Page 37 of The Fete of Summer (Tales of Crumbington #1)

“That’s very worthy. Another quick question. The quote and invoice from the caterers that night, Business Bites, came to seven and a half thousand pounds.”

“These things are not cheap when you hire the finest.”

“I see. And I was really impressed with the spread of food and drink. On behalf of the school, I asked the company for a comparable quote for a special celebration with two hundred teachers and parents—an end-of-term get-together. The quote came in at just over three thousand pounds for similar food and drink, which I found a little odd. Less than half the price.”

“Clearly, they assessed who you were—an educational facility catering to teachers and parents—and quoted accordingly with a more moderate fare. Caterers do that all the time to get the business. Did they mention what champagne they would be serving?”

“Would that make a difference?”

“Naturally. The price differential between standard and quality champagne is significant. Higher-end clients expect better because they can taste the difference.”

“Based on my teaching salary, I’ll have to take your word for that. But anyway, I asked Katherine to do a little digging for me then, and do you want to hear something interesting?”

“As long as you’re quick,” said Arlene.

“I’d like to hear,” said Mikey. Nathan shrugged, but Father Mulligan nodded his agreement. Doris had been resting her eyes but was listening because she provided a gentle nod.

“Business Bites catering company is owned by none other than Jemima Hargrove, your sister-in-law. Did anyone here know that?”

Instead of the consternation Polly might have expected, the room remained deathly silent. Arlene had stopped whatever she was doing and sat bolt upright in her chair, her eyes entirely on Polly.

“Business Bites is a bona fide, highly reputable catering company I’ve used on many occasions. I have no business interest in the company if that’s what you’re alluding to.”

“Then I suppose we all have to ask ourselves, what happened to the additional four thousand pounds?”

“Polly,” began Nathan.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about—” began Arlene.

“I haven’t finished. You also succeeded in getting Shawbanks, Radleigh and Posner to sponsor the fête, which, admittedly, is a major coup. Until Katherine did some digging for me. Guess who their new Regional Head of Business Development is? Would you like to tell everyone, Arlene?”

“You work for Shawbanks, Radleigh and Posner?” asked Mikey, his anger palpable. “Those bastards made a bid for my shop. Did they approach you too, Nathan?”

“No,” said Nathan truthfully.

“Didn't they come to see you too, Doris?”

Doris had relaxed back in the armchair. Her head had lolled to one side on one of the wings of the chair, her eyes still closed. Father Mulligan leant over, smiled, and gently patted her shoulder.

“She prefers to sleep through conflict,” he murmured.

“Let her be,” said Nathan.

“She told me last week they’d approached her,” said Mikey, his temper unabated. “If that’s the case, were you behind those offers, Arlene? Is that the only reason you joined this committee, so you could get to know us all and attempt to have our businesses bought out?”

“Of course not. Don’t be so melodramatic, Michael.

First of all, where I choose to work bears no relation to the role I’m performing here.

There is no conflict of interest. Secondly, long before I joined SRP, they had a team of consultants who investigated acquisitions.

Where they choose to focus their attention has nothing to do with what I do for—”

“The issue,” continued Polly, on a roll, “is whether you got that job on the sole promise of landing the lucrative advertising deal for the Crumbington Fête.”

“Absolute hogwash. Besides, you have no proof.”

“In which case, if we were to withdraw our agreement for them to advertise, you wouldn’t object?”

“Not in the slightest. However, you may want to take into consideration that the contract has already been signed and endorsed and that SRP has already advised their events team to prepare advertising for the day. Backing out now would put us as a committee in breach of contract. Do you really want that kind of publicity at this stage of the proceedings? Especially after all the positive press we’ve been getting. ”

“Okay,” said Polly, smiling. “Let’s shelve that for a moment and take a deep dive into the committee accounts.

When I found the discrepancy in the catering, I asked Father Mulligan to let me see the detailed accounts file.

And then I did a bit of digging of my own.

You might want to sit down for this, Arlene. ”

“I am sitting down,” she replied, sitting rigid in her chair, her lips pursed.

“After some investigation, we discovered you left your previous position as Director of Marketing with a major high street bank under something of a cloud. Rumours of insider trading—”

“Allegations were made, none proven. In the end, the Chief Executive Officer and I agreed to a mutually beneficial parting of the ways to save us both adverse publicity. If you need to verify anything, I’d be only too happy to give you his number—”

“And yet here we are today, finding anomalies in the committee finances. First of all, there’s an invoice in the accounts for JPG Photography for two thousand pounds. Jenny Nwadike’s studio.”

Nathan noticed a confused look pass across Father Mulligan’s face, something Polly missed completely. Arlene very gently shook her head but did not interrupt.

“Secondly, there’s the vast discrepancy in the catering costs. My question is, Arlene, where is all this missing money?”

While Arlene continued to sit there, stony-faced, Polly tightly folded her arms somewhat dramatically like an actor in a courtroom drama.

“You do know people are jailed for embezzling money in this country, Arlene?” said Polly.

Arlene exploded, springing up from her seat and addressing the group face-on.

“Are you all going to sit there like stuffed lemons? I have single-handedly raised this car crash of an event into something worthy, something people are clamouring to attend. To do so I have taken risks, including allowing O’Keefe’s manager to orchestrate that disgusting little video to get free advertising on national television.

And this is the thanks I get? As for you, Polly, you stupid girl.

Do you even have any proof of these allegations?

No, you don’t because they are all—every one of them—groundless.

Well, here’s one for you if it’s a mud-slinging competition you want.

I wonder what the Home Office will say when they find out that Nathan has been employing non-UK staff, working illegally without a visa?

” Arlene momentarily turned her attention to Nathan.

“Yes, she may be Halina’s daughter, Nathan, but she is not a UK citizen.

That kind of thing can shut down a business and get said employee deported for good, never to return.

And did you also know, Polly, that employers are sent to jail for employing illegal workers in this country? Up to five years, if I’m not mistaken.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” said Polly, the wind taken from her sails.

“Oh, wouldn’t I?”

“She wasn’t working there, was she, Nathan? She was just—” said Polly, faltering.

“Just what?”

“Helping out.”

Arlene produced a brittle laugh.

“Nathan?” said Polly, turning to him, pleading with him.

“Okay, that’s quite enough,” said Nathan quietly.

“I’m not sure you, of all people, are in any position to—” began Arlene.

“ I said enough !” said Nathan, raising his voice and quietening Arlene.

Shocked faces turned his way, all except Doris, who opened her tired eyes and met his briefly before smiling and closing them again.

“Now sit down and listen, Arlene. I, too, Polly, have been doing some work behind the scenes. Gupta, help me out.”

All the while, Gupta Mahtani had been sitting by quietly, watching events unfold, eyes wide.

“I’d—err—I’d need to check chapter and verse.

But from what Nathan already explained to me before today, you’d have a hard case proving anything, Arlene.

I am reasonably sure there would need to be concrete evidence that this person was actually employed and being paid in monetary terms for the work, as well as proof of her being in financial need.

Of course, if you could get one of Nathan’s employees to corroborate your story, then that might help your case.

But I think we both know the likelihood of that happening is very slim.

And in the light of everything else brought to the table this evening—if, of course, proof is forthcoming—the Home Office might think twice about your credibility as a whistleblower. ”

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” said Nathan, standing abruptly and pulling a sheet of paper from his inside jacket pocket. “Fortunately, because of the committee’s sixty-day payment terms, none of the invoices Polly mentioned have been paid yet. At the moment, no crime has been committed—”

“Actually,” interrupted Gupta, holding a finger in the air. “Strictly speaking, intention to—”

“Let me finish, Gupta,” said Nathan. “Polly, what you saw in the accounts from Jenny is not an invoice but a quote. Father Mulligan will confirm that. Following that, Jenny provided a formal invoice to keep her books in line, but you’ll see no fee is charged, just as Arlene said.

However, you are right about the catering.

For a small committee like ours, the cost was excessive.

So Arlene is going to ask Business Bites to re-invoice us—this time with a much fairer rate.

In return, this committee will not pursue the matter any further, and this conversation stays between these four walls. Are you in agreement, Arlene?”

“Now hold on a moment—” began Mikey, but he quietened after Nathan turned to glare at him.

“I haven’t finished,” said Nathan.