Jenny's Story: The Start of Things
Jenny is put in a difficult position when she is discovered misappropriating money. She then discovers who her boss really is and what she has let herself in for.
Jennifer Watson-Brown, to give her full name, had always led a pampered, secure life. Brought up by loving and doting parents, she had been educated at the best schools that money could buy, and afterwards, had gone to a top finishing school in Switzerland to complete her education.
She had always lived in a world where money was no object. She was a stunningly attractive woman, and soon became a name among the jet setters. She was always seen at the best parties, and her name was one that was never left off the list at any of the top society functions.
At twenty-two, she married, much to her parents delight, a supposed financial wizard and investment banker, Conrad Brown. This was the first of her many bad decisions in her life. Two years later, her parents where killed in an air crash. Jennifer and Conrad were lucky not to have been on her father's private plane that was bringing them back from a Caribbean holiday. She and Conrad had decided to stay on the private island owned by one of her father's friends for another week.
She then inherited the family fortune and investment business which Conrad took over, and during the next four years, he managed to squander the majority of it on a suicidal series of very risky investments. When Jennifer's then considerable fortune was depleted, he started dipping into the money from the company's client's accounts. Of course, this could not go on unnoticed, and when finally the crash inevitably came, he landed in court, and in a very high profile case, was sentenced to ten years at her majesty's pleasure.
The court also decreed that Jennifer was also implicated in the conspiracy. Although her total connection could not be proven, it was decided that all the couple's possessions were to be confiscated to go to paying off at least part of their considerable debt. She also was placed on probation. If she came up before the court again, she would suffer the same consequences as her husband, plus any further sentences she received. Suddenly from being a person who had never had to want for anything, Jennifer found herself almost destitute. Her once close friends now shunned her as they all knew, or were, the people who Conrad had stolen from.
For the first time in her life, Jennifer had to try and find work to feed and clothe herself. She managed to find a small flat to rent in a rather run down part of town. She was, of course, still a very articulate and attractive young woman and was able to find herself a job as a receptionist at a local health spa.
It was here that she first came in contact with the worse mistake in her life, Maxwell Cardwell. Maxwell came into the spa about three times a week and he always made a point of speaking to Jennifer. But unknown to her he had an ulterior motive for becoming friendly with her. He had recognized Jennifer the moment she acquired the job at the spa. He was one of the people whose money her husband had stolen
Although he was not her type, and much older than she, Jennifer knew from looking at the spa records that Maxwell had money. It was because of this that when one evening he asked her out, she graciously accepted his offer. Jennifer found Maxwell to be a perfect gentleman, and it was nice to be taken back to some of the places she had been used to visiting before her decline. Maxwell got his money from running a chain of high-class nightclubs to which Jennifer, much to her delight, became a frequent and welcome VIP visitor.
Although he took her out and spent money on her, he never made a move towards her sexually. Jennifer was pleased about this because even with his generosity towards her, she still did not find him in any way attractive. Because of his generosity, she often wondered just what she would do if he did make any advances. But unknown to her, Maxwell was playing a waiting game which he had planned carefully. He was a vindictive man and didn't like being made a fool of. He thought at the trial she had gotten off much too lightly, and from that moment, he had begun to plan her downfall. After they had been going out for about two months, Maxwell offered her a job as assistant manager of his most prestigious club, Maxwell's. The money was three times what she had been earning at the health club, and she jumped at the chance. As assistant manager, she was in charge of staffing. She also had to deal with the money side of the business, entering up the books and the banking of each evening's taking, which by any standards were considerable.
Even with more money now coming in from her new job, Jennifer was still in considerable debt from her time with Conrad. Some of the debtors had started pushing to get her to repay some of the stolen money.
It started with her in a small way at first: fifty pound here and there, but as the weeks went by and her little dips into the club takings seemed to go unnoticed, the amounts became bigger. Maxwell knew from the start what was going on. It had been carefully planned that way so when the fish was well and truly hooked, he would pounce.
She would never forget that afternoon when her world collapsed for the second time in her short life. She walked into her office at the club. She was surprised and devastated to find Maxwell sitting behind her desk with another man whom she did not recognize. This stranger was going through the books. She knew that at that moment her worse fears were realized. She had been caught out.
Maxwell looked up at her. "You have been a rather naughty girl, haven't you?" he smirked. May I introduce you to a very good friend of mine? Detective Inspector Bill Dykes of the fraud squad."
The man looked her up and down with interest. She was everything Maxwell had said: a very attractive young woman in a smart well fitted business suit that showed off her stunning figure. Bill Dykes was a man in his early forties who had risen through the ranks, partly by his ability, but mostly by his greed for money. He had found early in his police career that some people were willing to pay him well for his contacts and services.
He looked up from the books and smiled at her. "Mr. Cardwell contacted me because he suspected that some of his money was going astray," the said detective said, looking at her, "and from my brief calculations, I estimate that to date there is slightly over five thousand pounds missing."
Jennifer gasped. She had not realise it had been that much.
"I have to inform you at this stage, Ms. Jennifer Watson-Brown, I am going to arrest you and you will be charged with the theft, and I have to inform you that anything you say may be used in court as evidence in your trial." Jennifer stood there petrified by the turn of events; she did not say a word.
