Chasing the Elusive 'H'

Chapter 5

Day Fourteen Continued.

As we walked towards Robin’s friend, Micheal, Robin filled me in on what to expect from him.

“He’s a bit slow, but since this is an investigation he might be more co-operative than usual.”

My eyes snapped to his. “What do you mean slow?”

“Not slow in the head, if that’s what you thought.” He assured quickly, tapping his finger on the side of his head. “He’s just an old timer, not great with the computer tech so to speak. But if there's a robbery or such, he’s the best one to disarm the situation and he can still pack a punch”

We were now on the threshold to the Security office. Robin gave a lazy yet loud knock to grab his attention. “Micheal? …”

“Not now Robin, I’m busy.” He dismissed without turning around in a rather disinterested tone. Just looking from the doorway, I could tell that he was having some sort of trouble, as he was hunched over in front of his computer and squinting at the screen.

“Micheal? I have an investigator here who would like to use your computer” Robin calmly tried again.

“… An investigator..?” He rotated around in his swivel seat to see us on his door’s threshold. He tried to recover in a different tone of voice. A more concerning tone of voice. “What happened..?” He continued after meeting my gaze and coming to his feet in a graceful manner.

Micheal was a semi tall man, anyone could tell that he had strength from the way that he held himself. He seemed to be a little rough around the edges, with a small beer gut to give him a more ‘fatherly’ look. His face was wrinkled from scowling as I could see the defined lines and he was only starting to go grey in his hairline.

“Are you able to show her the surveillance camera videos?” Robin repeated.

I flipped my identification badge to show him. “Please Micheal, I require your assistance and computer to view the building’s recordings. I understand that you close shortly, but can you help me find what I need quickly?”

He came close to us, reaching out for my badge. I obliged and handed him my identification wallet. He spent a few seconds going over my details and checking to see if my face matched the picture in his hands. After that he handed my badge back to me and began to smile.

“But of course! Please. Come sit at my computer, Miss Mason.” He said as he signals to come in with a simple wave of his hand.

But before I moved Robin touched my shoulder, turning my attention back to him. “Hey, don’t forget you owe me that lunch remember?” He teased with a charming smile.

A smile dared to break through. “I won’t”

“Let’s say…Tomorrow?…Noon?” He pushed, his charming smile seeming more quizzical now.

“Tomorrow. Noon. See you then.” I swore that my cheeks were heating up.

Satisfied with my answer, Robin started to walk backwards whilst finger gunning. I rolled my eyes in a playful way, obviously loving his confidence and quirkiness towards me.

Turning my attention back to the security officer, I noticed Micheal was already on the computer. He was cancelling out of the program that he was working on and trying to find the recordings for me. After a minute or two went by he had a small outburst.

“I can’t for the life of me remember where the footage from the cameras are saved!” He seemed frustrated already.

“May I, Micheal?” I grabbed his attention by trying to take control of the mouse whilst he was operating it.

“If you know what you’re doing, be my guest.” He got up to give me his seat, sounding a little sour about his competence on the computer.

Sitting down I started my search. As I was typing in the search bar, I asked Micheal a few questions to help me narrow down where the files would be.

After a few more minutes of searching and receiving no results. I started to try think outside the box, cause it seemed like Micheal really did have no idea where these folders were located on his computer.

“How often do you check the recordings anyway?” I asked, nearly frustrated.

“Well normally, we check them on the day if an incident has happened, then it gets archived.”

“So I can view what is happening right now?” I clarified. He nodded in response. “Show me”

He bent over the desk as to use the mouse to click on the ‘live footage’ button. “There” He announced, seeming a little happier now.

The live footage was running and I could see the options for the video when it will be saved on the computer’s database. I clicked and found that the footage gets uploaded into a ‘Hidden’ folder. I quickly googled ‘how to open up a hidden folder’ and found a few results.

After some time whilst following the instructions I was able to bring up the hidden folder in question. “Bingo!” I announced, “I got the saved surveillance recording folders!”

“Glad to hear it kiddo” He chuckled, handing me his scrap of paper.

“what’s this?” I asked.

“I don’t know which camera you were after. So while you were searching, I wrote down the serial numbers for all of them. I also wrote down their physical locations beside each number.”

Glancing down at his notes, I saw what I needed. ‘Dock Area - 6742-XY, Side Access – 6743-XY’

“Thank you, this will make things go swimmingly now”

Okay, now. For the date and time. It looks like every date has their own folder filled with all the building's recordings of that day. I skim to my date the 24th of April, 2002, and click open the 6743-XY recordings for that day. I knew the estimated time of arrival anyway, due to watching the truck on the traffic cameras at the station. Just after 1800 hrs, 20 minutes past 6pm to be exact. I clicked on the play button and skipped through till just before 6:20pm.

Luckily these recordings have the date and time of day clearly visible on them. The video for the side access wasn’t in high quality and that there were odd interruptions of white noise and such. It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t in prime condition, but the video was here, and that alone was a miracle.

I watched as the truck drove in with the headlights on and went around the corner into it’s current hiding location. Anxious to see who this mysterious man is, I took a breath in. Glued to the screen, I sat waiting for a visual on ‘H’s’ identity. But soon after, another vehicle came reversing into the picture, grabbing my attention. A small van? Another person involved? I cursed at the screen when I noticed that the van reversed far enough to leave a glare on the recording.

As the video continued to play, a lady made her way outside the van, leaving her headlights on. She made her way to meet with the driver who drove the truck in. To my surprise there were two of them, the man I originally thought was immediately linked to ‘H’ and the Bulky man who was described in the old lady’s report. “I thought that there was only one who entered the truck” I whispered as I tried to remember the report details.

The lights from the van’s tail lights gave enough illumination to indicate that there were three people conversing, but it was still too dim to see any details on their faces. The only physical feature that stood out from the lady was her hair, but that was the only detail I could clearly make out from looking at her.

Who were these people and what part do they play in this crime? I could only assume that one of them was ‘H’ but now with this new evidence stacked up, it shows that this hacking crime was a group effort.

Any one of them could be ‘H’, or maybe they are all ‘H’, collectively.

It’s now clear to me that I have to keep a tight lip on my case and watch my back. Luckily enough I haven’t said much to anyone on this service street. I raked my brain trying to recall all of my words. Thankfully all I remember asking were the key questions about the suspicious vehicle and making others aware of the suspicious activities in this area. And I plan to keep it that way.

I have to make sure all that I know about the ‘H’ case is kept quiet, cause I don’t know who I can trust.

My eyes caught glimpse of the figures moving about. The glare was still in the way but I started to see other components when they moved about. I could make out that there was a suitcase being presented to someone? They exchange pleasantries? Then two of them, the lady and the bulky looking man, proceed to enter the van and drive off leaving the slimmer man alone with the truck and contents? That seems weird right?

A cough interrupted my thoughts. “I just need to close up shop. I’ll be back in a few minutes to lock up the office, okay?” He informed.

“Thanks Micheal, I shouldn’t be much longer,” I said over my shoulder with my eyes still stuck to the screen and my notepad at the ready.

The video continued and the slimmer figure started to make his way towards the dock area. Odd, I better keep watching. When the flood lights came on I could finally see a face! I paused the recording, and looked for a zoom in option. Which there was. I enhanced it to see a familiar face.

Robin’s.

My eyes went wide. Robin?

My neck instinctively turned around. I spotted him out of the corner of my eye from where I was sitting. He was signing off and starting to grab stuff from an office across the way. He was playing it too cool to be involved with such a crime. Maybe there is more to it? In any case, he is information. I can’t trust him. But I do need to find out what he knows, without revealing what I know to him either.

I wanted to confront him and interrogate him about his lies, but I knew I can’t risk letting this piece of evidence go now. I know how ‘H’ operates, this video will be wiped off the security system by tomorrow, if he knew I was here today. Most likely he does and I can’t let that happen. I needed this proof. This proof would prove invaluable to a courtroom. I had no choice but to copy the file and study it in detail. I scrambled in desperation to find a device that I can copy with and was lucky enough to find a used USB inside the security officer’s room. Inserting the USB, I copied the video onto the stick and was able to remove it before Micheal came back inside his office.

He entered the room and headed for the shelf for his car keys. “I’m afraid I must ask you to leave my office now Miss Mason, so I can lock up after you.”

“Y-yes, of course Micheal. Thank you for having me,” I tried to sound calm, I don’t normally steal things out of desperation, but I really needed that USB.

“Will you be back again tomorrow, Missy?” He asked casually as I was exiting his office.

“Yes, I’ll have a few questions for one of your co-workers” I answered.

“Well you may want to see someone about that hand, before you come in tomorrow…It doesn’t look too good.” He said gestured towards the hand I was now cradling against my chest.

“There’s no need, it doesn’t hurt that bad and I can look after it myself at home.” I gave a weak smile to assure him, that I wasn’t in much pain.

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There was no need to stake out the truck any further. All the information I needed was in this USB that I took from the security's office. If the truck disappeared tomorrow I would be concerned obviously, but it wouldn’t be hard to track it down now. I was confident that I was hot on ‘H’s’ heels.

I entered my apartment in my routinely way. Making my way into the kitchen after kicking off my shoes and placing my bag down at the entrance table. I pressed the answering machine’s button. As I was opening the fridge door to start preparing my meal for the night, I listened to the messages that I missed during the day.

“You have one new message. Message one.”

“Abi?… I’ve noticed that you haven’t called me in some time. Give your old man a call when you get the chance to soon, okay?”

“End of Messages.”

I sighed. I knew this day would come. My father worries far too much. Even though he has a whole city to run, he still thinks about me. I find it quite endearing, but this time I have to keep something from him for my own career’s sake. He mustn’t know of the chief’s threats nor the impossible task he has set me on. He’s quite good at knowing when I’m fibbing or hiding something from him, that’s why it worries me to chat with him like I normally would.

The chief’s words were now echoing in my head.

*Flashback*

“All I’m hearing Mason is, ‘I don’t want this case anymore, and since I can’t refuse or fail, I’m gonna try and make it someone else’s problem.’”...“Enough! One more excuse and that’s IT.”...“Do the case, or YOU’RE THROUGH!”

The phone caught my gaze after I shook the nasty memories from my head. I should really call my father, sooner rather than later. I knew I had to try my best to sound normal on the call at all costs as to not have him catch on to my current situation.

My non-injured hand reached for the phone’s head, I brought it to my cheek and dialled the number for his home phone. A few rings went through before …

“Victor Mason” my dad answers fluently.

“Hey dad,” I answered back, trying to put on my most normal sounding tone.

“Hey Kiddo! I haven’t heard from you for ages, how are you doing?” His voice turned into a hearty chuckle and sounded warm, like I remember it.

“I’m doing fine dad, but I did hurt my hand today on an investigation.” I admitted.

“Oh you silly girl, how did you do that?” He asked.

“I was on a classified investigation and hurt my hand when I hit it against a vehicle.” I answered sheepishly.

“And why would you do such a thing?” He enquired. “Is everything okay at work?” He pushed, sounding concerned.

I was afraid of this question. I know that if I answered in an odd fashion, he’ll pick up on it.

“…Work i-is fine, It’s just this case. I-It’s classified, so I can’t tell you what’s bothering me.” I couldn’t help but stutter, I have never been a good liar.

“… Hmmm” after a moment went by my father answered. “Well you know we don’t have many differences in our jobs.”

“What? You’re the Mayor and I investigate crimes, they are completely different!” I protested.

“That’s true, but I was talking about our similarities in both of our professions. The good and the bad, not just the significance or role that we play.”

This made me quiet. Father always has a point, and he will get there…eventually.

“We both want peace and justice, and we are both willing to work hard for it. At the end of the day, if we are troubled by unforeseen forces or just our daily lives, we have to stay strong and rise above it. And patience is key to solving any problem, including your investigations.”

“I know that, b…” I tried to cut in.

“Even being the Mayor of this fine city has it’s ups and downs. I use patience in my practice, as it’s always easier to quickly judge and share your opinion about how others manage certain circumstances when you are close-minded. But as a leader, you must be patient enough to step back and remove yourself from personal opinions and begin to see the situation at hand through another person’s eyes. Patient enough to wait for the correct moment to present the facts to your opponent.”

There was a brief pause before he continued. “Remember that people running on empty lies or weak alibis are prone to grow impatient and lose their cool, if pressed enough. Be strong enough to handle the pressure and wise enough to stop to see the bigger picture. And If something needs further attention, take the time to fully examine it. Leave no stone unturned. I know what I’m saying Abi, cause even your old man has his problems. I have a ‘classified’ situation of my own concerning my re-elect…” That was when I heard another phone ringing in the background, probably his mobile phone going off. “Oh, something just came up…Well I hope I helped you out today. It was nice hearing from you Abi. Don’t forget to call your old man, huh?” He said as he was cutting the conversation short to answer his other phone call in time.

“Y-yes I won’t forget dad…Thank you.” I sounded like I whispered that last part. He hung up shortly after. “Hmmm, I wonder what he was just about to tell me.” I said to myself.

My god. My father was like Yoda, except he had proper grammar and didn’t speak in riddles.

He’s a man, wiser than his ripe old age of 51.

After the conversation with my father, I replaced the phone on the hook and proceeded to make dinner. As I was, I was remembering what my father said on the call, he always knows how to give me strength in times of need and tonight was no exception. But he’s right though, I’ve got to continue to push, even though it seems like there maybe nothing at all to work off. I know what I must do, I need to look at that video file and find something else to go off of, other than just Robin. Sure he might seem to be the only source to push this investigation further, but maybe I missed something.

Shortly after, I finished making the rest of my meal and brought it to the computer table to eat. Whilst my meal was cooling down, I inserted my new stolen USB into my drive and opened the video up to continue my assessment. I took the recording initially because I needed it to prove my case later on in court, but I knew that I was missing something in that recording. Only watching it once, that theory is a given. I brought my bowl’s contents towards my chest and under my chin, so I could eat and watch the video without much distraction.

Some time later, I noticed that I had played the same scene countless times. My chest felt heavy feeling disheartened, thinking that the only lead I have is Robin. But that’s when something caught my eye. The video was riddled with white noise interruptions and low resurrection quality, but I was able to see something for an instant.

The van’s licence plate.

It was only visible for less than 2 seconds, but I was sure that if I paused the recording at the right time …

It took me a few attempts, but I was finally able to see the small van’s licence plate. I flipped my notebook open to write down my new findings, REF 4067. Knowing ‘H’, this plate maybe just as impossible to track down as ‘H’s’ truck was. But it was the only other lead I could find, apart from finding Robin’s face on this video.

My hands rubbed my brows, as I tried to think of my best possible approach to extracting as much information I could from each source. It wasn’t long before I came up with the best possible way to pursue both leads. I already have a ‘date’ with Robin, right? I will go to him just before noon, to treat him lunch. I will try to extract another lead or statement from him in this time. But before I see him tomorrow, I will go to the station first thing in the morning and find out who the owner of this van is, if I could at all. If not, I may have to watch the traffic footage to find out where the van was headed, and go from there. This new licence plate number and confronting Robin, I now felt like I had something to go on if the other lead falls through.

Content, I began to wind down for the evening, starting to perform my nightly rituals. Somehow I happened to bump my fist lightly against the drawers in the bathroom, and realised that my hand was indeed in need of medical attention. Checking up on my injured hand I noticed that it was swollen. I then bandaged it and applied an ice pack to one of the bandages’ folds to help reduce the swelling.

“Teaches me right for acting like that, especially in front of a suspect.” I scolded myself. “It was childish of me.”

After I tended to myself, I proceeded to brush my teeth and start my other nightly rituals, as my intent was to wake up earlier, so I needed to get as much rest as possible.

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