The Yacht Party (Lara Stone)

‘Michael Sachs in merger talks with Johnstone Fund’

Michael Sachs wasn’t exactly hiding in the shadows, was he? But Lara felt the tingle. She had the scent. There was something here, she was sure of it. She flipped over to her contacts and dialled up Stella’s number.

‘I have Michael.’

She could almost hear Stella’s mouth drop open.

‘The Michael?’

‘His name’s Michael Sachs.’ Lara smiled into the phone. ‘And he could just be our man.’

Chapter 21

Stella was coasting downhill, but she kept pedalling anyway, increasing her speed, enjoying the rush of wind in her face.

Who knew that cycling could offer such fun? She zipped through an amber light and left a sooty red bus standing. In fact, who knew that the Capital was so hilly? It was only by travelling by bicycle that you got a sense of the ups and downs of the city. When you were encased in steel and glass or shooting along underground, it all felt like it was flat, but London was a bowl, everything heading down towards the river.

Not everything, she thought, standing on the pedals to get up an incline and around the roundabout at Sloane Square. Seeing a snarl-up at the entrance to the King’s Road, she jinked left in front of the tube, rolling down through the millionaires’ terraces towards Royal Hospital Road.

Stella put in another burst, her excitement rising in anticipation of getting to Lara’s houseboat. Because Stella had news: big news. She had found Helen. The Helen from the post-it note Lara had pulled from Sandrine’s pocket in Paris: the Helen that connected Sandrine and Michael Sachs.

She dismounted the bike at the wharf, clattered through the gate, bumping it up Misty’s gang-plank and propping it against the side of the boat. Through a porthole window she could see Lara in the living space, on her laptop sipping a cup of tea.

She rapped on the window and Lara came to open the door.

‘Sorry, Boss,’ panted Stella. ‘Boris bike… all the way… from Islington…’

‘Islington? What were you doing there?’

Stella took a deep breath, blew it out.

‘I found Helen,’ she said.

Lara beckoned with both hands. Inside, she clattered around the kitchen making the tea while Stella caught her breath and gave her the run-down of what she had found out.

‘We want to connect a Helen and a Michael with Jonathon Meyer, right?’ said Stella. ‘So I had a root around Sachs Capital, put the company into a networking site and found Helen Driver. Her CV says she spent two years as PA to Michael Sachs. I called the offices who told me Helen left a couple of months ago. So, another little dig around on the electoral roll and I find her in Islington, so I popped up there and knocked on the door. She was at home.’

Lara listened in silence, but Stella could see she was pleased.

‘She was happy to talk to you?’ asked Lara.

‘No, not at all,’ said Stella. ‘In fact, she was quite freaked out if I’m honest.’

Never come back without the story. That had been Lara’s first piece of advice when Stella had started working with her, so Stella had flashed one of her old Chronicle business cards and told her she was doing a piece entitled ‘His Girl Friday’, profiling PAs to top businessmen.

‘Quick thinking,’ said Lara. ‘Very tabloid.’

Stella could tell this was meant to be a compliment. She beamed.

‘Anyway, I let Helen waffle on about how vital she was to Michael Sachs, but as she spoke, I got the distinct feeling that Helen didn’t have much of a clue what Sachs did. He was a decent boss and the pay was good, but he spent a lot of time abroad so she didn’t even see him every day.’

Helen could feel Lara’s scepticism growing.

‘Why did she leave?’ Lara asked. ‘Affair with the boss?’

Stella pulled a face.

‘That’s what I thought, but no. I checked around: Helen Driver left Sachs Capital of her own accord. She’s actually on gardening leave because she’s got a new job. Starts next month.’