A Thousand Salt Kisses (Book 1 of Salt Kiss series)

><> Chapter Forty-Eight <><

"They are false inspection documents," said Mum as Dad thumbed through the papers, "and one real inspection document too."

Dad was silent as he read through them.

"Ha! World class equipment... ethically-sound disposal devices," Dad guffawed, as he read the papers out loud. 

"Yes, darling. That's the fake document," said Mum dryly.

Darling? She just called him 'Darling'!

Dad looked up at her as though he suddenly understood the significance of what she had brought him.

He shuffled through the papers excitedly, until he located the covering letter of the genuine report.

"VELO Inspectors," I read peeping over his shoulder at the red and white logo.

VELO... Where have I heard that?  I felt my guts clench. That was the company that had burned down in the fire. The same fire which had taken Rory's dad.

"Dear Mr Geake," Dad began reading. "My colleague and I visited your factory this June 15th. You will find enclosed a detailed report of my visit.  

I would, however, like to put in writing how thoroughly disturbed we were to find the majority of your equipment was greatly flawed, to the brink of dysfunction. Not only is this extremely dangerous for your employees, but also violates international industrial law.

In addition, we were particularly concerned to find false certificates, which indicate that you have met essential safety requirements, when this is clearly not the case."

Dad stopped reading and looked at my mother and with wide starry eyes. "Unbelievable!" he breathed. "I knew it! They are dodgy as hell."

I sat there stunned. Well, it had always been obvious all their equipment was not exactly up to scratch. You just had to look at their leaking waste disposal boxes, killing all the sea life and their shambolic sinking ship. But now Dad had actual proof!

He carried on reading:

"I am ordering you to suspend all industrial duties within your factory as a matter of urgency, until we have completed further investigation."

Dad and I looked at each other confused. If SKANX had been ordered to close down their factory, then why, oh why was it still open?

Mum sighed and picked up the documents again. I couldn't help but admire her, for putting together all of this and smuggling it over here. It took guts.

We watched her rifle through the papers. What does she have for us now?

She placed an article in front of us.

"Fire at Local Offices Kills Four," it read. It was the very same article I had read that day in class, when Mrs Vendercum had bollocked me.

"They burnt down their offices," said Mum. "The two inspectors and their bosses were killed."

Dad's face darkened. "What?" he barked, his white eyebrows knitted together.

"You knew about this?" I gaped at Mum.

"By no choice of my own," she replied, "I was making tea in the CEO-suite kitchen as the kettle had packed up in the staff one. Anyway, I overheard Geake and his friend Mr Sherman - a hideous creep, I may add - discussing the whole thing. I tried to keep quiet, so that they wouldn't know I was there, but then I dropped the cup on the floor."

"Sheila!" Dad cried, putting his hand on her arm. His face suddenly blackened again. "Did they hurt you?"

Mum looked ahead. "No, but they threatened to kill me, you and Crystal if I said a word."

I felt nauseous all of a sudden. I couldn't believe it.

Dad nodded slowly as though everything was falling into place.

"Why didn't they just get decent factory equipment?" I asked faintly. I didn't get it. Surely that was much easier than going around killing everybody.

"They would be saving millions, Crystal, with that botched-up equipment," explained Dad. "Millions that would no doubt be going straight into their greedy little pockets."

The room was spinning. I was in complete shock. I couldn't believe our lives had been under threat like this, and that Mum had been going through all this by herself.

"So you weren't having an affair?" I asked.

Mum rolled her eyes to the high heavens. "Er, no," she said. "That night of the ship wreck, Mr Geake came down to the harbour to look all responsible in front of the media. I had moved away from the crowd, trying to calm down and get my head around what had just happened. But he snuck up behind me and put an arm around me. He whispered in my ear "I had hoped you would have gone down with the ship."

Dad stood up, overcome with rage.

"They put you on a dodgy boat deliberately?" he barked.

"Well, the containers would finally have gone into the sea, and so would I," said Mum. "Kills two birds with one stone. Genius really."

Dad's face was like a beetroot and his eyes were popping out of his head. I grabbed his hand to pull him back down again.

"Dad, you need to chill," I said firmly.

Dad allowed me to pull him back down, but he was nowhere near calmer. "I will rip out his throat!" he roared.

"And this is exactly why I didn't tell you about this," said Mum.

"Huh?" yelped Dad.

"Because you have been acting like a mad man over this company and I was scared you would do something stupid. It is only because I now stole this evidence that I could finally come to you. But you had better not let me down Keith. We need to go about this the right way. If we put a foot wrong then I think we all know the consequences."

I shuddered and hugged Maurice.

"Does he know you're here with these papers?" I asked fearfully.

"No, it's Saturday, and he shouldn't realize until Monday earliest when he returns to his office," she said.

I still coudn't relax. I felt tense all over and some of my muscles were actually twitching.

Dad walked over to the drinks-cabinet and retrieved a large bottle of scotch. He took three crystal tumblers and poured us all a drink. He walked back over to the sofa and we took them gratefully. He had the right idea.

After knocking back the Scotch we sat there silently for a while letting the alcohol and the shocking news absorb into our systems.

"I love you both so much," said Mum eventually. "I admit, when I initially took my job, I enjoyed tormenting you, Keith. I was so annoyed I had to leave London and everything behind. I wasn't ready, and when I got here you were acting like a child. I had intended to start looking for another job and put you out of your misery but then..."

Dad nodded. He took Mum's hand and kissed it.

I felt tears welling up just watching them and I reached for the Scotch bottle. I could not cry anymore tears this week.

"Crystal, no more," ordered my Mother.

I sighed and put it back down. Yes, my Mum was a bossy, domineering woman but she wasn't such an awful person, in fact she did everything with our best interests at heart.

She still loved Dad after all, and we still loved her.