Judith entered the office and closed the door behind her, as she had been bidden. She was a bit surprised to see that Helen was already seated before James' desk; he had not mentioned that anyone else would be in the meeting – but then again, he hadn't said very much about the session at all.
James watched her walk across the room, and indicated with a wave of his hand that she should be seated next to Helen. This was all very curious: late afternoon, almost everyone had gone home already. And she had never been called into a meeting with Helen before, even although they both worked in accounts. Of course, her role was not to question, just to do; but it was strange.
James watched her sit down, openly appraising her. Of course that was no surprise: he was known as a hard-driven self-made man who tended to get what he wanted, and the rumour was that this extended beyond the boundaries of business. When he spoke, one listened, especially as he owned the company.
He leaned forward engagingly. "Thank you both for making the time. I have no doubt you will find it was worth joining me. And I must say", he laughed, "it's always a pleasure to have two such attractive women in my office."
Both women acknowledged the compliment ruefully with a smile. "You'll forgive me", he said, "if I take a moment to check on my records? Let me know if I have missed anything, ok?"
He opened two files, and laid them across the table in front of him. "Right then – Helen", he said glancing up at her briefly, before looking down at her file. "Let's see. Married two years, your husband unemployed, right?" She nodded. "By all accounts you are financially a bit unstable – forgive me if this is a bit personal – aside from your direct remuneration, the company has also assisted you with some loans, am I correct?"
She nodded. "That's true, sir. My mother lives with me and she had some medical problems. I've been paying it off though – I haven't missed a payment."
"Your mother and your husband both depending on your salary. It must be very difficult for you."
She nodded.
"Hmm. I understand. Judith", he said turning towards her. "By all accounts, your circumstance is no easier, is it?" She shook her head, wondering where this was going. "Let's see – single mother, son just starting school. The father doesn't help?"
"He disappeared a while ago", she said. "Even if I found him, I don't think he'd do much to help."
"I see. I am sorry to hear that. Both of you seem to have been treated a bit unfairly by life, wouldn't you say? I suppose life can be harsh – I know that when I started it was incredibly difficult. No money, no background, very little support. Of course, you look at the company now and it seems to be an established success; but it took a long time to get here. Many hours. Many sacrifices. Including my wife, who finally walked out about five years ago, as you may know.
"It is difficult to get along without that companionship. You miss it. I miss it. I miss that female softness, you understand?"
The two women nodded. "So you see", he continued, "I am sympathetic to the price that we have to pay to get by. I am certainly not indifferent to the hardships we endure. But there is one difference between us, you see." He paused before stating the next sentence. "I never stole from my employer. And I never got caught."
Judith's heart sank, the same thought running through her mind over and over "OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOD". Helen sat so calmly, that she wondered whether he was right. Helen smiled and said slowly: "I beg your pardon?"
"Don't make it worse by lying, Helen. We both know that I could show you the evidence if I have to. At least Judith's face is a confession of it's own."
"I'm so sorry", whispered Judith.
"It's ironical", said James. "If either one of you had done this on your own, I would never have noticed. But two of you, together – it collectively became too large to miss. And neither one of you knew about the other! You do admit it, don't you?" he asked Helen.
After a moment's silence she nodded once.
"Good", he said. "Now we're making progress, I think. You have to understand some things. This is not a public company. This is MY company. You weren't stealing from shareholders: you have been stealing from ME. From me.
"Some housekeeping is needed, I suppose. One hates to sound melodramatic, but you must realise that I have the proof, and that it is in a safe place. If you got any wild schemes about stealing it, or even worse, about getting me out of the way, it won't help. It would only assure that the proof becomes public. I must tell you that I really feel as if I am in a b-grade movie saying this." He laughed, with real merriment. But I want you to understand quite clearly how much of a predicament you are in."
Helen suddenly sighed deeply, once, and bent forward to put her head on the desk. Judith's mouth was dry, and her hands trembled visibly. "If I chose to, you would both be arrested – and then, Helen, your poor mother. And Judith – your poor son. What would become of them?"
"What do you want?" said Helen.