The Electrician's Code (10 page)

Chapter Twenty

C
rystal and the night team were at the East End flat when Sophia arrived the next morning. Both Melony and her partner Bert were in the kitchen, leaning against the worktop, drinking coffee and stuffing their faces with cherry pastries. Bert’s shirt was un-tucked and his hair stuck up in various directions. Melony’s t-shirt was on backward.

“How was the night? Did you get any sleep?” Sophia asked, stepping past them to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“Sleep?” asked Melony. “What kind of stupid question is that? Of course not. We can’t watch the monitors and sleep at the same time, now can we? Why do you think we’re drinking coffee?” She held up her cup.

Sophia rolled her eyes. Obviously she picked the wrong people to make chit chat with. She went over to the fridge and poured milk into her cup. “Did our Ms. Smith do anything interesting?”

This time Bert replied, “It was uneventful except for one thing: Elaine Smith received a phone call at 7:46 this morning. It was simply this,” he picked up a piece of paper and read, “I have chocolates for you.”

“That’s the agreed-upon code?”

“We believe so. The man on the phone is scheduled to arrive at 10:10. Liam wants us all here for that meet. If a message regarding the whereabouts of the weapons are to be passed on, it will be done today. We can’t mess this up because we don’t know if we’ll have another chance. We don’t know how many times he’s bought weapons in the past. And any shipments that get past us means more weapons on the streets, killing people.”

He sounded so melodramatic Sophia almost broke out in laughter. But she knew this was serious. She knew first-hand the damage one gun could do.

“What would you like me to do?” Sophia asked.

“We can’t do much now except make sure we’re ready for the meet and make sure our equipment is running smoothly.”

“All right. Crystal and I will have a look at the equipment and make sure it’s functioning properly.”

“We’ve already done that, it’s fine,” Bert replied.

“Well, it won’t hurt to check again, will it?”

He just shrugged.

Crystal was already on the computer, changing settings.

“What are you doing?” Sophia signed to her.

“Tweaking the resolution so the picture is clearer. I doubt they’ll have a problem with that. I’m also trying to boost the system becaue there’s a lag. I don’t want our system to go down while we’re expecting movement. So, what’s wrong with the pair of them? Have they slept together?”

“I’m pretty sure Melony has had her shirt off at one point during the night. What else are two people going to do all night?” She laughed and nudged Crystal.

“Speaking of night, I saw you looked into our detective friend’s files. So you are curious.”

“I was bored. It’s not a big deal.”

Crystal raised her eyebrows. “Yes, but did you see the pictures of the art?”

“I did. And what’s up with that?”

Liam appeared. He briefly glanced Sophia’s way but then said, “So, is everyone ready for this? We may not have a second chance to get this right, so no screw ups. Evans, have Crystal pull up the cameras, I want eyes as soon as our friend Miles leaves his house. And what are these chocolates? Anyone?”

“We don’t know, sir,” replied Bert. “We think they could actually be . . . chocolates.”

“Well, if we’re right, he’s wanting a lot of money for these so-called chocolates.”

“Does anyone know how she plans to pay for these chocolates? Electronically, or has she been seen with money?”

“No. Must be electronic, like before.”

“Can we get a trace on the funds?” This time the question was directed at Sophia.

“We have access to her computer. Everything she does will be recorded and traced. We should be able to see who sent the money and from what account. However, in my experience, it will never be as simple as that. For someone who is determined to keep his identity hidden, he will not send the funds from a traceable bank account. He’s probably got accounts all over the world, impossible to trace. Well, not impossible but it will take time, and perhaps more time than we have.”

“And time is not on our side. The key will be to catch them as they pick up the weapons. That means we need to find out where the guns are located. Miles has to give her some indication to where they are, so watch closely and listen carefully.”

At 9:50, a message came in, “Miles has left his flat. He’s carrying a cardboard box and is getting into his car. We’re tailing him.” Every time Miles made a turn the radio came alive.

“He is turning onto Elaine Smith’s street. Expect him in ten seconds.” Shortly, the little car came into view on the screen. Miles found a place to park three doors down. Inside his car, they watched him lean over and open the cardboard box before exiting the car.

“He’s got a small black box in his hand. Is that the chocolate box?” asked Liam. Bert leaned in closer to the screen, Melony pushed past Sophia and also moved closer to the screen.

“I think so, sir,” she replied. “What could he possibly do with a box of chocolates? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe he knows she likes chocolates,” suggested Bert. “A lot of women like chocolate. Just because you don’t, doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t.”

Melony gave him a slap across the arm.

“Stop it,” Liam yelled. “He’s approaching the front door.”

Miles knocked and tapped his army boot while he waited. He wore a baseball cap and blue wool pea coat. On the other screen they watched Ms. Smith rise from her kitchen table. She peered into the living room before she came to the door.

“Well, come in.” She led him to the living room. The man handed her the box of chocolates and she carefully placed them on her table. When she lifted the lid, all the officers leaned in closer to the monitor.

“What’s in the box?” Liam asked. “Do you see anything?”

“It’s too blurry and dark inside the box. All I can see is black, but it appears to be just chocolates.”

Ms. Smith scanned the box slowly with her finger and said, “Oh, you don’t have any of those cherry-filled ones I like.”

“They didn’t have any available. However, I got you a few more caramel.”

“I see that.”

The man sat there quietly before he finally asked her, “Well, I hope you like what you see.”

“Yes. I’m sure they’ll be wonderful,” she said. “How about a spot of tea?”

“That would be lovely.”

Ms. Smith moved into the kitchen, poured water into the kettle and placed it on the hob. Then she went toward her computer and sat down. Every key stroke was recorded. They watched her pull up a bank website and recorded the account number and password. Then into the column of transfer she entered a long line of digits and under amount: 1.5 million pounds.

“She transferring the money now.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“What’s Miles doing?”

All eyes turned toward the other monitor. Miles was walking about the room, looking at photos, picking up little knick-knacks off the shelf and examining them. Finally, he sat back down on the sofa. He spied a deck of cards on the table and picked them up. He started placing them down in rows.

“He’s playing solitaire.”

“How will he be relaying the information to her? Is he waiting for confirmation that the money is being transferred?”

“He must be.”

Finally, Ms. Smith stood from her computer and re-entered the kitchen. She placed two bags into a kettle and then the hot water. Placing two cups and the pot on a tray, she carried it to the living room. After placing the tray on the table beside Miles, she went over to the box of chocolates and helped herself to one.

“Because there are so many caramel, I’ll try one of them. If you keep bringing over chocolates, I’ll be very fat, very soon. Well, anyway, I’ve transferred the money and everything looks to be in order.”

The watchers leaned in, straining to hear every word.

Miles continued to play his game.

“That’s wonderful,” he finally said. He put the pile of cards down on the table and dropped three cubes of sugar into his tea and stirred it with the small spoon beside the cup. In two gulps, the cup was empty. “I should be going.”

“All right.” She had barely poured the milk into her cup before she stood. “I’ll see you to the door.”

The watchers turned their attention to the camera in the front hall. The two walked quietly to the door.

“Thank you,” Miles said and started down the walk.

Ms. Smith shut the door behind him.

“What just happened?” asked Liam. “Did we miss something? When did he tell her where to pick up the shipment?” Liam leaned back and examined each of his team one by one. “Did anyone notice?”

They all shook their heads.

“It must be with the chocolates,” suggested Sophia. “Perhaps we should go retrieve the box.”

Liam put his hand to his mouth. “I don’t know, I don’t know. If we’re wrong and we put her guard up, it could ruin everything. We need to surprise them when they retrieve the shipment or we will lose both. Team one, you need to be on Miles everywhere he goes. We can’t lose him, when he speaks to someone on his mobile or in person, I want to know details. He has to inform her or someone in the organization in some way.”

“Yes, sir,” resounded the voices over the radios. He has driven away but he has not rang anyone yet. We will follow and listen.”

“In the meantime, we have to watch her every movement. What is she doing now?”

“She’s cleaning the teapot.”

“Has she rang or texted anyone? Come on, people, what’s the key here? Crystal, did either of them use sign language?”

Crystal twisted her head to the side when Sophia signed the question but then Crystal just shook her head and signed, “I didn’t see any sign language.”

“Neither did I,” said Sophia.

“All right. Crystal, make copies of the meeting. I don’t want us to miss anything. I want to make sure he didn’t put a note in her hand or in one of her pockets or hidden it in one of the bloody knick knacks.”

Sophia signed the instructions to her and immediately Crystal started working. Liam started pacing in the living room.

“What are we missing?” he asked. “Crystal, are you done copying the files?”

“It’s being transferred. This all takes time.”

“We may not have a lot of time.”

“Why is it taking so long to transfer?” Sophia asked Crystal when Liam went into the kitchen for coffee.

“It’s slow. Something is really causing a lag. I’ll look into it as soon as the transfer is complete.” She went back to work.

Chapter Twenty-One

T
heo woke later than usual and, after arranging to meet Dorland at Mrs. Hathaway’s home, stepped into the shower. The hot water helped him think. The revelation that Maddock Tipring’s uncle worked for
MI5
threw the case into a whole different direction. It could explain why he wasn’t finding a motive or suspects. He would still have to follow up his original line of enquiry but he wasn’t faced with a dead end.

He didn’t know what to expect from Heather Hathaway, the next nurse on his list. Dorland had confirmed that Heather had really been away at the time of Mr. Tipring’s death, so the most he hoped for from her was a motive as to why anyone would want to kill her previous employer.

The nurse lived in Tulse Hill, a top floor flat just south of Brockwell Park. One thing Theo liked about interviewing witnesses was that he was able to see London, all of it. And some of it was extremely lovely.

Dorland arrived before him and was standing outside the address, sipping coffee.

Theo rang the bell. A woman looked out from her window on the top floor and Theo waved. They heard a click and quickly Dorland grabbed the door to let them inside. The six flights of stairs left them breathless and the nurse stood waiting at the top of the stairs with a pitying look on her face.

“Try that flight with groceries,” the nurse said, motioning them into her small, sparsely furnished apartment. Two suitcases lay open and a small pile of clothing lay on the floor. The nurse was in her late thirties and wore a beautiful Chinese silk robe on top of her flannel bunny pajama suit. Her hair was pulled back in a bun. “I just returned yesterday from China, sorry for the mess. I never thought you would show up for another few days at least.”

“We want to ask you some questions about Mr. Tipring,” replied Theo.

“Yes, as soon as I arrived home my friend rang me and said he had died. Murdered. I had worked for him for six years, as you probably know. My landlord also mentioned you had stopped by.”

“Yes, I’m sorry for your loss,” replied Theo. “We were hoping you could give us a reason why anyone would want to kill him?”

She shook her head. “He was a bit odd, in an older person sort of way, but I wouldn’t say anyone had a reason to kill him.”

“We talked to Mr. Tipring’s solicitor,” Dorland said. “He was going to give most of his money to different charitable organizations, but to his nurses, he left some money. Were you aware of that?”

“I doubt that he planned to leave me any, not with how we ended our relationship. Would you like some tea?” Both officers shook their heads and Dorland lifted up his coffee cup in explanation. She sat down in a rocking chair beside the front window and offered them the sofa.

“What happened between Mr. Tipring and yourself?”

“I really don’t know. Sometimes I sit and think about what happened and well, I didn’t do what he said I did.” She stopped and looked at them. “Mr. Tipring had some jewelry, some earrings. I don’t know if you saw the box when you entered his house but, he really loved them. I believe they belonged to his mother. Whatever the reason. Well, I took holidays and some temporary nurses were called in from the agency to take over. I returned three weeks later and everything was fine. Then one day, about a week after I had returned, he comes into the kitchen when I’m preparing his lunch and starts accusing me of stealing one set of earrings from the box. I told him it wasn’t me but he thinks he remembers seeing them after I had returned. I don’t know. I doubt he knew when they went missing. Anyways, right there, right on the spot, he fired me. And because I’m accused of stealing, I never received severance pay and the agency dropped me.”

“Did they ever find out who stole the earrings?” Dorland asked.

“I’m not sure. I got a job at a tour company with my cousin. It’s where I work now.”

“That must have made you angry.”

“If you think that I had a motive, maybe the first week. But I got the job with my cousin two weeks later, it pays better, the hours are better, and I get large discounts and opportunities to travel the world. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I met a man overseas in France and in three months, we’re going to be married. If anything, I should thank Mr. Tipring. No, I didn’t murder him. And as for the money, I doubt it will amount to much and I don’t really need it.”

“So as far as you know, the person who stole the jewelry must have been one of the sub nurses?”

“It’s really difficult to say. I can’t accuse anyone of doing it. I never had a chance to look into it. The earrings may have just fallen to the bottom of the case and are there now. He dismissed me and I left. If a pair of earrings is missing, I can’t explain what happened to them.”

“Do you know if any of the earrings were worth anything?”

Heather laughed. “Worth something? No, they were probably worth a few dollars combined. Sentimentality, nothing more. There were no pearls or diamonds that were real, cheap gold. Some were starting to rust, and gold does not rust. A nurse would have no reason to steal those earrings. They were worthless to anyone but him. No one would risk getting into trouble over those.”

“Do you know anything about his art?” asked Dorland.

“No, not really. He did them for his own enjoyment; he never sold any. Although, he did give two away. I know he gave one to his hometown, where he grew up. I used to drive him there once a year to see it; it was one of the few places he ever traveled to. Funny that, the man must be one of the vainest personages on earth, only leaving the city to see tile work he did himself. And I don’t know where the other went.”

“I heard that he used to name them,” said Dorland.

“Yeah, I forget what he used to call them. Unusual man, though. I think of him often.”

“When you worked there, did he receive any visitors? Did he talk of his past, his family, his job?” asked Theo.

“Not that I remember. He hated his neighbors, read the paper religiously, and preferred his tea a certain way. No one came to visit him, not regularly, and he was content in his own little world. I wish I could remember more, and I will try to, but it’s all I have.”

“Did he ever mention working for the government?” asked Theo.

Dorland looked sharply at him.

“The government?” replied Heather. “No, he was an electrician.”

“What about family? Do you know if anyone worked for the government?”

She opened her mouth to speak but paused before replying, “I don’t know what you’re looking for. Patients often open up to their nurses. Sometimes you can’t get them to shut up, but not our Mr. Tipring. No, he kept the world to himself. Oh sure, he made chit chat, but if I think about it, I didn’t know anything about him really. What a way to live.”

“I would like to talk to the nurses that filled in for you while you were on holiday. Do you still have the number for the nursing agency?”

She wrote it down for them.

After leaving the flat, Theo said, “If one of those girls did steal the jewelry and Tipring found out whom, the culprit may have wanted to silence him.”

“Over a pair of earrings? First, why would anyone want to steal a cheap pair of earrings and second, why would anyone kill for them? If he did accuse one of the nurses, she could easily argue that the man was crazy and explain they were worth nothing.”

“I think we should find out if the old man was crazy or not,” Theo suggested.

“How do you plan to do that?”

“We should find out if the man has really had a pair of earrings stolen or not. We fetch the box of earrings and compare them to the pictures the solicitor has in his office. I’ll ring him and find out if we can come in. Follow me to Mr. Tipring’s house.” Theo made the call to the solicitor and agreed to meet him at one that afternoon.