Chapter Two: The One-Pound Club

Three people waited in the boardroom. Owner Harold Pike wore an expensive suit with a crooked tie. The accountant had packed two boxes. Mara Vale sat beside the window, black sleeves rolled to her elbows and six pages of liabilities spread before her. She did not offer her hand. “One pound isn't a price,” she said. “It's bait.” “I know.” “Tax authority, one hundred and thirteen thousand. Wages, seventy-eight. Suppliers, forty-two. Mr Pike claims another ninety thousand in director's loans, though those can be waived. The council owns the ground. Repairs to the stand will cost at least sixty thousand. There is also an unreserved injury claim.” Pike tapped the table. “The young man wants an opportunity, not a law lecture.”