Chapter 1

Stuart why in the hell do they call you cracker his area manager asked In the first pub I managed there was a punter that used to come in and tell me the same joke over and over again and I would say that was cracker meaning good so the locals started to nickname me cracker he replied with a smile on his face.

Matthew his area manager then went on to tell him that he had a problem with a pub in the east end of London for some reason this pub was not doing as well as it should be doing he knew the manager was on the fiddle but how.

I bet I can find out where is fiddling from Stuart informed Matthew If you can find out where he is fiddling not only will I give you £1000 bonus also you can run the pub as well as you know the eagle is about to Sold on and you will be out of a job.

Your on just give me a copy of his bookwork for access to his computer files and I will find it within a week also let me visit the pub and a couple of times and see if I can find out where the fiddle is being done. With that Matthew stood up shook Stuarts hand and said I’m sorry about the Eagle I wish I had better news however I have every faith in you and I know you will probably find out where he is fiddling give me a call as soon as you find out and with that Matthew left the pub.

Matthew had sent the files over that day, it was a quiet day at the Eagle and Stewart port through each and every file closely, something wasn’t quite right every penny matched there were no entries evening for the odd £10 that would invariably go missing on a busy shift, intact the calculator over and over again the figures were right, the auditors figures were right yes there was the odd pint here and there missing and I have yet to run a pub with a Coke and lemonade never match the stocks, These books were clean too clean.

The next day he set off for the east end of London to the Arsenal pub, Matthew had already informed Ian the manager of the pub that Stuart would be arriving, under the rouge of him being a relief manager for when Ian was on holiday.

Stuart left the eagle in the capable hands of Ann his wife and children would be sent off to school as per normal, returning to the children he told them to behave for their mother and with that he said his goodbyes as he would be going away for a day or two.

Early morning traffic was a nightmare in the East End of London and on the way to London as well from Stevenage. He eventually arrived and knocked on the front doors of the pub, a young lady let him in and he asked if Ian was about. Ian was actually standing at the bar having a cup of coffee. Ian introduced Stuart to Carol Who was busy cleaning the pub for opening time, she was sweet and chirpy and bustling about getting things ready, it was her east-end accent that chuckled him the most the way she bobbed into the men’s toilets to clean them she came out she said core blimey mate why can’t men piss in the urinals instead of pissing all over the floor, it made him chuckle his next encounter with her was as he was sitting at the bar drinking his tea she said “come on Mr ain’t got all day, alright for some anti- it sitting around drinking tea and coffee, some of us I’ve got other things to do ain’t we. From the moment he set eyes on Carol he knew there was something about this girl he liked, no more than liked respected. Soon she was finished and she said goodbye to Ian then she turned to Stuart and said I’ll see you again no doubt Mr, and with that she was gone.

For the next few hours Stuart floated around the pub, Ian show him the office and his computer, Stuart told Ian that Matthew and asked him to just check his figures as he thought there was an error somewhere and with that Ian left Stuart to it while he went to open up the pub.