by Wood, C
I spoke to the private detective, and told him what I knew, and as much as I could on the Glyn Barren, he, I had a lot of info on and he was easily chased, given I had all his records on my laptop.
Then all I knew on the brothers Thompson and finally Peter Hutchinson. I gave them my mobile, email, and paid a fee to retain him. Warning him, if I wasn’t happy there were plenty of other detectives in the book, I expected results I wanted them quickly too. He promised me daily accounts.
I was on my way to Blackpool, much changed, and with a new look to my hair, with the blond extensions and contacts I was a transformed woman… One on a mission to make Gerald and Glyn pay they were to be the first…
CHAPTER 4
I booked into the best hotel in Lytham, my new flash car, parked in their car park, and my bags unloaded; the porter asked how long I was stopping. I had bought six cases, all Louis Vuitton, not fake either, a good porter could tell fakes. Overkill really, but I wanted word to spread, there was a money woman staying here. Word would get back to Glyn, and I knew he had ears everywhere; here was his usual pick up place for rich widows. I was putting my plan into action.
I also phoned Gerald, and asked for an urgent meeting. I told him I wanted to buy the three hotels from him. He was shocked, he had, had no offers on them since I put my offer in on them over a year ago. Every other hotel in Blackpool is for sale it’s a buyers’ market, and I found it to be lucrative if you know the right people, and have the ready cash, they tell you which hotels are nearing foreclosure by the banks; and you can get a bargain.
I got three hotels for less than half the asking price eight hundred thousand for the three of them. Gerald’s would be the icing on the cake, as they adjoined the ones I had already bought. My plan was to bring them back to the grand place they once were, when they were originally built in 1890’s, make them into the one large Victorian Hotel it once had been. It, over the years had been sectioned off and modern horrid bits of plastic orangeries added to it, and unsightly pipework, draping the once fantastically grand facades, it was now, four separate hotels, all quite large, but all in the same state, rundown and in need of repair.
This would be my means to humiliate Glyn in an elaborate style. Gerald the poor man was by now, desperate to sell. Glyn was running them all into a state of disrepair and running them into the ground and his profits were long since gone, he in fact was losing heavily; Gerald agreed to meet me, in his hotel for a meal; to discuss a reasonable price for his crumbling empire.
My accountant and I, had run the figures, on the information I had been sent from the estate agent; and I was sure I could get them for a whole lot less than the two million, he originally wanted for them from me. The selling price had been raised to two and a half million, when he put them up for sale, after my sudden fall from grace, and even that would have been a fair price, had the accounts been able to back up the estate agents projected figures, but they didn’t.
I agreed to dinner that night, and when I went to the dinner. I would go armed with all my new tasty information; I’d spent an hour on the phone with Frank my private dick, and he uncovered some great nuggets, which I didn’t know about Glyn. After a quick trip up the road to Manchester to back up his findings, I was happy, a very good result Frank.
He, Glyn really was useless on computers, in all the time, I was gone, and he still hadn’t yet deleted my passwords for the works system. I could access everything including all his hidden files; did he think I was as stupid as he was in work? How did he think I found out he was sleeping every bit of skirt that stopped here? He bloody well gave them a complementary stay, and had alarm calls to their rooms.
I dressed to impress and headed out. I drove to the hotel and as I pulled up in my bright red Range Rover, and as I gathered myself together, I spotted Gerald waiting for me. He waited for me to exit and as I did, I took a deep breath and exited the car. I smiled and shook his hand.
“Ms De Droite pleased to meet you I’m Gerald Haughton. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to meet you.” I smiled, I bet he is, I know this is make or break for him, he had re-mortgaged the two smaller hotels to keep the staff paid and the creditors from his doors, at the beginning of this season.
“The Pleasure Mr Haughton; I can assure you, is all mine.”
“Please call me Gerald, may I call you Catherine?” I smiled, he was laying on the charm good, and thick, he gave me the sales pitch from the minute I walked in, he didn’t know I knew this place better than he did. Telling me, the scope to increase profits was huge here, lots of potential, only selling, because of ill health; need to be in warmer climates.
“You can indeed call me Catherine, Gerald, have you been in bad health long?” I was lead to the table where the wine was chilling and as Gerald pulled out my chair but before I could sit, Mr Smarmy came to introduce himself to me.
“I had a heart attack, made worse the week after when I had to sack the old manager here; she robbed me and hit a member of staff. Made me quite poorly, all the extra stress was bloody awful.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry for your ill hell, and for your run of bad luck, how did you manage this place from Spain?” Glyn was eyeing me up and had been on his phone since we got in, watching me and smiling in my direction, oh-no, fallen for it once smarm boy.
“Can I please introduce you to my saviour, my general manager Glyn Barren, he now runs all three of my hotels, and I couldn’t do it without his expert help.” I laughed on the inside as he came across, shook my hand cupped between his. He looked straight at me. I smiled and Gerald introduced me as Catherine De Droite. He fancied his chances, he was on the charm offence, and as he touched my shoulder and ran his hand down my back, I cringed, as he pulled out my chair for me.
I felt sick being this close to him. Then he introduced his wife, the lovely Leggy Lucy from reception, and he had managed to get her pregnant. How, I didn’t know, he had, had a vasectomy well before I married him, too many narrow escapes, was the reason he told me, when I asked if he wanted me to start on the pill, he told me definitely not he was covered and explained about the many claims he was a father, all vehemently denied of course. So how had she managed it? I smiled and shook her hand too.
“Pleased to meet you both, congratulations, I had read your wife was much older than you Mr Barren, sorry I must have been mistaken, or perhaps I misread the files your accountant sent me, Mr Haughton. Are you still the manager here, Mrs Barren?” They both laughed. I played the dumb blond, routine Glyn likes dumb blonds, and as I giggled, she looked at me and noted the good shoes the very good bag and the designer clothes, she was impressed and a tad green, as hers were copies.
“No, that was my husband’s first wife, and no I am much younger than she was.” Um, but just as gullible I bet. “She left under a cloud of suspicion and I stepped in to help Glyn run the place, least I could do, she had let the place slide.” I smiled and then sheathed.
“Oh, I must have had the accountant send the wrong records; you were sent the old records Catherine, my apologies.” Like hell I was, the old ones made for better reading in the profit stakes; I know I made the bloody profit.
“No worries, I will have to go through those with you, as you know, I have my own first class management staff that, as I stated to you in the e-mail Gerald, I will be bringing here to run this place for me. I have big plans for renovations and a completely new look for the place planned over winter season.
There will however be positions available for you both to apply for, everyone will have to reapply for their jobs tomorrow. I only want the best staff in my hotels, if you can impress me with your ideas, and grab my attention; then please, you are both are welcome to apply for the vacancies in lower management.
Of course that’s dependant on whether I am actually successful in buying the three hotels. I will let you know more after this meeting, tonight; if I am successful you will need to be here at half past two for interviews, all new contracts will be given out tomorrow, should you
impress me.” They looked shocked. They said good evening and I listened to them argue as they left the restaurant, mainly about him looking at my boobs.
“I gather from that, they were unaware they had to apply for their jobs and I am not taking on your old management staff?” Gerald looked very sheepish, had he hell, he wasn’t, I think even aware they were ripping him off, dumb fool, been there with Glyn.
“I didn’t want to upset them, I had hoped they would be staying, what with the baby being due in a few weeks and he has worked so tirelessly this year to make up for his ex-wife’s short comings and thefts. I wanted to prosecute, but they assured me they would repay the thefts out of their own pockets and it would only be bad publicity. They have repaid all the money she stole, all ten thousand pounds.” I gulped on the wine.
“Really, I have only ever heard good things about Carrie, she was at collage with my sister; she is, I think, actually I know she is extremely proficient at her job, and I have never heard anything bad about her in the industry.” He looked at me, had I said too much?
“I was shocked too, when they brought it to my attention. She had turned the losses to profits at the smallest of my hotels within two years. Over the next two years she turned the second hotel round, and this hotel too was well on its way to turning a nice profit, but she had gambling problems, emptied their joint account, and stole from the hotel accounts, damn near bankrupted her poor husband, all his life savings went. I had to make him a personal loan when she left; to cover her gambling debts.” I smiled sweetly at him; the pair of bastards had shafted me right royally, they will pay, for blacking my name.
“Well, all that is old news. I have the figures your accountant made available for me to look through; the asking price was I believe one based on those figures and the figures from the year before, the ones in the old files. You, over the past twelve months have hit a massive downward slide in profits, both here and at the two smaller hotels.
All three are struggling and this hotel is making huge weekly losses. Let’s not kid ourselves Mr Haughton; your hotels will bankrupt you before the end of the season and those two are helping you slip down the slippery bankruptcy pole rather too quickly. I would have fired them long ago, when the profits started to nosedive, to a quite hefty loss. Yet you rewarded them with a wage hike this season, and a massive bonus scheme?” Yes I know the game better than you, I made you thousands in the five years I was here; thousands and you never had to come back from Spain ever, because I ran the hotels to perfection.
“I have a feeling it was his ex-wife who ran these hotels, and made you a damn fine profit. As you can see, I too do my homework, until you dismissed the older Mrs Barren, your hotels were doing fine, and I would have no qualms, in offering her a job, in fact I did and she was sure she could pull it back for me in what remains of the season.” I would and could, easily; I had my own internet travel company set up and ready for launching soon.
“Why are they still here in your employment? They both take a good salary; the new Mrs Barren takes a hell of a lot more than the old one, I thought you’d given her a pay rise, but the pay rise went to a different Mrs Barren. Why did she get a pay rise after three months working here in management? The new and inexperienced wife is on far more than old proven wife was. Mr Barren has had a very hefty pay rise also.
Can I ask why you felt the need to improve their wages when, your occupancy rates on paper are well below what they have been for the last three years and they have done nothing to bring in new clientele, no promotion, nothing yet you reward them handsomely for what exactly? They have between the pair of them and their dodgy accounts robbed you and the hotel blind.”
He looked shocked as I showed him my findings; he hadn’t locked me out of the system stupidly, office works not his strong point, and thanks to Wi-Fi and a couple of hours in the car park next door with my laptop and hard drive. I had downloaded everything I needed to sink him and her.
“Over the past eighteen months, your trip advisor rating has slipped from ninety per cent to just thirty two; in satisfaction ratings and right across the board your ratings are getting worse. Your same sex group party policy is chasing away your families; and bringing this hotel down. They actually create more damage, which strips away any profits than they bring to the bars, if they do spend within the hotel.
Drinks consumed don’t tally with your stock requisitions, someone is buying from the supermarket and flogging it over the bar and pocketing the money, your beer and wine distributor cut you off six weeks into the season for non-payment, so where has this stock come from? Unless, Gerald you haven’t sold any beer, wine, or spirits in the past few months?”
“Given the bad weather here, has your family market captive for quite a large portion of their stay in side. Unless, that is they want to spend a fortune in the towns many arcades and overpriced cafes and amusement rides and attractions, your bar snacks, lunches, evening meals, and soft drinks sales is near, non-existent too?” He nearly choked on his prawn cocktail starter.
“Well, I don’t live in the country at the moment; well I haven’t been back since before Carrie was asked to leave for hitting a member of staff. I came back after Glyn had to let her go. I was shocked at what she had done, but I wasn’t here, and the deed had, well been done, and staff I spoke to said she had hit the member of staff in front of guests; Glyn had no choice but to phone me and ask if he should dismiss her.
I was quite ill at the time and let him deal with it, stupid really I should have dealt with her myself, but well, that was a long time ago, she was robbing me all ways, from her back hand deals with suppliers and the empty rooms she sold cheaper and never put through the books.” I wanted to shake him and tell him I had been honest, it was Glyn. I had never gambled, well apart from the Grand National and the lottery.
“I find that hard to believe; I’m only here to see the hotels for myself, at her insistence that they are still a good bargain, for the money I offer. Make no bones Gerald, the offer I place with you later is what they are truly worth; not what you think they are worth, not based on old figures and accounts, based on you being bankrupt within the space of this your last season here.” He looked at the figures and went quite pale.
“You have yet to put in this year’s accounts; but I can assure you, based on the information I have you will be making a loss on all three hotels. The bank will foreclose on the other two hotels, for non-payment of your mortgages on them; you haven’t paid those loans all season. Let’s not kid ourselves you’re in a mess and I am the only way you have out.” He went red and stopped eating. I hadn’t even started on my food I was too riled at the new Mr and Mrs Barren.
“Your well informed Catherine, I have cash flow problems, yes but I am not giving them away. I am not a total fool, I know you have a bit of backing and you seem to know a thing or two about running a hotel. I won’t be giving them to you for anything but a fair price.” I laughed. I could and should wait to take them for the peanuts I could get them for, am I that cruel?
“I can wait Mr Haughton; I will get them for half your asking price within the month that being one and a quarter million, and unless you can meet the loans within two weeks, the banks are foreclosing. I can Gerald, and I will wait. I did the same with the ones both sides of this one, and I own all, but this whole strip. I own the lot, and if I wait, which I can and will do yours will be mine too, and for a fraction, of the offer I am, about to make you. My manager will be Carrie, she I have faith in, and on her abilities alone, she will bring me in a very nice profit. I can assure you whilst she has worked for me she has been at the very top of her game.” He slammed his fork down and muttered his disapproval for that bitch Carrie. I was going to offer him two million, but now he will suffer too, for actually believing, I am a thief.
“What’s your best offer? I need to know as soon as possible, if I am to be bankrupt or not. Pointless kidding you, you knew when I accepted your invitation to discuss this I was desperate, I just didn’
t know it was you who had bought the other hotels, they said some big hotel group had bought them, I know now it was you, go on offer me a good price and they are yours.”
I drank the wine wiped my mouth on the napkin and gave him my business card on the back my offer. I stood as he looked at it. He gasped and called me a robbing bastard. I had just covered his mortgages and with a small profit for his thirty years here. He asked me for the night to think about it. I offered him another quarter of a million, if he shook my hand now. He looked at me and shook my hand. I had bought them for one million. Well below asking price and they were mine.
I had now the biggest seafront hotel in Blackpool, at the close of the season, they would be revamped and refit and rebranded under my travel groups new name, Family Value Hotels. I was so happy with my purchase. I smiled as I passed Mr and Mrs Barren on my way out telling them to be in the bar if they wanted to apply for the jobs. They had been arguing all this time, such a shame. I had yet to start on those two. They watched as I got in the red devil and pulled out of my car park.
I rode the short distance to the hotel. I was extremely happy and still eagerly planning Glyn’s downfall. That was the battle; I longed to start on. I really was looking forward to it now, especially as they were still blackening my name. For that they would pay and dearly. I got to my hotel and went straight to the dining room, I ate the nicest salmon and ate the crisp fruit salad and drank my pinot gigot, knowing I had a lot still to do.
“Ms De Droite, you have a package here and several messages, here in this envelope are the things you asked me to find out about your friend. If I can be of further assistance please don’t hesitate to ask.” I smiled took the packages notes and envelope and thanked Gina, she was to be my new hotel head receptionist at the new hotel, I knew her from when I managed the old hotel, she was replaced by Mrs Barren the second, having not put out to Glyn as Lucy had done.