to be denied the opportunity.” His voice seemed to brighten when he went on “But not to worry, I have many business interests and this is but one of them. The others will grow and dwarf this in years to come. None of this will stick to me and I will prevail. Nothing can stop me.”

  He paused and looked at Mack. “Most people underestimate me. You did not and I won’t forget that. You now have a powerful enemy. We shall meet again soon,” He walked towards the door and with a smile on his face held out his hands to be handcuffed.

  Chapter forty five

  Three months later

  It was 10pm and they were sat in the Captain’s Bar at the Mandarin Hotel. It was a Thursday evening and the only other occupants were at the far end of the bar. Bent was drinking a scotch and soda and Mack had a bottle of San Miguel beer. A small plate of pretzels lay uneaten on the table in front of them.

  They had met at Lindy’s behest. She had organized the time and venue and to keep it as informal as possible had suggested they do so over drinks after work. Bent was the key to ongoing work from Westminster and she was keen that they maintain a good working relationship with him.

  “I am glad you didn’t take the Singapore job” Bent. “So am I. How did you know about that?”

  “I have my sources. I didn’t think it was for you. You are far too independently minded to work in that sort of corporate structure.”

  “You are probably right. I was tempted for a while, but as they say, the other’s man’s grass is always greener. I am happy with the current structure I have and will run with that for the time being.”

  “That makes sense. You know, I never really congratulated you on the job you did. It was first class. Andrew was very grateful. As was I.”

  Mack nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Did Andrew comment afterwards regarding your sarcastic applause at my failure to prevent him losing his job, or so you thought?”

  “No. He knew I was on his side and my comments were caused by my frustration to adequately protect him. You and I got off to a bad start, but I have that effect on people some times.” Bent smiled as he said it and they both burst out laughing.

  Bent followed up by saying “Wilson had led a double life for a long time. He had everyone fooled, including me. One minute he is Chinese, tied in with the triads and all their illegal activities. The next minute he is a British investment banker working at the top of his industry. He is a chameleon, someone who can blend in wherever he wants and that is a wonderful attribute. It is a shame that he got involved with the triads. They may have offered him power, of a sort, but power is transitory and when it is obtained by force, even more so.

  “He could never do Andrew’s job. Neither could I. Andrew is quite unique, he sees opportunities and then executes well. Lots of us can do one of those things extremely well, very few of us can do both. Wilson taking his job was always going to be hard, running Westminster better than him was almost impossible.”

  “Anyway, I hope he gets what he deserves when he eventually goes to trial. Somehow I doubt it. I have my doubts about the justice system.” He smiled at Mack. “Too many of us get away with too much.”

  Mack returned the smile. “Unfortunately, you may be right. Although, he will go away for some time and his career as an investment banker is over. It is something at least.”

  Brent’s voice lifted as he said “By the way, Andrew asked me to tell you he is doing fine. The Paradise Cove project is on the back burner for a while, but no‐ one is stressed by that. Our reputation is in place and that is what counts.”

  “Is he still with Tee?”

&nbs
p; “Yes, he is. I thought it would have burned out by now, but it seems to have legs. We don’t talk about it, but Andrew is still giving him the retainer and until I am told otherwise that will remain the case.”

  Mack sounded genuinely grateful when he replied “Thanks for the work you guys have thrown our way. It has certainly kept us busy. Lindy is very appreciative.”

  Bent raised his eyebrows at the mention of Lindy’s name and said “No problem. You deserve it. You two run a good operation.”

  Mack asked the question that had been troubling him for some time. “I have something I want to ask you. Did you me followed at any stage? There were days when I had the distinct feeling someone was on my tail, but I couldn’t spot them.”

  Bent laughed. “Yes, I did. Force of habit I suppose. I wanted to see if you were up to the job. I pulled them off as soon as I realized you were.”

  “And Em, the same with her?”

  Bent looked puzzled when he replied “Em, I don’t understand?” “Your Ms Martin. Why did you set us up together.”

  “Ms Martin? Set you up? Why would I do that? She is married with two children. And anyway, her name is Sandra, not Em.”

  “I thought……”

  “The only Em I know was the PA to one of Andrew’s contacts. Good looking English girl around thirty, long brown hair. Is that her?”

  When Mack nodded his head Bent said “She helped organize a few charity events, our companies did together, but we didn’t have anything to do with her professionally. She seemed pleasant enough though and quite efficient. Why did you think I set you up with her?”

  Mack had a sickening feeling at the pit of his stomach. “A long story, never mind.”

  “For what its worth I heard the other day she had gone back to London. Nothing to do with you I hope.”

  Mack slowly stood up and replied “No of course not. I had better head off. Thanks for the drinks.”

  Bent put his hand on Mack’s arm. “Mack, I am not a fool. There is obviously more to this than there appears to be. I can track her down for you if you like. It's the least I can do.”

  Mack stood there for a moment before answering. “No need, its all good.”

  He walked out of the bar and through the Connaught Road exit. It was drizzling and he didn’t have an umbrella. There was an empty taxi waiting there and the concierge open the rear door for him.

  He hesitated for a moment before turning away and beginning the long walk home.

  Author’s note

  Apparently when people write their first novel they write about things they know or are familiar with. I am no exception. Having lived in Hong Kong since 1990, it seemed sensible to use this wonderful city as the location since I know it well and have long regarded it as my home. As for the story line, in my younger days I was a policeman so a crime novel was inevitable.

  Mack is a purely fictional character with some flaws. I didn’t want to create a super hero or a character from a Hollywood movie. I have tried to make him believable and I hope I have achieved that.

  Several people have asked why I wrote the book. The simple answer is that I enjoy writing. There were periods when I couldn’t see how to finish it, and I would like to thank the people who encouraged me to do so.

  I run a property investment and development company called St David (www.stdavidgroup.com) and through our Dragon Charity we raise funds for worthy causes in Asia. All the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Tabitha organisation in Cambodia. The money will be used to build houses and water wells for impoverished families. If you have enjoyed reading this book and have not paid to do so, please donate whatever you think is appropriate to:

  Lloyds Bank,

  Aldershot branch, United Kingdom, 'St David Property Ltd-­‐ Clients Call' Sort No 30-­‐90-­‐09

  Account No 03112756

  And finally…… there will be a sequel. The Abduction -­‐ another John Mackworth novel.