not under control, nothing is. And problems with the accounting system can be pretty fatal if not put right, but they are usually easy to rectify. We get that solid, then look at the rest.”
“Okay. When can you start?”
“Tomorrow.”
“It’s Sunday tomorrow.”
“Yes, so no one else will be around. I’ll have a clear run at it, no distractions. Can you let me into your office in the morning?”
“I could, if necessary. But we agreed you can access our networks from here.”
“I’d like to make an early start then. If that’s alright with you.”
“It sounds very sensible. Perhaps we should get an early night…”
Chapter Six
“We have—eggs, two rashers of bacon, some cereals, and half an onion.” Tony turned to Thea, the fridge door still standing open. “I could rustle up an omelette I suppose.”
“Sounds fine. Do you want me to make it?”
“No. I want you to sit there, drink your tea, and tell me what you make of those mid-year accounts. You wanted an early start, remember.”
“Okay.” Thea perched her glasses back on her nose and turned her attention back to the laptop open in front of her. She clicked the mouse a couple of times, and made notes on a sheet of paper next to her.
Tony watched, loving her quiet, studious efficiency. Having abdicated responsibility for their breakfast, Thea’s concentration on the matter in hand was total. He admired her single-mindedness, particularly as this was a quality he’d never cultivated for himself. It wasn’t that he didn't value clarity and focus, but for Tony the real fascination always lay on the far horizon, the allure of possibility and opportunity, of what ifs.
Ten minutes later he slid a plate onto the table beside her. Thea acknowledged it with a slight nod, her gaze never leaving the screen. Tony took his seat opposite and contented himself with sipping his coffee and watching his newest member of staff at work.
She hadn’t formally accepted his job offer yet, but she would.
It was just over an hour later when she lifted her solemn, serious gaze to his. “I think you have a thief in your accounts section. Maybe more than one.”
“What!” He’d known there was an issue, but had convinced himself it was one of cock-up not conspiracy. “Why? What have you seen?”
“Some entries in your spreadsheets are out of sync. By which I mean, entered much later than others relating to the same transactions. I’ve been tracking the changes, and finding amendments which seem to indicate that clients’ accounts are in debit, when earlier records had shown those same accounts to be up to date or even in credit. That’s consistent with someone removing funds, then amending records to conceal the discrepancy. It’s been going on for quite a long time too, at least a couple of years.”
“So, who…?”
“The culprits will be easy to identify. I’ll see to that for you in due course. For now, our priority is to seize and seal all evidence. That means closing down your entire network so that only you and I can access any records. If I get started now I can eliminate those parts of your system that aren't affected and put those back on line. By Monday morning Dart Logistics will be functional again, apart from the finance section I imagine. You need to suspend all your finance team on full pay until my investigation is complete. Two days, I’d estimate, though the police may extend that.”
“Shit. Are you sure? And are you saying it’s a police matter?”
She peered at him over her rimless glasses. “Financial records have been tampered with. I’m guessing at the most likely reason for that but I suspect fraud, and my recommendation is that you authorise me to undertake an immediate forensic audit. And yes, if when I’ve completed that audit we believe a theft has taken place then that would suggest involving the police. Or do you prefer to deal with it in another way?”
He regarded her, then nodded. “Let’s get to the bottom of what’s happened first, then decide what action to take. Do the audit. What will you need?”
“Some clothes. I came here without much last night if you recall. There’s a limit to how much more I can actually achieve via remote access because I need access to some hard copy documents too—invoices and such like—to check against spreadsheets. But it’s Sunday so I could go into your premises and get started. If you could run me back to my flat, then let me into your offices