name.’
‘I see.’ Hennessey thumbed through the ledger. ‘Beautiful handwriting.’
‘Indeed . . . we have had our lean years. I mean, which company hasn’t? But unlike the majority of plant hire companies we are not tied solely to the building trade. Our customers include farmers and the agricultural industry as a whole. The building of houses might come to a stop from time to time as the national economy rises and falls but there’s always wheat to be harvested, potatoes to be scooped up in huge quantities and loaded into the back of huge bulk-carrying lorries, you’ll have doubtless seen the like . . . and there’s always ditches to be cleared. All used to be done manually, but nowadays it’s all done by machine, most of which are hired for the purpose.’
‘I see,’ Hennessey said again. ‘That’s interesting.’
‘So,’ Bateman continued, ‘it is because of our agricultural clients, and only because of them, that we have kept afloat in the inevitable lean times.’
‘You are indeed fortunate.’ Yellich also leafed through the ledgers.
‘Yes, we are.’ Bateman nodded. ‘And we are not unappreciative. We have a wide client base and farming has meant that this is a stable local economy. It takes a lot to bring agriculture to a standstill.’
‘Dare say that’s true.’
Bateman leaned back in his chair. ‘So . . . if you would like to examine the ledgers at your leisure, gentlemen, I can let you have a small office. It has a small desk and a lovely view of our backyard,’ he added with a grin.
Hennessey and Yellich gratefully accepted the offer of the small office and settled down to leaf through the ledgers while fortified by cups of tea provided by the smiling receptionist. Looking at the entries for September of the year in question, one entry caught Yellich’s eye and he drew Hennessey’s attention to it. It was a very significant entry because it was the only entry to record that the hire had been paid for in hard cash. All the other entries read either ‘cheque’, ‘credit card’, or ‘charge to account’. Laying the other ledgers to one side Hennessey and Yellich carried that particular book to Bateman’s office. Upon tapping on the door they were warmly invited to enter.
‘Can you tell me anything about this entry here, Mr Bateman?’ Hennessey rotated the ledger and laid it on Bateman’s desk. He indicated the relevant entry.
‘Cash,’ Bateman read, ‘that is quite unusual, pretty well unique in fact.’
Hennessey stood upright. ‘That is why we are interested in it, from a police officer’s point of view.’
‘Can’t be traced.’ Bateman glanced up at Hennessey and Yellich. ‘Is that the reason for your interest?’
‘Yes,’ Hennessey replied, ‘yes, it is. All other forms of payment leave a paper trail but hard cash . . . hard cash . . . the good old folding brown and blue, especially if used and untraceable, has always been a favoured method of doing business in the criminal fraternity.’
‘So I believe . . . so I believe.’ Bateman looked at the ledger. ‘So what does the entry tell us? Well, the first thing it tells us is that it dates from the time before we took over the business, just by a couple of years, so we won’t be able to tell you anything about it other than what is in the ledger. The handling agent is given as “E.E.”, that would be Edward Evans, of Evans and Marshall. He is still with us.’
‘Still alive?’
‘Yes, very much so. The plant in question, a Bobcat 322 . . . it’s a mini digger, the smallest design of digger there is.’
‘I think I know the type,’ Yellich observed.
‘Yes.’ Bateman glanced at Yellich. ‘Small, green-painted machines. They are very popular with gangs who dig up the pavements or the roads to access gas and/or water mains. The operator often looks to be quite cramped in the cab but they really are a very handy bit of kit, they have a long “reach”, as we say, they can get a long way
‘I see.’ Hennessey thumbed through the ledger. ‘Beautiful handwriting.’
‘Indeed . . . we have had our lean years. I mean, which company hasn’t? But unlike the majority of plant hire companies we are not tied solely to the building trade. Our customers include farmers and the agricultural industry as a whole. The building of houses might come to a stop from time to time as the national economy rises and falls but there’s always wheat to be harvested, potatoes to be scooped up in huge quantities and loaded into the back of huge bulk-carrying lorries, you’ll have doubtless seen the like . . . and there’s always ditches to be cleared. All used to be done manually, but nowadays it’s all done by machine, most of which are hired for the purpose.’
‘I see,’ Hennessey said again. ‘That’s interesting.’
‘So,’ Bateman continued, ‘it is because of our agricultural clients, and only because of them, that we have kept afloat in the inevitable lean times.’
‘You are indeed fortunate.’ Yellich also leafed through the ledgers.
‘Yes, we are.’ Bateman nodded. ‘And we are not unappreciative. We have a wide client base and farming has meant that this is a stable local economy. It takes a lot to bring agriculture to a standstill.’
‘Dare say that’s true.’
Bateman leaned back in his chair. ‘So . . . if you would like to examine the ledgers at your leisure, gentlemen, I can let you have a small office. It has a small desk and a lovely view of our backyard,’ he added with a grin.
Hennessey and Yellich gratefully accepted the offer of the small office and settled down to leaf through the ledgers while fortified by cups of tea provided by the smiling receptionist. Looking at the entries for September of the year in question, one entry caught Yellich’s eye and he drew Hennessey’s attention to it. It was a very significant entry because it was the only entry to record that the hire had been paid for in hard cash. All the other entries read either ‘cheque’, ‘credit card’, or ‘charge to account’. Laying the other ledgers to one side Hennessey and Yellich carried that particular book to Bateman’s office. Upon tapping on the door they were warmly invited to enter.
‘Can you tell me anything about this entry here, Mr Bateman?’ Hennessey rotated the ledger and laid it on Bateman’s desk. He indicated the relevant entry.
‘Cash,’ Bateman read, ‘that is quite unusual, pretty well unique in fact.’
Hennessey stood upright. ‘That is why we are interested in it, from a police officer’s point of view.’
‘Can’t be traced.’ Bateman glanced up at Hennessey and Yellich. ‘Is that the reason for your interest?’
‘Yes,’ Hennessey replied, ‘yes, it is. All other forms of payment leave a paper trail but hard cash . . . hard cash . . . the good old folding brown and blue, especially if used and untraceable, has always been a favoured method of doing business in the criminal fraternity.’
‘So I believe . . . so I believe.’ Bateman looked at the ledger. ‘So what does the entry tell us? Well, the first thing it tells us is that it dates from the time before we took over the business, just by a couple of years, so we won’t be able to tell you anything about it other than what is in the ledger. The handling agent is given as “E.E.”, that would be Edward Evans, of Evans and Marshall. He is still with us.’
‘Still alive?’
‘Yes, very much so. The plant in question, a Bobcat 322 . . . it’s a mini digger, the smallest design of digger there is.’
‘I think I know the type,’ Yellich observed.
‘Yes.’ Bateman glanced at Yellich. ‘Small, green-painted machines. They are very popular with gangs who dig up the pavements or the roads to access gas and/or water mains. The operator often looks to be quite cramped in the cab but they really are a very handy bit of kit, they have a long “reach”, as we say, they can get a long way
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