Smoking Gun (Adam Cartwright Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

Leonie nodded her head in agreement and said, “I agree that someone in the Accounts Department has to be involved. I can see that the claiming payment for work not done without exceeding the target amount for each contract is significant. If a target is exceeded then someone would check the data to see where the overrun occurred. But there was no cost target overrun, so how did you locate the problem?”

“I kept track of the weekly statements by retaining a copy of every statement that I had approved. I then entered the information into my construction management program and discovered that your total project expenditure was about $500,000 higher than mine. Clearly the bogus claims were inserted into the system without passing through my hands.”

“How do we discover who the forgers are?”

I paused thoughtfully before replying. “Fingerprints. Perhaps we could take everyone’s fingerprints and have them compared with fingerprints on the bogus statements.”

Leonie did not look completely convinced. “That would mean reporting the problem immediately. I was beginning to hope that we could find the culprits before we reported the matter…”

I was suddenly struck by a thought and interrupted her by exclaiming. “I think that you are right. We have to do our best to discover the perpetrators before we report it, which only gives us a few days.” It was at that point that the answer hit me like a blow and I said, “Since we believe that there are least two persons involved, one from my team and one from yours. Now what couple do we know that might fit that description?”

Leonie gasped. “Lex Robertson and Heino Pops.”

I gave a wry smile. “Exactly! They just might be the ones responsible. I don’t know Lex Robertson at all but Heino is someone that I thought that I could rely on. The same with the rest of the team. But it has to be one of them.”

“The same goes for Lex. I have always thought of her as being completely reliable. I like her. If it’s true then it will be so sad. They always looked to be such a good couple together.”

I agreed. Somewhere in their thirties, they were an attractive and highly recognisable couple as both of them had a striking crop of very blond hair. It was hard to accept that they would be involved in criminal activity. “Well, I think that we should talk to them. I suggest that you bring Lex Robertson to my office at say one o’clock this afternoon. Don’t give her any warning. Just tell her that I want to reformat an accounting report or something like that. I will get Heino along here at the same time as well.”

“Yes. I can do that. But in the meantime is there anything that I can do?”

I paused for a moment, thinking about what should be done before responding. “You should check if any payments are in the pipeline. If there are, then put a hold on them. If any problems arise then speak to me immediately.”

After Leonie left my office I removed the small carton from a drawer in my desk. This contained the security gadgets that Brian Clements had obtained for me when I was in Sydney. Selecting a small webcam and sound recorder combination with WIFI capability I inserted new batteries and turned it on. Five minutes later I was able to pick up the webcam feed on my laptop. Everything that the webcam saw and heard was recorded on my hard drive.

Standing up I placed the camera discretely on the top level of the book shelves on the wall behind my desk. Sitting back at my desk I checked that the webcam’s field of view covered the front of my desk. I was satisfied. It would record everything to be seen and heard in the vicinity of my desk. I was now ready for the meeting at one o’clock.

***

It had been relaxing sitting on a bench in the shade casually watching the crowd leaving the dining room after lunch. As Lex Robertson and Heino Pops emerged I saw that they were accompanied by Leonie Wran who was engaged in an earnest conversation with Lex. A few moments later Heino disengaged himself and commenced striding back towards the construction supervisors office in the administration building. I casually stood up and set off on a course that would intercept him before he got to his office. When we were just a few metres apart I hailed him and, when he stopped walking, I asked if he would join me in my office in ten minutes time, at one o’clock. If he had any sense of foreboding he did not show it.

***

A few minutes before one o’clock I turned the webcam on again and checked that the field of view had not changed. I was now ready for the meeting.

Promptly at the specified time there was a knock on my door and Heino entered. He had barely sat down in a chair in front of my desk when there was another knock on the door. A moment later Leonie Wran and Lex Robertson entered and I indicated for Lex to sit beside Heino. As soon as they saw each other their faces turned to stone. Their previously relaxed expressions hardened. I could only guess at their thoughts but it was probably clear to them that they were in trouble. If indeed they were guilty then they would have realised that the reason for both of them to be in my office together had to be connected to their illegal activities.

Looking silently at each of them in turn for a few moments I eventually spoke. “Lex, Heino it gives me no pleasure to ask you here today.” I then reached into my desk, removed the stack of plastic pockets with the forged statements and placed them on my desk in front of them. Again I waited for a response before saying. “Yes. I have asked you both here this afternoon to talk about these documents.”

There was clearly no doubt about their guilt. Lex was clearly distraught and Heino put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against Heino’s shoulder and sobbed. I could hear her mumbling. It sounded like “Thank God it’s finally over.”

Heino eventually looked up at me and said, “I’m so sorry boss.” He then let his eyes drop and he sat there mute. He was totally devastated. He looked like a man awaiting his turn to be beheaded on the guillotine. It pained me to see anyone in such anguish. Much less someone that I liked.

I looked across at Leonie. She just shook her head. There were tears in her eyes.

Maybe I was too soft for this job, but I had no wish to make them suffer anymore than they had to. Finally I said, “I have just one question to ask you both. Why?”

They turned in their seats to face each other. Not a word was said, Finally they sat up in their chairs and raised their eyes to look at me. Heino was the first to speak. “We know that it is no excuse but we were coerced.”

“Who by?”

“The Comancheros.”

“When did it start?”

“Three years ago.”

I blinked in surprise. Both Lex Robertson and Heino Pops had been employed by Gibson Construction for a number of years. During that time they had worked together on a number of major construction projects. They had been highly thought of and were known to be good reliable employees. It was a shock to realise the extent of their double life. I did not want to continue inflicting pain but I wanted to know more. “Where did it start?”

“During the coal washery project at Oakey Creek.”

I was suddenly curious so I asked, “Did that include the Mount Godwin project? You were both there.”

“No. When you booted John Hall off the site there was no one left to put pressure on us.”

“In total, how much has been involved?”

Heino didn’t hesitate. “About $2.5 million.”

“Who received it?”

“The Comancheros. We were paid ten percent. We still have every cent of what we have received in the bank. Untouched. Almost $250,000. We talked about returning it anonymously but realised that if we did that the Comancheros would find out.”

“Tell me about the signatures on the documents. How was that done?”

“The Comancheros have a program that can take a scanned signature and a special printer to reproduce it on a document.” Heino paused and glanced at Lex before continuing. “I provided a scanned image of all our signatures to them and they would print them onto the documents before they returned them to me to slip into the system.”

I sat looking at him for a few moments before shaking my head. “No, Heino. You were doing so well until then. You really do need to tell me the absolute truth.”

Lex Robertson spoke for the first time when she said, “It was just as Heino said, Only it was me not him. He’s just trying to protect me.” She turned and looked at Heino before adding. “It’s been killing him inside. Having to lie to you. He knew that you trusted him and he hated letting you down. I don’t think that either of us could have kept doing what the Comancheros ordered us to. Their threats are real but I am glad that is now over. Heino is too.”

I needed a break to think about these unfolding revelations. Rising from my chair I stood up and stretched. “Who would like a coffee? I think that we all need to have a break for a few minutes. What do you say to black coffees all round?” I glanced at each of them in turn. No one said no, so I picked up the phone and asked for four coffees to be brought in. Nobody spoke until after the coffees had been delivered and were being sipped in silence. We were all lost in our thoughts. At one stage Heino put down his coffee and looked like he was going to speak but I held up my hand and shook my head. “No, not yet. I have a few thoughts that I’d like to share with you. But I need a few minutes.” The reality was that it was Heino and Lex that needed the time to let events sink in. They had had no real chance to consider their situation and Lex had looked to be on the edge of an emotional breakdown. I don’t know whether it was the coffee or the few minutes to think things through but they both looked to be a lot calmer.

Finally I finished my coffee and put my cup down. I had reached a decision. “Well, as I see it, the best way to get an optimum result for all of us in this matter is for you both to become fully cooperative whistle blowers. You have not been accused of anything yet but obviously that is only a matter of time. However, if you both come to me with written confessions plus full details of what was done, who was involved and what you know of the money trail then I will help you all that I can. With that information in my hands I would contact the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission and do my best to negotiate a spot for you both in a witness protection scheme.”

Lex was the first one to respond. “That would be wonderful. We know that we can’t escape punishment but we want to testify against the Comancheros. We will do what you suggest.”

I glanced at Heino and raised an eyebrow. “Does that go for you too?”

He responded immediately. “Yes. Willingly. How do you want us to go about it?”

“Leonie and I will leave you both here in my office for a couple of hours. It’s now one thirty. We will return at three thirty to hear what you have to say. In the meantime, Leonie will bring you any writing materials or laptops that you want.”

As Leonie and I left the room I said to her. “It’s a bit late but I hope that this whistleblower approach is okay with you.”

She smiled and patted my arm. “It sure is.”

***

When I entered my office at three thirty Leonie Wran was already there. Lex Robertson and Leonie were standing together looking out the window overlooking the main construction site. As soon as they saw me they returned to the same seats that they had occupied earlier. Heino was already seated reading through some papers. Both Lex and Heino looked much more relaxed than they had earlier.

As soon as I was also seated I started the conversation. “So. How far have you got? Have you had second thoughts about a full confession and acting as whistleblowers?”

Lex responded immediately. “No. We want to do our best to make retribution. But before we go any further, I want to say that Heino and I appreciate the opportunity that you have given us to come forward voluntarily. We know that doing what you have suggested will give us our best shot at a minimum punishment. We trust you. We know that if you say that you will do something that you will do your best to carry it out.”

She paused and Heino continued the response to my questions. “We have both written out full confessions. We would like you to read them through before we sign them in your presence. Leonie brought us our laptops and gave us access to the internet. We have downloaded a list of all the payments that we have received together with a copy of the bank account statement. I have also listed the names of the Comancheros that are known to us and their involvement. Also I had kept a diary of events, on my laptop, almost from the start. It is really just a jumble of disjointed notes but I have printed out a copy of that as well. They are all there on your desk in front of you.”

I glanced down at the papers that he had indicated and picked them up. After briefly flicking through them I looked at Leonie and asked, “Have you read any of this yet?”

She shook her head. “No. I only got here a moment or two ago.”

Looking back at the others I said, “Leonie and I need a few minutes to read through all this. Why don’t you go and have a break. Take a walk. Have a coffee or something, but be back here at four o’clock.”

***

As soon as they had left I said to Leonie. “Would you mind getting a couple of photocopies of all this stuff. That will give us both a chance to read it through and make margin notes when we feel so inclined.”

A few minutes later we were both engaged reading the sad but revealing story of two decent people coerced into criminal activity. Heino had connected each corrupt payment to a specific project. The information he had provided included the date and details of how they received their instructions. And how they had been threatened.