Read Online Overload by Arthur Hailey - Free Book Online Page B

know all that." He considered, then
    pronounced, "All right, we'll intensify our own measures, if neces-

    38
     

sary increasing our budget for investigation. Regard this as your own
    over-all assignment, representing me. Tell Harry London ihat. And
    emphasize I'm taking a personal interest in his department, and I ex-
    pect to see results."
    7
    "Some people around here have the misguided notion that stealing power is
    something new," Harry London declared. "Well, it isn't. Would you be
    surprised if I told you there was a recorded case in California over a
    century ago?" He spoke in the manner of a schoolmaster addressing a class,
    even though he bad an audience of one-Nim Goldman.
    "Most things don't surprise me; that does," Nim said.
    London nodded. "Then get a load of this one."
    He was a short, craggy man with crisp speech which bordered on the
    pedantic when he set out to explain any subject, as he was doing now. A
    former master sergeant of Marines, with a Silver Star for gallantry in
    action, he bad later been a Los Angeles police detective, then joined
    Golden State Power & Light five years ago as assistant chief of security.
    For the past six months Harry London had headed a new department
    -Property Protection-specifically set up to deal with thefts of power,
    and during that time he and Nim bad become good friends. The two men were
    in the department's makeshift quarters now-in London's office, one of a
    series of cramped glass cubicles.
    "It happened in 1867 in Vallejo," London said. "The San Francisco Gas
    Company set up a plant there and the man in charge was an M. P. Young.
    One of Vallejo's hotels was owned by a guy named John Lee. Well, this Lee
    was caught cheating on his gas bills. What he'd done was put a bypass
    around his meter."
    "I'll be damned! That long ago?"
    "Wait! That isn't the half of it. The gas company man, Young, tried to
    collect money from John Lee to pay for the gas which had been stolen.
    That made Lee so mad he shot Young and was later charged with assault and
    attempted murder."
    Nim said skeptically, "Is all that true?"
    "It's in California history books," London insisted. "You can look it up
    the way I did."
    "Never mind. Let's stick to here and now."
    39
     

"You read my report?"
    "Yes. So did the chairman." Nim repeated J. Eric Humphrey's decision
    about intensified action and his demand for results.
    London nodded. "You'll get results. Maybe as early as this week."
    "You mean Brookside?"
    "Exactly."
    Brookside, a bedroom community some twenty miles from the city center,
    had been mentioned in the Property Protection Department report. A
    pattern of power theft cases bad been discovered there and now a more
    thorough investigation was planned.
    "D-day in Brookside," Harry London added, "is the day after tomorrow."
    "That's Thursday. I hadn't expected you could set things up so fast."
    The report had indicated, without specifying when, that a "raid" on
    Brookside was planned. It would be spearheaded by the Property Protection
    staff, comprising London, his immediate deputy Art Romeo, and three
    assistants. They were to be supported by a contingent of other CSP & L
    employees-thirty specially trained meter readers, borrowed from Customer
    Service, plus a half-dozen service engineers and two photographers who
    would record any evidence on film.
    The entire force would assemble d~wntown and be conveved to Brookside by
    chartered bus. Accompanying them would be a radio van, to be used as the
    communications center. Walkie-talkies would be issued to key people, A
    fleet of small vehicles would provide local shuttle service.
    During the preceding day-"D-day minus one"-the meter readers and
    engineers would be briefed on what was expected of them, though their
    actual destination would be kept secret.
    On arrival at Brookside on D-dav, the meter readers would begin
    bouse-to-house and business-to-business checks of electric and gas me-
    ters, searching for signs of tampering. They would