Chapter 7 – Receipts & Ledgers

  As he signed the last of the orders on his desk, Mr. Aquitaine’s stomach protested in hunger. Taking stock of his surroundings for the first time since that morning. He placed his pen down and turned his chair to admire the view from where he sat. 

  Patting his stomach as if to reassure it, that he had not forgotten its needs, he watched from underneath bushy eyebrows as the sun sank below the sky-line.  Bathed in golden hues the city looked radiant this time of evening. A serene masterpiece. Right before it transformed from a bustling metropolis to a torrid affair of flashing lights, live music, and dinner reservations. Speaking of which.  Where had his wife made reservations for this evening? As seemed to be happening more and more, the lunch Ms. Cavanaugh had so kindly procured for him earlier, sat on the corner of his desk untouched.  

He leaned back in his chair, his hands still resting casually on his stomach, less it became fearful it had been forgotten again and begin to grumble once more.  Still though, a forgotten lunch was a small price to pay in the return for the work he’d gotten done. His day had already been busy before his daughter had burst in that morning and had only grown more so with her departure.

A knot formed in the pit of his stomach, the twisted irony that she had delivered the death note, which for all intent and purpose should have been her own.  He had mulled over this thought all day, along with the contents of the letter. There were questions that needed answers.  While he had been assured the development would provide only a minor inconvenience, it did not sit well with him that he did not have the answers to substantiate that at this time.  Luckily dinner would see to a number of those. 

Well, he decided, swiveling back to his desk, he had done all he could here for the day. Besides, if he stayed any later so would Ms.Cavanaugh.  The woman deserved to enjoy her evening, rather than be holed up at work with her boss. As he ordered his desk in preparation for tomorrow’s start, he took careful stock of the letter he had received.  Carefully folding the contents and replacing them back in the envelope. Folding the flap over to secure the letter inside. He held the letter for a moment. Running his roughened fingertips over the raised edges of the wazy seal.

It was a shame about his nephew he decided, necessary as it was, he had not been expecting that news so soon.  Why had he been in the City anyways? Still yet another unanswered question. There though, at least, he was in complete agreement with his consort’s assessment. His nephew’s demise would present little in the way of a problem to the overall plan.  His death really had been more of an opportunity to tie-up a loose end than anything else to begin with. Now it was tied.

He placed the envelope once more on the desk as he extricated a key from his jacket pocket.  Carefully inserting it into the lock of the top drawer of his desk, he turned the key, releasing the latch.  Pulling open the drawer, Aquitaine was greeted by a stack of letters similar to the one he had just placed on his desk.  Removing these and setting them aside for a moment, he was able to access the battered ledger at the bottom of the drawer he had been seeking.  

 Flipping open the tome to the ear-marked page, he picked up his pen from earlier and made a few quick marks on the page next to a numbered account. That done.  He then pulled a loose sheet of paper from the same drawer and jotted a quick note in quick tight script. “A credit of one has been deducted” was all that was written before he folded the letter and placed it neatly in an envelope.

This task done, all other contents were placed back in the drawer, the newest letter, received that morning, added to the top of the stack.  The drawer was locked once more, and the key returned to his pocket. The portly old man heaved himself from his leather bound chair and headed towards the door, letter in hand. 

“Ms. Cavanaugh, I do believe it’s time we take our leave.”  Aquitaine smiled kindly at the woman working behind the desk, busy filing something or another. 

“Done for the day sir?”  She asked looking up from her work.

“I do believe so.  My stomach has informed me that were I to stay any later, I would surely be late for dinner” He patted his stomach, as it started to rumble in agreement.

The secretary smiled at her boss, wise to his ways and in full knowledge that he had not the slightest clue where that dinner was to be. “Should you want to continue being on time, I would suggest you head towards the Golden Fitch.  Your wife called earlier to say she had already made the reservations.”

Making as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head, Mr. Aquitaine smiled at the woman.  “It’s as if you can read my mind, perhaps I should consider giving you a raise some time, remind me to do that would you?”

Ms.Cavanaugh smiled, “I always do, as I’m certain it’s the only way I will get one.”

Grinning like a sly old fox. The man turned to leave before thinking better of it.  “Ms. Cavanaugh, less I am late to my dinner reservation, might I get you to deliver a letter for me? The address is on the envelope.” 

He handed the letter over to the woman.  She shuffled it into her purse for safe keeping.  “No trouble at all Mr. Aquitaine, that building is on my home.  I’d be happy to. Now get going before you’re late to dinner!”  

The portly old man smiled, nodding his gratitude and headed towards the door.  Dinner would prove to be interesting, and hopefully satisfying.