by Murray Segal
The work started to roll in almost immediately. The assignments were mostly small time in nature. Spying on wives or husbands whose mates thought they were cheating. Checking on employees of criminal types who they suspected of having their hands in the till. Nothing big or lucrative but he managed to earn enough to pay the office rent plus some money for his mom to cover some part of his keep at her apartment.
One afternoon Herman is sitting in his office with nothing much to do when there is knock on his door. When he opens the door, a well-dressed man enters. He steps inside without hesitation, as if he has known Herman for a long time and didn’t need an invitation.
“Good morning Mr. Biggs. My associates and I are looking for a private detective to undertake a surveillance project for us. You have been recommended to us as the right man for the job.”
“Good morning to you. Who was it that did the recommending, if I may ask?”
“That, my good man, is not important. Something you don’t need to know.”
“Well it’s important to me. Specifically, I am not a licensed private detective. I never claimed to be one. If someone is representing me as a licensed PI I want to know who it is so I can straighten him out.”
“Herman, we know all about your license problem or should I say lack of a license problem? It is not a problem for us. We will keep your little secret.”
His tone has become demanding and authoritative. Almost commanding in nature. It has the desired effect on Herman. He realizes he doesn’t know the man’s name.
“Pardon me but I don’t even know your name yet.”
“Of course, you may call me Klaus and my associate out in the car is Hans. When we are finished talking, I will take you outside and introduce you to him.”
He talks to me like he is a General and I am a lowly private.
“We have a job for you. It is well suited to your talents and you will be well paid for the work. It is basically a surveillance project that encompasses a rather broad area around this town with special emphasis on the border crossings between here and Fort Kent on the north and Vanceboro on the south.”
“Wow. That’s a long stretch of territory with a lot of border crossings. I don’t have any employees nor the money to hire any. What would I be looking for? Drugs?”
“No. You would be looking for two individuals who are travelling together and we suspect they may cross the border into Canada.”
“Well why are you looking for them?”
“That is none of your concern but rest assured they are not dangerous. We already know that you have neither the staff nor the resources to do this job right now. It will be your job to hire enough staff to cover the area. You will let us know if the couple crosses the border and where they cross. We suggest a network of cell phones to maintain communications. We will advance you the money necessary to do the job. If they never cross in the area, you get to keep the entire retainer.”
“That much territory will require a huge amount of money. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“You will provide us an estimate of the amount for the next 3 months. We have already estimated that the amount will be about $50,000. To be on the safe side and assure a good job we will advance you $150,000. In cash. No questions asked. You get to keep the entire amount regardless whether they cross or not.”
The lights go on in Herman’s eyes. He has a hard time hiding his emotions. A hundred and fifty thousand dollars will likely leave him with at least half in profit. He contains his emotions but guesses that Klaus knows exactly what is going on in his mind.
“I will get you an estimate by tomorrow but it will take a few days to hire and train the staff necessary to do a good job. I should be able to start to work in about a week.”
“Not soon enough. Get it started in 3 days and I will add $25,000 to your fee. Here are a few photographs of the couple you will be looking for. See that every member of the field crew has a copy.”
He must think I am very dumb if he must let me know that we need photographs to find the pair we are hunting for.
“You got it. I’ll start hiring today and have men on the job. Three days for certain.”
“Here is a throw-away cellphone. Call the number I’ve put on it every day and let me know what’s happening.”
“OK.”
Lord, this was all planned well in advance, he thought to himself. Good thing I didn’t give them any kind of a hard time. They would have crushed me like a bug and thrown away the corpse.
Ten minutes later they leave. In another ten minutes, Herman has called six guys he knows and hired them for the project. He also let them know that he needed quite a few additional guys and to spread the word around town. Quietly. Next up, he takes the cash and deposits it in the bank in a new account. The amount of money is too big for a single deposit so he opened two separate accounts so they would draw less attention. The second one was under his mother’s name, with him as a cosigner. The job is big enough to convince him that he needs to keep legitimate records and books. Even income taxes. Bummer. The next morning, he calls Klaus on the cell phone to give him a progress report.
“Good morning Klaus. I have hired my best friend to run the field crew and another six are lined up and will start work the day after tomorrow. My friend has started to work this morning and his name is William Jones, really. All the field guys will be taught to cozy up to the border crossing guards. They will report to Bill via cellphone each evening. None of them will know where the money is coming from. I will be treating them as day laborers and paying in cash. Even Bill will not know enough to connect you to the project. Just me. This leaves me free to stay here and supervise or to roam in the field.”
“You are turning out to be as good as they said you were. Very clever. Make sure that they are very careful when cozying up to the border guards. Something like that could blow up quickly, particularly if they are using cash to pay the guards off.”
“That’s one of the reasons that I will make sure that no one can connect me or you to the project. I got to run. Call you tomorrow.”
“OK. I won’t hold you up any longer. It appears you have everything in hand.”
CHAPTER VIII – BIGGS GOES TO WORK
As Biggs is starting to work, Harry and Silvia are still in Houlton. They have decided to skip dinner with their new friend Moose and are planning the next leg of their trip to Presque Isle. Tomorrow they will pick up their car and drive the 40 some miles to their destination and temporary home. In the mean-time they have a leisurely dinner and watch two movies at the Inn.
“You know Silvia, I really liked Murphy’s Romance. It was light and very entertaining. Sally Field was great. I have never paid much attention to the details and mechanics of acting but I was aware in this movie how Sally Field could get a message across with a facial expression, a twinkle in her big eyes or a variety of body movements. James Garner was, well, James Garner and the Carole King songs provided a natural background.”
“I liked it as much as you did. By the way you use some of the same techniques to communicate that Sally Field did. You just don’t know it. Or do you?”
“I haven’t ever taken acting lessons, but since we left home I have started to learn a bit about that subject. I have a feeling that by the time we get home we both may be up for an Academy awards.”
After breakfast the next morning, we get in the car and head north to Presque Isle. It’s a short drive and takes us only about an hour. I am driving while Silvia has her Toshiba working to find out more about our destination.
“Harry, did you know that one of the attractions of this area is a scale model of the universe that stretches 40 miles from Houlton to Presque Isle?”
“No I didn’t. Let me know when we are getting close. It must be spectacular.”
“I will. I expect it won’t be difficult to spot a planet.”
It isn’t very long before we pass the first planet in this model. It is nothing more than a Dunkin Donuts Munchki
n mounted on a long pole. With all due respects to the people of the region, I am totally unimpressed by this model. And it doesn’t get any better as we pass the rest of the Planets. And I say so.
“If this is representative of the 40 mile long exhibit, I think it is plain silly.”
“Harry. These models were built by High School students working under the supervision of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Now we know that there is a branch of the state university in Presque Isle. Make a note of that because it may be a place for one or both of us to look for work. It says here that there are plans to expand the model into Canada.”
“Somehow, I am still unimpressed but don’t tell anyone. This model is clearly near and dear to the people here.”
“I think that we should focus on Presque Isle itself in our search for a place to live. It is where the best possibilities for work are. We could probably live more cheaply in the more rural parts of the area, including Caribou and Fort Fairfield.”
“I totally agree with that. We should take a few days to familiarize ourselves with the town before we try for any jobs. My first focus will be to look at the University and hope that I can find a job as a teacher’s assistant or maybe even a low-level professor’s assignment. My job at UNH may get me in but it’s another state and who knows how they will view that?”
“My first choice for employment would be with the local police department so I could keep track of the criminal goings on and perhaps spot our Nazis if they start closing in on us. No way I would qualify for that, but maybe I could catch on with the newspaper, The Star-Herald as a reporter covering the criminal goings on. That way I may be able to cultivate a few friends in the police department and/or the State Troopers.”
After we have arrived and parked the car, I suggest to Silvia that we look for a place to stay for at the least the first night or two.
“I’ve already seen to that. There is the Northeastland Hotel right up the street. We can get a room there for $110 per night. Let’s walk over there and see if we can book a room for a couple of nights. After that we must search for a less expensive place because we must conserve our dwindling cash supply.”
“You think of everything. Now think of a way of a way to get those Nazis off our backs. Personally, I’d like to see them dead and buried.”
“I’ll work on it. Don’t hold your breath.”
We approach the desk clerk and inquire about a room for two nights.
“Certainly sir. It’s so early in the day that we have a wide assortment of rooms available. What are your needs?”
Silvia takes over. “We would like a room at the advertised $110 rate with twin beds.”
“I can accommodate you with such a room at the $110 rate. Would you like to look at a room?”
“That’s not necessary. Just book us in for two nights and we will go get our car and move it out in front.”
“Might I see your credit card?”
“We will be paying with cash.”
“That is a bit unusual in this day and age. If you pay the full amount in advance it will be fine. Will you need help with your luggage?”
“No, we won’t but we will need to use one of your carts to bring the stuff in.”
“That’s fine. Go right ahead. The elevator is right around the corner over there,” he says.
We cough up the 220 dollars and he gives us two keys to room 301. Actually, Silvia coughs up the money since keeping the stash is in her job description.
“I’ll go get the car and be right back. The heavy lifting is in my job description.”
I drive up to the front door and load everything onto the cart.
“What are you taking all of that stuff for?”
“Hey, I am not letting this typewriter out of my sight and I’m taking all the LL Bean clothes to cover it up in the closet.”
The room is large and comfortable.
“I’d like to lie down and rest for the next couple of days,” say I. “Maybe watch a dozen movies or so and have room service send our meals up here.”
“Dream on loveman. Speaking of meals, why don’t we get an early lunch somewhere nearby and then start walking.”
“The Toshiba is getting a workout today. Let’s see what you can find close by.”
“The Café Sorpreso looks especially nice. Why don’t we go there? It’s an easy walk.”
“It looks expensive. We’ll go there but don’t get used to it.”
The head waiter meets us at the front of the restaurant with a smile. He has kind of a grim face and his smile appears to be very forced.
“Good morning, Two for lunch?”
“Yes please.”
It is very early for lunch so the place is nearly empty. So naturally he leads us to the worst table in the place. Just outside of the kitchen door in the far rear corner of the room.
“Excuse me, sir. We would rather have a table near the front.”
“Certainly, sir.” He utters this with a disgusted tone.
I decide not to tell him that “Sir” was my father, my name is Harry. It would be wasted. I order a Roast Beef Panino with Balsamic Garlic and Onion Jam, Swiss Cheese, Tomatoes, Red Onions and Spinach. Silvia orders a house salad and iced tea.
“Silvia, did you see the dinner menu? We have hit the mother lode. I can’t wait to get back here for dinner.”
“Plan on waiting a long-time buster. It’s too expensive.”
“Ok but we come back for dinner just as soon as we land jobs.”
“Anyhow loveman, what is it about you that brings out the worst in waiters? Here we go again.”
The waiter brings our food. It is delicious.
“The food is great and the place is elegant. Never in a million years would I have expected to find such a place way up here in potato country.”
After a gooey ice cream dessert (Silvia takes a pass, as usual) we start our walking tour. The central business district of Presque Isle is mostly on the east side of The Presque Isle Stream, a narrow stream that runs north and south. There is only one bridge crossing the stream and this is on State Street. Obviously, the bridge makes State Street a principal downtown arterial. The major north-south street is good old Main Street. The Café, The Northeastland Hotel and other active businesses front on Main.
“Silvia, one of the things I want to do soon is look for another typewriter.” I say this as we are walking past Hand Me Down Antiques, across from the Hotel. Further up Main Street is another shop called Buy, Sell, Trade.
“Dare I ask what you want with another typewriter?”
“Sure. I figure it would make our MDTW a bit harder to steal. A common thief would have to make off with two heavy machines or just pick one. If the latter happens we have a fifty-fifty chance that we lose the MDTW. If he takes both machines, I am out a few bucks for the second machine.”
“You mean WE are out a few bucks. A few bucks we can’t afford right now. In any event, it doesn’t seem to me that it will keep the MDTW any safer.”
“We’ll talk about that later.”
“Look at that. A real movie theatre undergoing renovation. Locally owned and one of a small chain.”
We are now walking south on Main Street. We pass Governor’s Restaurant and Bakery. Further on a Dunkin Donuts.
“We should get a bag of munchkins to take back to the hotel with us.”
“We just had lunch for goodness sakes.”
“Speaking of lunch, here’s another place to eat. Governors’ Bakery and Restaurant. There is certainly no shortage of places to eat here in town. I hope we’ll have time to try them all.”
“You could probably try them all in one day. If I let you.”
“Aw, stop picking on me. You know you love me.”
“I do but if you blow up to 400 pounds, I likely will stop loving the two of you.”
I defer.
“Hey. Let’s get a copy of the Star Herald.”
By then we are back near the Hotel so we stop in there and ge
t a copy. The paper is a weekly, published on Thursday.
“All that exercise has worn me down, Silvia. Why don’t we go upstairs and rest for a couple of days?”
“You go ahead. I want to chat with the desk clerk for a minute. I’ll see you in the room. Don’t start anything without me.”
“Funny.”
I head for the elevator while she walks over and waits for a gentleman to check in. I have no idea what she wants to talk about. After a few minutes the guest has checked in and Silvia moves in to talk. I take the elevator on up to the room as she begins to chat with the desk clerk.
“Hi. I’m Silvia Stein in room 301. I have a question for you. We have just arrived in town and love your hotel but it’s going to take some time to find a place to live. I’m hoping you could recommend a less expensive place to stay while we look for a permanent place to live.”
“Well, Mrs. Stein, I certainly understand. One Hundred and Eight dollars a night can rapidly add up to a small fortune. What I usually tell our guests is to look for a place over the border in Canada. It is a relatively short drive and if you don’t mind that you can find a less expensive motel room over there. Try the Maple Tourist Home, B & B. You should be able to book a room there for about $70 a night. Perhaps less if you reserve a room for a longer period. It is about 28 miles from here.”
“Thank you so much. Would you happen to have their telephone number?”
“I certainly do. Good luck there even though we don’t want you to leave.”
“Many thanks.”
She opens the door to our room and says, “I have the number of a place in Canada where we may be able to save about $40 a night. I will call them and inquire while you pick out a movie for us to watch tonight. Maybe two. Ok?”
“Sure, go ahead and call. I like this new role as social director.”