Detective Charles and the Missing Formula

‘Daniel, please open the door!’, cried Sheila Morrison, the chief inspector at Scotland Yard, as she banged the door of Daniel’ make-up room in West End, London. Daniel Ford was the former head of Intellectual Property Crimes Division at Interpol. An epigrammatic person, Daniel and Sheila had known each other for many years. Since leaving Interpol, Daniel had joined a theater group to pursue his first love – acting.

‘You have come to me for the vaccine case,' he asked Sheila as he opened the door. ‘Who briefed you, we haven't let it out yet ?’asked Sheila, pulling down the mask slightly. ‘I noticed some chatter on the dark web about a vaccine theft last night’ he replied coolly.

'The formula for the Covid 19 vaccine has been stolen from Twizer Inc, the pharmaceutical company. They were planning to start production of the vaccine in two days. We would like you to help us retrieve the formula. The vaccine can save many lives and each minute is costly.’ Said Sheila and handed over the case paper to Daniel. “Let’s start by speaking to the Vaccine team and senior management at Twizer.” said Daniel as he finished reading.

They first met Mark Longfellow, Head of Vaccine Development. 'Please tell me about your work’ asked Daniel. Mark, a proud scientist, said “My team has built the most effective vaccine in a record time of six months, despite morale being low due to an ongoing wage dispute.’

‘The robbery has been a rude shock, all our plans are in disarray’ said Gordon Gray, Executive Director, Sales. A short, balding man with a prominent scar over his left eyebrow, his manner was unusually calm. Just then he received a phone call and gave the caller details about a vaccine formula’s location. Sheila asked him details about the sales plan for the vaccine. “How is the morale?” Daniel quizzed, getting up to leave. “Never been better” shot back Gordon.

Last they had an audience with Ms. Matilda Freeman, CEO, Twizer Inc. An imposing figure with very shrill voice, Ms. Freeman emphasized the urgency of vaccine roll out and the importance of retrieving it before it’s too late. As she spoke, Daniel looked at the papers on her desk, “Barclays Bank – notice of repayment” was the title of the paper she had just kept aside. He also noticed the rare diamonds and $500,000 watch she wore.

‘We want to speak to everyone who is allowed to go into the main laboratory apart from the scientists?’ asked Daniel. “You have met me and Mr. Longfellow. Mr. Webb, the deputy CEO, is the only other person but he has been away in United States since last two weeks” replied Ms. Freeman’. As Daniel walked out he noticed a giant model of a villa by the sea in the adjoining room.

“What do you think” asked Sheila. “I have a few theories but time is too short to investigate each lead. We need to take a chance. Lets start by reviewing the movements of Mr. Longfellow, Mr. Web and Ms. Freeman over last two weeks. Also include Gordon Gray please. Go over every appointment, every bit of CCTV footage and report to me asap” said Daniel.

Upon reaching agency headquarters, Daniel went into a room and started to review the case file and the dark web as he listened to Beethoven on his Bose headphones. “this can’t be done without an insider, it is the best lead to follow” he kept thinking.

Just as his confidence started to wane, the phone rang. It was Sheila “Come to the control room now”. They were going through grainy video footage of Mr. Gray talking to a stranger outside a supermarket last Saturday. The man’s face was not visible. “This seems suspicious but we can’t follow this up unless we have a face”. “Zoom out” said Daniel “lets see a different angle” After a few minutes the man started walking, with a limp. “This seems like Edgar Bossman, the famous hacker. He works with Calvin Hoble, the crime boss. Please put surveillance on Hoble and start looking att CCTV footage from his neighborhood. We need to catch Hoble, let’s go”.

Since Daniel worked as an actor, he changed his appearance to look like a Taxi driver and parked himself outside Gray’s house. His team waited outside Hoble’s mansion in Mayfair. Daniel saw a man walk out of Gray’s building and wave for a taxi while he spoke on the phone. It was Gray “Mayfair please” he told Daniel and “Calvin’s man is waiting for you on the other side of the Tower bridge, make sure no one follows you” in a low voice to the person the phone.

Daniel’s team was listening to the taxi conversation. A team immediately scanned Tower Bridge CCTV and found Ms. Freeman’s car parked there. They zeroed in and saw her driver to a dangerous looking man nearby. They apprehended both and found a package containing the formula. Another team arrested Gray and Hoble from the latter’s mansion. Ms. Freeman was picked up later. The case was solved!

Daniel explained, ‘I knew Gordon Gray was important when Ms. Freeman didn’t mention him in the list of people with access. From our meeting I remembered he was involved as the caller asked him about vaccine formula. As for Matilda, I was suspicious since the very beginning. She will be retiring next year, had very expensive tastes, was in debt and has plans to build a big mansion for herself.’ Shelia was impressed.

'The credit goes to my technique’, he said arrogantly and walked away, with a neat sum and the promise that he would be the first one to be vaccinated.