A Despicable Crime

by Liza O'Connor

  “The pirate?” Mr. Roberts displayed signs of fear as he turned to Stone. “What do you have to say about this?”

  “When I was the director of Scotland Yard, I invited both of these men to assist many times and all those cases were successfully solved.”

  “If you think it’s wise...” Mr. Roberts muttered, clearly not happy about the matter.

  ***

  Once they settled in comfortable chairs, Stone spoke first. “Can you explain why you went to Thorn’s Private Affairs rather than taking this to Scotland Yard?”

  Xavier spoke up. “If you do not wish to answer that question, you may ignore it. Given that we are more successful in solving matters than Scotland Yard, coming to us is perfectly rational.”

  Stone sighed. “I totally agree you are more successful. However, banks have legal constraints upon them. When money goes missing in a bank, they are legally required to contact the Scotland Yard’s financial department.”

  “But you are a partner with us, now. We do not send out reports,” Xavier snapped.

  Vic pressed her hand on Xavier’s arm. “Stone, why does this failure to report bother you?”

  “Because the president of the bank shouldn’t have allowed this to happen.”

  Tubs spoke from the back of the room. “But this would make sense if the president of the bank is the potential thief.”

  “Thank you Tubs, for saying what I cannot,” Mr. Roberts added.

  Just then Jacko entered and leaned up against the wall by Tubs.

  Vic smiled at him. “The president of the bank might be the one stealing the money.”

  “Which bank?” Jacko asked.

  “The Westminster Bank,” Vic replied. “Most of Parliament banks there, don’t they?” she asked Mr. Roberts.

  “Yes, that is correct,” he replied.

  “Then it might not be the head of the bank. There are several rich thieves in Parliament.”

  “I seriously doubt it could be a member of Parliament,” Mr. Roberts stated.

  “We know of one man in Parliament who could pull this off.”

  Xavier frowned at her. “No names, Vic.”

  “Still, he stole diamonds from the Queen. That’s got to be harder than stealing money from a bank. How much money has been taken?”

  Mr. Roberts grimaced. “I cannot say.”

  “I’m going to guess over a million pounds.”

  Robert’s eyes rounded in shock. “You are most impressive.”

  Xavier stood. “You have done yourself proud, Vic. Mr. Roberts has given us no details, but nonetheless, we have whittled this down to the likely suspect. However, this minister is not only a thief, but a murderer as well. So, Mr. Roberts, I do need to ask you the price you are willing to pay us if we find you the true thief.”

  Mr. Roberts sighed. “Are you certain it is not the president?”

  “Vic?”

  “It’s not the president.”

  “Tubs?”

  “Not the president.”

  “Jacko?”

  “My gut says no.”

  “Stone?”

  “No. The President of the bank is being pushed out. And the man who is to be slotted in his place is the brother of the Minister we dare not mention by name.”

  “Glad I don’t have my money there,” Vic muttered then focused on Mr. Roberts. “I realize you feel like you are in between a hard place and a rock. But we do need to know who sent you here.”

  “Wh- Wha- What do you mean?” Roberts stammered.

  “I’m sensing your assignment was to put us onto the president of the bank so that they could spread the rumor that the best investigators in the country were investigating the fellow.”

  “Oh God! I’m just trying to keep my job.”

  “Well, when the bank collapses, and it will if the minister and his brother take control of it, losing your job will be the least of your problems.”

  “That is true,” Stone stated. “You will either be charged with assisting in the theft along with many other innocents, or they will kill you, so you cannot talk.” He then focused on Xavier. “We need to turn this over to Scotland Yard.”

  “I agree,” Xavier stated. “Vic?”

  “Definitely, but we need to be there as well.”

  “Tubs?”

  “Do they have your kids?” Tubs asked Mr. Roberts.

  “How did you know?”

  “Give me the names and ages of your children and we’ll try to retrieve them.”

  “They have taken over my house. The brute said they will kill them if I don’t do exactly what they tell me.”

  “Is your wife there?”

  “Yes, and they said they would hurt her in horrible ways until I got the job done.”

  “Do you know these men’s names?” Vic asked.

  “No.”

  “Can you draw their likeness?” Vic persisted.

  “What good will that do?”

  Vic rolled her eyes. “It depends on who is in the house. A great many of the criminals will run away at the sight of Tubs, but some would shoot your wife and children first. So, we need to know who we are dealing with.”

  “Yes, I can draw their likenesses.”

  Vic stepped outside the room and asked Gregory to locate drawing material.

  “I’m not sure we have such,” Gregory admitted.

  “David does. Just search about his room for it. I’ll replace whatever we use.”

  Now Gregory’s brow was wrinkling up.

  Why won’t people just do as I ask? “I promise you, David will not get upset. This is a life and death situation.”

  “Are you just claiming that, or do you mean it?” Gregory demanded.

  “Never mind, I’ll go get it myself,” Vic huffed.

  Just then Jacko eased out of the library. “Vic, what are you doing? We need to save the wife and children.”

  “I know that! Would you mind getting the drawing pad. It should be in David’s room?”

  “Jacko, I will retrieve the drawing items.” Gregory declared in a huff and hurried upstairs.

  Jacko stormed back in the library, with Vic following.

  “Problem?” Xavier asked.

  “No,” Vic growled.

  A moment later, Gregory returned with a drawing pad and pencils.

  “Draw!” Vic thrust the pad at Mr. Roberts.

  Five minutes later, Vic stared at a stick man with a round head. “He doesn’t have a clue how to draw. We are just wasting our time. Tubs come with me.”

  “I’m going with you, as well,” Xavier stated. “We’ve no idea what we are going to find.” He turned to Stone, “Are you presently armed?”

  “No, my gun is in my office,” Stone admitted.

  “Gregory!” Xavier bellowed. “Grab your gun and escort Mr. Roberts to Stone’s office. Stone will guard him from there on.”

  Gregory asked to speak to Xavier. Once they were in the hallway, Gregory asked, “Why cannot Stone do this?”

  “Stone is not as well as he pretends to be, but more importantly, he didn’t bring his gun over to our house. I will talk to him about that in the future, but right now I need to locate Davy. So please escort this potential criminal back to Stone’s office. And if the fellow tries to run off, don’t aim for his legs. Just shoot him in the butt.”

  “I’ll have you know, I am an excellent shot,” Gregory stated.

  “Good for you.” Xavier hurried off to find his carriage driver.

  Gregory entered the library to discover Stone and Mr. Roberts fighting over a gun. “Stop that at once!” he demanded.

  Both men were startled by Gregory’s angry bark.

  Stone recovered first and took possession of the gun. Mr. Roberts held up both hands.

  “Excellent. You may now march the prisoner across the street and into your office. Xavier has requested you keep him there until they return. And if he gives you any problem, feel free to shoot him. Now move on!”

  Stone gave Gregory a
nod of approval as he led Mr. Roberts out of the house. Once the two angry men were seated in the office, Stone spoke. “I don’t believe we have yet obtained the full truth from you.”

  “Of course, you have! I’ve told you everything,” Mr. Roberts insisted.

  Stone gave him an icy glare. “You haven’t told us a damn thing. The little bit we do know has mostly come from Victor.”

  “But you got the information, all the same.”

  “Victor is never a hundred percent accurate in his speculations. So more than likely, a part of what he thinks will be true will be wrong. Thus, while most the team is attempting to save a wife and children who may or may not exists, I plan to interrogate you.”

  “I’ve told you everything! There is nothing more to say!”

  Stone buzzed Pete’s desk. The young man arrived at once.

  “Is the cellar available for interrogations?”

  “Yes, sir. Do you wish me to take him downstairs and tie him up?”

  “Not yet, I’ll let you know if that becomes necessary.”

  “Yes, sir.” Pete replied and closed the door.

  “Why would you tie me up? I came here to report a crime.”

  “Nonsense. You have already admitted you came here to create some cock and bull story to get the president of the bank fired. Can you not even remember the lies you tell.”

  “I’m not lying to you. The president is stealing from the bank.”

  “What about your claim of a wife and children. Is that true?”

  “Of course! Why would I lie about that?”

  Three hours later, Stone had ceased trying to get information. Instead, he had Pete tie the fellow to the chair. While the man continued to declare his innocence, Stone kept the gun on the desk, ready to shoot him.

  Suddenly the door opened, and Vic glared at Mr. Roberts. “You have wasted our time trying to save children and a wife that do not exist.”

  “That’s not true, you must have gone to the wrong house!” Mr. Robert’s insisted.

  “The address you gave us doesn’t even exist. Fortunately, Xavier spoke to one of the honest ministers and he provided your actual address. You are a single man, Mr. Roberts, and possess neither wife nor children.”

  “That’s not true! I have a wife and four children.”

  “I hope that is a lie, but if it’s not, and your children and wife die by some unknown assailants, you have only yourself to blame.”

  “Victor, I strongly believe this man should be interrogated at Scotland Yard.” Stone stated.

  “We are in absolute agreement. Tubs! Secure this idiot and toss him in the carriage.”

  Once the unhappy fellow was gone, Vic sat down in a client chair. “Stone, can you see any reason why this man has wasted three hours of our day?”

  “No, which is why he needs to be properly interrogated.”

  “I’m going with Tubs. But if you think of any reason why he wasted our time, call me at Scotland Yard.”

  “I will,” he stated. “Now go.”

  Vic ran out the door and climbed inside the carriage. She smiled at the empty seat across from Tubs. “Thanks for putting him in the trunk.”

  “He seemed the type who might try to jump out of a moving carriage.”

  “Absolutely! But what is his game plan?”

  “Not a clue,” Tubs muttered.

  Once they arrived at Scotland Yard, Barns and Xavier waited by the front desk. Tubs retrieved the fellow from the trunk and dragged him into the lobby. Barns then led them to the interrogation room. “These are the best interrogators we have.”

  “May I stay and watch?” Vic asked.

  Barns gave Vic a faint smile. “You’d be telling them how to do their job within thirty seconds. So, the answer is no. However, if you will give way in this matter without excessive moaning, we can have an interesting conversation in my private office.”

  “About what?” Vic demanded. When Barns walked off without answering her, Vic glared at Xavier. “What does he know that we don’t?”

  “I have no idea. He refused to discuss anything until you arrived.”

  Vic gripped Xavier’s arm, knowing that response had to piss him off. “He probably didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

  “But wasting my time is acceptable?” Xavier asked.

  “He could be angry with us for not turning this case over to him right away.”

  Xavier opened his mouth, then shut it. “That is very likely, and in that case, I prefer to be scolded just once.”

  They hurried to Barn’s corner office. He must have anticipated having this meeting for there were chairs for everyone, even Tubs. Despite being offered a seat, Jacko remained standing. No doubt, he planned to storm out the moment Barns annoyed him.

  Once Barns sat, he focused on Xavier. “There is no missing money and the president has no reason to believe he is being fired.”

  Xavier’s brow wrinkled. “And what were your sources?”

  “I called the president of the bank and asked him. He assured me that if he had money missing, he would have called me at once. He had no idea what you were involved with at all.”

  “I may have misread this one,” Vic admitted.

  “You think so, do you?” Barns stated.

  “Yes, we should have called you immediately.”

  “Yes, you should have!”

  “He first told us that the president was stealing money from the bank. Only I didn’t believe him. I thought it was the diamond stealing Minister, and they were trying to force the president out, so he could slot his brother as the new president. The brother is probably a thief as well, just like the diamond stealing Minister. Then they could steal from the bank in the same way they had stolen the Queen’s diamonds.”

  “Exactly how did they do that?” Barns demanded.

  “I have no idea. Nor do I know how they will steal the money from the bank without being caught. But that is precisely what I thought was happening.” Vic sighed. “However, instead of something interesting, we’ve got a fruitcake who keeps changing his story and a president who is not being fired. I apologize, Barns. I truly thought I was on to something, but I’ve just been wasting everyone’s time.”

  Vic stood. “We should probably go home now.”

  Just then an ancient old fellow, in a suit that was very fine but twenty years out of style, entered the room. “Sir, someone is stealing from the bank!”

  “Oh, Thank God! I thought I was losing my touch,” Vic said.

  Inspector Leaks turned and smiled at Vic. “Not at all! However, it took me hours to unravel the knot.”

  Barns raked his hands through his hair. “Until we catch the criminals, let us not celebrate that Vic remains the most intuitive person in England.”

  Vic and Xavier both leaned forward as Inspector Leaks explained how he had followed the money trail as it divided and moved out through a great many different channels, with a reasonable explanation for the specified payments made along each stop.

  Barns frowned. “So, we are seeing money going in and out of accounts. Is that not normal for a bank?”

  Inspector Leaks smiled. “It absolutely is. But these accounts should all be dormant, since their owners are dead.”

  Vic politely asked, “Do any of these accounts send money to the minister involved with the diamond fiasco last year?”

  Inspector Leaks chuckled at Vic’s question. “At first, I saw no connection to him. But then I came upon an active account belonging to Director Barringbarn.”

  “What?” Barns declared and stood up.

  “It is not your regular account, sir. It is your father’s and it remains very active.”

  “Bloody hell! Have that account shut down at once!”

  “Best not, since then the money would stop at your door. Presently, it flows on to the real thief, which Victor has already identified.”

  “Is it possible they used this method to steal the Queen’s diamonds as well?” Vic asked.

 
“It could be. Banks move far more than cash and coin, you know. They have specialists who handle gold bars, jewelry, and even quality paintings.” Inspector Leaks focused on Barns. “We will leave this distribution channel open while I gather evidence that this was just a portal and the real thief or thieves are further down the trail.”

  “Why did I not know about this ‘portal’ if it belonged to my father?” Barns asked.

  Leaks replied calmly. “It could be an oversight from your man of business, or deliberate. I have no way of knowing, sir.”

  “If you want a new man of business, I can see if mine will take you on,” Vic offered.

  “Once we get this matter straightened out, I will take you up on that, Vic. But presently, I need to prove the diamond minister is the true receiver of this money.”

  “We also need to know how long this has been going on.” Vic insisted. “Did they create this before Barringbarn died, or afterwards? And why has no one complained about their missing money?”

  “Now that, I can answer,” Inspector Leaks replied. “All the bank clients are being charged small fees for the maintenance of their account. While I have yet to isolate when this began, it is how they are acquiring the money they are stealing. While no single customer loses a great amount of money, they are siphoning off millions of pounds in total.”

  “That sounds easy enough to stop,” Barns stated.

  “Yes, it does sound simple. My people only began working on this a few hours ago. It could take weeks to isolate when it began, since I only have four people on my staff. So, we will prioritize what needs to be done first.”

  “And what do you think that is?” Barns snapped.

  “First, we must discover where it ends. And rest assured, it will not be just one thief. There are many hands in this pie, I assure you.”

  Vic nodded in agreement. “Inspector Leaks is absolutely correct. We need to reveal all the persons obtaining their cuts of this theft.”

  “Why do you think there is more than one thief?” Barns asked Vic.

  “I imagine several ministers are involved, as well as a couple of Crime Lords, because honestly, I do not believe our current ministers are bright enough to create this. Barns, I recall you stating that the man who left with the diamonds looked more like a criminal than a jeweler.”