Eye for an Eye (23 page)

‘Huh? But
Mike…’

He gave her a
gentle push and closed the door.

She sat down on
the bed with a thump and swore quietly.

CHAPTER 9

Next day was
sultry, with a heavy humidity that weighed down Robyn’s movements.
The journey to work seemed to take twice as long, and it was an
effort to lift the hammer to complete the set she was building.

As the
afternoon dragged on, the temperature continued to rise, until
around 4pm she heard a roll of thunder and a heavy burst of rain on
the studio roof.

‘Summer storm,’
Tony told her laconically in answer to her startled query. ‘Land
heats up, water rises, builds up to a thunder storm. It’ll all be
over in half an hour.’

After the rain
the temperature dropped noticeably along with the stifling
humidity, and Robyn felt her energy returning.

She went back
to creating her games room with enthusiasm, plastering the walls
and smoothing out all the rough corners to ensure a photogenic
finish. It wasn’t the sort of job that would last, but it would
give the illusion of solidity for as long as it was needed. There
was no ceiling as it was out of shot, but a window behind the pool
table had to be fitted with a sill, pelmet and blinds before the
end of the afternoon. After that was done, all it needed was a
quick coat of paint, and the room would be ready to furnish the
next day.

As the roller
spread swathes of pale apricot up the wall, Robyn’s thoughts
wandered. She and Mike had discussed the option of getting Colwyn
out of his apartment so that Mike could get in there and access his
computer. If she invited him out for dinner and kept him safely
under observation at a restaurant on the far side of town, Mike
could get at least an hour of uninterrupted search time.

She decided
that a simple phone invitation was the best strategy, giving no
particular reason for it. Colwyn wouldn’t be suspicious because as
far as he was concerned, she was still a willing investor. She
decided to call him in her lunch-break and make the arrangements. A
fine rain of apricot paint landed on her hair as she rolled with
extra vigour at the thought.

To her
surprise, Colwyn declined her invitation, pleading a prior
engagement. She was so taken aback that no alternative suggestion
came to mind and she simply hung up, lost for words. Next time
perhaps a Plan B would be in order.

Colwyn took
extra care as he dressed for the evening, wearing a soft blue shirt
in a shade that Kate had expressed a liking for, saying it brought
out the colour of his eyes. His hair was styled boyishly to appeal
to the older woman, and he was sparing with his cologne. He
selected a pair of well-cut dress pants, and polished shoes rather
than casual ones to win Alan’s approval. He added a jacket for
formality, as the evening was quite cool after the storm.

As he
approached the bar where they were to meet, he used his breath
spray and ran a comb through his hair before putting on a smile and
opening the door.

Kate and Alan
were sitting close together in a secluded booth, and he sensed
immediately that they were worried. He greeted them warmly, and set
about putting them at their ease before seeking out the cause of
their disquiet. He kept the conversation light, telling them
amusing tales of his latest disastrous boat trip when he’d been
lost at sea with no engine, and only champagne and crackers for
sustenance. Slowly, they began to unbend, finally laughing aloud
when he described his rescuer’s astonished face upon being offered
a glass of champagne as a reward for ending the ordeal.

‘Oh Colwyn, you
poor lamb. You really should carry more sensible emergency supplies
with you,’ exclaimed Kate. ‘What if the wind had blown you out
halfway across the lake and you’d been gone for days? You need to
look after yourself better, you silly boy.’

‘I should have
had you with me,’ he said, putting his hand over hers. ‘You’d have
made sure that I didn’t get into any trouble, wouldn’t you?’

‘I’d have
stocked your cupboards properly before you left at least.’ Kate
turned to Alan. ‘What is it you always say, hon? “Any problem seems
smaller on a full stomach,” eh?’

‘For sure,’
nodded Alan. ‘Hunger magnifies your fears, no matter what the
situation. Best thing for emergencies is a good meal, gives you
strength to deal with them.’

‘Alan, your
wisdom is an inspiration to us all. Have you ever thought of
writing a guide to life?’

‘Oh now you’re
joshing me, young man. Quit it right now and let me get you another
drink.’

Colwyn relaxed
slightly, knowing he’d turned the tide in his favour. A little more
chat and they might be ready to talk of money matters, and to sign
the papers that had been burning a hole in his briefcase since the
previous week. He was so near to closing the deal that he could
almost feel the sweet-scented tropical breeze on his skin,
caressing him on the long vacation he planned to take with the
proceeds of his latest round of deals.

He turned to
Kate and looked deep into her eyes.

‘Have you
thought about our investment deal, Kate? Are the signs favourable
for you to sign today? You know how much it means to me to be able
to offer you and Alan financial security in the years to come.’

He saw Kate
hesitate and glance towards her husband. ‘Well, I do have a couple
of reservations.’

‘Of course you
do, that’s only to be expected. What are they? I can ease your
worry right here and now if you let me.’

She took a deep
breath. ‘There’s no other way to put this, Colwyn, so I’m going to
be blunt and ask you direct. You’re not trying to cheat us, are
you? We’ve come to know you pretty well over the last few weeks,
and I feel I can trust my instincts, but I have to be sure. You
see, I heard some things that worried me, and I need to know if
they’re true.’

Colwyn looked
suitably concerned.

‘Kate, of
course you should ask. You have to be absolutely certain you’re
doing the right thing. What did you hear that has worried you so
badly?’

‘That some
advisors have taken people’s money before, and not put it into the
investments they’d said they would. I can’t imagine how anybody
could do that, and I just don’t know who to believe any more.’ Her
faded blue eyes looked searchingly into his. ‘Colwyn, one of the
things that’s bothering us is that you don’t belong to any of the
local professional financial organisations, do you?’

‘You’ve been
checking! That’s very sensible of you Kate. No you’re quite right,
I haven’t joined up with the Investors Association because, to be
frank, I don’t like their ethics. Each time I’ve spoken with them,
I felt that they were more concerned with their own welfare than
that of their clients, and that’s just not good enough. I would
rather be an independent operator, able to give my full attention
to my clients without fear or favour.’

‘They do
provide a safeguard though, don’t they? Like lawyers - if they mess
up a case you can get a payout from the Law Association?’

‘That’s not
quite accurate Alan, but I understand what you’re getting at.’ He
turned back to Kate. ‘I can give no guarantees except one – I
promise to you, hand on heart, that I will put every effort into
making the best use of your money that I possibly can. If that’s OK
with you, then let’s do a deal.’

‘Alan honey,
what do you think?’ Alan looked grave and stroked his chin
thoughtfully.

‘I think Colwyn
is a man we can trust. He’s given his word that he’ll look after
our money, and that’s good enough for me. Let’s go ahead and sign
those papers.’

Kate’s face
cleared like sunshine after rain.

‘Why sure, hon.
I’d like that. I’m sure those rumours we heard were just a mistake,
I really never believed them for a minute anyway.’

‘That’s good,
Kate. It’s true that there are a few bad eggs in the basket, but
fortunately the vast majority of people in the money business are
completely honest. It’s only the occasional fool who makes the news
trying to get away with something he shouldn’t that gives the rest
of us a bad name that we truly don’t deserve.’

Kate and Allan
looked reassured.

‘Let’s drink a
toast,’ cried Kate. ‘To health, wealth and happiness!’

She raised her
glass and they all clinked against it.

The pen was
uncapped.

The papers were
signed.

Robyn paced
around Mike’s living room where wall lamps cast a warm glow onto
his collection of masks.

‘So do you
think I should try again to invite him out for dinner? You want to
get into his apartment, don’t you, to get at his computer? Shall I
try and take him out tomorrow evening while you sneak in and do
what you have to do? I was hoping we could do it tonight but he was
busy, apparently.’

‘How will I get
in there?’ Mike mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

‘I know, I’ll
meet him at his apartment and make sure I’m last out when we go so
that I can leave the door unlocked. How’s that?’

‘That could
work. Good. I’ll need a couple of hours to do a thorough job. Can
you keep him away for that long?’

She grinned.
‘Sure, no worries. I saw an advert in tonight’s paper for a
terribly swanky new food and wine bar that’s only just opened – as
a wanna-be trendsetter he won’t be able to resist being one of the
first to try it out. What say I give him a call right now?’

They smiled and
high-fived each other with the anticipation of success.

This time it
all worked remarkably easily. When Robyn called Colwyn to suggest
dinner the following evening, he was both free and agreeable. The
plan moved into stage two.

Colwyn’s
apartment door was left unlocked, and Mike was able to slip in
unnoticed. He worked steadily on Colwyn’s computer, downloaded all
the relevant files he could find to a flash-memory stick, then
deleted the log that showed the transfer of information.

Meanwhile,
Robyn and Colwyn sat in a candle-lit booth of the elegant new
establishment that all of Toronto’s fashionistas were talking
about. Overhead, long rolls of stainless steel shimmered and rolled
gently, reflecting ever-changing patterns of light onto the diners
below. The wait staff were entirely dressed in silver and white,
placing white plates onto pure white tablecloths. Other than the
clothing of the diners themselves, all colour came from the food
and wine, making each item stand out as an eye-catching arrangement
of vivid shapes and textures.

‘How’s your
Pinot Gris, Robyn? The notes describe it as “bursting with
sun-drenched fruit richness.” Does it measure up?’

‘Oh yes, it’s
absolutely marvellous thanks. How’s your Merlot? It looks
fabulous!’ She leaned back in her seat and looked around. ‘This is
a jolly nice place, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, I’d read
about it, of course. I’m so glad to have someone special to share
it with tonight.’

‘Why thank you,
Colwyn. I expect I’ll bring Daddy here when he comes over for my
birthday party, he’ll be really impressed. I can’t imagine he’s
been anywhere like this in England.’

The wine waiter
who had been hovering in the background like an outsized
hummingbird swooped down to top up their glasses. Colwyn nodded his
thanks and eased back against the padded booth with studied
casualness.

‘Do you have
any idea of the size of your inheritance, Robyn? Was your Uncle
Josh a generous man?’

‘Oh yes, he
used to send my brother and me some wonderful presents at Christmas
time. One year he sent us an inflatable swimming pool and we
splashed about in it for weeks.’

‘Really? He
must have been very special.’ He toyed with his glass for a moment,
frowning slightly. ‘Wasn’t it a bit cold for swimming in
December?’

‘Oh! Um, no -
we, er, we had the pool indoors.’ She took a big gulp of her wine.
‘Hey, shall we have starters as well as mains tonight? I saw some
absolutely yummy things on the menu. Would that be all right?’

He smiled
tolerantly. ‘Of course, Robyn. Order whatever you like. But if
you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’m just going to find a quiet
corner to check my messages. I’m expecting a couple that are rather
urgent. ’

She drew breath
to forestall him, but he had already pulled out his cell-phone and
left the table. She pulled her own phone out of her purse and sent
Mike a quick text message to let him know how things were
going.

In the men’s
room, Colwyn called Harry.

‘Can you go up
to my apartment and check it please Harry? I’m getting an intruder
alert message on my phone from my computer security alarm. There’s
a possibility that someone may be in there using it. Deal with the
situation, will you? Oh, and Harry? I’ll be bringing a girl back to
my apartment shortly, and I want you to follow her when she leaves.
Keep it low-key, just let me know where she goes afterwards.
Thanks.’

He pursed his
lips thoughtfully and his eyes grew cold.

Robyn looked up
from her deep-fried Camembert as Colwyn came back to the table.

‘Your salad is
here. I must say, you are very virtuous to choose something so
healthy when there were all those other temptations available.’

He sat down and
smiled at her.

‘There are some
temptations I can resist, and some that I can’t. Food is easy, wine
a little harder, but a beautiful woman is impossible to say no to.’
He lowered his head and gave her a direct look from his intense
blue eyes. ‘So be careful what you ask for, Robyn - I’m entirely at
your mercy.’

‘Y-es,’ she
drawled. ‘Of course you are. All right, since you’ve offered, after
dinner let’s go dancing. You can show me the big city night-life.
I’m sure you know all the best places in Toronto where the rich and
famous hang out, don’t you?’