CHAPTER 29 - The Captain's Choice

Alexander felt so cold inside the boardroom of Westbridge FC.

Alexander sat at one end of the long table as the club's chairman, two different directors and the board's secretary sat opposite him. Richard Vale sat by the window.

Thomas Bennett was also there.

The meeting started with questioning around Alexander's behaviour regarding Isabella, and his involvement with the investigation.

Alexander carefully answered each question.

He explained how Isabella's investigation started before the relationship and admitted he didn't get back to Daniel's message 7 years ago. He had also confirmed that he has recently met with Daniel and is working with him to find out the truth.

One of the directors frowned and crossed his arms.

"Can you see how this may affect the club's reputation?" he questioned.

"Yes."

"You carried on looking into it?"

"In order to find the truth."

"I don't care how you feel you are doing the right thing. This is about whether or not you let your feelings for Isabella cloud your judgement." Richard Vale said leaning forward.

"Have you even considered that it may cause the club a bad reputation?" Alexander replied, looking up.

An awkward silence filled the room.

"I don't think you should be so quick to judgement Alexander." Vale said narrowing his eyes.

"I'm not! But this isn't something I'm just throwing accusations around over. I know there are questions over Daniel Mercer."

Alexander raised his hand.

"Correct."

The board's secretary opened a file.

"We have heard that you were hiding a message from a previous player who was accused of stealing confidential records. Can you explain?"

Alexander sighed.

"I was scared. I felt as if helping Daniel would jeopardise my future and so I made a mistake. I have already admitted to this mistake. But I am happy to work with them to find the truth."

"Do you think others have acted improperly?"

"It should be looked at by an independent source."

Vale tapped his fingers on the table.

"This is getting very public."

"Then I think the easiest way to do this is to hand over the records and let them be looked at." Alexander replied, meeting his eyes.

Vale didn't say anything.

The meeting went on for another hour and whilst Alexander's captaincy wasn't reinstated, the board agreed that working with the investigation wouldn't count as misconduct.

As Alexander left the building he saw Daniel Brooks in the corridor.

"How bad was it?"

"Not as bad as I thought."

"Did you tell everything?"

"Yes."

"Good." Daniel Brooks nodded.

"I don't know if they will ever fully trust me with the armband." Alexander said, looking towards the training pitch.

"You don't need the armband to prove yourself. Just keep doing the right thing and everything will sort itself out." His friend said, patting his back.

Meanwhile, Isabella was meeting Margaret.

Her editor had organised for the legal advisor of the newspaper to look through the letters.

"This letter is important. But it doesn't prove that the contents of the package were there. " Margaret explained.

"No. We need to find Finch."

"He lives at his last known address in Surrey. Our researcher is looking through public records. I don't think we should confront him without a plan. If these documents are sensitive then he may be scared."

"Correct." Isabella agreed.

"I will contact him through his solicitor if we can find one."

Margaret looked at Isabella.

"How are you handling everything else?"

"Everything else?"

"Alexander. The threats. Your dad. And the fact that you may have a much bigger story on your hands."

Isabella smiled.

"Just taking it one day at a time."

"That's good. Remember that your job is to find the truth. You don't need to save everyone."

She left the office.

Later that evening, Isabella was meeting Alexander at a small restauraunt in Marylebone. They were in a quiet corner away from the windows.

"So how did it go?" Isabella asked.

"I told them everything."

"So?"

"They haven't reinstated me as captain but they haven't kicked me off the team."

"That's good."

"It is."

"Are you ok?" he asked looking at her.

"I'm tired."

"Do you want to talk?"

She thought.

Over the months she had learnt to cope with issues by making them into a task. If something hurt her she would research into it. If something scared her then she would make a list. And if someone let her down she would try to understand their intentions until her anger was under control.

But with Alexander she was realising not everything can be solved.

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't got caught up in this story."

Alexander moved across the table.

"Because of your dad?"

"Everything. I wanted to know why he left and hoped that knowing the truth would help me move on from the past."

"It hasn't."

Alexander nodded.

"I wish I could."

"You don't have too."

"I know but I want too."

"You don't regret telling me about the message?" she asked looking at him.

"No."

"Even though it almost broke us?"

"Especially because it did. If I had continued to hide it from you then we would have been lying to each other."

She squeezed his hand.

"I'm glad you told me."

He looked shocked.

"Even though it hurt?"

"Yes. Because I trust you. It doesn't mean I won't get hurt but it means I know they are willing to confront what they have done."

He smiled softly.

"I will try my best to earn that."

"Don't promise things you can't deliver."

"I'll promise you something I can."

He leaned forward.

"I promise I will tell you the truth, even if it makes me look bad."

She smiled.

"A good start."

They kissed gently across the table.

For a while they weren't the captain and journalist. They were just Alexander and Isabella, trying to chose each other without asking the other to change who they are.

However, when Isabella arrived home there was an email in her inbox.

From a solicitors office in Surrey.

Mr Harold Finch is willing to meet. However, he has requested that you come alone and that no recording equipment is brought.

Isabella gaped at the screen.

Maybe she actually had a chance of finding the missing file.

But why was he so scared of being recorded?

What did he know that he couldn't safely say?