False Impression by Jeffrey Archer

at work this morning?’
    ‘I had a dental
appointment,’ said Tina. ‘It had been in my diary for weeks.’ She paused and
looked across the table. ‘The moment I heard the news I never
stopped trying to call you on your cell, but all I got was a ringing tone. So where were you?’
    ‘Being escorted
off the premises,’ said Anna.
    ‘By a
firefighter?’ asked Tina.
    ‘No,’ replied
Anna, ‘by that ape, Barry.’
    ‘But why?’
demanded Tina.
    ‘Because Fenston
had just fired me,’ said Anna.
    ‘Fired you?’
said Tina in disbelief. Why would he fire you, of all people?’
    ‘Because in my
report to the board, I recommended that Victoria Wentworth should sell the Van
Gogh, which would allow her not only to clear her overdraft with the bank, but
hold on to the rest of the estate.’
    ‘But the Van
Gogh was the only reason Fenston ever agreed to that deal,’ said Tina. ‘I
thought you realized that. He’s been after one for years. The last thing he
would have wanted was to sell the painting and get Victoria off the hook. But
that’s hardly a reason to fire you. What excuse...’
    ‘I also sent a
copy of my recommendations to the client, which I considered to be no more than
ethical banking practice.’
    1 don’t think it’s ethical banking practice that keeps Fenston awake at
night. But that still doesn’t explain why he got rid of you so quickly.’
    ‘Because I was
just about to fly to England and let Victoria Wentworth know that I’d even
fined up a prospective buyer. A well-known Japanese collector, Takashi
Nakamura, who I felt sure would be happy to close the
deal quickly, if we were sensible about the asking price.’
    ‘You picked the
wrong man in Nakamura,’ said Tina. ‘Whatever the asking price, he’s the last
person on earth Fenston would be willing to do business with. They’ve both been
after a Van Gogh for years, and are regularly the last two bidders for any
major Impressionists.’
    “Why didn’t he
tell me that?’ said Anna.
    ‘Because it
doesn’t always suit him to let you know what he’s up to,’ said Tina.
    ‘But we were
both on the same team.’
    ‘You’re so
naive, Anna. Haven’t you worked out that there’s only one person on Fenston’s
team?’
    ‘But he can’t
make Victoria hand over the Van Gogh unless...’
    ‘I wouldn’t be
so sure about that,’ said Tina.
    Why
not?’
    ‘Fenston put a
call through to Ruth Parish yesterday and ordered her to pick up the painting
immediately. I heard him repeat the word “immediately”.’
    ‘Before Victoria
was given the chance to act on my recommendations.’
    Which
would also explain why he had to fire you before you could get on that plane
and upset his plans. Mind you,’ added Tina, ‘you’re not the first person
to have ventured down that well trodden path.’
    What do you
mean?’ said Anna.
    ‘Once anyone
works out what Fenston is really up to, they’re quickly shown the door.’
    Then why hasn’t
he fired you?’
    ‘Because I don’t
make any recommendations he isn’t willing to go along with,’ said Tina. ‘That
way, I’m not considered a threat.’
    She paused.
Well, not for the moment.’
    Anna thumped the
table in anger, sending up a small cloud of dust. I’m so dumb,’ she said. ‘I
should have seen it coming, and now there’s nothing I can do about it.’
    ‘I’m not so sure
about that,’ said Tina. We don’t know for certain that Ruth Parish has picked
up the painting from Went worth Hall. If she hasn’t, you’ll still have enough
time to call Victoria and advise her to hold onto the picture until you’ve had
a chance to get in touch with Mr Nakamura – that way she could still clear her
debt with Fenston and he couldn’t do anything about it,’ added Tina, as her
cellphone began ringing, ‘California Here I Come’. She checked its caller ID:
boss flashed up. She put a finger to her lips. ‘It’s Fenston,’ she warned. ‘He
probably wants to find out if you’ve been in