John Kane and Barney had spent their Monday afternoon in an old warehouse overseeing the erection of a newly purchased prefabricated room.
They, and the other members of their Australian team referred to it as ‘the room’, mainly because of the reason they’d given to its manufacturer. A small prefabrication company in Hurstville, who believed they were manufacturing a dust room, a clean, dust free enclosure for rebuilding electric motors.
‘The room’ automatically became its code word.
It measured three metres by three metres and one point nine metres high. It had enough floor space inside to house the transformer, a small table and ample walk space between the two.
The bottom half of each wall was made of light weight timber paneling, while the top half of each wall was filled with windows of clear Perspex sheeting. It was designed to give a visual access of three hundred and sixty degrees. Each wall was made up of three panels whose rubber lined edges slotted together. A folded hinged roof was easily lifted by the two men over one wall, and unfolded in place on the top of the room. A smaller panel of Perspex was designed to be the doorway.
The two members of the Australian team, who were to transport the room and erect it at its inspection site, had been living in Sydney for some weeks. Kane had instructed them upon their arrival in the country, that due to the unexpected delay they should find work and live in the immediate area close to the transformer storage building.
His reason being they stood more chance of going unnoticed by being obvious. Already they were being recognized in local shops, fuel stations and of course the local pub.
To the locals in the pub they were known as the pommy bastards, while the people in the stores and on the street identified them as Rob and Robert. These were the names on their forged British passports. Names chosen with the idea it might confuse anyone investigating them, if of course, that situation ever arose.
They were big men who handled the panels with ease. Their first attempt in the room’s erection had taken them nearly thirty minutes. Then they’d decided between them to number each panel with a small brush and white paint.
Dismantling the room, they erected it again and then repeated the process three more times. Deciding that in placing the roof onto the wall top at one end before installing the wall in the other end, its erection was made easier and somewhat quicker.
For the fourth erection they were instructed by Kane to load the room back onto the truck, and then unload it again. Carry it back to its erection site where, with their previous practice and the numbering system they put it together in less than twenty minutes.
These practice sessions were necessary for when the time came for the room to serve its purpose, neither of the two men knew where the actual event would take place. Any given location could change at a moment’s notice.
So each of the practice runs were carried out with that knowledge in mind. When the real time came, they might be working at night, under poorly lit conditions, in unfamiliar surroundings and possibly against the clock. Although it was understood that if everything went according to plan, then this warehouse was the ideal location. Everything needed for a successful outcome was in this one place, and in one place was the safest place.
Kane knew that moving the transformer truck outside this warehouse even once risked being observed, and it was a risk he’d rather not take. He’d held a similar view about himself and Barney.
They had restricted themselves to routine and had stayed within the boundaries of that routine. Today they had stepped over the boundary by coming to this building, but when they left this place today they would never return.
Kane knew that when the advertising campaign began, his own and Barney’s movements could be under close scrutiny. Knowing this, gave him the power to lead whoever was assigned to keep him under observation to wherever he wished. He understood that in the days to come, there would be many people invested in the search for the transformer. and those suspected of association with it.
If he and Barney were to be under a twenty-four-hour observation as he suspected, then he would be in the position to lead at least six observers away from the transformer building.
In that case, it should follow that if he and Barney split up, then the two of them should be able to tie up twice that amount, maybe more.
The same would also apply to Steve Walters.
All they had to do to tie up valuable police resources was to stay at home and watch T.V.
The transformer was still loaded on the first truck which had received it outside the Liverpool building site. It was easy to quickly unload with the fork lift truck which was at the rear of the load tray. The space between the transformer and the fork lift truck was enough to accommodate the timber and Perspex panels. A steel tool box had been welded to the underside of the truck to contain the aquarium.
Barney had marked out an area the exact size of the transformer on the floor inside the room with a piece of chalk. He now watched as Robert was in the act of placing a small fold up camp table on the floor close by the nearest chalk line.
With the table in place Robert walked around it and decided there was ample room to move.
Walk space was an absolute necessity when the demonstration took place, as the person inside the room would be restricted by a bulky HazChem suit.
Rob took a cardboard carton from the trucks tray top and carried it into the room. He lifted from it a medium sized glass indoor fish aquarium which he placed onto the table. It was a normal everyday fish aquarium, similar to any other that might be found in schoolroom, office or home except for three rather indistinct changes.
Its Perspex lid was fixed in place with adhesive, which undoubtedly made the act of inserting fish impossible.
Accommodation for this was made with the second change in its design.
That being a ninety millimetre hole cut into the affixed top. Over this hole there was glued in place a ninety millimetre inside diameter threaded flange. It was through this flange that wildlife of choice could be inserted. A threaded bung was then to be screwed into the flange, thus leaving them alone in an air tight environment.
The third change was a smaller hole of perhaps four millimetres in diameter. It had a patch of Latex pulled taut and set in place over it. He tested the table’s stability by holding the aquarium by two of its corners and rocking it gently back and forth.
Satisfied with its support he reached into his pocket and produced a child’s plastic pencil case and a tube of super glue.
There was difficulty in removing the tubes cap because of the leather gloves he wore, so he removed them and pulled on close fitting surgical gloves.
Kane watched as Rob glued the plastic pencil case to the aquariums lid, where it would hold a set of two Pasteur pipettes. One was for immediate use during the demonstration and a second for use as a spare.
Pasteur pipettes are a common piece of equipment used in laboratories and are similar to the everyday eye dropper. They are designed for disposal and are around two hundred millimetres long.
Barney brought the pipettes to the table, where Rob, after accepting them, placed them without their rubber caps into the pencil case. He then took from Barney a small tin with a hinged lid, and with the aid of more adhesive, he glued it onto the inside base of the pencil case, so it sat with easy availability with the pipettes.
Some minutes later he lifted the tins lid and carefully removed one of the rubber caps. It took effort to fight off his basic human impulse to squeeze it, like it might when pressing an OUT OF ORDER button or touching a wall beside a WET PAINT sign. He held back the temptation and instead lifted each of the rubber caps in turn to eye level. Content with what he saw inside of them, he carefully placed the two of them back onto their bed of cotton wool. Finally, he placed a wad of cotton wool over the contents of the pencil case and snapped the pencil case lid closed.
A small hole had appeared in one of his surgical gloves where the glue had burnt
through. He removed it and stuffed it into his right side pocket, before tugging a replacement from his top pocket.
The four men had all been wearing overalls, gloves and stretchy beanies since getting into their truck at lunch time. Now as the day warmed they all felt the heat. The gloves were an attempt to remove the possibility of leaving finger prints and the overalls so to not leave traces of clothing. Beanies covered their hair so they’d not leave anything that could be used in D.N.A sampling.
After Robert and Rob had loaded and lashed the panels onto the transformer truck, Kane stood back to view their handy work. He liked what he saw; the truck was light, compact and mobile.
There were only four other trucks like this in the world. One of them was in the Philippines, one in the U.S, another in Canada and one in the U.K. Each one was identical to the others, with its own transformer, forklift truck, room panels and aquarium.
There were four other items necessary for a successful outcome and they were not on the truck. They would remain under wraps until either Robert or Rob brought them to the room at demonstration time.
Three of the four items were definite proof they were conspiring to commit a crime.
As it was now, conspiracy to commit a crime would be hard pressed to prove when the only facts were a transformer, a fork lift truck and a pre-fabricated room.
Kane had always been an extremely careful man. Evidence of this was made apparent once more to Barney, and yet again it reinforced his faith in his boss. Kane’s order that the three items only be brought forth just prior to the viewing by potential customers allowed him to feel more at ease. The knowledge, they were as far removed as possible from critical consequences if things went wrong allowed Barney’s morale to soar.
Barney had only seen one of the three most important items. That being the spindle he’d made. He did know the other two items were a three hundred millilitre 10X container and an explosive charge.
The detonator spindle had demanded his complete attention with its invention on the lathe. Outside of that experience, explosives were not his business and he didn’t like poisons.
Like poisons, the forth item was not dear to him. It being a small cage of inquisitive whisker twitching rats, but he understood they had an important part to play.
Kane had not mentioned to Barney the exact time the campaign would begin, but Barney knew it would be very soon. He could feel it in his gut, and as the thought of it crossed his mind he unconsciously licked his seemingly dry lips.
Kane’s voice jerked him back to the present.
“Barney.” Barney’s train of thought derailed, and he looked to where Kane stood by the side of the transformer truck. “It’s suddenly dawning on you, the enormity of what we’re about to undertake is it?”
Barney stood silent and gazed at Kane for a moment before he said with a nod of his head.
“Partly I think Boss, but more so the fact that it’s about to begin. You know. It’s like the first parachute jump. You do all the routine on ground training without any thought about the real event, and then suddenly the day arrives and you’re about to board the plane.”
“And when you boarded that plane Barney, what did your jump instructor tell you?”
“He said, “Relax and to keep your mind on the business at hand. If anyone wants to change his mind at the exit door, just remember that when you turn around, the first thing you will see is my look of amazement.”
As he finished the sentence Barney saw an intrigued look on Kane’s face and he laughed as he answered Kane’s silent question.
“The story went that Sergeant Smith’s look of amazement only came about when someone thought that seeing it would be easier than doing the jump.”
“Did anyone ever see this look of amazement?” Kane asked.
“Not that I ever heard, boss.”
“Then it would seem to me that what Sergeant Smith was in effect saying was: Relax, keep your mind on the business at hand and remember your fear of the unknown is all in your head.”
Barney rubbed his chin and with a thoughtful expression on his face replied:
“You know boss, I never thought of it like that. But now you mention it, it’s clearly correct isn’t it?”
“I think so Barney.” He looked at Robert and then at Rob to make sure they heard what he was to say next, “Keep it in mind because we’ll be jumping within the next twenty-four hours.”
******
Monday Afternoon
Lee and Larry Barrett were biding their time in traffic which was moving slowly towards the toll gates on Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.
Barrett was nose deep in his lap top, while Lee was wondering if he should ring Dan. Ask him to go and keep an eye on the two women in Lane Cove just in case they decided to try to leave town. It was a thought that only lasted a moment, until his eyes rested on the older woman’s address book on the dash of his car.
He’d discovered it in the woman’s hand bag, and it stated clearly that her mother and her sister lived just a few suburbs across town. Facts which gave his supreme optimism surety that the woman would keep her place.
Lee had learnt at an early age that women kept a lot of interesting bits and pieces in their hand bags. He’d found out then, that a handbag could give instant access to their lives.
It pleased him to be in possession of the keys to other people’s vulnerabilities.
He’d been deep in thought about what he had discovered from the older woman’s handbag when his mobile phone suddenly rang. It startled him back to a traffic queue reality and he spoke almost absent mindedly into the phone.
“Shane. What’s news?” He listened for a moment before saying, “Right mate. Keep on it.”
“It would seem that maybe someone’s keeping tabs on the engineer’s work shop in Grey Street.”
Larry looked up from his work.
“Same people who were in the vicinity the other night, do you think?”
“Who they are doesn’t concern me as much as, what it is that Kane has that warrants inspection, or even surveillance? I feel sure it has something to do with that wooden crate in his backyard, correction, my back yard.” Lee couldn’t help the passion that controlled his tone as he rasped out those last three words, “I’ve got to tell you Larry, I’m a bit worried about where this might go. Damn Sudovich. I hope he’s frying in hell right now.” Barrett didn’t answer and quietly looked at his lap top.
He knew that Lee was mainly pissed off because he needed to be in control. Where Kane was concerned, Lee was far from being in control. He kept his thoughts to himself, because now was not the time to be too talkative to Lee.
Silence is golden, but sometimes silence is just plain safe.
Personally he wasn’t worried about Kane, or the wooden box. He could keep himself at arm’s length from the whole affair.
On the other hand, he was concerned about who those were who concerned themselves with Kane. If it was the law, then they were as close to Lee as they had been for some time. Not because of their own doing though, he thought. It appeared that they may have had a stroke of luck.
If Kane’s business dealings at Grey Street were going to be investigated, then Lee’s association with the business premises would probably be enough to warrant legal access to Lee’s affairs. If that happened, then even if the law didn’t find anything on Lee, they could create so much turmoil that Lee’s business operations could go into free fall over night.
Larry liked to fly high on Lee’s wings, but he did some serious thinking when, at times, it appeared some feathers might be working loose. He made a mental note to get in touch with Moot the forger and have him bring his second passport up to date.
Twenty first century transport held the key to keeping most affairs at arm’s length.
CHAPTER 10