‘Very sensible. I want to think about reinvesting. Can I call you at work a little later this morning and let you know how much I’d like to invest?’
‘Do you mean you want to add some money to the fifteen thousand you already have?’
‘I think it might be worth it. Just put in one lump sum and make one investment. Withdraw it as soon as we see the return. If Jacob says their safety net is ten days and we’re only planning to invest over the next two to three then it’s a low risk.’
‘Kind of. Although both Jacob and Eliza have constantly reminded me what a high risk it could be, they’ve never suggested I invest anything beyond the money that’s in the account.’
‘But we could if we wanted to. That text he sent you on Sunday specifically said family or friends could invest.’
It had said that. Nat’s gut was telling her something else though. ‘I’m beginning to think we might have had our run of luck. I don’t think I’ll risk any of the money myself. I can invest some for you, if you like?’
‘Actually, why don’t you put me in touch with Jacob directly. I’d feel more confident speaking to him and having my own account. I’m a good judge of character, so it will help me decide whether he’s a person to trust. He appears to be from what we know so far, but I should do my research.’ A deep throaty chuckle came down the line. ‘Imagine what Hannah would say if I didn’t.’
‘I’ll forward you the information I have. Just don’t do anything crazy. You can’t afford to lose anything, by the sounds of it.’
Her father laughed. ‘Usually, I’m the most conservative and least crazy person you’ll meet when it comes to investment and risk. The superannuation situation was definitely outside my comfort zone. Don’t you worry yourself about it. I’ll speak to Sue and if she agrees we’ll work out a small amount that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we did lose and see if we can invest it. But I’ll wait to hear from your friend first, make sure he’s okay with me getting involved. It sounds like he’s gone above and beyond for you when he hardly knows you, so if he says no, then that’s perfectly fine too.’
They ended the conversation and Nat went back downstairs to the computer and forwarded her father the information Jacob had sent her. She smiled to herself. Imagine if it was through her help that her father’s retirement fund was topped up to where he’d expected it to be. It would be so nice to be the one helping for a change rather than the one asking for money.
As much as she tried to focus on work, it was a stressful morning for Nat knowing her father was considering investing some of his savings. As thrilled as she was at the prospect of helping him fix his financial difficulties, it concerned her, even though the past results suggested she need not worry. She surprised herself when, during her lunch break, she picked up her phone and dialled the last person she would dream of speaking to about this.
‘Hannah Anderson.’
‘Han, it’s Nat.’
‘Oh, hello!’
Nat held the phone away from her and stared at it. Hannah’s tone was a mixture of surprise and delight. Maybe she had a friend called Nat and had mistaken her.
‘Your sister, Nat,’ she clarified.
Hannah laughed. ‘How many Nats am I supposed to know? What’s up?’
Nat took a deep breath. ‘It’s about the investments. I wanted your advice actually.’
‘Really?’
‘Don’t sound so shocked.’ Although she knew Hannah would be. ‘It’s just that Dad invested five thousand dollars, and it made some money.’
‘That’s fantastic.’
‘Yes, it is, but now he’s talking about making another investment with some of his savings. I’m a little concerned. Even though we’ve been lucky so far, it’s a risk – one that Jacob’s been very upfront about. He is predicting another ten days of trading before the salmon run dries up, but I’d hate Dad to find out the hard way that it’s not the case.’
‘I’d hate that too. What can I do to help?’
‘Talk to him. He listens to you. I’m not against him investing, but I want to make sure he’s being sensible and only puts in what he can afford to lose. He did say that’s all he’d do, and he and Sue will work out what they can risk but I don’t think they can afford to lose anything.’
‘Fifteen thousand is all they can afford to lose,’ Hannah said. ‘That’s the profit he’s made. Perhaps we can convince him to only reinvest that.’
‘Would you give him a call? Just to make sure that’s all he does invest?’
‘Of course. And what about you, are you reinvesting?’
‘I’m not sure. I’ve paused my activity for the moment, so I do still have the option, but twenty-seven thousand is a lot of money. I’d like to keep it. My friend Eliza and her husband are continuing to invest, but I think there’s a point where you can become greedy.’
‘You sound like you’ve got it all under control.’
‘Thanks. What about you? Dad said he forwarded you the information. Are you going to invest?’
‘He did, and I’m not sure yet. Just weighing up a few things.’
Nat could hear the smile in her voice.
‘You know me, pros and cons, risk versus reward and all that. By the time I’ve finished my process, the salmon run will probably be six months gone.’
Nat laughed at Hannah poking fun at herself. Whatever had happened with her and Damien she’d certainly mellowed. ‘Okay, well, let me know if you do invest and also what happens with Dad.’
‘Will do.’
Nat stared at her phone after she hung up. Something Hannah had said was bugging her. It was about the fifteen thousand dollars her dad had made. She was sure she hadn’t mentioned an amount. She thought back over their conversation. She’d said something along the lines of Dad invested five thousand dollars in it and it made some money. Did she confirm the amount it had made? She didn’t think so, but then again, she’d been so thrown by Hannah’s enthusiastic response to her calling that anything was possible.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hannah hung up after Nat’s call, closed her office door and immediately rang Julian Baker. She left a message on his voicemail and crossed her fingers that he would get back to her quickly. The next call she made was to her father. He sounded less than pleased with what he termed her ‘interference’.
‘I’m not interfering. I’m just asking you to hold off investing any money for a few hours. I’ve got someone doing some investigations for me to check that this Jacob guy is legit. It all sounds a bit too easy. I’m hoping it is, but the fact that Nat never actually invested any money of her own and the amount she’s supposedly made is only a line item on a website account concerns me. If she’d withdrawn some of the money, then we’d know it existed.’
Her father was silent for a few moments.
‘Dad?’
‘I’m here, and whatever you find is quite likely too late. Sue and I invested some money this morning.’
‘If you did a transfer, it probably hasn’t left your account yet. The batches are often run by the banks overnight.’