company and Carl holds ten per cent, but Kerry held the majority shareholding of fifty-five per cent. So it all depends on what’s in her will. If she’s left her shares to that waster of a husband, and he’s allowed to get his hands on the business, he’ll likely make as big a mess of it as he has of his own. And then we’ll all go down the tubes.’
‘Last time we were here, you told me that Nick Hammond is an estate agent.’
‘Of sorts,’ said Bligh dismissively. ‘He’s got flashy offices in the West End somewhere, but personally, I’d never consider letting him sell a house of mine. He’s a bit dodgy, if you ask me. I reckon he’ll go belly up before long, and if he gets the chance to siphon off cash from this company to support his own, he’ll be throwing good money after bad. And we’ll be left high and dry.’
It was an interesting comment that Bligh had made about Nicholas Hammond’s business acumen, or lack of it, particularly as it came from an established and successful businessman. I decided that I’d have someone take a careful look at Hammond’s estate agency.
‘Did he and Mrs Hammond get on?’ asked Dave.
‘As I said the last time you were here, I think they had one or two ups and downs, but they seemed to have resolved whatever differences they had. And like I told you previously, I believe she had to shore up his finances once or twice.’ Bligh lowered his voice. ‘What’s more, the way she put herself about at times led me to think that Kerry wasn’t averse to having the occasional fling, and I don’t suppose that contributed anything to marital harmony.’
That was not only interesting, but had been vaguely hinted at by Kerry’s parents. And if it were true it opened up the possibility of having to seek an incalculable number of lovers.
‘Have you got any names, Mr Bligh?’ asked Dave.
‘Names? What names?’
‘The names of anyone with whom she might’ve been having an affair.’
‘Oh, I see. No, it was just a sort of feeling I got,’ said Bligh, but he gave the impression that he wasn’t being completely frank about Kerry’s private life.
‘I’ve only got the address we had for Dixon when he was working here,’ said Thorpe, coming back into Bligh’s office with an open file in his hand. ‘According to his HGV licence, he was living at twenty-five Hardacre Street, Ealing.’
‘Did you take up references for Dixon when he started work here, Mr Bligh?’ asked Dave.
‘I suppose we must’ve done.’ Bligh glanced at Thorpe. ‘Carl?’
‘I imagine so,’ said Thorpe, ‘but if I remember correctly it was Kerry who engaged him. She just told me to put him on the books, so I suppose she must’ve run some checks.’
‘Why d’you ask?’ queried Bligh.
‘Because he had previous convictions,’ I said, breaching numerous regulations that forbade me from imparting Dixon’s criminal history to a third party. ‘Apart from the one for which you sacked him.’
‘Bloody hell!’ exclaimed Bligh. ‘If I’d known that, he’d never have got through the gate. I wonder what was so special about Dixon that Kerry took him on.’
‘So do I,’ I said, but in view of what Bligh had just told me about Kerry having the occasional fling, I thought I could guess.
‘It looks as though he slipped through the cracks as far as references are concerned,’ said Bligh. ‘But I’m not surprised at what you say, Mr Brock.’
‘Any reason in particular?’
‘I never trusted Dixon, and I was always worried that we’d get a phone call from a customer saying that there was a shortfall in the load they’d received. Or, worse still, he’d been caught bringing in a load of illegal immigrants. I was concerned, too, that his load might be hijacked one day and that he would claim to be the innocent party, a scam that’s as old as the hills. But in a way, I was proved right to be suspicious when the customs people nicked him for bootlegging. What really annoyed me
‘Last time we were here, you told me that Nick Hammond is an estate agent.’
‘Of sorts,’ said Bligh dismissively. ‘He’s got flashy offices in the West End somewhere, but personally, I’d never consider letting him sell a house of mine. He’s a bit dodgy, if you ask me. I reckon he’ll go belly up before long, and if he gets the chance to siphon off cash from this company to support his own, he’ll be throwing good money after bad. And we’ll be left high and dry.’
It was an interesting comment that Bligh had made about Nicholas Hammond’s business acumen, or lack of it, particularly as it came from an established and successful businessman. I decided that I’d have someone take a careful look at Hammond’s estate agency.
‘Did he and Mrs Hammond get on?’ asked Dave.
‘As I said the last time you were here, I think they had one or two ups and downs, but they seemed to have resolved whatever differences they had. And like I told you previously, I believe she had to shore up his finances once or twice.’ Bligh lowered his voice. ‘What’s more, the way she put herself about at times led me to think that Kerry wasn’t averse to having the occasional fling, and I don’t suppose that contributed anything to marital harmony.’
That was not only interesting, but had been vaguely hinted at by Kerry’s parents. And if it were true it opened up the possibility of having to seek an incalculable number of lovers.
‘Have you got any names, Mr Bligh?’ asked Dave.
‘Names? What names?’
‘The names of anyone with whom she might’ve been having an affair.’
‘Oh, I see. No, it was just a sort of feeling I got,’ said Bligh, but he gave the impression that he wasn’t being completely frank about Kerry’s private life.
‘I’ve only got the address we had for Dixon when he was working here,’ said Thorpe, coming back into Bligh’s office with an open file in his hand. ‘According to his HGV licence, he was living at twenty-five Hardacre Street, Ealing.’
‘Did you take up references for Dixon when he started work here, Mr Bligh?’ asked Dave.
‘I suppose we must’ve done.’ Bligh glanced at Thorpe. ‘Carl?’
‘I imagine so,’ said Thorpe, ‘but if I remember correctly it was Kerry who engaged him. She just told me to put him on the books, so I suppose she must’ve run some checks.’
‘Why d’you ask?’ queried Bligh.
‘Because he had previous convictions,’ I said, breaching numerous regulations that forbade me from imparting Dixon’s criminal history to a third party. ‘Apart from the one for which you sacked him.’
‘Bloody hell!’ exclaimed Bligh. ‘If I’d known that, he’d never have got through the gate. I wonder what was so special about Dixon that Kerry took him on.’
‘So do I,’ I said, but in view of what Bligh had just told me about Kerry having the occasional fling, I thought I could guess.
‘It looks as though he slipped through the cracks as far as references are concerned,’ said Bligh. ‘But I’m not surprised at what you say, Mr Brock.’
‘Any reason in particular?’
‘I never trusted Dixon, and I was always worried that we’d get a phone call from a customer saying that there was a shortfall in the load they’d received. Or, worse still, he’d been caught bringing in a load of illegal immigrants. I was concerned, too, that his load might be hijacked one day and that he would claim to be the innocent party, a scam that’s as old as the hills. But in a way, I was proved right to be suspicious when the customs people nicked him for bootlegging. What really annoyed me
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