Whistleblower E-Book

Peter Mulraney

• Herausgeber: Peter Mulraney
• Kategorie: Krimi
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

A Whistleblower exposes other people's secrets.
Death exposes the secrets of all, including a Whistleblower's.
Inspector West investigates the death of a public service Whistleblower, and discovers the Whistleblower has a few secrets of his own.
If you like murder mixed with mystery, and a story full of twists and surprises, you'll enjoy Whistleblower, the fourth book in Peter Mulraney's Inspector West series.
 

Leseprobe

Whistleblower

Inspector West

Peter Mulraney

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events, other than those clearly in the public domain, are the products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2017 Peter Mulraney

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review, without the written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-9945624-5-6

Cover image: Drew Hays on Unsplash

Created with Vellum

To those brave souls that risk all to expose wrongdoing - Whistleblowers.

Contents

Major Crimes Team

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

A Note from Peter

Acknowledgments

Also by Peter Mulraney

Major Crimes Team

DCI Rankin (Chief)

DI West (Carl)

DS Fuller (Harry)

DC Beard (Nigel)

DC Paterson (Wayne)

DC Templar (Lisa)

Supporting Officers

Dr Jonas (Mike) Pathologist

Sgt Lang (Dean) Forensics

SC Head (Charlie) Uniform

PC Chan (Lily) Uniform

PC Monks (Adam) Uniform

PC Priest (Jane) Uniform

PC HighlandCommunity Liaison

One

On the Tuesday before Christmas, the board members of the Walker Group gathered for their final meeting of the year. As chairman, Peter Walker sat at the head of the table in the boardroom on the top floor of the group’s head office on East Terrace.

Seventy-year old Peter Walker, with thirty percent of the group’s shares, was the majority shareholder. He’d started the company in his early twenties, building sheds and warehouses, and had grown it into one of the most successful property developers in the country.

The board usually followed his advice on which projects to pursue, given his track record, and the fact that his connections still held enough shares to represent the majority in any vote, especially when his ex-wives followed their usual practice and voted with him.

To Peter’s right sat Mario Imbroglio. Mario had a twenty percent holding in the group, acquired as part of the finance package he had brought to the table when the group was facing insolvency at the height of the global financial crisis, when the banks had stopped lending.

Next to Mario sat Warren Hunter, who owned a fifteen percent interest. Warren had been with the company from the start as its accountant. He’d found ways to finance Peter’s dreams and had been rewarded with a significant stake in the company.

Opposite Mario, with his back to the window that opened on to a vista of the hills that stood on the eastern rim of the city, sat Dustin Walker, Peter’s grandson. Twenty-five year old Dustin had inherited a ten percent interest in the group following his father’s death in a skiing accident the previous year. Dustin did what his grandfather told him to do when they met for lunch before each board meeting started.

Next to Dustin sat Monica Webb and Rachel Foley, Peter’s first two wives, who held twenty-five percent of the group’s shares between them, thanks to their divorce settlements.

Peter shuffled the papers in front of him and took off his glasses, before placing them on the table. He looked across the table at his ex-wives. ‘I’ve decided to retire.’

‘As chairman?’ said Monica.

‘No, Monica. I mean retire as in stop work. I’ve been doing this for almost fifty years. I want to enjoy myself for a bit before it’s too late.’

‘You’re not thinking of asking Dustin to take over the business, are you? He’s only a boy,’ said Rachel.

‘Dustin and I have had a long chat. He’s not ready to take on that sort of responsibility.’ Peter looked down at his hands. ‘Things would be different if James was still alive. I’d planned on handing things over to him when I was ready to retire but, well, you know why that won’t be happening. So, I’ve had to make other arrangements.’

‘What other arrangements?’ said Rachel.

‘I’m selling to Mario.’

Peter watched the color drain from the faces of Monica and Rachel as they realised the impact of what he had said. He enjoyed witnessing their consternation bubble to the surface and repaint their faces with the red of anger. He hoped Mario would screw them like the bastard had screwed him. ‘We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Mario’s intervention when the banks wouldn’t help us. I’ve given him first option, and he’s made an offer I’m prepared to accept.’

‘That would give Mario fifty percent,’ said Monica.

‘Sixty, actually,’ said Dustin.

His grandmother and her successor turned to face him.

‘You don’t have to sell just because your grandfather tells you to,’ said Monica. ‘I don’t think your father would be pleased with that decision.’

‘My father’s not here, Grandma, and there are other things I can do with the money.’

‘When is this happening?’ said Monica.

‘As we speak. The papers were signed yesterday. I’d like to congratulate Mario on becoming the chairman of the Walker Group.’ Peter stood and offered his seat to Mario.

‘No need to be that formal, Peter, but thank you anyway.’ Mario faced Monica and Rachel. ‘I’d be happy to make you the same offer I made Peter and Dustin.’

‘What about you, Warren?’ said Monica.

‘I’ve accepted Mario’s offer,’ said Warren, without looking up.

‘And, what is your offer, Mario?’ said Rachel.

Mario opened the folder on the table in front of him and slid a sheet of paper across the table to her, and then slid one to Monica. ‘I think it would be best if you signed before you leave. That offer will not be on the table after today.’

Mario Imbroglio moved into what had been Peter Walker’s office during the first week of January. He’d been a board member of the Walker Group for six years, ever since the opportunity to insert himself into the business had presented itself during the global financial crisis, when he’d introduced himself to James Walker after receiving a tip-off that the group was in financial trouble.

The big banks had withdrawn from the financial facility backing one of Walker’s multi-million dollar projects when the group’s cash flow had suffered a sharp downturn. Mario had also been aware that James’ father, who controlled the group, had been living beyond his means for several years. The man’s ego was insufferable but Mario had been trained to manipulate the egos of powerful men.

After constructing a financial package with his backers, who were keen to find legitimate businesses for their money laundering purposes, Mario had persuaded James Walker to introduce him to his father as the group’s saviour, as the one who could pull them back from the brink of bankruptcy. His price had been a twenty percent stake in the business.

The old man had called him every name under the sun. He’d even threatened to disinherit James for bringing someone like Mario into the boardroom. But, in the end, he’d signed. His ego couldn’t face the prospect of bankruptcy and the exposure of his personal failings as a businessman.

Mario had joined the board and studied the way Peter Walker did things. He didn’t like the old man but he admired his way of doing business. Walker seemed to be able to create money out of thin air, provided he had the backing of someone’s money to finance his dreams. Mario was particularly amused when he learnt that one strategy the Walker Group used was to build office towers for gold-plated government tenants, sign contracts with the tenants to clean their offices, and then sell the buildings to superannuation funds, who liked the regular income government tenants provided. The group would then build another office tower in another city and repeat the process.

Over the years, Mario had developed a successful working relationship with James Walker, who had been slated to take over the business when Peter retired. But the Walker world had changed when James met with an accident during a skiing trip to Austria. The old man hadn’t been the same after his son’s death. He’d lost interest and within a year had offered the business to Mario and his backers.

He’d told Mario he didn’t have the time or patience to school Dustin, so that he could take over the business, and confided that it was probably just as well, since it was always the third generation, the grandchildren, that squandered a family’s fortune. Mario had reflected on that comment in light of what he knew, and concluded that Peter Walker was blind to his own failings and the cost of his extravagant lifestyle.

Mario’s backers were delighted. They liked the diversity of the group’s interests, which included ownership of two shopping malls, that would provide them with numerous opportunities for laundering their black market money.

By the time Mario had taken control of the group, several of his lieutenants, including Trevor Hunter, were already holding positions of influence within the group. He knew he’d have to keep the core group of executives in the property development division in place, the people who knew how to turn Peter Walker’s dreams into reality, but there was plenty of scope for expanding into operations that Peter Walker would never have considered, not even in his wildest dreams.

Peter Walker’s last useful role, prior to his retirement, had been to introduce Mario to his friend Richard Nelson, the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Nelson was another man with a big ego, which Mario planned to massage during negotiations to build and operate the city’s second casino.

Mario looked at the final plans for Long Street on the desk in front of him, and decided it was time to start working on the Minister.

Two

On the last Friday in April, John Drake sat at his desk in The Office of State Supply reading the agency’s whistleblowing guidelines, for what must have been the fifteenth time, waiting for four o’clock. John was convinced he was doing the right thing but he was also aware of what often happened to whistleblowers, despite all the words in the Act.

He also knew it was too late to regret looking at things he hadn’t been asked to investigate, even though he wished he hadn’t let his curiosity get the better of him during the slow period around Easter, when he’d started opening folders on the share drive and reading the contracts behind the payments he administered.

Initially, he’d thought it would be interesting to know the specific terms and conditions in the individual contracts. Then he’d decided it would be useful to understand the agency’s procurement policies and guidelines, since the agency was charged with getting the best value for the government’s dollars when buying products and services.

When he’d noticed that some of the more expensive cleaning contracts hadn’t been awarded to the companies that had submitted the most competitive tenders during the last round of contract reviews, he’d looked into the companies those contracts had gone to, and found a pattern of common ownership.

Aware that contract reviews were conducted by a three person committee of senior officers, that included Sonya Curtis, the head of the agency, he knew there was no way he would be confronting any of them directly. He was intimidated by every one of them, especially Sonya Curtis, who was known among officers at John’s level as ‘The Bitch’.

John knew he had to tell someone or he wouldn’t be living up to his obligations as a public servant. After a week of anxious deliberation, he’d decided to escalate his concerns to the Auditor General, which was one of the options available to him in the whistleblowing guidelines. But, because he would be reporting senior officers, he’d decided it would be prudent to discuss his concerns with Pam Watson, his immediate supervisor, just to be sure he hadn’t misunderstood something.

At four o’clock, he put two copies of the document he’d compiled into his bag, picked up the third copy he’d printed for Pam, and walked over to her office.

Pam smiled as he sat down with the document in his lap. ‘So, what’s on your mind, John?’

‘I’m not sure how to say this, but it looks like we might not have done the right thing when awarding some of the big dollar cleaning contracts.’

‘Oh? What makes you think that?’

John shifted in his seat. ‘Well, I thought I’d read some of the contracts I administer, so I had a look on the share drive. I ended up reading some of the tender documents, you know, to see how the whole process works.’ John could feel beads of perspiration forming on his brow. ‘Anyway, I reviewed the documents associated with the cleaning contracts I administer, and it looks like several of those contracts went to companies belonging to the Walker Group, even when they weren’t the most competitive tender.’ John looked up. ‘We’re supposed to accept the most competitive tender, aren’t we?’

Pam leant back into her chair. ‘Do you realise what you’re suggesting?’

‘Yeah, that’s the scary bit. If I’m right, it looks like we have a problem at the top. You know who’s on the contracts committee, don’t you?’

‘That’s a pretty serious allegation to make, John. And, it’s not like you’re experienced in these matters, is it? You’ve only been here a few months.’

Those words hit John like a backhander across the face. He stared at Pam. She didn’t intimidate him like the others.

‘I’ve been working in contracts administration for at least ten years, Pam. It’s what I was doing at Transport before I came here. I think I know what the rules are and I’ve studied the guidelines we’re supposed to be following, so I think I know what I’m talking about.’ John paused to regain his composure. He didn’t want to start an argument. ‘Sometimes a fresh set of eyes sees things that others have missed, but,’ he held his hands up in front of him, ‘I could be wrong. That’s why I thought I’d better discuss it with you before taking my concerns any further.’

‘Wise decision, John. So, what have you got there?’

‘It’s all in here.’ John passed her his document and watched the color drain from her face as she scanned its contents.

‘I don’t have time to study this now but I’ll read it and get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, I want you to keep this to yourself. If you’ve read the whistleblower guidelines, which I hope you have, you’ll know they offer you no protection if you leak anything to the media, even if you’re right.’

‘I intend to stick with the guidelines. Wouldn’t look too good if I didn’t, would it?’

‘If I agree with your findings, this will have to be escalated to the Auditor General. On the other hand, though, John,’ Pam flashed him a smile, ‘if I don’t agree with your interpretation of the data, I’ll be advising you to drop this. I’d hate to see you make a career ending mistake simply because you misinterpreted something outside your area of responsibility.’

John felt the wind being sucked from his sails. The tone in her words, along with her body language, told him he wouldn’t be getting any support from her.

‘Look, you’ve done the right thing bringing this to my attention.’ She looked at her watch. ‘I’ll catch up with you on Monday, after I’ve had a chance to study this.’

John returned to his desk and decided that talking to Pam hadn’t been the mistake he’d thought it might be. She obviously didn’t want him to take his concerns any further, despite her words of support, but the look on her face when she’d scanned the report had told him what he’d wanted to know.

While he packed up his workstation, he decided to post a copy of his report to the Auditor General on the way home, and live with the consequences.

Pam slipped John’s document into her briefcase and watched him pack up his workstation and leave for the weekend. She admired him for wanting to know about the contracts he was administering. That was more than any of his predecessors had done. But, she wished he hadn’t been so inquisitive. Now they had a problem they would have to deal with before he did anything. She hoped to God he’d do as she’d asked him and wait for her to get back to him.

As John walked past her office on his way to the elevator lobby, Pam picked up her personal smartphone.

‘Sonya, we have a problem.’

Three

On the first Monday in May, DI Carl West was in his third floor office scrolling through the emails in his inbox. There was nothing terribly exciting: a reminder from DC Lisa Templar that she was on the pursuit drivers course this week, another from DC Wayne Paterson about being in court, and one from DCI Rankin, officially allocating DC Wayne Paterson and DC Nigel Beard to his team following DI Reid’s early .