RECKLESS AUDACITY

CHAPTER 8: The Disappearance

Russian Hill, December 2011

Frank stood by the doorway of their bedroom looking at his wife sleeping. He made very little noise as he fixed himself a cup of tea. Sitting at the kitchen table, he wondered if he should share the mess he was in with his wife. He decided not to bother her.

As he walked quietly to the kitchen, his mind played back the last encounter he had with Siti. After that fateful dinner with Farah, as he walked to the hotel he felt a tuck on his sleeve. He turned to see a little boy not older than 10. A beggar? He dipped his hand in his pocket and thrust a yellow coloured 100 ringgit note into his outstretched hand. He felt a piece of paper shoved into his paper in exchange for the money.

“Please, this is Siti. I am at the first restaurant I took you to.”

He found her huddled in the corner of the restaurant at the Bukit Bintang. Scared. No, it was not her mother’s sickness that had kept her away. She had been fired. Ahmed was afraid she was getting too close to him. But she wanted to meet him to tell him what she had overheard.

“There is a trap for you - a trap that has been set by your own people, and only being tightened here”

“A Trap? By who?

“I don’t know. It concerns your gambling problem.”

He gave Siti 20 grand so she could take care of her mum. He had planned on handing it over to Ahmed to give her. He added his call card. “Call me if you need anything.” He watched her disappear through the kitchen exit. He ordered a teh tarik. He sat in stone silence. Damn. The warning had come a few minutes late. The events of the past weeks played slowly before him.

He walked into the darkened kitchen, and poured himself a cup of coffee. Perching on a stool, he nursed the cup, enjoying the warmth it brought to his fingers.

“It's a trap”

Siti’s words still echoed in his ears. A warning delivered minutes too late. He had already sold his soul to the devil. All his debts had been washed clean, and he had been made a “ghost" advisor to a newly created offshore company, South Asia Investments, and would be receiving an allowance of 100 grand every month. As a token of their appreciation, they had wired 1 million dollars into a new account that had opened in the Cayman Islands for him. In return, he would bury whatever he found in Malaysia and give the go ahead for Legacy Financial to partner with GCV. He could feel the noose tightening around his neck.

Who wanted him so badly that they were willing to fund his indulgence? What did he possibly have to garner such an elaborate scheme to trap him?

Edward?

Nah, he had known Edward since high school. And Edward was in the dark concerning his addiction. Had he somehow found out? Not likely. Moreover, Edward’s reach cannot stretch from the shores of San Francisco to Malaysia. Whoever it was must be someone with clout who knew his weakness and wanted something from him. Someone in Legacy Financial? Or a rival who wanted a foothold, an inside scoop to bring down Legacy?

Who are these faceless individuals who wanted to ruin him in their quest to achieve their goals?. He was just a pawn in this high-stakes game.

Who?

Whatever it was, the answers would lie within the work he had just completed in Malaysia. He would painstakingly go over all of the notes again - because that is where he would find his answer.

“Hey mister stranger”

Cardi startled him. He was so lost in his thoughts he did not hear her approach. She snuggled beside him on the stool.

“Anything exciting coming up?”

“A lot is happening now. I have these swanky-looking places that have been put up for sale. Can you imagine G-Flow is letting go of his 80,000 acre house at Half Moon Bay? Clients are going crazy over that. I hope to make a definite offer by noon tomorrow. And I have this place you should see over at Moss Beach. It's called the Fairy Place. Smaller, just a 4 acre wooded cove with a 3-bedroom cabin. I almost died when I saw it. The owner wants to remain anonymous.”

“If you want it, why don’t you buy it? You always wanted to buy such places for your Airbnb project or have you shelved it?”

“Its going for 4 large ones”

“If the maths is good, you can recoup your investment in say 10 years”

“Oh, maths is really good. The current owner rents it out 6 months a year, and rakes in not less than 350 grand net. Imagine you let it run for the whole year?”

“I did some contracting for some clients out there in Asia and have a few thousand quid coming in. We can take a second mortgage on this house and invest”

Carla’s eyes lit.

“Yippee, let me delist it quickly”

Main Street, San Francisco, May 2011

Alice sank into the Persian sofa in her office, glad that the annual end-of-year meeting with top executives was done with. It had been a particularly good year for the Sterling Group. Bonuses for partners were pretty fat. But Alice had more important news to be happy about.

Edward had the iboga extract.

She felt joy and sadness at the same time. Her conflict resulted from the fact that she had come to like Edward a lot. Despite drawing him in slowly towards his inevitable end, she could not deny that she enjoyed his presence, his touch. She loved the way she brought all the conflicting emotions within her.

But he had chosen this path - he chose to hurt her, when all she felt for him was love. And so he will justly receive what is coming. It will be such a pity to lose him. But for now she must concentrate on the last stage of the act. This was not the time to play footsie - all the chips had fallen into play. The plan had been momentarily derailed by the unfortunate incident on Saint Lucia, where she had allowed a moment of unguarded emotion to cloud her overall purpose. But now she had him back on track - a path which would keep Edward charged with murder - of both a loving husband, and an innocent woman. And Frank would be charged with fraud. Two disgusting human beings removed from society - never again to perpetuate their evil deeds on mankind.

She granted herself the luxury of a smile.

As a coup de grace she would permit herself the pleasure of his presence, before hitting the button. Let him carry a part of her with him -as a reminder that no woman should be scorned. He could still hear Frank’s gawking laugh that night on the beach as they sped off, leaving her half naked, cold and miserable.

She had one more assignment for Ethan, and then his role in this play would be done. A loser crippled with cancer that will eat him up. She felt nothing towards Ethan - not love, not hate, just indifference.

A buzz from Mary.

“Ethan did not report to work today”

“So, where is he?”

“I just came off the phone with the Head of Accounts - Ethan has not been to work, and they are having challenges locating him. His phone is off.”

“Have they checked his apartment?”

“He is not there. The manager opened his apartment, everything is intact, his car is still in the parking lot.”

“Where can he be? Any known friends?”

“The manager says he will wait for the mandatory 48 hours, and if he has not surfaced he will make a report to the police,.He will update us on any new developments.”

The i***t!

She prayed he had not gotten himself involved in some crazy thing. She reached for her small pocket diary, picked up the phone and dialed an outside line.

“Good afternoon, Tatanka, is Ethan at your place?”

“No, ma’am. He did not show up here this weekend.”

“Oh I see, thank you.”

She sat stone-faced, rubbing her hands together. She consulted her diary again and dialed.

“Hello Dagger, do you have my boy?”

“No madam. I haven’t seen him for ages”

She sighed. Well, he better not be drunk and lying in some ditch.

Damn!

The last thing she needed was Ethan on the radar of the police. That would complicate things. He had better surface before the police get involved.

Presidio Heights, December 2011

Edward knew something was amiss the moment he walked into the living room. Mardy was sitting straight back on the sofa that faced the front door. Her face said it all. Edward paused, unsure what to say. Mardy’s eyes did not blink. They stared right at each other. He attempted a smile - it was too feeble and didn’t fit the mood that hung over the house.

“Must I be concerned?”

He was taken aback. Her voice was very calm - too calm for his comfort.

“What are you talking about? Concerned about what?”

“This”

A card flew in the air and landed perfectly on the sofa closest to him. He did not need to touch it. He knew what it was. How stupid could he be!

“Why would you be concerned about a business card?”

“I am concerned about my husband meeting with a woman in a hotel at 10 p.m. Am I paranoid? Please tell me I am.”

“You are not paranoid. And there is nothing fishy about that.”

He moved closer to her and sat down facing her. His eyes never for once left her face, he was not going to flinch.

“I called the Mangrove”

“No, you did not!”

“I did”

“Well, and they informed you that…”

“That a meeting did take place - in a room - not a meeting room”

“Mardy, meetings take place even in kitchenettes for these people”

“You sit there, Edward, and tell me you went for a meeting - an executive meeting that took place in a hotel suite - at ten in the night - a meeting that you attended, and came back the following day.”

“I told you I had too much to drink.”

“Yes, you did, Edward, yes you did. I was only expecting you - out of respect, to at least man up and tell me the truth.”

“What truth again do you need, Mardy?”

“The one that sets you free, Edward.”

“Look, I got drunk, slept over”

“In what room - what was your room number? Did you book it with your card? Edward, I can call again to confirm. Do you want me doing that?”

“O God, Mardy, I have had a long, tiring day. I am going to turn in”

“I need some space, Edward.”

“That is why I am getting away from you. I will sleep in the basement”

“I can’t have you around me, Edward. I need space to think.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Get out of my house, Edward. When you are man enough to talk to me, let me know”

“You can’t possibly be serious. I called you to tell you I couldn’t drive - remember?”

“And I believed you, only to find out you were in a meeting of two - two people, Edward - a man and a woman. A woman, Edward, who is married! Two married people in a hotel suite alone. Was she also drunk?”

“Do you want me to call the other people present at the meeting?”

"I would not have you call some poor innocent soul and have them lie for you. Get Out”

Alpine Cove, Montecito, November 2011

Jenny stood panting by the old well, staring into the dark abyss that rose up to greet her. She had discovered the well three months ago on her long morning walks. She had dropped a stone, and heard it clatter after a minute - which implied the well was about a mile deep. It will serve the purpose very well. She looked around carefully, she cannot leave anything behind.

She climbed onto the speed boat and zigzagged across the private lake till she got to the middle. She took off her boots and dropped them into the lake, and proceeded with her ride till she got to the landing where she moored the boat. She walked slowly up the incline and into the cabin. She ripped off her dress on the balcony, and walked stark naked into the living area, the cold wind biting into her skin. She slipped into warmer clothing.

She needed a drink.

She lit the fire and stoke it till it was burning brightly. She stepped out again and scooped the clothes, and one by one dumped them into the fire. She nursed her drink as she watched the burn. She would occasionally turn the wood, flipping the burning fabric till the last disappeared. She made a mental note to take out the buttons and zipper once the fire died out and the embers cool.

She threw her head back and drowned the drink.

She needed another one.