Something Missing_ A Novel - Matthew Dicks [1]
In the nine years that the Pearls had been Martin’s clients, he had yet to see a head of lettuce or a fresh tomato in their refrigerator, yet there was always an excellent supply of salad dressing. And unlike most of his clients, the Pearls’ salad dressings rarely reached their expiration dates, so someone in this house was using the dressing, but to what the dressing was being applied remained a mystery.
Martin took the bottle of parmesan peppercorn and examined it in his gloved hand. Satisfied with its expiration date, he placed it in the burlap sack and scanned the rest of the refrigerator. The sack, which hung off his left shoulder by a length of rope, was more for appearance’s sake than anything else, a means of projecting an image of which he was quite proud. In Martin’s estimation, he was at the top of his game, a master of his craft. Though any bag or sack would do, and some might serve him better, he had become attached to his burlap, and so on his shoulder it remained.
Martin then checked the butter drawer and found four and a half sticks. Selecting two and placing them in his sack, he closed the refrigerator door and headed for the pantry, reexamining the list that he had tucked carefully into his coat pocket. The list was written in French, so that in the event he was one day caught, it would be indecipherable by most police officers. Realistically, Martin knew that it wouldn’t take long for any self-respecting detective to have the list translated, but the cautious nature of the list enhanced the image that Martin attempted to project.
blurred [butter]
sauce salade [salad dressing]
détergent à lessive [laundry detergent]
conserve [canned vegetables]
savon [soap]
diamant [diamond]
Martin found the Pearls’ pantry well stocked with vegetables and selected two cans of peas, a can of corn, and two large cans of whole, peeled potatoes. Had the supply of vegetables been low, he would have bypassed this item on his list, adhering strictly to Rule #1:
If the missing item will be noticed, don’t acquire it.
Certain items could be taken from a home without anyone ever noticing, particularly if one is familiar enough with the homeowner’s inventory to determine how long an item has been in stock. A bottle of Liquid Plumbr, for example, should never be taken during its first month on the shelf, because the homeowner has likely purchased it for a specific reason. A kitchen sink is slow to drain. The bathtub is filling with water during a shower. In these instances, a missing bottle of Liquid Plumbr, which isn’t cheap, might be noticed. But after thirty days, it’s safe to assume that the homeowner has solved whatever plumbing problem from which he or she might have been suffering, and then the bottle can easily vanish without a trace. Sure, the client might one day think, “I thought I had bought an extra bottle when it was on sale,” or “I didn’t think I had used it all up,” but as long as Martin followed Rule #2, these thoughts would be quickly dismissed.
Always married, without children, maids, or dogs.
Rule #2 was based upon a theory that Martin had proven long ago, and one that he considered to be the keystone of his success: When items go missing in a house, the suspicion of theft occurs only if the possibility of a thief exists.
The secret behind Martin’s success was that the possibility of a thief operating in his clients’ homes never entered their minds. And as long as the notion of theft didn’t occur to a client, he would never be caught. This was achieved by choosing all clients with great care.
Single people, particularly those living alone, made for poor clients. They were