As she left her flat and began to walk, it was colder that it had been for a while. There was a slight drizzle in the air, which made it feel even colder and made her shiver, as the damp air got through to her core. She pulled her coat tighter around herself and wrapped her arms around her body and began to walk a bit faster than normal, to avoid getting too wet, and within 10 minutes of leaving her flat, she was walking down Rainsford Road.
As she passed the Rose of India restaurant on her left, she could smell the aroma of freshly cooked Indian food.
Walking a few steps further, she now faced a blue door which had the number of the building etched on a window above it. To the left of the door were four buttons, as part of an intercom system, with the names of the companies written behind plastic covers.
She looked down the list of names until she saw the one she had come to see and then pressed the button. She heard it buzz a couple of times, and then a young-sounding woman answered with ‘Hatton Property.’ Carly identified herself, after which the door buzzer sounded and the woman asked her to come up to the first floor, so she pushed the door open and walked in off the street.
The hallway that presented itself to her was newly painted and the carpet looked like it had only recently been laid. The entrance had that newly decorated smell to it and it was obvious that the company had either recently moved in or they were keen to make a good impression on visitors.
Directly in front of Carly were a set of stairs leading up to the first floor, so she immediately walked up to the top, and as she approached the top landing, there were a couple of doors. One of the doors was marked with a toilet sign, which left the second door as the obvious place to go. It held a sign saying Hatton Property Developments Ltd in a simple, black font printed onto a white placard. The door was a modern, light-coloured wood, which to Carly looked very new as well.
She knocked on this second door and heard the same young voice invite her in. She opened the door and walked in to find another newly decorated entrance lobby, which had a small desk right in front of her. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her, as she entered. Behind the desk was a very pretty young lady who was probably in her mid- to late-twenties. She had long, blond hair and had applied enough makeup to make her look quite glamorous.
She gave Carly a big smile, and as she did, she showed off her perfectly white teeth, which were surrounded by perfectly shaped lips, which had what looked like newly applied bright, red lipstick on them.
‘You must be Carly,’ she said, and despite Carly’s obviously shabby appearance, she made no sign of a reaction to it. At this stage she wouldn’t be able to smell her, though, but the aroma of her top would eventually drift across to her, and she would smell her for sure, as the room was quite small. She then introduced herself as Felicity and told her to take a seat. ‘Mr Caldwell will be with you in a short while. I’ll let him know you’re here,’ she said as she lifted the receiver on her phone and rang through.
Carly took a seat in front of Felicity and waited.
When suddenly the door to the office next to her opened, she was startled for a second, caught in the midst of thinking how she’d flunk the interview.
She looked up to see a stocky man with tanned skin emerge from the room. He looked down at her and introduced himself as Blake. He invited her to join him, so she got up and followed him into his office, which was yet another newly refurbished room. As she followed him, she got a whiff of his aftershave, which appeared to be a very expensive fragrance that struck her as being distinctive.
As she walked into the office, she saw what looked like a freshly painted single-sash window looking out onto Rainsford Road. The room had the similar newly decorated smell that the entrance hall had, with new carpet on the floor, too. The man walked behind his desk, as she waited beside two chairs that had been positioned directly in front of him. The desk looked brand new and was made of a deep, reddish-coloured wood, which had a sheen that made the surface look almost like glass.
She studied Blake, and, as she did, she noticed that the clothes he wore appeared expensive. She wasn’t sure why, but perhaps it was something about the material they were made of, and how they sat on his more than average-built frame that made them look this way. There were no visible labels on the clothes to give away their designer brand, but she was convinced he was a man of considerable wealth.
She had noticed his shoes on the way into his office. They were clearly expensive and as shiny as when they’d been taken from the box they’d come in. The man’s trousers sat perfectly on his shoes, making her realise that this man certainly knew how to dress.
Carly’s mum had worked for a high-end tailor until she got sacked for upsetting too many customers, and she had learnt a lot about tailoring and men’s fashion. Her mum would often point out to her the well-dressed men in the high street and would always explain the reasons why. She would always say you can tell a man by the shoes he wears and, looking at Blake, Carly could see that this man was very particular about his shoes.
‘Take a seat, Carly,’ the man instructed, as he himself sat opposite her in the lavishly styled leather chair that almost engulfed him. It was only when she’d sat down that she observed on the wall behind his desk a large picture of an African scene with elephants and giraffes on a wide plain. She thought the scene looked a bit out of place here in Chelmsford, and in this newly refurbished office, too. His voice was almost military like and not very friendly at all, which made her feel even more uncomfortable than she had when she’d first arrived.
Sitting in front of Blake with her legs close together, she clamped her clammy hands tightly and rested them on her legs, barely daring to look at the man in front of her. He was making her feel nervous, but she wasn’t able to put her finger on why.
Instead, she decided that it would be safer to stare out of the window and onto the road below. She watched as a large, articulated lorry rumbled by, which sent vibrations through the building. This multi-ton vehicle was followed by a double-decker bus, which also inflicted its own vibration on the building.
Carly’s gaze out of the window was suddenly broken by the man’s voice. ‘You seem very nervous, Carly,’ Blake observed, as he gave her a firm look with his steely blue eyes. She could barely look the man in the eyes, as he seemed to represent everything that she hated, but she wasn’t sure why, only just having met him.
‘So you’ve been off work for quite some time now, I see,’ Blake noted, ‘and I see from your CV that, even when you manage to get a job, you don’t seem to be able to hold on to it for very long.’
She was shocked at his approach and how direct he was being, and she was beginning to wonder why he’d even invited her to the interview. She was at a loss for words for once, whereas usually she knew just what to say.
‘Are you looking for a job?’ he asked.
‘Yes, of course I am!’ Carly exclaimed, but only after she’d said it, did she realise just how defensive she was being.
‘I just haven’t had much luck recently,’ she continued, in a less defensive manner, trying to over-compensate for her initial approach.
‘Not much luck? I’d say no luck at all, looking at your CV and track record,’ he said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
The way he spoke to her made Carly shift uneasily on her chair. It was as if he knew exactly what she was up to, but she continued to wonder why he’d invited her for an interview.
‘Perhaps he’s investigating me,’ she thought worryingly, before she replied, ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, Carly, you have long periods of no work at all and, let me see, your last job was as a cleaner, which lasted for just four months, is that correct?’
Blake stared at her for a few seconds for the effect and to allow what he’d just said to sink in, then continued, ‘So, what happened at Semicon for the job to end after such a short space of time?’ He then looked at her intently, waiting for a response.
‘I was sacked because I s
pilt bleach on the carpet in the board room,’ she explained. ‘It was an accident, though.’ She found herself defending what had happened, for once, which she’d never done before.
‘Why would it have been anything else but an accident, Carly?’ he asked, as if he knew what she was thinking. Or was it he had noticed the tone in her voice?
This was a really strange experience for her. It was as if she was being tested rather than interviewed.
‘This man knows my game,’ she said to herself, as she wondered whether the Jobcentre set this up to see if they could find her out. She even cast a quick gaze around the room to see if there were any obvious hidden cameras.
Carly sat there still barely able to make eye contact with Blake, and she didn’t really know how to answer his last question. No interview had ever been as difficult as this before, and she was always very adept at the game she played out, but this time it was different. She knew she had to be careful with what she said, and she even wanted to make sure that he was keen to take her on before she left.
‘So, Carly, how are you on the phone? I assume you realise what this job is about and that you have actually read the job summary we sent to you,’ he said, probing her a little bit more.
‘Yes, I did, Mr Caldwell. I understand that I need to call people about your property to sell to them,’ she replied, relieved this time that she had actually read what the job entailed. She realised that had she not read the job description, this man would be able to see right through her game and she’d be found out right away.
‘I’m not too good on the phone, though, as I get quite nervous when I speak to people,’ she added.
‘So tell me why I should give you the job over someone else, Carly,’ he pushed, causing her to blush with guilt.
‘Is my game up?’ she wondered. ‘What if I get found out and don’t get this job — will my benefits be stopped?’
She paused for a few seconds, thinking about how to answer his question, but not wanting to delay too much, as the silence was deafening. She could feel him staring right at her.
Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, she spoke. ‘I’ll work hard for you and I will do my best to make sure I please you,’ which is all that she could think to say.
‘Please you,’ she repeated in her mind, ‘what was I thinking?’
‘That’s an interesting reply. Are you eager to please me, then?’ He mocked her, picking on the two words she couldn’t believe she’d just said.
‘But why should I believe you with your CV reading the way it does, and why should I give you a chance?’
‘I feel that this is the right job for me, Mr Caldwell, and I will try my best to work really hard for you,’ she replied.
‘I know that I’m ready for this now and I really want to work for you,’ she continued, trying to show a real interest for once.
‘So if you are keen on this job, why is it that you dressed like that and I can smell your clothes or you or both, Carly? It’s not good,’ he told her. Her face flushed with blood again as she realised she had been found out.
‘The job had also been advertised for quite a while before I asked the Jobcentre to contact you directly, so why didn’t you apply yourself? If, as you say, this is a job you really want,’ he pushed harder.
She sat there trying to control her emotions and began to think about how to respond to this latest dig. This all seemed wrong somehow.
Before she could respond, he said, ‘that’s all I need for now. I will let you know, as we have other candidates applying for this position. I would like you to leave now,’ he said as he finished the interview.
Carly got up to leave, not quite sure what to say, but in the end she said, ‘Nice to meet you, Mr Caldwell, and I look forward to hearing from you.’
She rushed to the door now, shaking with fear — or was it anger? — as she reached for the handle and left Blake’s office. She almost knocked into Felicity as she hurried into the entrance lobby, quickly apologised, then set off down the stairs. At this point she was holding back her tears, whilst she was still in the building, but they soon broke as she burst out onto the street.
Carly barely remembered how she’d got back to her flat, as she had cried nearly all the way home, having been totally humiliated by this Mr Blake Caldwell. She sat in her small kitchen and lit up a cigarette, as, despite her emotional state, she had remembered to stop off on the way home to buy another packet at the local mini-market.
As Carly brought the cigarette to her mouth, her hand was still shaking from her experience and she was still questioning why it was that he had got to her so deeply. Yes, this man had been rude and he did question her in an unorthodox way, but she sensed that there was something more to it than that. She just couldn’t put her finger on it.
‘Is the Jobcentre on to me?’ she thought again, as she sat in her kitchen smoking her second cigarette.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Druker began opening mail and, just after Carly left, Felicity came rushing into his office. ‘What on earth did you say to her?’ she said.
He looked at Felicity blankly, as she stood there in front of his desk. ‘She nearly bumped into me and couldn’t get out of here quick enough, so I guess you will not be employing her,’ she probed.
‘No, I won’t be. Didn’t you smell her?’ he replied. As Felicity studied her boss, she was starting to see another side to him that she’d never seen before. She really didn’t like this new side; it was beginning to make her feel a bit uneasy.
‘So, where does that leave us on this project?’ she asked.
‘I’ll call the Jobcentre myself to discuss further candidates and the ones we’ve seen so far,’ he said to her to get her off his back.
Druker did call the Jobcentre and explained that all of the candidates he’d seen so far were not suitable for what he was looking for, but he requested more CVs. The Jobcentre then told Druker about another candidate, John Bowman, who they’d eventually got to complete an application form. However, they explained that he couldn’t be seen until next week, at which point Druker explained to the Jobcentre consultant that this would be too late, but that he’d be in contact to arrange to see him on his next trip. Although he did ask for Bowman’s CV to be emailed in advance for him to review.
After making a few more phone calls regarding his properties, he picked up the phone to call Scott, who would have been at the hotel where he’d left him earlier.
‘Scott, I’ve just interviewed our next mark. Her name is Carly Prow and I think she’s perfect. I know I really rattled her in the interview. It was obvious she had come with the intention to put me off employing her, plus her CV is terrible. She’s another one that deserves to be taught a lesson,’ he told his colleague.
‘It’s now 3:30 p.m. and the other mark, a Mr Bowman, has not yet arranged his interview, and it looks like from speaking with the Jobcentre that he’s using delaying tactics. But I’ll soon have his CV and he looks like another ideal candidate. So I suggest we leave this Bowman person for our next trip, as it’s Friday and it’s not likely I’ll get a chance to interview him before we have to leave.’ He clarified this with Scott, as he preferred to see all of his marks before he captured them.
‘That’s fine by me,’ Scott replied.
‘I’m going to see if we can arrange to leave on Sunday morning instead of Monday,’ Druker said.
‘Fine by me, Druk.’
‘I suggest we do our reconnaissance on Prow’s place tonight. So I’ll finish up here at around 5:30 and come by the hotel and pick you up soon thereafter.’
‘I’ll be ready, boss.’
He hung up to continue with his other phone calls, then called Felicity into his office to go through what she needed to.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Joshua had his packed lunch and was happy that Ken would look after everything whilst he was out for the day. He‘d been gone for two hours when he came across a herd of elephants. Joshua pulled the Land Rov
er over and turned the engine off to observe the herd.
The elephants were around 15 strong and he was pleased to see that there were a few young ones in tow. The herd were aware of his presence, but as he’d stopped his vehicle some distance from them and had turned his engine off, they continued to graze. However, the matriarch kept an eye on him, as there was a recently born calf among them.
As he sat there watching, the silence was shattered by the crack of a rifle. Joshua knew right away that the sound he’d heard was of an extremely high-powered weapon. The elephant herd jumped at the sound and made off in the opposite direction.
Joshua got out of his Land Rover, being careful to remove the keys, and headed off in the direction of the gunshot. Before he set off he made sure his own rifle was fully loaded. Then he put his other rifle containing tranquiliser darts over his shoulder.
‘Bloody poachers,’ Joshua thought to himself, as he began to slowly walk towards where the shot had come from, seemingly a small group of trees.
Moving slowly through the trees, he soon came across their Land Rover, but no sign of the culprits. Joshua lent in and took the keys, which were still in the ignition, and then stood and listened for any voices. Nothing.
Looking at the ground to work out the direction of their travel, he saw signs of foot prints and an obvious trail they’d left. He decided his best move would be to hide and wait for them to return to the vehicle.
Joshua moved away from the Land Rover in the opposite direction of where he knew they’d walked, and hid in some bushes.
He didn’t have to wait for long before a lone, large man carrying a rifle appeared from the opposite direction from where he sat. As he watched this man approaching his vehicle, Joshua brought his rifle up into a ready position, as he knew this guy would react badly once he found that the keys were missing from the ignition. As Joshua watched, being careful not to be seen, the man jumped into the Land Rover. As he did, Joshua made his move.
Nothing Left But Fear Page 14