Arthur Hailey - Overload

'So in some ways it's a lost cause."

'Some ways, maybe; not all. Word will get around; it probably has already, and that will scare a lot of other, would-be Jacksons. Also remember, we've spread our net wide today. There'll be a lot more cheaters in it before sundown."

"But only from Brookside." Nim considered gloomily the enormous area which GSP & L served; within it Brookside was a single peanut in a huge plantation. A few minutes later they were back at the communications center on the shopping plaza parking lot.

* * *

As Harry London had forecast, Brookside's D-day caught many meter-tampering offenders. By noon there were more than forty cases, either proven or suspected; it seemed likely there would be at least as manymore during the afternoon. Some supermarkets were included in the bag; an entire local chain had been raided, with illegal installations found in five out of eight stores.

Nim stayed close to Harry London, observing, visiting the scene of some of the more interesting, ingenious violations.

During the late morning they had gone together to one of the trim tract houses Nim noted earlier. Two GSP & L vehicles were parked outside. One of the Property Protection staffers, a serviceman, and the same photographer as before were clustered around an exterior electric meter near the side door.

"Nobody's at home," London said in explanation, "but downtown they checked on the guy who lives here, and it seems he's a tool-and-die maker. It figures. Take a look at this." As the others moved aside, London pointed to a tiny hole in the glass cover of the meter. A small piece of stiff wire protruded through it. Inside the meter the wire extended to a central metal disc which normally revolved as electricity was consumed.

"That wire, which shouldn't be there, stops the disc from turning," London said.

Nim nodded his understanding. "So the meter doesn't record, even though current goes on flowing."

"Right. But stopping the disc does no harm, so when the wire's removed, everything's back the way it should be."

"Except for that little hole."

"You'd never notice it," the serviceman behind them said, "unless you were looking hard. My guess is, the guy used a jeweler's drill to make the hole, which is why the glass didn't break. Damn clever."

"He won't feel so clever when he gets his next bill," London said. "Besides which, we'll watch the house tonight. More than likely the neighbors will tell him about us being here, which will make him nervous and he'll want to take out that wire. When he does, and if we catch him at it, we can make a prosecution stick."

They left while the photographer was taking close-ups of the incriminating hole and wire.

At the communications center, reports of other discoveries continued to flow in. An even more ingenious power thief had penetrated the heart of his electric meter, apparently filing off several teeth from a shaft gear which turned the meter recording disc. This had the effect of slowing the disc and reducing recorded consumption by approximately half. The downtown Billing Department, searching their records, estimated the cheating had gone on for three years, undetected.

In another instance a customer had adroitly switched meters. Somehow he had obtained an extra electric meter-Harry London suspected it was stolen-and substituted it for the regular meter supplied by GSP & L. Obviously the customer left his "private" meter in place for a portion of each billing period, during which any electricity used was "free."

Though gas meters were considered more difficult to tamper with, this had not deterred some ambitious freeloaders. As London put it, "Disconnecting or connecting a gas meter takes some plumbing skill, but not much. A do-it-yourselfer can catch on fast."

One such do-it-yourselfer, a meter reader found, had removed his gas meter entirely, filling the gap with a length of rubber hose. It was a dangerous theft method, but effective. Presumably the meter was left disconnected for part of each month, then replaced near the time a regular meter reading was expected. Another offender-a businessman owning several adjacent stores which he leased to others-had acted similarly, except his gas meter was reversed, with its face turned toward the wall, causing it to run backwards. It was here the only violent incident of the day erupted. The businessman, enraged at being discovered, attacked the company serviceman with a pipe wrench and beat him badly. The serviceman was later taken to the hospital with a broken arm and nose, the businessman to jail where he faced assault and other charges. One facet of the many cases being uncovered puzzled Nim. He told Harry London, "I thought our billing computers were programmed to signal warnings of abrupt changes in any customer's consumption."

“They are, and they do," London acknowledged. "Trouble is, people are getting wise to computers, learning to outwit them. It isn't hard. If you steal power and have the sense to reduce your bills gradually-a little the first month, then a little more every month after that, instead of a big reduction all at once-a computer will never pick it up."

"Any way you look at it, we're on the losing side."

"Maybe right now. But that will change."

Nim was less sure. Perhaps the most bizarre episode occurred at mid-afternoon when London received a message at the communications center, calling him to an address a mile or so away. The house, they saw on arrival, was large and modern; it had a landscaped garden and a long curyed driveway in which a shiny Mercedes was parked. The ubiquitous orange and white GSP & L vehicles were assembled on the road outside. The same young serviceman who had been at the gas station-garage complex this morning approached London's car as it pulled up. "Problems," he announced. "Need some help."

"What kind of problems?"

One of the Property Protection staffers, who had joined them, said, “The woman inside is threatening to turn a dog loose on us. It's a big German Shepherd. She says her husband's a doctor, a big wheel in the community, and they'll sue the company if we cause them any trouble."

"What brought you here?"

The serviceman answered. "One of the meter readers-a sharp college kid-reported a suspicious wire. He was right, I took a look behind the electric meter, and the pot strap's been dropped, with two wires bridging it. I traced the wires to a switch in the garage-there was no one around and the garage door was open. That's when the woman showed up with the dog."

Nim looked puzzled. London ordered, "Explain to Mr. Goldman."

"At the back of some types of meter there's a 'potential strap,' " the serviceman said. "If it's disconnected-'dropped'-it breaks a circuit so the meter stops registering. But put a switch across, in place of the pot strap, and the meter can be turned on and off whenever you want."

"And that's been done here?"

"Sure has."

Nim cautioned, "You're absolutely certain?"

"I'll swear to it."

The Property Protection man added, "I saw it, too. There isn't any doubt." He consulted a notebook. “The customer's name is Edgecombe."

"Okay," London said, "to hell with the dog! Call for a photo, and let's try to get evidence."

They waited while the serviceman used a radio transmitter in his truck, then Harry London led the small procession up the driveway, As the), neared the house, a tall, handsome woman, probably in her forties, emerged through the front door. She was wearing blue linen slacks and a matching silk shirt; long, dark brown hair was tied back with a scarf. Beside her was a German Shepherd, growling and straining on a leash which the woman held. She announced coldly, "I warned you men that if you continue trespassing I'll release this dog and you can take the consequences. Now get off this property!"