Patrick Arnott now accepted that stealing Angus Trewaley's file from Merton & Co was a quantum leap beyond the dumbest thing he'd ever done. That act turned his life into a nightmare during which he kept asking himself one basic question: "Why the fuck did you do it?"
He told Pastor McKenzie and Gary Maddox that he felt he had a Christian duty to expose Trewaley's tax evasion. But that was a pompous lie intended to make him sound heroic. He didn't really object to Trewaley cheating on his tax. He'd been an accountant long enough to know that, if a rich person paid a decent amount of tax, the guy was making a big mistake and should sack his accountant. So he didn't steal the file for a noble motive. The real reason was that nobody took him seriously.
While growing up, he never expected to suffer that indignity. His ambitious parents gave their only child the best education possible and expected him to bathe in success. However, instead of becoming a high-flying professional, like his surgeon father, he became a shit-kicking accountant playing with excel spreadsheets. His parents pretended they didn't mind. They said they just wanted him to be happy. He knew that was a lie.
When he got a job at Merton & Co, he felt a surge of hope. It was a successful boutique firm doing high-end accountancy work. Maybe his career was finally on the launch pad. However, he soon discovered that Robert Merton was an arsehole who kept belittling his skills and giving him menial jobs. The bullying got so bad that Arnott considered suing Merton, but was too afraid.
His personal life was just as unsuccessful. He was no oil-painting and lacked social confidence. Few women agreed to go out with him once and none returned for seconds. One woman, who refused to go out on a date, accused him of wearing far too much cologne. She obviously didn't realise how much he sweated.
He thought he'd found the solution to his problems when a friend took him to a Sunday service of the Sunrise Mission. Pastor McKenzie told the congregation that, if they were nice to God and Jesus, the divine duo would make them wealthy and successful. That was just what Arnott wanted to hear. He even paid for Pastor McKenzie to give him some life-coaching. He loved it when the Pastor told him to identify and accept his weaknesses. "Make your glitch your gift," the Pastor kept saying.
The church was also a great place to meet single women. Indeed, he became besotted with one in particular - the bob-haired singer, Joy Holland - and followed her around without daring to approach her. However, she eventually approached him and called him "a creep". She even threatened to get an AVO order.
So, after a flicker of hope, his life turned to shit again. But it got even worse when a colleague at work warned that Merton planned to sack him. That revelation hit him like a harpoon. Getting sacked would crush his fragile ego and send his career into a flat-spin. Anger welled up inside him. He was tired of being kicked around. Merton was just the latest scumbag who refused to recognise his talent. But he would pay the price. It was time to strike back. Arnott would steal Angus Trewaley's file and leak it to the Tax Office and the news media. Then, after Trewaley and Merton were ruined, he would step forward and claim the credit. People would finally take him seriously. He would be feted like Snowden and Assange - well, maybe just Snowden, because Assange wasn't popular anymore. Even Joy Holland and his stupid mother would be impressed.
However, his masterplan went pear-shaped when Merton found out he had copied the file and confronted him. He had to flee for his life. Then, to make matters worse, Pastor McKenzie betrayed him, his neighbour and best friend, Tony Tam, was thrown off his balcony and a couple of thugs tried to murder him. Indeed, he was only alive because the guy his mother employed, Gary Maddox, turned up and shot one of the brutes. Maddox was a big tough-looking guy who seemed to have his shit together. That, at least, was some consolation. But Arnott desperately wanted his old life back, even if it was shitty and humiliating. Surely, he wasn't asking too much.
After Maddox left Arnott in the coffee shop, Arnott considered contacting his mother to tell her he was alive and well. She would be worried sick about him and desperate for news. But, if he contacted her, he would have to reveal how stupid he'd been and explain he was still in mortal peril. She would probably tear strips off him. Anyway, she'd caused him a lot of pain during his life. He was entitled to cause her some. He wouldn't contact her yet.
He was more worried about his beautiful tabby cat, Oscar. For years, the cat sat on his lap while he watched TV and listened to him voice his dreams and fears without censure. He loved the cat more than anything. So he was deeply upset to learn that Oscar must be starving. Tony Tam probably fed the cat once or twice before he was killed. But, even if he did, Oscar wouldn't have eaten for several days.
He had to rescue the cat before it starved to death. Returning to the apartment would be dangerous, because the thugs might still be around. But he had no choice. Hopefully, the death of Tony Tam scared them away, and he would be very, very careful.
Arnott considered waiting until Maddox returned to the coffee shop and telling him what he proposed to do. However, Maddox would try to stop him. But, if he hurried, he could rescue the cat and be back before Maddox returned. He didn't have a moment to lose.