My Ex Fiancée

"Where do you keep the copies?" I asked hoping it was not at work.

"On the desktop at work..."

"Damn" I shouted slamming my beer bottle down on the table.

"What's the matter?" Georgia looked frightened.

"I would have liked a copy of one with you and Mr Turnbull!" I stood and walked over to look out the window.

"I have never..." I had turned back and fixed her with a stare. "Well.... I..... We......How did you find that out?" she finally asked.

"Obvious really! You are sharing your "assets" to get new clients; our bank is a new client."

"Is that all you want! If you are that desperate to watch it I'll just go to work and make a copy!" Georgia shouted as she stood abruptly, causing her chair fall over.

She stomped her way to the hall table and grabbed her keys.

"You won't make it through the front door!" I called after her.

She stopped and turned back towards me, "What do you mean?"

"Your boss will be covering his tracks; you would be met at the door by a security guard with a box of your belongings. There is no way they would let you near your computer."

Georgia bit her lip, something she always did when she was uncertain. Dropping her keys back on the table she came back towards me then ducked into the office. I went to the doorway and looked in, finding Georgia sitting in my chair booting up the computer.

"I can access my computer remotely!" she said triumphantly.

I continued watching as she typed in her access code, then retried it and retried it again. Her shoulders slumped as she realized I was right. She had been locked out.

"Fucking cunts!" She slumped back into the chair apparently beaten, and then she sat back up again with renewed enthusiasm. "There is a back door into Jeremy's computer that I used to put the video files on it!"

"Yes! Yes! I'm in!" I moved in behind the chair.

"Copy everything!" I said, "You need some leverage for your severance pay negotiations." More importantly I needed something to fuck up my boss's life...

I walked out leaving her to it and about twenty minutes later Georgia came out of the office grinning waving a portable hard drive.

"Got all the juicy stuff!"

"Did you get a copy of his incoming and outgoing e-mails?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, but I thought you wanted the sexy stuff." She said in a sultry voice as she continued to strut towards me.

I held up my hand, "Stop right there! I've seen quite enough of you in action in the last twenty four hours to last me the rest of my lifetime! I just want some insurance in case the bank goes after me too."

"But..... I thought...... Maybe we could.......you know....um try again? Sell up, move overseas! A fresh start?"

"Unfortunately there is not much fresh about you Georgia! When I saw you with Tom and Karl I thought well maybe you were drunk but today with Geoff? You need help but I'm not hanging around to see the outcome."

She was crying again now, I moved towards her and got the portable hard drive then walked by her into the office. Georgia ran into the bedroom and I heard the door slam.

The hard drive was better than I hoped, it appeared Jeremy and Mr Turnbull was old school friends. They had send each other numerous e-mails about Georgia and her "talents" even starred in their own threesome file with her. However that wasn't the best bit,

It appeared they had conspired to defraud he bank. Mr Turnbull had wanted to pep up his retirement fund so he got Jeremy to inflate the tender bid for the PR contract. He approved it but Jeremy only wrote it up for the right price on his company ledger. They took the difference and split it fifty/fifty.

I rang Sergeant Potts, he answered on the second ring.

"I thought you had forgotten!" he said.

I looked at the clock 6:05pm, "No, just wanted to make sure I made the right decision."

"So what is it?" he enquired yawning.

"Don't proceed against her; I think it might get a bit nasty for her without that. Um....do you know anybody in the fraud squad?"

"I might," he said cautiously. "Why are you asking?"

"I'll let you know later." I replied dodging his question, I didn't want to reveal too much.

"Oh dear," he chuckled. "Who is going to be on the receiving end this time?"

"Wait and see." I hung up after saying goodbye.

Next I rang Georgia's dad to get him to come and pick her up, I felt like sleeping in my own bed tonight. Then I downloaded a copy of the morning fuck session between Geoff and Georgia and forwarded it to Penny his fiancée. That was harder than I thought; I agonized over the send button before I clicked. It was going to cause pain but hopefully save her from more lately.

Jack arrived about forty minutes later. It took a while to talk Georgia out of the bedroom but eventually she came out and I packed some of her clothes up and they left. My mobile rang; it was Eric from the paper.

"Did you like my column today?" He asked his voice full of enthusiasm.

"Yes," I said flatly without much conviction.

"Come on! Not getting cold feet are we?"

"I wanted to get back at them but I am hurting others as well." I was thinking of Jack and Janice.

"There is always collateral damage in war! Who do you want me to whack tomorrow?"

I thought about it for a bit.

"Are you still there?" Eric asked.

"Yes, just thinking," he was like a crow circling a corpse hoping for another feed. "The two groomsmen caught with Georgia and one other will be charged tomorrow with drug offenses."

"Sorry mate but three bankers getting caught with a joint isn't going to make the grade." he said, his disappointment showing.

"Not possession charges, importation and supply." I added.

"Now that's better! High flying bankers he!" Eric laughed. "Are you going to have anything else for me mate or have we mined out this seam."

"I'll be in touch if I have anything else." I tried to be non-committal.

I'd had enough for the day by then; I turned off my phone, disconnected the landline, shut all the blinds and tried to get some sleep. At nine thirty the following morning there was someone hammering on my door. I got up and went to answer it. It was Greg the building supervisor.

"Adam! Man, what's wrong with your phone I've been trying to ring you?"

"I just turned them off; I wanted to get some undisturbed sleep. What's up?" I said a little testily.

"These guys have been waiting downstairs to see you for an hour!" he stepped back and I could see one guy in a security guard uniform holding a box and another in a suit.

The suit stepped holding a piece of paper. "Mr Adam Spenser?"

"Yes." I replied

"I'm from the legal department of the bank; I'm here to tell you that your contract with us has been voided under section 112b. That is, you have bought the bank into disrepute. You are hereby terminated, I have a severance cheque for two weeks' salary and James has the personal belongings from your desk."

He handed me a cheque and the security guard put the box on the floor.

I was stunned; they were half way back to the elevator when I came to my senses.

"Hang on a minute! I signed a new contract three weeks ago that assured me of nine months wages plus fifty percent of my last bonus." I shouted after them.

"I know nothing of that sir, if you wish to take it up with the bank I suggest you get a lawyer." The suit said before continuing after the security guard to the lift.

The building super shrugged and followed the others. "Sorry Mate."

I picked up the box and took it inside; it just contained the contents of my desk drawers and a few photos. I wasn't going to let the pricks get away with it; I rang the lawyer who had checked out my recent contract before I signed it.

"The way I read it your new contract took effect immediately but you know legal documents you can argue either way! Have you been paid yet?" He asked hopefully.

"No, the money is due in my account this Thursday." I replied.

"Well, that's why they are trying it then. They want you to fight for it. How do you want to handle it? I could start legal proceedings straight away and we might get a preliminary hearing by later this month." Fucking lawyers.

"Is there any way we could gain a little face time at the office with my boss before then? I have something that could change his mind about their position."

"It's not......ah......illegal is it?" He asked

"Not what I've done!"

"Is there anything missing from the box that you normally kept at the office?"

"No.....wait a minute.... I've got a set of golf clubs in the storage area beside the executive dining room."

"Perfect! Valuable as they?"

"About twenty thousand." I said casually.

"Bullshit! What are they gold plated?"

"No platinum but they do have gold inlays! Beautiful set of Honda clubs, well half a set. The full set is about fifty!"

The lawyer whistled, "I'll get started on an order to allow access to get them."

"Can you get done by one o clock today?" I wanted to strike back straight away.

"I don't know, that doesn't give me much time and I've got other stuff to do and..."

"Meet me at the front door with the order and I will give you the golf clubs!" I interrupted.

"Hell yes! I'll see you there."

I had some breakfast then adjourned to the office for some prep work for the afternoon confrontation. Mr Turnbull was always in executive dining room between 12.30 and 1.30 so a commotion outside is sure to get his attention. I couldn't resist checking out The Herald website first to see what Eric had written. He got his quip in about high flying bankers and also there was a piece about a billion dollar heiress engagement being cancelled. I hadn't mentioned Penny and Geoff; I wonder where he got that from?

One o'clock came around fast and I was waiting in the forecourt outside the bank headquarters. The lawyer was five minutes late, as he got close to me he produced a document from his pocket, waving it like a trophy.

"I had to wait till the magistrate's finished their morning sessions to get it signed but here it is!"

"What does it allow me to do?" I asked as we headed for the front door.

"I was hoping for general access but the guy played hard ball and it only allows you to enter the premises and get your golf clubs. Straight in! Straight out!"

"I hope that's all I need."

We were at the front door now. Inside the security guard who had returned my office contents earlier in the day moved to stop me.

"Sorry sir, I have been asked to prevent you from entering the building." he was standing in front of me and gesturing to two other security guys to help him.

I held the legal document up in front of his face.

"This is a court order allowing me access to the building! Please move out of the way." I attempted to get past but he still blocked my path.

"I have to check this out first." He grabbed the order and spoke into a microphone attached to his shoulder.

A couple of minutes later the lift doors opened and the same little shit who had talked to me this morning strolled out. He took the court order from the guard, put on some reading glasses and quickly rifled through it.

"Someone's had a busy morning!" He said looking up from the paperwork. "This only allows you to go the storeroom and back with no detours!"

He handed me back the order and then spoke to the guard. "Escort him up to the executive storeroom then back here and kick his arse out on the street!" After that he simply turned and went back to the lift.

I moved towards the executive lifts off to the left with the guard in my shoulder. At the storeroom I got my clubs then once back out in the corridor it was time to make a scene.

"Some bastard stole my fairway wood!" I dropped the clubs and headed up the corridor towards the executive dining room.

"You can't go up there sir!" the guard said making a grab for my arm but missing.

I scooted up towards the dining room but the guard was quicker than I thought. He grabbed me just as I got to the doorway, I struggled to get free but he was stronger than he looked. Hearing the fracas Mr Turnbull appeared in the doorway.

"What the hell is all this noise?" He yelled, and then he realized who it was. "What the fuck is he doing in here?

"Sorry sir! He had a court order." The guard said as he lifted me off the floor by my collar.

I stopped struggling as my quarry was right in front of me.

"Mr Turnbull, so nice to see you too." I said my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I thought you might want to review my severance package."

"Not a chance!" He pointed to the guard, "Get this lowlife out of here! Now!"

I fished a thumb drive out of my pocket and tossed it to him.

"Better have a look at that when you get a chance, but not when your wife is around!"

Mr Turnbull's eyes narrowed, "What are you talking about?"

"Give Jeremy a ring and he might tell you!" I spat.

"Whatever gets him out of here?" The mention of Jeremy's name hadn't spooked him; he must have thought that angle was covered.

Putting the thumb drive in his pocket he went back into the dining room. The guard began dragging me up the hallway.

"You have twenty four hours! I think you have my mobile number!" I shouted back towards the closing door.

I grabbed the clubs on the way back; the guard didn't release my arm until I was back out in the forecourt. My parasite, sorry, my lawyer was waiting and relived me of my clubs. I was happy enough; if I got the deal I had signed up for three weeks ago I could buy another set.

I got a bit worried when I hadn't heard anything before I went to bed. My phone signalled a message arriving at 11.30pm.

Meet me at Centennial Park coffee shop at 6.45am.

Gotcha

The next morning I got to the park at 6.30 hoping to get there first. Obviously Mr Turnbull had the same idea, as I was walking from one side he came from the other. We came together awkwardly staying about three metres away from each other.

"What do you want for the tape?" he said angrily.

"Just what I'm owed by my new contract!" I matched his anger.

"That contract wasn't valid until Thursday!"

"That's an arguable fact and I haven't got the time for the conversation to make it through our justice system."

"I never took you for a blackmailer!" He growled his face growing red

"I never took you for an arsehole who would fuck his employee's fiancée!" I countered.

We stood scowling at each other until Mr Turnbull backed down.

"Alright, but I want the pictures and any copies you have."

"Easy done. You will get the pictures when I have a signed document from the bank acknowledging my rightful claim."

"You will get it today." He turned to go.

"Just one more thing, I want the little fucking legal eagle you sent over yesterday to bring the documentation over!" That would be fun.

"Anything else?" He asked sarcastically.

"No that's all I want." I said smiling.

He walked away a little then came back closer this time.

"You know you will never work in this town! No make that this country! Ever again! You little cunt!" He hissed.

"Nice doing business with you." I said with a laugh as he walked away.

I still had the e-mails between Turnbull and Jeremy and I would be giving them to the fraud squad as soon as the money hit my bank account.

The next couple of days were relatively uneventful for me anyway. The next morning the little shit legal eagle from the bank was on my doorstep with some forms for me to sign. He left me a copy and said the money would be paid on Thursday. I gave him envelope with a thumb drive and a small portable hard drive in it and he left with his tail between his legs.

On Thursday morning Jack and Doris came over and collected the rest of Georgia's things. They had some problems with Georgia; she had gotten drunk and gone to her boss's house to confront him in front of his wife. They had called the police who had warned her to go home and then picked her up for driving under the influence. She blew high range and lost her license on the spot.

Tom, Karl and Tony got bail but the prosecutor was being a hard arse. He did a media piece on morning television about drugs in the corporate sector. He didn't mention specifics so he didn't jeopardize the cases but the inference was there. Especially when the hourly news was led by the three guys coming out of the court room trying to hide their faces.

Geoff seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. I talked to Eric and he said the rumour was that he had been sent to some South American shithole by Penny's mum. The company was exploring for minerals there and the natives weren't too keen on it. White men were rumoured to not last more than six months there without being kidnapped or killed.

Thursday afternoon at 4.55 pm my bank account was seven hundred and twenty thousand dollars richer and I was on the phone to Sergeant Potts at 4.59 pm. The next morning two Fraud squad detectives and a guy from the Investment and securities division came for a visit.

I showed them the e-mails; they argued it looked like conspiracy to commit fraud. Then came the important question.

"How did you get these e-mails?"

I had to admit that they hadn't been obtained through legal means. The detectives got a little cranky feeling this had been a waste of their time.

"We know all these big guys are running scams but they are surrounded by big legal fences. We can't drag them in and brow beat them to tell their story!"

The securities guy wasn't quite as worried.

"Calm down guys, we treat these e-mails as signposts to where to look. It will take some time but the paper trail will be there. Best we forget we ever saw this correspondence. Don't want to jeopardize any convictions!"

They left and I was left to my own devices. Mr Turnbull appeared to have put the word out about me. I put some feelers out to rival banks about a job but the HR people wouldn't return my calls. I was walking down the street outside my building wondering what I was going to do when a black hire car pulled to the curb beside me. The window rolled down and in the back was Penny Rhine-Hill.

"You look as lost as I feel!" She said earnestly, and then a big smile broke on her face. "I've got the company jet fuelled up and waiting on the tarmac, Fancy a little holiday?"

"Mummy...... Sit around and feel sorry for myself or go on holidays?" I mused rubbing my chin. "Give me five minutes and I'll pack a bag!"

"Fuck that! Just get in! Where we are going you won't need many clothes!"

"And where are we going?" I asked throwing caution to the wind and opening the car door.

"The family compound in Mauritius. It's got its own private beach, pool, golf course and chef!"

"Let's go!" I exclaimed as she reached forward and tapped the glass separating the front and back seats to signal the driver to make for the airport.

Twenty five minutes later we were on the Rhine-Hill family gulfstream jet on our way. Three weeks became five months, a fantastic break. Did I hook up with Penny? Of course I did, and the airplane hostess, the maid, half a dozen local girls. Penny was one freaky chick! When she decided to party it was an amazing sight, but that's another story.

Why did I go back? Simple really, I wanted to be sitting in the front row of Mr Turnbull's committal hearing on fraud and racketeering charges. He strolled in at the start of proceedings all sweetness and light, chatting to his team of lawyers. The bank was backing him so he had a lead and assistant barrister, two associates and a briefing solicitor. By the end of the first day his tie was down, sweat beaded on his face as he anxiously spoke to his counsel. It hadn't gone well.

The prosecution had been very thorough and presented the long and complex paper trail that linked Mr Turnbull to Jeremy and the PR deal. The clincher came at the end of the day when they revealed that Jeremy had rolled over the day before. He admitted wrongdoing and was going to plead guilty to a slightly lesser charge in return for testifying against his co-accused.