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Along Life’s Way
A True Petty
Theft
By Lois E. Wilson
In the 70’s, I worked in a craft store in the Dayton area. I planned
its craft classes, taught some of them, and to promote them drew a
monthly calendar advertisement which ran in the newspapers.
The store’s building had been a church. On its second floor was a
former Sunday school area of rooms in which our classes were held. Also
a larger room upstairs contained the miniatures department. It featured
doll furniture, small dolls, box rooms, doll houses and lighting for
them.
Jean, who managed the area, had long suspected that a certain
well-dressed, well-groomed, matronly woman (we’ll call her Mrs. Ruse)
was shoplifting things from the miniature displays. The woman came in
regularly and after she’d leave to go downstairs to finish her
shopping, Jean always found items missing.
Jean was determined to solve the problem one way or another. She came
up with a plan and crafted a miniature Christmas wreath out of dried
materials. It was about 3” in diameter. She added to it a small red
velvet bow. It was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that Jean believed would
be irresistible to Mrs. Ruse.
Jean asked the checkout staff downstairs to let her know when Mrs. Ruse
came to shop. I was enlisted to hide in an adjoining attic room where I
could see the wreath bait. One day the staff reported that Mrs.
Ruse was in the store. Jean set out the wreath where it was
attractively visible. I hid. Jean greeted Mrs. Ruse and after showing
the new items, excused herself to attend to an errand out of the room.
Mrs. Ruse strolled idly around surveying the wares for a little while.
Concluding she was safe and alone, she walked over to the wreath,
picked it up and slipped it into her large purse. When Jean returned,
Mrs. Ruse hurried out of the room. I informed Jean that the “bait” had
worked and was in the purse. Jean called down to the staff to stop her.
They confronted Mrs. Ruse who immediately said she had to go to the
bathroom which was at the bottom of the stairs. She pushed her way into
it and entered the booth. The toilet flushed.
The police were there when she came out and took her into the store
office. She was asked to empty her purse. She turned red and complied.
Of course, there was no wreath to be found. The police informed her
that at the owner’s request, she was never to come into the store again.
The petty thefts in the miniatures department ceased. Mrs. Ruse had
flushed the evidence. You might say the store “flushed” her—never to
return. We all celebrated, “Good riddance!”
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