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"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 also go to specific

buildings, selected because of known theft patterns. Supermarkets, for

example, were always prime suspects because electricity was their seeond

largest operating cost (labor was the first) and many such businesses had

cheated in the past. Thus all supermarkets in tlie area wou Id be c

liccked. As and when anything suspicious was located, the service

engineers, backed up by Harry London's Property Protection men, would

move in.

"'flie quicker you put something like this together, the less danger

there is of leaks." London grinned. "In the Marines there were bigger

jobs Nve did a whole lot faster."

"Okay, gyrcne," Niin said, "I was just a dogface. But I'd like to be in

on this operation."

Although Nim's own military service had been brief, it gave him

40

something of a common bond with Harry London. Immediately after college Nim

was drafted and sent to Korea. There, a month after arrival and while his

platoon was probing the enemy from an advanced position, they were strafed

and bombed by American planes. (Afterward the ghastly error was described in

military double-talk as "friendly fire.") Four U.S. infantrymen were killed,

others injured, including Nim, who sustained a perforated eardrum which

became infected, leaving him permanently deaf on the left side. Soon after,

he was sent home and quietly given a medical discharge, the Korean incident

hushed up. Nowadays, most of Nim's colleagues and friends were aware they

should sit on his right during con versa tion s-tbe side of his good ear.

But only a few knew exactly why. Harry London was one of the few.

"Be my guest on Thursday," London said.

They arranged a rendezvous.

Afterward they talked about the sabotage at La Mission which had killed

Walter Talbot and the others. Although Harry London was not involved

directly in the investigation, he and the utility's chief security officer

were after-hours drinking cronies and exchanged confidences; also London's

background as a police detective had given him contacts with law

enforcement agencies which he kept operative. "The county sheriff is

working with the FBI and our own city police," he informed Nim. "So far all

leads have run up against a brick wall. The FBI, which does most processing

of evidence in this kind of case, believe they're looking for a new batch

of kooks without police records, which makes everything harder."

"How about the man in Salvation Army uniform?"

"That's being worked on, but there's a hundred ways they could have got the

uniform, most not traceable. Of course, if they pull the same dodge again,

that's something else. A lot of people will be alert and waiting."

"You think they might?"

London shrugged. "They're fanatics. Which makes them crazy-smart, brilliant

in some ways, stupid in others. You never can tell. Often it just takes

time. If I hear any rumbles I'll let you know."

"Thanks."

What he had just heard, Nim realized, was in essence what be bad told

Ardytbe last Wednesday night. It reminded him that he should call Ardythe,

and perhaps go to her, soon. Nim bad seen her once since Wednesday-briefly

at Walter's funeral on Saturday morning, which many from GSP&L had

attended. It had been, to Nim, a depressingly ritualistic occasion,

supervised by an unctuous undertaker whom Walter Talbot would have

detested. Nim and Ardythe had exchanged a few stilted words, but that was

all.

41

Now lie wondcred: Ought he to allow a "decent" interval before tele-

phoning Ardythc? Or "as it hypocritical, at this stage, for him to

consider decency at all?

He told Harry London, "I'll see you on D-day."

8

it would be another scorching day in that long, hot summer. That much was

evident, even at 9 A.M. when Nim reached Brookside.

The D-day force had arrived an hour earlier. Its communications center

was set Lip oil the parking lot of a conveniently central shopping plaza

where a half-dozcn of the utility's vehicles were clustered, identifiable

by their distinctive orange and white coloring and the familiar GSP & L

logo. Already the thirty meter readers had been driven to dispersal

points. They were mostly young men, among them some college students

working during the summer, and each was in possession of a batch of cards

showing addresses where meters and related equipment were to be

inspected. The cards were from a special computer printout last night.

Normally the meter readers' job was simply to read numbers and report

them; today they would ignore the numbers and search only for signs of

power theft.

Harrv London, emerging from the communications van, met Nim as he

arrived. London appeared perky and cheerful. He wore a shortsleeved,

military-style shirt and smartly creased tan slacks; his shoes were

brightly shined. Nim removed his own suit coat and tossed it back into

his Fiat. The sun had begun to bake the parking lot, sending beat waves

upward.

"We're getting results already," London said. "Five clear fraud cases in

the first hour. Now our service guys are checking out three more."

Nim asked, "The first five-are they business or residential?"

"Four residential, one business, and that's a lulu. The guy's been

stealing us blind, gas and electric both. Do ),on want to see?"

" sure. "

London called into the communications van, "I'll be in my car, with Mr.

Goldman. We're going to incident number four."

As they drove away, lie told Nim, "I've already got two feelings. One,

what we'll be seeing today is the tip of an iceberg. Two, ill some cases

D

we re tip against professionals, maO c an organized ring." "Why do you

think so?"

42

"Let me answer that after you've seen what I'm going to show you."

"Okay." Nim settled back, inspecting Brookside as they moved through

it.

It was an affluent suburb, typical of many which mushroomed in the

late 195os and early sixties. Before then it was farmland; now the

farms were gone, replac~d by housing developments and businesses

serving them. There was-at least, outwardly-no poverty in Brookside.

Even small tract houses, in regimented rows, appeared well cared for,

their handkerchief lawns manicured, painhvork fresh. Bevond this

modest housing were several square miles of larger homes, including

palatill mansions with three-car garages and separate service

driveways. The community's stores, some in attractive tree-lined

malls, display~d quality merchandise which reflected the area's

prosperity. To Nim it seemed an unlikely locale for thefts of power.

As if reading his mind, Harry London offered, "Things ain't always

what they seem." He turned the car away from the shopping area toward

a gas station and garage complex which included a tunnel-tvpe car

wash. London stopped at the gas station office and got out. Nim fol-

lowed.

A GSP & L service truck was also parked. "We've called for one of our

photographers," London said. "Meanwhile the service guy is guarding

the evidence."

A man in gray coveralls walked towards them, wiping his hinds on a

rag. He bad a spindly body, a fox-like face, and appeared worried.

"Listen," he said, "like I told you already, I don't know nothing

about no

"Yes, sir; so you did." London turned to Nim. "This is Mr. Jackson.

He gave us permission to enter his premises to inspect the meters."

"Now I'm not so sure I should've," Jackson grumbled. "Anyways I'm just

the lessee here. It's another outfit owns the building."

"But you own the business," London said. "And the gas and electric

accounts are in your name. Right?"

"The way things are, the bank owns the goddam business."

"But the bank didn't interfere with your gas and electric meters."

"I'm tellin' the truth." The garageman's hands clutched the rag more

tightly. "I dunno who done it."

"Yes, sir. Do you mind if we go in?"

The garageman scowled but didn't stop them.

London preceded Nim into the gas station office, then to a small room

beyond, clearly used for storage. On the far wall were switches,

circuit breakers, and meters for gas and electricity. A young man in

GSP & L service uniform looked up as they came in. He said casually,

"Hii"

Harry London introduced Nim, then instructed, "Tell Mr. Goldman what

you found."

3 43

"Well, the electric meter had the seal broken and was put in the way it

is now-upside down."

"Which makes the meter run backwards or stop," London added.

Nim nodded, well aware of that simple but effective way to get free

power. First, the seal on a meter was pried open carefully. After that,

the meter-wbich was simply plugged in to slots behind it-could be lifted

out, inverted, and replaced. From then on, as electricity was consumed,

the meter would either reverse itself or stop entirely-if the first, the

record of consumption would diminish instead of increasing as it should.

Later-probably a few days before a power company meter reader was