Airship City

Chapter 27

Well before the appointed time, Joseph sat waiting in the hard chair in the hallway outside the office of Miss Honeywell. She arrived at about ten minutes to eight, and he stood up in greeting, but, after unlocking the door, she bade him to continue waiting, and entered her office alone. Fifteen minutes later he was still waiting.

Then the door opened slightly, and Miss Honeywell beckoned him into her office. She motioned for him to sit down in one of the high-backed visitor’s chairs, while she herself returned to her seat behind the desk. She leaned forward, regarding him through her big black glasses, and then picked up the envelope from the blotter in front of her.

“When and how did you remove this draft from the locked desk drawer of Mr Pinborough, Samson?”

Joseph took a deep breath. “I didn’t take it from Mr Pinbourough’s desk, Miss. As I said yesterday, I’ve never before seen that draft.” To his relief, his voice sounded calm and level. Just remember, you’ve done nothing wrong!

She frowned at him. “Then how do you explain its presence in your pigeonhole?”

“I believe it was put there by Mickey Cooper.”

“Did he also fill your name in on the payee line?”

“He must have. It certainly wasn’t me.”

“So you are saying you believe that the head clerk stole a draft, forged your name on it, and then placed it in your pigeon hole.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Why on earth would he do such a thing?”

Joseph sighed. “He told me that he was going to do it to punish me for not paying him his tribute.”

“Tribute? What tribute?”

Joseph explained about the traditional tribute paid to the head clerk by new clerks. “But Mickey demanded an extortionate amount from me, because he thinks I’m a toff, and I refused to pay it.”

“How much did he want?”

“Twenty-one shillings. It’s more than I make in a week.”

Miss Honeywell’s eyebrows rose at that. “I agree you cannot afford to pay that much. But why didn’t you come to me when Cooper first threatened to do this?”

Joseph frowned. “I wish that I had, now. But I suppose I wasn’t certain he would carry out his threat. And I didn’t want to be a sneak.”

“I wish that you had too.” She put the draft down on the desk. “Because this puts me in a difficult situation.” She folded her hands together on top of the draft. “I want to believe you, Samson. But this is a very serious matter, and as a bank we cannot afford to employ anyone against whom there is even a breath of suspicion of fraudulent activity. I need proof that you are innocent.”

Joseph rubbed his forehead. “Why would I do this thing? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Perhaps because your family has fallen on hard times, and you want to restore yourself to a life of privilege?”

“No, I would never do that!” But how could he prove that he wouldn’t? It was just his word, and wouldn’t anyone say that? He felt panic rising in his chest, and he thought desperately for something to say in his defence.

“How would someone forge the signatures on the draft, anyway? It’s worthless without the signatures, isn’t it?”

Miss Honeywell narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps it was an opportunistic crime, and you didn’t think it through beforehand. Perhaps you noticed that Mr Pinbourough had left his desk drawer unlocked when you delivered his post, and the temptation was too much.” She sat back in her chair. “In any event, I don’t think it’s accurate to say that a blank banker’s draft is worthless. I’ve no doubt that there are nefarious characters in the underworld who would pay a considerable sum for such an item. Professional forgers, and the like.”

Joseph wiped his hand across his mouth. It wasn’t fair to expect him to refute every possible scenario that she came up with. But then he thought of another point. “Why do you think my name was entered in block capitals?”

“I don’t know why. You tell me.”

“To disguise the writing of the person who did it! If Mickey had written in cursive it would have been obvious that it wasn’t my hand.”

Miss Honeywell nodded. “That is a good point. But not conclusive. You yourself might have written in block capitals for the same reason.”

Joseph shook his head, frustration mounting. “Look, the whole thing is ridiculous! I don’t even have a bank account in my name! How could I have paid the draft in?”

Miss Honeywell looked at him sternly. “Joseph, I know this is hard for you, but you must control your temper. Kindly moderate your tone.”

“I’m sorry, Miss.”

“That’s better. Now, what I propose to do is to investigate further. I will interview Mr Cooper, and I will check with the other banks to make sure that what you have said about a bank account is true. I will also compare the handwriting on the draft with some of the written work done by yourself and by Mr Cooper. Until I have concluded my investigations, I believe it is better if you do not come in to work.”

Joseph opened his mouth to protest, but she held up her hand, and continued. “You will still be paid, but I cannot take the risk until I am certain that you are innocent. I’m sorry, but that is the way it has to be.”

She stood up, and Joseph was obliged to follow suit. “Go home, Samson, and remain there until Friday. I should have reached a conclusion by then. You may come to my office again on Friday at eight in the morning, and I will let you know what my decision is. Good day.”

Joseph turned and stumbled out of the office, his thoughts in turmoil. What could he do? If he returned home now, it would cause his mother tremendous worry, and he couldn’t do that to her. But what were the other possibilities? Wander the streets all day while she thought he was at work? 

He descended the stairs in a daze, and walked out into the street. The morning bustle now seemed to exclude him, because he alone out of all the hurrying people had nowhere to go and nothing to do. He chose a direction at random, and started walking.