Kat's Journal of Case 06 An Unexpected Windfall
The Layman's Reserve bank
Inspector Hastings summoned us to the Layman's Reserve bank's main branch, where we learnt that it was actually someone other than the inspector who requested my involvement.
The agency's repute is clearly on the up.
We've entered the bank to find out more.
One hundred million down
According to the Layman Reserve bank's general manager, Bianca Teller, an incredible one hundred million pounds has disappeared from the bank's vault.
Bank owner and Dragon Grant Sloanes has asked me to help determine what happended.
The ultimate safe
The huge vault from which the money disappeared was a Hermet 5000 - an extremely secure, high-tech installation made by another of Mr Salanes's firms.
A security guard discovered the open vault that morning, with the bank manager collapsed inside.
Bullion untouched
We've discovered that only banknotes were taken.
Gold bullion and other valuables in the vault were not touched.
Apart from an air-conditioning failure, the vault is fully functional, with no signs of a break-in.
Time to talk to Ms Teller again.
Ms Teller's concerns
In the manager's office, we withnessed a grave conversation between Sloanes and Teller.
The lost money may result in the bank's closure.
Having spoken to Ms Teller, our work inside the bank is complete.
Now to investigate outside.
In pursuit of a suspect
Investigating outside the bank, we noticed that one of the bank's large cloth banners appears to be missing.
Then a man who was acting suspiciously in front of the bank suddenly ran away.
He could be involved.
We're going after him.
Overnight gust of wind
We followed the suspect to the river, but he gave us the slip again.
But we did find the missing banner from the bank caught on the cable of Tower Bridge.
It seems there was a very strong gust of wind during the night.
The chase in over
We finally caught up with the suspect who we saw running away from the bank at the little wharf by the river.
Could this be the bank robber who took the one hundred million?
We must apprehend him and find out!
Banknotes in the sky
It turns out that it wasn't a theft at all, but a malfunction of the bank's new vault which caused the money to be sucked up into the ventilation system and blown out into the sky over the city.
By analysing weather patterns, eighty per cent of the money has been recovered.