Free Fall

It was ruled a suicide.

When Coldham Fintan Noose III, nick named Fin, heard about it he was totally shocked and didn’t believe Kenneth Loesing had killed himself.

Fin knew Kenneth Loesing pretty well. Their relationship had been a difficult one. Both were self-assured, ambitious and leaders. They could be arrogant, selfish and stubborn. While Kenneth was conservative Fin was liberal. Fin was in his late twenties when Kenneth Loesing died, aged 66.

Kenneth Loesing was balding, grey haired, craggy faced and blue eyed. Fin was light ash blond and blue grey eyed.

They had met four years earlier. Fin started working for Kenneth Loesing under a pretense. He was a burglar and after a piece of jewelry belonging to Mr. Loesing.

The new driver was too own minded in Kenneth’s opinion and due to this they were at logger heads.

Later he found out Fin wasn’t what he claimed to be and was angry and upset about it. Thank goodness Fin kept his cover intact and Kenneth believed Fin was a security specialist.

Fin started discreet inquiries if Kenneth had been near bankruptcy, indebted, involved in shady business or had martial problems. Nothing came up, so Fin was convinced something else must have happened.

Kenneth was on a business trip in Singapore, when he “committed suicide”. He had checked in at his hotel – when it opened in the 80s it had been the tallest hotel in the world – a few days earlier.

Fin had spent part of his honeymoon at the same hotel and knew that all guest rooms had balconies. He didn’t believe Kenneth jumped. Had it been an accident? Some underestimated how vertigo inducing the height could be and simply fell. Or had something more sinister occurred and Kenneth had been pushed or forced to jump? Fin was puzzled why someone would want to kill Kenneth. Fin was sure Kenneth had made enemies during his career or even in his private life.  He could be quite brash. Was this enough to kill him? Fin couldn’t let it rest and since there was currently no new job waiting for him he decided to go to Singapore himself and investigate.

Fin took his wife and daughter with him and booked into the same hotel as Kenneth had. Interesting enough some of the hotel staff recognized Fin and Frieda. They were delighted Fin and Frieda had grown their family and spoiled Casey.

Fin spoke with the receptionists, dropping casually that he knew Kenneth Loesing and that his death was a tragedy. He found out Kenneth had been a regular and made no signs during his final stay to be depressed and behaved like always: demanding, a bit rude, but generous with tips.

Fin heard from the check in staff that Kenneth’s favorite bar was on the top floor. He checked out discreetly which staff members had dealt with Kenneth.

One of the bartenders remembered seeing Kenneth with a lady, who could have been his daughter or granddaughter. Fin guessed she must be quite young. According to the bartender the lady was about 5 ft. 7 in. tall and had caramel colored hair. She was thin and attractive.

Fin was puzzled. Who was that mysterious girl? Kenneth’s mistress? Fin wondered if maybe back of house knew more. He thought the house keepers wouldn’t trust a male, so he asked his wife to speak with them. Frieda took her time to gain the trust of the ladies and gentlemen. At first the mostly Filipino staff didn’t trust Frieda. It was unusual for a guest to be interested in them. When Frieda had gained their confidence she dropped that she had heard about the recent suicide and wondered what the staff made out of this. Firstly and not surprisingly jumps occurred more or less frequently. They agreed with their fellow employees and Fin. There hadn’t been any indication or reason why Mr. Loesing would have killed himself. He had behaved as usual. Mentioning the young woman in Kenneth’s company the staff got shy. They didn’t want to speak about that. Finally Maribel agreed to talk. They met at a café. Normally Frieda was a coffee lover, but for some reason she couldn’t take the smell and felt nauseous, so she did forgo her usual cuppa and ordered mint tea instead. She was glad Maribel wanted to sit on the patio. The smell wasn’t as intrusive there. “So, the lady staying with Mr. Loesing, was she his wife?” Maribel shook her head. “No, I have met Mr. Kenneth’s wife and children. I know what they look like. Ms. Anna is around 15 years older than the missy.” “So the girl was Mr. Loesing’s mistress?” “My mates and I believe so.” Based on Maribel’s description Frieda made a sketch of the woman. Maribel advised a few changes. By the end a clear picture emerged.

Frieda and Fin discussed how to proceed. They tried first to see if the receptionists knew the mistress’s name. Unfortunately they didn’t. Fin and Frieda dismissed the idea to check with Singaporean immigration. They didn’t want to draw attention that they were investigating themselves. So what could they do? Frieda thought of going to contact Kenneth’s family. Fin wanted to engage friends of his to hack into the US Department of State to locate her. Frieda didn’t believe the young woman was American. She thought Kenneth’s lover was Australian or New Zealander. They agreed on calling Patsy Loesing, Kenneth’s mother, with whom Fin had a good relationship.

Patsy was surprised to hear from Fin. He wasn’t the most loved person of the Loesing’s. “Mrs. Patsy, my condolences.” Fin offered. She burst into tears. Kenneth was only dead a month. It was hard on Patsy. She always had believed she would die before her son and couldn’t believe he had committed suicide, but he must have done it, because he had obviously jumped.

Normally Patsy was strong and didn’t show much emotions, so she was a bit embarrassed about her crying on the phone. “Mrs. Patsy, I don’t believe Kenneth killed himself.” “He must have done it…” Fin had debated with himself before calling if he should be straight forward. Knowing Patsy he thought she would prefer honesty over beating around the bush. “Did you know Kenneth had a girl staying with him in Singapore?” Patsy’s free hand went to her mouth. “I had no idea!” “Well, I suspect she was his mistress. I’d like to talk with her, since she was probably the last one to have seen Kenneth alive. Do you think your family might be able to help identify her?” “I’m not sure, but I will check.” Fin explained he had a sketch of the person and Patsy promised to sweet talk her daughter in law Anna to have a look and she herself would too of course. Anna didn’t want to hear anything about it. “I fucking don’t care what Mr. Noose wants! My husband is dead and Mr. Noose has nothing better to do than accuse Kenneth of having an affair!” “Remember when he worked for us he was always honest.” “He lied and he’s doing it now again! I bet he’s gloating about our misfortune.” “He lied to protect us. Don’t forget the Wallenstein branch of the family wanted to harm us and Mr. Noose was here to protect us. Otherwise he never lied and was a good employee. I trust his instincts.” “If it really means so much to you, go ahead and invite him!” Anna gave in, but she wasn’t happy at all.

Fin, Frieda and Casey travelled to Dallas, where the Loesing’s lived. Fin returned to the mansion, feeling tense, sad and guilty. Fin could guess he wasn’t going to be made very welcome and he could understand it.

As expected he was let in by Florence Durazo, the housekeeper, and led to the living room. All the family members were there. Fin was a bit wary of the youngest son Javier, who had kicked him the last time they met. Thank goodness Javier gave him only icy stares like Anna, Wylie and Johnny, the oldest sons, did. The only welcoming faces were Patsy’s and Adrien’s, the youngest and only daughter of the Loesing’s.

Patsy looked at the sketch first. She shook her head. “No, I don’t recognize her. Sorry.” She handed it to Anna, who briefly glanced at it and said. “Nope.” Johnny, who was fifteen denied ever seeing her. Fin gave up hope. The family probably didn’t want to face that Kenneth had been cheating or they simply didn’t want to help him because of their shared past. Wylie identified the unknown person. “That’s Sarah Condos. She was at the guest lecture my dad gave about oil, environment protection and why it is safe to drill in National Parks, like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska last year at his Alma Mater. I remember her so clearly, because she sat beside me and blew Dad kisses. I was wondering why she would do that…” The seventeen year old had now a better idea. He had already guessed that his dad might have had affairs before Sarah. There had been signs, but Wylie had been too young to understand it.

From then it was easy. Sarah was Australian and had been an exchange student at the University of Dallas when Kenneth Loesing had given his lecture for the Economics department. She had returned to her native Australia, but not to her home town Adelaide. She now studied in Sydney.

Checks confirmed Sarah had been in Singapore at the same time as Kenneth.

To get a better picture of Sarah Fin wanted to observe her, so he had to get a visa from the Australian Embassy.  He was relieved when he got it and finally could be on his way.

Sarah Condos was quite active. She went to her classes every day and to Aikido training twice weekly and worked three times a week as a waitress at a greasy spoon. Weekends Sarah met with friends or stayed home.

Fin watched her closely and couldn’t detect that she was upset about Kenneth’s death.

When Sarah was at university Fin broke into her flat. It was easy peasy. The flat was chaotic. Fin thought it was sad, because the contemporary design of the furniture and airy feel of the rooms didn’t fit with the dropped clothing everywhere, dirty dishes in the sink and the strewn books, papers and magazines around the living and bed room. Fin searched in the untidy environment. Fin nabbed the most actual diary and checked out the photographs he found. Some showed Kenneth and Sarah together in different locations. In a few they were kissing, confirming they had had an affair. He took photos of those.

One of the commodes drew Fin’s attention. The top drawer had a lock and seemed slightly larger than the others. Fin tried to open it, but it was locked. Fin didn’t want to leave behind evidence he had opened the drawer, so he went looking for the key. He found it in a ceramic bowl in the kitchen with other knickknacks. The key fit. Fin was surprised how heavy the drawer was. When pulling it out it nearly crashed on the floor. Checking the content Fin saw different gun licenses. Underneath was clothing and weapons. Fin could identify some of them, for example a Smith & Wesson 0.357 Magnum, a Luger 9 x 9 mm Parabellum, a Harrington & Richardson 0.32 Magnum, another Smith & Wesson with a 0.44 Magnum caliber and a Remington 0.41. Fin shuddered. He didn’t like weapons. Sarah on the other side seemed to know how to handle them. Fin returned the content and drawer to its original state and brought the key back. Having seen everything Fin left.

To Fin’s dismay the pages during Sarah’s Singapore stay had been torn out, so he guessed she had something to hide.

Fin read the other entries, though, to get an idea what made Sarah tick. She seemed self-centered and concerned with her own gain. Fin didn’t mind ambitiousness – it was a trait he had himself – but there were things he would never consider doing, like stealing from his brother or friends.

Fin had experience with killing. He had murdered someone once nearly a decade earlier, having had no choice about it. The experience nearly broke him. He would kill again if necessary. He did everything in his power to avoid it at all costs, though. Another time Fin had to protect his family, so he ordered an assassination. It hadn’t been done lighthearted or had been easy. He felt about both decisions regret and guilt.

Reading the diary Fin had the impression Sarah Condos didn’t have any scruples. In fact Fin believed he was dealing with a psychopath and Sarah was highly dangerous. He was also very sure she was responsible of Kenneth’s demise. He tasked his middle man and friend Adam Granato to organize police officers in Singapore, the US and Australia to help Fin in solving the case and contacts in Malaysia and Singapore in organized crime.

Fin met Anthony Smith at the police station, where he was based. According to the information provided by Adam Anthony was 58 and twice divorced. Fin was picked up by Anthony at the reception and brought to his office.

Anthony was on the shorter side and Fin thought some fat hid that Anthony was quite strong and muscular. Fin guessed Anthony spent lots of time outside, because his face was weather beaten, making his green eyes stand out. Anthony had grey hair and a mustache. His office was tidy. There were lots of files, though.

Anthony Smith didn’t know what he should make out of Fin. It was a bit unusual to receive requests from his American and Singaporean counter parts to assist a civilian. Anthony trusted his instincts and couldn’t shake the feeling Fin wasn’t a security specialist. He could have sworn Fin operated on the wrong side of the law. Of course Fin might have changed from illegal to legal work.

Fin was respectful and used the right rank. He thought Fin was too smooth and nick named him “The Eel”.

“Coffee?” Anthony asked Fin after offering him a seat. “That would be nice, Superintendent Smith.” Returning with some awful brew he took a seat opposite Fin behind the writing desk. Fin told him his plans. Anthony wasn’t sure if Fin was crazy. “It’s risky what you are planning to do. What if she doesn’t take the bait? What if she admits killing this Kenneth, but it won’t stand up in court due to it being seen as having made a confession under duress or in the worst case she will try to kill you?” “Well, if she doesn’t confess, it was at least worth a try. I will stroke her ego, so it will be definitely not under duress and if she wants to liquidate me I hope it doesn’t work out. If it does, I died at least for a noble cause.” Anthony shook his head. An idealist! Anthony couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t sure if it was the right motive, but against better judgment he agreed to go ahead with it.

Anthony and Fin worked out the plan for the operation. Fin was equipped with a microphone, transmitter and a bullet proof west. “Try your best not to get shot in the head.” Anthony suggested kindly. Fin laughed. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll try.” 

Fin chose a day he was sure Sarah Condos was working at the greasy spoon. He thought his chances of getting killed during a confrontation there were reduced. Fin took a seat at a window table. Soon Sarah approached Fin to greet him warmly and hand him the menu. “Hey, I think I recognize you from somewhere. Have we met?” Fin asked, looking puzzled. “No, we definitely haven’t met. I would remember someone as good looking as you.” Sarah flirted. “My, thank you! I can only return the complement.” Fin replied charmingly. Sarah thought she had flattered Fin, hoping for a big tip. Fin pretended to study the menu, watching Sarah covertly to sashay away. She was attractive, indeed, and intelligent. It only reinforced he had to tread carefully. He had a look at the menu. When Sarah returned Fin ordered an orange juice and the fried chicken. The food was okay, but Fin’s stomach was knotted with nerves. Sarah arrived to clear the table. “Was it tasty?” “Very good.” She was about to leave, when Fin grabbed Sarah by the wrist. “I remember now! Kenneth has told me about you and shown me pictures of you together.” Sarah frowned. “Kenneth? I don’t know what you are talking about.” “Kenneth Loesing. He was my former boss, but we kept in contact. Before he died he told me how happy he was to have found someone young, attractive and ambitious. Kenneth thought he could have both, you as a mistress and his wife.” “He was wrong about that.” Sarah spat, sending angry daggers with her eyes at Fin. “I must say I admire you.” Fin said. “Why?” Sarah tried to free herself. Fin held on with an iron grip. “You were very clever. The police thought it was a suicide.” “I don’t know what you are talking about.” “Of course you do.” “No, I don’t! He jumped, because I finished the relationship.” “How convenient. Don’t you think you helped him a bit to make up his mind?” “Why would I do that?” “You felt betrayed by him. In your imagination he was leaving his wife and marrying you. When confronted with the truth – Kenneth was never going to get divorced – you decided no one should have him.” “And how would I have been able to make such a strong man as Kenneth jump?” “Very easy. Officially you left for Australia. In reality you crossed the border to Malaysia and spent some time in Johor Bahru. I know for a fact you bought an illegal weapon there. You returned to Singapore and met with Kenneth in his room. Maybe you told him you had a rethink and wanted the relationship going again to gain access…” Fear flickered in Sarah’s eyes. “Safely in his room you managed to get him on the balcony, got out your pistol from your handbag and left him a choice: Either jump or get shot. He chose the first, playing in your hands. The police would believe it was either an accident or suicide, since there was no evidence of forced entry and nothing was missing. It had happened before, so there was no reason for suspicion.” “Wow, you have it worked out perfectly”, Sarah replied ironic, “how do you explain there is a boarding pass available in my name two days after I split up with Kenneth?” “Conveniently your identical twin sister lives in Singapore. You two exchanged passports, so your sister’s will show she has been to JB – short for Johor Bahru -, while yours has a stamp you left Singapore.” “I see you have covered all your bases. What are you? A private detective?” “No. I just couldn’t believe Kenneth killed himself and tried to figure out what happened.” “How can I insure you keep quiet about it?” Fin asked a question instead: “So is this how it happened?” Sarah hesitated for a moment. Her shoulders slumped. A sign she gave up. “I thought my plan was foolproof…” Then Sarah laughed. “You should have seen Kenneth’s face when I pulled out my Luger. He forgot about Champagne and sex on the balcony quickly!” Fin didn’t find it funny. Turning serious Sarah said: “Kenneth begged, but I wouldn’t listen. He had treated me badly – even laughed at me for being so stupid to believe I would ever be Mrs. Loesing. Nobody leaves me! I am the one, who decides if it’s over or not!” Sarah realized she had said too much. Her mind was working furiously. The kitchen! Fin had released her arm earlier, so she could easily march off. She returned minutes later with more juice. “I think we have earned our drinks.” She said. Fin didn’t trust the offering. He was lucky when plain clothed police officers arrived to arrest Sarah. It caused some stir. Anthony entered too. He said: “Congratulations.” “Thanks. Can you do me a favor and have the orange juice analyzed?”  “Why?” “Don’t you think it’s a bit suspicious Sarah offered me a glass without any charge or me asking for it?” “You are right. I’ll have tests done.”

The results showed the beverage contained rat poisoning. It meant further trouble for Sarah, who was charged with murder, attempted murder and owning an illegal weapon. Singapore and the United States wanted her extradited, which she fought with tooth and nail. Sarah won that battle and was sentenced in Australia to life without parole.

For the Loesing’s the case meant closure and they were grateful to Fin, who was satisfied he had figured out how Sarah had committed her crime and sad and angry, because Kenneth’s death had been so senseless.

©2017

Talk outside the shed

Sorry for posting only now, but I've been insanely busy.

This story builds up on Talk inside the shed I've published a couple of months earlier.  Hope you like it.

The day my life changed for the better was one of the worst in my childhood.

I was seven and had misbehaved at school. My father didn't accept such behavior, so I ended up with my bare rump over his lap. I knew this was going to happen and dreaded our "talk" in the shed. My father made his displeasure definitely known. When his hand connected for the last time with my behind, I was crying. Dad said he was sorry he had to punish me and didn't want to repeat it - me neither. He also said he loved me. I wasn't so sure about that. Dad hugged me and I cried for a while into his shirt. When the tears eased, Dad let go. I ran away. I wanted to be alone.
I headed in the direction of the rabbit cages. My younger sister Adrien and I owned one rabbit each.
Brewster was awake. I took him out of the cage and sat down in the grass. My behind was smarting a bit, but my father was never really cruel and the pain was gone after a few hours. I still cried, not from the physical pain. Brewster was a good listener, but it didn't help to quell my hurt feelings. I don't know how much time I spent with Brewster on my lap, but suddenly our new driver Mr. Noose took a seat beside me. He was silent for a few minutes. I desperately tried to stop the tears, but didn't manage. Mr. Noose was light blond, while I have dark blond locks. His blue grey eyes were looking concerned. He asked if I wanted to talk about it. I was too ashamed and didn't want to admit my father had just punished me. I shouted at Mr. Noose: "No, go away!" He didn't and to my surprise said something I didn't expect. "You know I cried each time..." He knew what had happened. Until then I thought I was the only one who got spanked. Since I was small and he was very tall I couldn't believe he had been spanked too. It was inconceivable for me, so I stammered: "But ... But... You are big!" "I wasn't always big." Mr. Noose replied with a smile. It made me wonder what he had looked like as a child. "Are you going to tell me what bothers you?" Mr. Noose asked gently. I tried hard to hold back the sob, but it escaped. "Daddy hates me!" "What makes you think that?" "I'm stupid! Wylie is smart, Johnny talented and Adrien... Well, she's cute." "Come here." Mr. Noose ordered me. He heaved me and the rabbit on his lap. "You aren't stupid, Javier! You just need longer to learn." It was balsam to my knocked down self esteem. "I know for a fact your dad loves you." Mr. Noose continued.  He wanted to know why I had been spanked. I explained it. Mr. Noose asked what I should have done differently and what I was going to do now. I said: "I hurt Mrs. Hale by calling her names, so I'm going to apologize to her." "Try to pay attention in class too. I know it can be difficult." Mr. Noose suggested. I have dyslexia, so anything to do with reading is problematic. Talking with the driver helped me more than Dad's spanking. Suddenly it seemed to make more sense why my behavior wasn't good. I felt nearly normal again. Mr. Noose invited me to the old carriage house on our grounds, his home as long as he was working for us.
We played a few rounds of car racing. To my amazement I won. Mr. Noose offered me hot chocolate. I wanted marshmallows on top. To my disappointment he hadn't any. "I'll make you something special. I promise." He returned about twenty minutes later. I had been playing on the games console, so I hadn't noticed how much time had passed. Normally our housekeeper Florence was making Nesquik. The hot chocolate Mr. Noose had made was very different. It was slightly spicy and cinnamon flavored. He served some type of bread with cheese. It was heart shaped. All the crying and emotional upheaval had made me hungry and thirsty, so I tucked in. It was really delicious. Even if Mr. Noose was calm and relaxed, he seemed to hang after his own thoughts. They mightn't have been positive. I had been thinking as well and was curious how Mr. Noose knew my Dad loved me. He said: "I've watched you, when you were together. Your dad likes to spend time with you, plays games and is open to your suggestions. He's also watching out for you." It reassured me. Suddenly I was very tired. Mr. Noose drove me home. I snuggled closer to him, wishing he could be my Daddy. I was nearly asleep when we arrived at the main house. I said good night to the driver and Mrs. Florence brought me to bed. 

The next morning the day looked brighter for me. The color of my butt had returned to its normal pale shade and didn't hurt anymore. I was still smarting emotionally, though. It wasn't so easy for me to forgive Dad and even if Mr. Noose had re-assured me I felt small and doubts began to settle in again, if my Dad really cared for me.

It was a day or two later, when Dad approached me on my room.  I was playing with my Transformers, when he entered. "Javier, can I talk to you please?" I didn't want to, so I shook my head. Dad took a seat on the floor. He picked up one of the figures. "Want to play with me?" Normally I had fun with Dad. He was really good at imitating the voices of the characters, and he was creative too. Since I was still upset, I refused outright. "Okay." Dad looked hurt. "Javier, can I ask you something?" I shrugged. "Do you think I love Wylie, Johnny and Adrien more than you?" I didn't want to answer and pretended not to have heard anything. "Why would you think that?" I shrugged again. "Javier, please look me in the eyes." Dad's voice was gentle. I slowly looked up, showing all my hurt. "Are you going to give me an answer?" I told him why I thought Dad appreciated me less than the others. Wylie was without a doubt the most intelligent of the bunch. He was a straight A student, no matter which subject. Johnny had an unbelievable knack for music. He wanted to be either a musician or music historian. My younger sister Adrien looked very cute with her black curls and blue eyes. She also said the funniest things, so everyone liked her. I felt with my learning disability I wasn't bright enough to keep up with my oldest brother and with no other visible talents or cuteness I fell short of my father's expectations. "Javier, I love you as much as I do any of your siblings. The reason I love and care for you is your positive energy and your inquisitiveness. Maybe I have shown it too few, but this is going to change. I'd like to spend more time with you. Is that okay with you?" I was torn, because I was still a bit upset about the spanking, but I loved my dad and would have liked more of his attention. I nodded apprehensive. "Glad to hear it." My father smiled. "There is another thing I'd like to speak with you. It mightn't be easy for both of us..." Dad stopped for a moment. "I've spanked Wylie and Johnny until they were ten and originally thought I would continue to do the same with you. Something tells me, though, that it might not work. Am I wrong?" I tried to explain how I felt. I also said I couldn't understand how Dad could claim he loved me when he had hurt me just moments before. "Hm, that's a good question." My dad paused before giving an answer. "It might sound odd, but I did it, because I love you. I thought a painful reminder works better than discussions. Having now heard how it impacts you and your feelings towards me, I think we have to change tack. I don't want that you resent me." "Okay." I wasn't sure where this was going to lead to. "We will try speaking about what you have done wrong in the first place. If I deem it necessary you will get a punishment, like being grounded or having a privilege taken away. Is that okay with you?" "Yes." I nodded fervently. I preferred discussing what went wrong and maybe get a privilege taken away than being spanked, which left me feel unloved and not worthy of belonging to the Loesing clan.
Dad kept to his promise and spent more time with me. Our communication improved as well, and mostly Dad had only to threaten me with taking away something or to ground me. It was more than enough to bring me in line. Since we talked more I understood also better why and how to behave. It made me be much closer to Dad and we still have a very good and trusting relationship.

©2013

Just confirming

This story picks up where "Just checking" left. If you want to what was stolen and who was Mr. Noose's client, please read "The Heirloom".

When Patsy Loesing had checked out her new driver, she found some inconsistencies and further investigations revealed he owned a security company. Mrs. Patsy assumed the driver had been engaged by her son Kenneth to protect the family from a threat, like a kidnapping or assassination.
She wanted it confirmed, but didn't dare broaching the subject directly. Kenneth had returned from a vacation with his family, so she thought talking about him now.
Kenneth was sitting at the breakfast table with his wife Anna and his older sons Wylie and Johnny. When the kids were gone and Anna busy with filling the dishwasher, Mrs. Patsy took her chances. Filling her cup with coffee, Mrs. Patsy asked: "Are we in danger, Kenny?" Kenneth looked up and frowned. "Not more than usual." Mrs. Patsy interpreted Kenneth's comment as confirmation that there was a threat to the family and Mr. Noose, the driver, was there to look out for them.
It came as no surprise when the driver left shortly afterwards. It was a relief to know the issue had gone away.

Mrs. Patsy never found out the driver wasn't there to protect the family. He was a cat burglar and on his own mission. When he had stolen, what he was looking for, he left.

©2013

Just Checking

Fin is planning a new heist and is incognito working as a driver.

Patsy Loesing was intrigued by the new driver. She had tried to find out more about him by asking him questions, but he was a bit evasive, so to get a feeling about his character, she decided to "borrow" the spare keys for the old carriage house, where all their drivers had lived and the new one wasn't an exception.
She asked Kris, the gardener, to drive her to the driver's accommodation. Since he was as curious about the new guy as Patsy was, he was a suitable accomplice.
Patsy knew Coldham F. Noose III wasn't at home, because he was on an errand that should take a while.
The house was small. There was a hallway with doors leading off to different rooms. Patsy chose the kitchen first.
The new driver kept the kitchen immaculately clean. On the rustic table lay a mobile phone. She checked the brand and hadn't expected to find a VERTU phone. She switched it on, but didn't get much further, because it was protected by a password. Disappointed she switched it off again. The fridge contained sushi, yogurt, milk, cheese and fresh juice. The pantry was a big surprise too. It was stuffed with fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and vinegars, soy sauce and other high quality ingredients. Most came from the local farmers market, the best delicatessen in town or Whole Foods Market. Patsy found out that Mr. Noose liked organic produce. The freezer was minimal stocked with luxury ice cream and sorbets. The cupboards revealed spices, herbs, Ethiopian and Colombian coffee, Assam, fruit and Japanese green teas. There was also a wok - unbranded. It looked old and well used and was sturdy. The pans, pots and kitchen knifes were all professional grade and very expensive. Patsy couldn't identify the cutlery, but was sure it was branded like the Rosenthal plates, bowls and mugs.
There was also a Radio/CD player on one of the shelves. The radio was tuned to a local pop channel. There was also a CD in the player. It was an album from Bobby Darin. Again Patsy hadn't expected Mr. Noose would know the singer and song writer. Bobby Darin had died before Mr. Noose had been born.

In the living room Kris found a small collection of Jazz, Swing and Pop CD's. He recognized the usual suspects like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. He had never heard of David Benoit, Paul Hardcastle, Phil Perry or Madeleine Peyroux.
Kris realized he and Coldham had totally different tastes. Kris liked Country music and the Beatles. Coldham had a few albums from the Rolling Stones and Queen.
There were photographs as well. One was showing Coldham having his arms draped around two ancient Asian ladies. Another one had captured a young Hispanic girl, looking like she was far, far away in her thoughts. She was attractive. Kris knew Coldham had a girl friend so maybe that was her. In another was a group of young people. The majority was white, but three of them were African American. One lady was especially sticking out, because she had huge breasts. The last photograph depicted a portrait in black and white of an older gentleman and his dog, a Yorkshire Terrier.  It was difficult for Kris to figure out where the Asian ladies fit in. The group was most likely Coldham's friends and the older man either his father or grandfather. Kris thought he saw some similarities.

Patsy and Kris met in the hallway. They compared what they had found out. Patsy moved on to the bath room. Kris wanted to have a look at the kitchen himself.
Patsy's eyes popped out. She had never seen so many male grooming products before. There was a whole set of Aramis face wash, scrub, toner, facial cream with SPF factor, shaving cream, aftershave and shaving oil. There was another set from Kiehl's in the drawer, two facial masks, besides Sisley's Ecological Compound and three bottles of perfume.
The toothpaste and cream was fairly normal. The hand soap smelled very good. Patsy couldn't identify what brand it was.
Coldham seemed also to have a preference for bath salts over gel. In the shower stall was a bottle of Frederic Fekkai shampoo and an Armani body wash.
Patsy's husband Baxter had been a men’s man and believed in soap and water. He would have believed Coldham was a sissy based on the bath room amenities.
Patsy wasn't so sure, if the new driver was straight.

After Kris had satisfied his curiosity in the kitchen, he also checked out the bathroom.

Patsy had moved on to Coldham's bedroom. A laptop was resting on the writing desk. It was from Alienware, a very rare and expensive company.

Beside the bed was a stack of books. Some were technology and security related, others were biographies. There was also a small collection of poetry, a book about Ethiopian fables and some foreign language books. Patsy thought one was in Chinese or maybe Japanese, the other one was Spanish or Italian.
The wardrobe contained clothing Patsy had seen Coldham wearing while on the job. The other third was clothing he wore in his free time, the last was completely Armani. If it would have been some t-shirts and pants from Emporio Armani, Patsy would have understood, but this was from the main line Giorgio Armani and something a normal driver could never afford.
She also found a box that was normally used to store expensive watches on the top shelf of the wardrobe. Baxter had owned a few Tag Heuer and Breitling watches, so Patsy knew how they were stored. Her eyes popped nearly out, when she saw a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000, valued at around 10.000 USD. It was normally used by divers, and made famous thanks to a James Bond movie. The second watch was Ulysse Nardin Freak Blue Phantom and cost nearly ten times as much as the Rolex. It had come out only the previous year. Something was definitely wrong with Mr. Noose. He wasn't simply a driver.

Patsy asked Kris not to mention anything to Mr. Noose. She was going to investigate. Based on the Social Security Number she was able to gather some information and found out Mr. Noose owned a security company, specializing in protecting goods and people. He was very successful. Tax filings showed since founding the company his earnings had climbed steadily, and profits had been 35 Million USD the previous year.
Patsy guessed her son Kenneth had engaged Mr. Noose to protect the family from a threat, so she kept quiet.

©2013