the penthouse studio. Its valuation is 1.07
million pounds. The change of ownership is dated the third of October,
less than two weeks prior to the Sanvino transaction. That’s when the
equity and mortgage funds must have changed hands, but the negotiations
for the penthouse would have happened on the weeks before. The
settlement date doesn’t mesh in with the transfer of funds for the Sanvino
affair, but it matches the opening of the account at UBS Willis showed
me. Coincidence or significant? I also wonder from where the guy might
have received the equity for such an extravagant apartment?
Unfortunately, the document contains no information on whether there is
a mortgage against the title. But if he took out a mortgage, he would still
have needed about a quarter million of his own funds. He started at Lewis
five years before me. Could he have saved that much? Not with his
lifestyle. From what I saw, his commission income isn’t that great. He is
too lazy to work hard. And could he support mortgage and interest
payments of about 100,000 a year? Or did he suddenly inherit big? If he
really is behind the scam, it is my educated guess that he would have
needed bridging finance. Again, could he have arranged that with his
record?
All I have is questions, but no answers, no promising leads. He though
still remains my most likely culprit. Maybe one of the private land
registry firms can find out the size of his mortgage.
What puzzles me even more is that he never mentioned or hinted to me
that he actually bought the place. I reckon that he would consider even me
a good enough platform for bragging, but then we’ve hardly exchanged
a civil word during the last two months of my employment. Has he, in
fact, told anyone else about the purchase? If he kept it a secret from
everybody at the office, then this could be a strong indication that he
doesn’t want any connection to be made between the purchase of the
apartment and the Sanvino affair. A tenuous conclusion I intend to
investigate further.
The documents for the other junior employees yield nothing of
interest. However, Fred Garland’s is more startling. I would never have
suspected that he lives in a house with extensive grounds, valued at more
than four million pounds. Again, there is no information on mortgages
against the title. I also remember office gossip that he comes from a
modest background, but made it big in the business. Still, maintaining a
mortgage on a mansion of that value can even be tough at his income
level.
Out of curiosity I go to the Google maps sky view. It shows a small
two-storey mansion, pre-WWII style, possibly containing ten rooms, a
fenced-in ten-yard, kidney-shaped swimming pool, a well-kept garden
with ornamental bushes and lawns around the house, the whole
surrounded by tall deciduous trees. In the street view, the house is mostly
hidden behind trees and bushes. The metal fence and gate around the
property alone must have cost a small fortune. I print out an enlarged sky
view and the street view approaching the gate.
I don’t seem to get anywhere. There is no choice but to see if a private
property agency can help. I search the yellow pages and find an outfit
within walking distance at the far end of Craven Road near the
Paddington Railway Station.
Tuesday, 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Warren of Cossgrove Land Agents ushers me into his office. On the
way there I pondered what story to invent for my request. In the end I
decided to pretend coming from a credit-checking bureau that needs
verification of financial asset statements made by loan applicants to a
small private lending agency. Warren seems to buy my story, but the cost
of making the two checks, one on Edward Long, the other on Fred
Garland, is a staggering one hundred pounds each. He promises to have
the results by tomorrow early afternoon.
When I come out of the building and set out back toward my
apartment, Mr. Swarthy, the mafioso , comes up from behind and blocks
my path.
million pounds. The change of ownership is dated the third of October,
less than two weeks prior to the Sanvino transaction. That’s when the
equity and mortgage funds must have changed hands, but the negotiations
for the penthouse would have happened on the weeks before. The
settlement date doesn’t mesh in with the transfer of funds for the Sanvino
affair, but it matches the opening of the account at UBS Willis showed
me. Coincidence or significant? I also wonder from where the guy might
have received the equity for such an extravagant apartment?
Unfortunately, the document contains no information on whether there is
a mortgage against the title. But if he took out a mortgage, he would still
have needed about a quarter million of his own funds. He started at Lewis
five years before me. Could he have saved that much? Not with his
lifestyle. From what I saw, his commission income isn’t that great. He is
too lazy to work hard. And could he support mortgage and interest
payments of about 100,000 a year? Or did he suddenly inherit big? If he
really is behind the scam, it is my educated guess that he would have
needed bridging finance. Again, could he have arranged that with his
record?
All I have is questions, but no answers, no promising leads. He though
still remains my most likely culprit. Maybe one of the private land
registry firms can find out the size of his mortgage.
What puzzles me even more is that he never mentioned or hinted to me
that he actually bought the place. I reckon that he would consider even me
a good enough platform for bragging, but then we’ve hardly exchanged
a civil word during the last two months of my employment. Has he, in
fact, told anyone else about the purchase? If he kept it a secret from
everybody at the office, then this could be a strong indication that he
doesn’t want any connection to be made between the purchase of the
apartment and the Sanvino affair. A tenuous conclusion I intend to
investigate further.
The documents for the other junior employees yield nothing of
interest. However, Fred Garland’s is more startling. I would never have
suspected that he lives in a house with extensive grounds, valued at more
than four million pounds. Again, there is no information on mortgages
against the title. I also remember office gossip that he comes from a
modest background, but made it big in the business. Still, maintaining a
mortgage on a mansion of that value can even be tough at his income
level.
Out of curiosity I go to the Google maps sky view. It shows a small
two-storey mansion, pre-WWII style, possibly containing ten rooms, a
fenced-in ten-yard, kidney-shaped swimming pool, a well-kept garden
with ornamental bushes and lawns around the house, the whole
surrounded by tall deciduous trees. In the street view, the house is mostly
hidden behind trees and bushes. The metal fence and gate around the
property alone must have cost a small fortune. I print out an enlarged sky
view and the street view approaching the gate.
I don’t seem to get anywhere. There is no choice but to see if a private
property agency can help. I search the yellow pages and find an outfit
within walking distance at the far end of Craven Road near the
Paddington Railway Station.
Tuesday, 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Warren of Cossgrove Land Agents ushers me into his office. On the
way there I pondered what story to invent for my request. In the end I
decided to pretend coming from a credit-checking bureau that needs
verification of financial asset statements made by loan applicants to a
small private lending agency. Warren seems to buy my story, but the cost
of making the two checks, one on Edward Long, the other on Fred
Garland, is a staggering one hundred pounds each. He promises to have
the results by tomorrow early afternoon.
When I come out of the building and set out back toward my
apartment, Mr. Swarthy, the mafioso , comes up from behind and blocks
my path.
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