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‘Yes. It was infuriating, because I kept having to adjust the project plan to allow for the fact that the goods we needed hadn’t turned up. When I first started, I phoned Williamsons to complain, and they just said the goods had been unloaded so they were my responsibility. Then I tried to check them before they came off the lorry so we could send the wrong stuff straight back, but Deborah tore me off a strip for that.’
‘I bet she did. You were interfering with her little scam.’
‘I’m sorry?’ I didn’t see that one coming.
‘Atkinson Construction has always concentrated on the north of England because that’s where we’re based. Expanding into the south was very much Deborah’s idea, which I bought into because she persuaded me that the profit margins would be better. We’ve got two sites in the south: your one at Ashford and the other at Broadbridge Heath, near Horsham. Here’s where it starts to get interesting. The deliveries you received weren’t completely wrong; they were simply destined for the other site.’
‘I don’t get it.’
‘Neither did I to begin with. What did Deborah tell you to do with the incorrect items?’
‘She arranged for them to be collected and, some time later, the right stuff would turn up.’
‘Did you ever ask what she was doing with them?’
‘No. To be honest, I wasn’t that interested. I just wanted the right materials. I was focused on doing whatever I could to keep the project on track.’
‘That reminds me of another question. How many of your milestones did you hit successfully?’
‘I nearly hit the last one, but we had the debacle with the brick delivery, and then Deborah sacked me, so that was the end of that.’
‘I asked the Broadbridge Heath project manager the same question, and he gave the same answer. You are the only two project managers who haven’t hit any of the milestones but, according to the accounts, you were paid the bonuses for all of them. You’re also the only two who were under Deborah, so I think we can guess where that money went. Anyway, you were getting materials destined for Broadbridge Heath and they were getting yours. We managed to get copies of the invoices that the haulage company sent to Williamsons. What they show is that the goods were being moved directly from one site to the other. So, a truck would collect your incorrect items and take them straight to Broadbridge Heath, and vice versa.’
‘That makes sense, if that’s where they were supposed to be. It would have been better if they’d gone to the right place first time around, though.’
‘Indeed. But the invoices from Williamsons to us showed much higher figures than the hauliers had charged them. We worked out that, instead of passing on the actual charges, they were billing us for bringing the load all the way back to Leeds, and then from Leeds to the other site.’
I decide to reveal what I know. ‘They were doing the same with the bricks,’ I say. ‘They were coming direct from Sittingbourne, but the invoice showed Leeds.’
‘Yes, we saw that too. Given the number of deliveries, it will have added up fast. We don’t have the final figure yet, but it’s well into the tens of thousands, possibly even more.’
‘But how would that have benefited Deborah?’
‘Good question. If I tell you that Deborah is divorced but kept her ex-husband’s surname, and that her maiden name is Williamson, does that give you a clue?’
He obviously sees the penny dropping from the look on my face, and continues. ‘Gus Williamson, the owner of Williamsons, is her brother. Ross is her nephew.’
‘Bloody hell.’
‘It gets worse. We don’t know this for sure yet, but we think the reason she kept her married surname is because the investigator found a Deborah Williamson with a criminal record.’
My mouth drops open.
‘Funnily enough, she was done for embezzlement.’
‘What are you going to do?’ I ask.
‘We’re working on that. Assuming she is the same Deborah Williamson, another criminal charge would be the best outcome, but it’s possible that the police won’t want to pursue it. If they don’t, we’ll sue Williamsons for every penny they have. Either way, Deborah, Gus and Ross are going to regret this, don’t worry about that.’
‘When I rang you, to ask whether I could source the bricks directly, did you know what was going on then?’ I ask.
‘I had a pretty good idea. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you at the time, and I feel dreadful that you got caught in the crossfire like that. However, we were interested to see what she’d do. If it’s any consolation, trying to get rid of you only tightened the noose around her own neck.’
I can’t help but feel a grim sense of satisfaction.
‘Can I revise my answer to your first question?’ I ask him, suddenly.
‘Absolutely.’
