The pain rocketed through Leo’s body. A scream choked in the back of his throat as he fell back. He had only taken two steps when the little toe on his left foot caught the leg of his queen sized bed. He desperately clutched his foot with both hands. Leo sat on the end of the bed moaning, with face contorted and his knee pressing against his left ear. Leo’s Burmese cat Andre was curled up on the end of the bed trying to ignore the commotion. The throbbing was slowly subsiding. Leo gently removed his left hand to hoping to see all his toes still in alignment. Having a prosthetic eye had some disadvantages. Judging distance on his blind left side was one on them.
Geez, is it going to be one of those days? Leo thought.
He hobbled into the bathroom for the morning ritual and considered the middle aged reflection in the mirror.
I look a bit like George Clooney, Leo thought.
Unfortunately for Leo, the bit that looked like George wasn’t his face. Though his hair was grey and wavy, his face had a pointed shape, perhaps more like Dustin Hoffman. Leo washed his face and trimmed his stubbly beard and thought about the investigative work that lay ahead for the day.
Leo H Budge private investigator wasn’t well known around town and this opportunity with Sun Country Insurance was important for his reputation. The appointment with the company Insurance Officer was for 10 am. Leo dressed to show he was in touch with modern fashion in pale green chinos with multiple pockets, a short sleeve purple striped shirt buttoned at the neck and white sandshoes, no socks. Leo arrived at their city office 20 minutes early.
“Come in Leo.” The young insurance man stood behind his desk and beckoned him into his small cubicle. They had spoken on the phone previously and established an initial rapport. The young man was lean with a Nordic appearance, short cropped blond hair and arctic blue eyes. It always annoyed Leo how the Scandinavians could get such great tans.
“G’day, Marty, nice to meet you.” They shook hands and Leo sat at the front of Marty’s desk.
“I’ve had a recommendation for your services from a mining company client of ours and we would like you to do some work for us, if you’re interested.”
Leo tried to keep his excitement concealed. The mining company job was his first case and he must’ve impressed them.
“Of course, what have you got in mind?” Leo asked.
“We have an insurance claim that has been highlighted as requiring investigation by my boss. It’s most likely not fraudulent but it needs to be checked. If you could make it a quick job, it would be great.”
“Sure.” Leo said, wondering why it had to be quick.
“A middle aged retired couple, who appear to be well off financially, living in a large riverside house in Fig Tree Pocket, recently purchased a home contents policy from us for $250,000. Less than a month later they were burgled and are making a claim.” Marty paused and folded his arms. “The police are investigating and have not identified the culprit or culprits for the crime. We would like you to investigate this claim and report your findings to me.”
“I can certainly do that Marty,” Leo said with a broad smile.
For the next half hour Leo and Marty discussed and agreed the detail of the contractor arrangement for the investigative work. Marty had the documents drawn up and emailed to Leo for signature that afternoon.
Leo checked the briefing notes he’d received from Marty. The break-in took place on a Saturday night when no one was at home. The burglar forced open the back door - went upstairs to the bedroom and cut the lock of a metal cash box containing the jewels and left without being seen – leaving no finger prints
Leo’s first task was to interview the claimant. He hadn’t previously worked on an insurance case but he was aware he needed to careful not to accuse anyone of anything. Leo wanted to build his reputation as a professional.
The lounge room, open above to the second level, had a glass wall with stunning views across the Brisbane River. A sleek twin-outboard runabout boat was moored at a small jetty on the river bank. Everything Leo could see inside the house was polished timber, stainless steel, gleaming white or glass. The decor reeked of opulence. He sat with notebook in hand, in an ultra-white leather lounge chair wondering why anyone who owned this place would rip off an insurance company. Jerry and Megan Flegg sat together on the sofa. Leo thought the 8.30am interview appointment meant either they were early risers, or they wanted to get it over with quickly. Jerry looked like he’d just got out of bed – untamed grey wispy hair, narrow eyes and a pale complexion. He was casually dressed in cargo shorts and polo shirt. Megan, a solidly built blond woman was also dressed for relaxation in jeans and tee-shirt.
“I see from your claim that jewellery to the value of $250,000 was stolen – tiara, necklace and bracelet.”
“Yeah, the set was worth much more than that to us really. It was handed down to Megan through her family in Germany,” Jerry said.
Leo scribbled furiously in his notebook. He loved the pen he’d bought recently. It wrote well and took great pictures. He looked up.
“The policy was effective a month ago from 23rd March this year. Can I ask what prompted you to insure at that time?” Leo asked, looking for any signs of tension in either of them.
“It was a simple change of insurers. We decided Sun Country was a better option,” Jerry replied.
“Okay, and is it just you and Megan living here at present?”
“No, my daughter Leanne is here. She works in the city. The police have spoken to us and taken statements. None of us were here at the time of the break-in last Saturday night. We were with Leanne at the coast for the week-end.”
Leo noticed that Megan had not said a word. She sat with hands clenched between her knees.
“You must be upset at losing your family’s jewellery?” Leo asked looking at Megan.
“Oh, yes, it was very upsetting,” she replied with a start and unclenching her hands.
Leo’s eye for detail was going into overdrive. Megan had a slight Scandinavian accent. Her hands and fingernails were rough and un-manicured. Did this mean anything? Leo wasn’t sure but something was out of place. He positioned his pen to get plenty of shots.
“Do police have any leads on anyone who knew you had expensive jewels?” Leo asked.
“Afraid not, and there’re no clues or finger prints. – doesn’t look promising,” Jerry said.
Leo stood with notebook and pen in hand. “Thanks for your time. I may need to come back and talk to you again. I’ll give Leanne a call. I’d like a quick chat with her too if possible.”
Leo left the Fleggs and jumped into his yellow Suzuki Swift parked outside. Before leaving he looked up Leanne’s number, phoned and made an appointment to meet her for coffee.
The café was busy and fortunately they found a quiet table at the back. Leanne’s office worker appearance with light button up shirt and dark skirt resembled many of the other women in the café. Like her father she had high cheekbones and a pleasant smile.
“Were you aware there was an insurance policy covering the jewels?” Leo asked before taking a tentative sip of his long black. “I assumed there was one. I didn’t know anything about it,” she said.
“It must be upsetting losing a family treasure. Your Mum was very unhappy about it,” Leo said.
“She’s my Step-mother,” Leanne said bluntly.
“Oh, yeah, of course, still it was disappointing - lucky your Step-mother took out the policy,”
“It was Dad who took out the policy, not her.” Leanne was obviously not enjoying Leo’s questions.
“Do you have a partner…boyfriend?” Leo asked.
“No, police already asked all this,” she snapped.
“Anyone you can think of who knew there were jewels in the house, neighbour, cleaner?” he asked.
“Not really, Dad probably told you about the housekeeper, left a little while ago, before the robbery.”
“Um, he might have said something. What was her name?” he asked.
“Ingrid… can’t remember her surname” she said.
“Would she have known about the jewels?” Leo asked.
“No, I don’t know,” she snapped
Leo scribbled in his notebook and thought, judging by Leanne’s aggravated demeanor, he should end the meeting
“Look, thanks Leanne for taking time out from your lunch break. I’ll let you know if I need any further information.”
Leo was about to ask her to contact him if she thought of any other relevant information, but she’d stood up and headed out of the café before he had the opportunity.
Leo stayed at the table and looked though his notes. He had underlined a few important points.
Megan had a German family but her accent was Scandinavian.
Megan was a retired wealthy woman but she had dishwasher hands.
Leanne lied about not knowing anything about the policy. She knew Jerry was the claimant.
Leanne was nervous about discussing previous housekeeper Ingrid
This case wasn’t fitting together for Leo and he tried to remember what the Certificate 3 in Investigative Services manual would recommend in a situation like this one. He decided on two actions. First he would find out more from the Fleggs about Ingrid and second he would unleash his Nikon D850 with telephoto lens do some surveillance. Leo left the café with the look of a bloodhound on the scent.
It was late afternoon and the yellow Suzuki was as unobtrusive as Leo could manage, parked under a Poinciana tree, four houses down and across the street from the Fleggs. Leo’s notebook and the Nikon were on the front passenger seat ready for action. He sat in the driver’s seat and pulled his mobile phone from inside his blue checked jacket. Leo dialed the Flegg’s home number and Jerry answered.
“Hi Jerry, it’s Leo Budge, got a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
I understand you had a housekeeper up until recently. Can you tell me about her?” Leo asked.
There was a longer than was socially accepted silence. Leo was about say the usual ‘Hello, you there?’ when Jerry responded.
“Yeah… Ingrid Larsen, she left us a while ago – before the robbery.”
“Why did she leave? Did you have problems?” Leo asked.
“No, she was great. She just decided to go back to Europe. She couldn’t have had anything to do with it.” Jerry said firmly.
“Okay, thanks Jerry, that’s all I need, I’ll be in touch,” Leo said and terminated the call.
This is getting curioser and curioser, Leo thought. Everyone is keen to keep Ingrid Larsen in the clear. Leo’s brow furrowed. Larsen… Larsen… that name rings a bell. He grabbed his notebook and pulled the Sun Country Insurance briefing notes from the back of the book. Leo examined the name and signature at the bottom - Marty Larsen.
Shit, can’t be a coincidence, can it? As Leo’s mind went into overdrive, a vehicle pulled up outside the Flegg residence. Leo stopped thinking and looked. Marty Larsen, the Nordic insurance man, got out of the car and went to the front door. Leo had his Nikon up to his eye, focused the telephoto lens and was taking photos in a flash. Leanne opened the door and embraced Marty and gave him a girlfriend style kiss. Marty went inside.
Oh my God, Marty is involved in a conspiracy to fraud the insurance company – his own company, Leo thought.
He was stunned by this new development and tried to put the pieces together in his mind. Leanne is Marty’s girlfriend. Marty has the same surname and is probably related to the housekeeper, and it appears that Jerry, Megan and the insurance company are being conned by their daughter and her friend.
The front door at the Fleggs suddenly opened and Leanne and Marty emerged. Megan was close behind and gave Marty a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They got in the car and drove away. Leo followed the progress through his Nikon.
I need more information, Leo thought staring blankly at the inside of the windscreen. I should talk to someone who knows these people – neighbour.
Leo pressed the door bell. An elderly lady with extremely white short cropped hair and large round lens glasses opened the door.
“Hello, my name is Leo Budge.” He flashed his business card. “I’m investigating the robbery that occurred across the street last week. Could I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Oh yes, I heard about that. It’s very frightening when that happens so close. Would you like to come in?”
“No thank you.” This won’t take long. “Do you know the Fleggs over there?” Leo pointed at the house.
“Just to say hello, not very well,” she said.
“Do you know these three people?” Leo held up the Nikon digital screen for the old lady.
She peered intently at the screen. “Yes, that would be the Flegg’s daughter, her boyfriend, who is often there, and the housekeeper.”
Leo’s eye opened so wide, his prosthetic couldn’t match it. “You mean Mrs Flegg…Megan?” he asked excitedly.
“No, that’s the housekeeper. I don’t know her name. I see her quite often.”
“Thank you so much. You have been a great help.” Leo said with a smile. He turned and headed back to his car.
It’s time to wrap this case up, Leo thought.
Detective Sergeant Darcy O’Malley was running the police investigation for the robbery. When Leo explained what he’d uncovered, Darcy agreed to meet with him to confront the Fleggs. The two men were a discordant combination standing at the front door. Darcy, a big man dressed in dark suit, white shirt and tie, and Leo slim build in vibrant check blue jacket and ripped jeans. Darcy ignored the press button and rapped on the heavy timber door. After a few seconds Jerry Flegg opened it.
“Detective” The fear in Jerry’s eyes betrayed him. “I thought you were finished here?” Jerry didn’t seem to notice Leo standing there.
“I have a few more questions for you and Mrs Flegg… Can we come in?”
“Of course, Megan’s in the lounge” Jerry opened the door and led them through.
Darcy wasn’t one to procrastinate and as soon as he entered the room he turned to the blonde woman standing in front of him.
“Ingrid Larsen… can you explain why you have been masquerading as Megan Flegg?” Before she could answer he turned to Jerry. “And perhaps you could tell us where the real Mrs Flegg is?”
Ingrid looked pale when they’d walked in. What was left of the blood in her face drained out, and she crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.
The elaborate conspiracy had fallen apart and when Ingrid recovered she told Darcy the whole story. The plot was hatched by Jerry and his daughter Leanne, who was in a relationship with Ingrid’s son Marty in Sun Country Insurance. Marty was to set up the policy and ensure the payout was made to Jerry. The insurance company’s check highlighted a potential fraud and Marty picked Leo as the least likely investigator to uncover any problem.
Leo was still confused. He understood the plan to get a $250,000 payout for a pretend robbery for jewels that didn’t exist. But Megan Flegg was still unaccounted for. Jerry and Leanne were adamant that she had just packed up and left a couple of months ago. Ingrid had no idea, and appeared to have simply done as instructed.
Why go to all this effort when you live in a luxurious house worth at least $4 million, Leo thought.
The police back-up team that waited for Leanne and Marty to arrive home, and took them all, Jerry, Leanne, Ingrid and Marty to the watch house to be charged. Leo was still at the house and found Darcy upstairs looking in the cupboard.
“Hey Darcy”
“Yep?” He didn’t look around.
“We need to find Megan Flegg to find out what this pretense was all about.”
“I’m way ahead of you Leo,” Darcy said, turning to face him. “I’ve done some checking and Jerry didn’t own anything of value. Megan was the wealthy one through family inheritance. If Megan disappears then Jerry gets the lot – an obvious motive for murder.”
“Oh, shit, yeah I guess so,” Leo said, thinking it was time to leave. “I’ll see you Darcy, good luck.”
Detective Sergeant Darcy O’Malley’s thorough search of the property discovered the body of Megan Flegg. She was found in the freezer of the runabout moored in the river. She had died from suffocation and was drugged before she was placed in the freezer. Jerry and Leanne were charged with murder and Ingrid and her son Marty accessories. They were all charged with attempted fraud.
Leo returned home to his apartment around 8pm, feeling drained, satisfied and worried that Andre would be hungry. He grabbed a tin of cat food from the cupboard and read the label ‘Gourmet Duck and Wild Rice with Gravy’.
Bit hungry myself, he thought