We set out around 4:15 today which is later than we usually go. Perhaps the excitement of dealing with two fraudsters where we expected only one slowed us down.

It’s a bit warmer today (13°F, 55° F) I’m glad to note, and sunny to boot. That helped raise my spirits.

Roses are blooming in Islington

Misquoting a famous song, “Roses are blooming in Islington”. In Chadwell Street, to be precise.

Where two roads divide to form City Road and Goswell Road, there is a stand of large Georgian houses. At the apex of the site stands what was once a very fine town house, now Grade II listed, together with some of its immediate neighbours.

Dalby House

I refer to Dalby House. I wrote about it on SilverTiger. Here is what I said there (see Brewers and beer engines):

The area where Goswell Road and City Road meet was anciently common land that was used for, among other things, prize fighting and executions. Housing development ended that use and in 1803, Dalby Terrace (or “Dalby Tarrace”, according to the original ceramic name plate, still in place) was built by a certain Mr Dalby (first name unknown), who retained the end house, suitably named Dalby House, for his own use. Mr Dalby was a manufacturer, who was credited with the invention of a successful beer pump.

Mr Dalby is long gone and I have no idea whether his beer pump is still used, but his house remains to recall his name to the curious passer-by.

This post follows on from yesterday’s Suspicious caller post.

8:00 a.m.

We got up bright and early to be ready for our fraudsters, should they put in an appearance. I reckoned that if they maintained their supposed Council employee pose, they would arrive some time after 8 a.m.

We do not have a good view of the doorstep area from our window, so I posted myself on lookout in order to spot anyone coming along the front path.There was a lot of traffic on the road as well as pedestrians, almost like a “normal” weekday. Every time someone passed the house, the movement caught my eye.

As I mentioned, I am expecting an important delivery which I do not want to miss. So I need to know who it is who comes to the door so I can prepare the appropriate response.

Tigger thinks the fraudsters will not come. This is because the woman who called yesterday looked surprised when Tigger joined us partway through the conversation, as if she had assumed I was on my own. If they know there are two of us, Tigger reasons, they may desist from whatever it is they intended.

When the Council says “morning”, it means any time from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and if these people follow that pattern, I have a possible “window” of 5 hours to wait.

9 a.m.

No callers so far. I am tempted to call out “Nine a.m. and all’s well” like the watchmen of olden times, but I will not, lest it turn out premature.

For aught I know, they may be busy “fixing” other people’s doors before coming to us. A life of crime is a busy one.

9:05 p.m.

A young man in work clothes, carrying a small stepladder walks along the path and rrings our doorbell. He claims he has come on behalf of the Council to install smoke alarms in the communal areas of the house, following a letter we would have received from the Council. We have in fact received no such letter. His ID badge is not a Council badge and I refuse him entry, saying we have already had fraudulent callers and therefore don’t accept undocumented callers. He offers to show me his criminal record check but I still refuse admission pending delivery of the aforementioned Council letter. He remains polite and goes away quietly.

Should I call the police? No, because Tigger and I both think he was genuine. Perhaps the Council has forgotten to send the letter or this has gone astray. If we receive a letter, we will think again.

What a coincidence, though, that this person should turn up just when we are on tenter hooks expecting fraudsters.

Back to window watch! Tigger has made me a pot of my Russian Caravan tea to fortify my spirits!

10 a.m.

“Ten a.m. and all’s…” Oops, no! I’m not doing that, am I? 🙂

At 10:29 a man wearing a hi vis vest passes the window but I think he is a Council employee, a member of the team coming to empty the recycling bins. Relax again!

12:00 p.m.

In theory, the morning has ended on a no-show for the fraudsters, as Tigger predicted. However, there is still one hour left if they follow the Council’s timing which regards “morning” as running from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

The final hour has passed and no one further has called (not even the postman).They might still turn up on the second of the two suggested dates, next Friday, but I think that’s pretty unlikely. I shall, however, be remaining “semi-alert” for the time being.

Update

Just when you think it’s all over…

At 1:15 p.m. the doorbell rang. I went to the door and found a man standing on the doorstep wearing the sort of heavy duty mask that builders wear in dusty conditions. He pulled it slightly to one side and said:

“I’ve come to measure your front door.”

My reply was short and sweet and mentioned the police. Then I shut the door.

I thought I ought to update the police on the case, even though I had not followed their instructions to dial 999 (the man would have been long gone before they ever came near the place). They seemed quite glad that I had done so.

Then I called the Council’s customer service to report what was going on. They thanked me and suggested I talk to the Housing department as they would know what work was commissioned for each of their properties.

It turns out, of course, that no work has been commissioned for our front door, confirming our suspicions that this proposition was fraudulent.

While I had the man on the line I raised the question of the other caller, he of the little stepladder. It turns out that no such work has been commissioned, either, and so he too was a fraud. Even though we did find him convincing, we at least had the nous not to let him in.

What intrigues me is this: There are four flats in our building and yet these fraudsters always ring our doorbell and no one else’s. Why? Maybe because we are on the ground floor: you know, easy access and easy escape if there’s trouble. Could that be it?