Web of Lies by Sally Rigby (classic novels for teens txt) 📗

‘What other places did you invest in on the quiet?’

‘That’s nothing to do with you and not relevant to this.’

‘Did you keep some of your investments separate for tax purposes?’

He didn’t expect the man to tell him, but he asked, anyway. If he was operating a tax dodge and Donald was in on it, that could be an angle to investigate.

‘I don’t discuss my personal taxes with other people.’

‘Did you take dividend payments from the investments with Donald, or reinvest them?’

He knew the answer, but wanted to check that Donald’s records were accurate, or that Truss was telling the truth.

‘The initial investment I took out was one hundred per cent reinvested. The later one I took an annual dividend as it helped with my cash flow.’

That matched with what he’d read.

‘Did you know or suspect that he was operating a Ponzi scheme?’

‘No. And he certainly wasn’t doing it originally, I’d stake my life on it.’

Seb scrutinised Truss for any telltale signs of deceit, but there were none. His breathing, eye contact, blinking, and overall body language didn’t give him cause for alarm.

‘How can you say that so categorically?’

‘I knew him well, and it wasn’t how he operated. When we first started working together, he was shit-hot on following the rules and regulations of the industry. I’m sure, initially, his investments would have been legitimate.’

‘In which case, what happened to make him switch to doing something illegal?’

‘I can only guess, but it could have been because the bottom fell out of the financial market. Interest rates plummeted, and investing was a nightmare. It was impossible. He had a certain lifestyle which he needed to maintain, and that was the only way he could do it. I don’t know for sure, but he might have initially done it just once and one thing led to another until he used the money from every new client to pay the existing ones.’

He had repeated Seb’s thoughts exactly.

‘Were you struggling at the time, too?’

‘No, if anything my business increased. I offer payday loans and the market for those tends to increase during times of recession when people find it hard to go from week to week.’

‘When it came out about the Ponzi scheme did you come forward and speak to the FCA and register your claim against the company?

‘It would have been pointless as there were no funds available to pay creditors and I had no desire to be on the FCA’s radar again.’

‘When was the last time you spoke to Donald?’

‘Several months ago when I asked him for my money back. I …’ His voice fell away. Had he not meant to disclose that information?

‘You hadn’t mentioned that.’

‘I have now,’ he muttered. ‘Donald explained that he couldn’t get it straight away and asked if I would mind hanging on for a while longer. I had to agree, I had no choice in the matter.’

‘Were you worried?’

‘A little. I needed the money to pay off my mounting debts, thanks to having a young wife who doesn’t know the meaning of the word restraint. She thinks because I’m a financier I have a bundle of cash burning a hole in my pocket.’

‘When your old company went under, you left a lot of small-time investors with nothing. Like Donald has done with his company. What I don’t understand is why you put your trust in Donald and didn’t realise there were issues.’

‘My company was different from Donald’s. We weren’t operating a Ponzi scheme, so I didn’t see any signs when dealing with him.

‘Regarding the debts you mentioned, surely it can’t be that bad if you’re planning a month in the Bahamas.’

‘I make investments in my wife’s name, so we always have some backup funds. But I’m telling you now, we’re not rolling in it.’

‘Where were you on Saturday, 10 April, during the day and into the evening?’

‘I don’t know offhand, let me look in my diary.’ He opened his phone. ‘At home.’

‘Can anyone vouch for you?’

‘My wife was there. The dogs, too.’

‘We’ll be …’ He was about to say checking, but of course he couldn’t. He was no longer in the force. ‘Thank you for your time.’

On the train on the way back, he gave Birdie a call.

‘How did it go with Truss?’

‘There was definitely something underhand going on there, but I don’t know that it’s related to Donald’s death. As far as their relationship is concerned, they’ve known each other for years, since working together at a finance company. Truss now does payday loans out of a run-down office in Southgate. He claims to have a mountain of debts, but he’s off to the Bahamas for a month. It’s a shame we don’t have access to his financial statements.’

‘I could try, but I’d have to be careful in case I get spotted.’

‘I don’t want you to put yourself at risk. There was nothing that alarmed me about his relationship with Donald, and he has an alibi for the day of the death, so let’s leave it.’

‘What about the friend, Yates? We got sidetracked yesterday and you didn’t tell me how the meeting went.’

‘Again, another person who’d known Donald for a long time, since university in fact. They saw each other rarely these days, yet according to Yates they had a deep friendship.’

‘Deep enough to invest two hundred thousand pounds at a time when Witherspoon was on hard times. He must be loaded if he could afford that.’

‘He didn’t have the money to invest. He took out a bank loan.’

‘Whoa. That’s a whole different story. Who on earth goes into hock for that much money, even if Witherspoon was his friend? Unless … Do you think Donald could’ve been blackmailing him? Donald might have known something so bad the only way Yates could keep him quiet was to give him the money. Then again, he could’ve murdered Donald and saved the money. So that doesn’t work.’

‘That thought had crossed my mind but, like you, I couldn’t see any sense to it. You