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before
commenting on each in turn.
    “ Number one; ‘The Bank’. I think we can scrub that one, as I
use an internet based account and so they have no idea that I own
my flat. Also a large part of my earnings are paid into investment
funds and pension funds, and so no-one at the bank could have any
real idea of my monthly income, let alone my net worth.” Toby drew
a line through ‘The Bank’.
    “ Next, I think we can rule out friends. They have no idea what
I earn. To be honest, most of my friends probably imagine I earn
around a third of my actual income. Only a few close friends have
been to my flat, and I think they just assumed it was rented. I
never felt it necessary to disabuse them of that view.” Toby
crossed the second line out, too.
    “ Three and four can stay for the moment.” Toby’s pen hovered
over item five, ‘Inland Revenue’. “I think we can rule them out,
too,” I said, “as they know about my income but they have no idea
that I own other assets like the flat. They only know what’s on my
tax return, and that information is unremarkable.” Line five was
scrawled out.
    “ Line six; ‘Relatives’.” I thought hard before dismissing this
one. “Only my parents and my brother have any clue as to my
financial position, but even they probably underestimate my income.
Dad is forever offering to lend me a couple of grand if I ever get
into trouble living in London. Pete, he’s more switched on. He
probably realises that I earn over a hundred thousand a year, but
he probably thinks I have a huge mortgage, just like he has. No. I
think we have to eliminate family.” Another crossing out in red
marker followed that conclusion.
    “ Ex - girlfriends.” I smiled wanly before dismissing line
seven. “I’m afraid none of my girlfriends stuck around long enough
to understand my financial position, so that’s a non-starter.” It
was eliminated in red.
    “ Last one.” I considered ‘Lenders and credit
agencies’.
    “ Well, I don’t have any loans, and my credit rating is good
but, again, there is no way they could know I own a flat worth over
three hundred grand. That line has to go as well.”
    The people in the room perused the list which now consisted of
‘3) Employer’ and, ‘4) Accountant’. Before I made my opinion known,
the other three had alighted on their own preference, which in all
cases was the accountant.
    “ Toby,” I said, “the only person at Dyson Brecht who knows
about my finances is you, and I trust you with my life. I guess we
need to look more closely at Atkins, Garretson, and Palmer, better
known in the City as AGP.” I paused. “More specifically, I need to
speak to Andrew Cuthbertson, who does my accounts.” Toby crossed
out number three, ‘Employer’, and flipped the page before writing
at the top ‘WHY JOSH?’
    ***
     
    Sandwiches, juice and fruit having been consumed, the four of
us assembled in the conference room and set our minds to answering
the question “Why pick on Josh?”
    Using the same flip chart as before, we listed and discarded
all but one reason. Out went Envy, Hatred, Prejudice, Revenge and
Ideology. It looked like a list of most of the seven deadly sins,
but none of them seemed likely as a motive.
    Toby summarised the discussion, which had taken almost an hour
and which had been very deep at times.
    “ Dee, gentlemen, we are left with one category standing;
Greed. I have to say that, before we began this exercise, that was
my view anyway. Josh, the fact is, the texts and emails you have
received have been dispassionate, even jokey. There has been no
attempt to make you suffer, no rambling theses about the evils of
capitalism or suggestion that you need to repent of your evil ways.
No. I think that you were chosen simply because you were available
and you had the funds.” The others nodded in agreement.
    “ I have to agree,” Roddy said. “You should see the anonymous
hate mail we receive in the post. It’s as disgusting as