Short Stories
Being poor can lead to many things, but don't let it lead to being conned.
My last job, well you could call it my first really as it was the only job I had had since becoming a private detective, was over and I had been paid. It felt a little strange, I was not used to having money in the bank so to speak and to be honest, it felt quite good. But I needed another job and I really didn't want to end up with a raincoat on, hiding in bushes watching for a cheating spouse. But a few days had gone by, and I would have welcomed anything when the phone rang. It was Kate from the greasy spoon.
"I've had a chap in here a few times recently and I think he might need your services," she told me. "Do you want to come over and I can fill you in, easier than on the phone. And he has been in most afternoons so you might be able to meet him."
I looked at my watch, 12:45, time for lunch and where better than Kate's cafe? "I'll be there in fifteen minutes," I told her. "Can I have my usual lunch please?"
When I arrived, there was a man sitting in the window seat, a half-drunk cup of tea on the table. He looked up as I closed the door behind me. His face looked tired, worn down would be a better description. His skin sagged under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn't slept for weeks. I guessed he was about 40 but he could have been a lot younger under the tiredness. Kate came over and introduced him to me as Jason, I sat with him at his table. Kate soon came over with my lunch, I looked at Jason, "Have you eaten," I asked him. He looked at me, obviously he was hungry. "Nowhere near enough," Kate chipped in. I handed him my plate and Kate went away to get me some more. Jason smiled and started eating. He obviously hadn't eaten properly for ages, and I let him finish. It didn't take him long. "I've been robbed," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"A police matter surely?" I replied.
"I wish," he replied, "but not an option." I waited. "I had some things which might best be described as a little warm." He looked across at me to see my reaction. I knew exactly what he meant; I had been there myself a long time back. "I hadn't stolen them myself, but I was looking after them for a guy I had met. This was something new for me, I had always held down a job, sadly never for very long, but I had always earned an honest living. Then I got sacked for something I hadn't done, but that's another story. So, I went to sign on to this damn universal credit which was when everything really fell apart.
"First there was the five weeks wait before I got any money. I had always been paid weekly and I had never earned enough to save anything, so I had five weeks of scrounging and food banks. I got through that period, just, but then I missed a bus and arrived late for an interview at the job centre and got sanctioned. And that was when I met this chap who needed some storage space.
"I knew what I was getting into, but he offered to pay me to look after his things, half when he dropped them off, the rest when he collected them in a few weeks, and I needed the money. But then a couple of weeks ago, I got home to find I had been robbed. Everything I was looking after had gone as well as what little I had, even the cash I had been given to look after the stuff."
I could see panic coming back to his face. "I still think you could go to the police," I told him. "You wouldn't need to tell them about the other things." "My biggest problem is the guy who asked me to store the items. He called and said he was coming round to collect them at the end of the week. He is not someone I want to be on the wrong side of, and I haven't plucked up courage to tell him about the robbery."
I could imagine the guy, I have met a few in my time. And I could well understand why he didn't want to admit what had happened, this guy would probably want to take it out on Jason. Then an idea came to me. "Was anything else taken apart from this guy's things and the money he paid you?"
"No, but then I don't have much anyway. I did think it strange that my TV and a mobile phone I had were still there."
"What's the name of the guy whose stuff got nicked?" I asked him.
"He said his name was Frank Lascart, but to be honest I doubt that was his real name. I don't even have an address for him. I was pretty stupid."
"We've all been there, and I think I know who he is. I came across someone calling himself that a few years back. Can you tell me exactly what was taken?"
"I didn't count them, but there were perhaps thirty laptops, all in boxes, and a few video game consoles."
"Leave it with me, I think I can fix this. Meet me back here tomorrow morning, OK?"
I left then and headed home to make a phone call. The following morning, I went to the cafe to meet Jason, and enjoy a fry up of course. Jason looked a lot better when he arrived, obviously hopeful that I had been able to do something. I handed him a piece of paper with a phone number and a code written on it. He took it but looked puzzled.
"Give it a couple of days then phone that number. When they reply tell them you have a code and read it out to them. They will arrange to pay some money into your bank. Might be a few months before you see it, but it will come" He just looked at me. Kate who had joined us also looked at me as if I had gone off my head.
"The guy who got you to look a??er the stolen items did it to me once, a long, long time ago. He finds someone down on his luck and gets him to hide some stolen stuff while it's still hot. Once it has cooled down enough, he goes round and steals it back. You can't do anything, or you'll end up in trouble, and then he comes round demanding his stuff back. You don't have it of course, he has, but you don't know that. So, he demands his money back, and more. Probably you get a beating as well.
Sometimes he might force you to do a robbery to pay him back what you 'owe' him for the lost goods." I could see realisation dawning at last. "So, I rang a friend of mine in the police, and they went and busted him. Caught him with all the gear still in his flat." Jason looked at the paper I had given him, still puzzled. "There was a reward offered for the capture of this guy, and that code number means you will be the person who gets it." Jason just looked at me, smiling for the first time since I had met him. I wished him well, finished my tea and went home. OK, it was a job with no chance of any payment, but hell, it had only cost me a lunch for him, and a couple of hours of my time. And I had got some revenge on the scumbag who had done it to me all those years before. Mind you, I still needed a new job.
"I've had a chap in here a few times recently and I think he might need your services," she told me. "Do you want to come over and I can fill you in, easier than on the phone. And he has been in most afternoons so you might be able to meet him."
I looked at my watch, 12:45, time for lunch and where better than Kate's cafe? "I'll be there in fifteen minutes," I told her. "Can I have my usual lunch please?"
When I arrived, there was a man sitting in the window seat, a half-drunk cup of tea on the table. He looked up as I closed the door behind me. His face looked tired, worn down would be a better description. His skin sagged under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn't slept for weeks. I guessed he was about 40 but he could have been a lot younger under the tiredness. Kate came over and introduced him to me as Jason, I sat with him at his table. Kate soon came over with my lunch, I looked at Jason, "Have you eaten," I asked him. He looked at me, obviously he was hungry. "Nowhere near enough," Kate chipped in. I handed him my plate and Kate went away to get me some more. Jason smiled and started eating. He obviously hadn't eaten properly for ages, and I let him finish. It didn't take him long. "I've been robbed," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"A police matter surely?" I replied.
"I wish," he replied, "but not an option." I waited. "I had some things which might best be described as a little warm." He looked across at me to see my reaction. I knew exactly what he meant; I had been there myself a long time back. "I hadn't stolen them myself, but I was looking after them for a guy I had met. This was something new for me, I had always held down a job, sadly never for very long, but I had always earned an honest living. Then I got sacked for something I hadn't done, but that's another story. So, I went to sign on to this damn universal credit which was when everything really fell apart.
"First there was the five weeks wait before I got any money. I had always been paid weekly and I had never earned enough to save anything, so I had five weeks of scrounging and food banks. I got through that period, just, but then I missed a bus and arrived late for an interview at the job centre and got sanctioned. And that was when I met this chap who needed some storage space.
"I knew what I was getting into, but he offered to pay me to look after his things, half when he dropped them off, the rest when he collected them in a few weeks, and I needed the money. But then a couple of weeks ago, I got home to find I had been robbed. Everything I was looking after had gone as well as what little I had, even the cash I had been given to look after the stuff."
I could see panic coming back to his face. "I still think you could go to the police," I told him. "You wouldn't need to tell them about the other things." "My biggest problem is the guy who asked me to store the items. He called and said he was coming round to collect them at the end of the week. He is not someone I want to be on the wrong side of, and I haven't plucked up courage to tell him about the robbery."
I could imagine the guy, I have met a few in my time. And I could well understand why he didn't want to admit what had happened, this guy would probably want to take it out on Jason. Then an idea came to me. "Was anything else taken apart from this guy's things and the money he paid you?"
"No, but then I don't have much anyway. I did think it strange that my TV and a mobile phone I had were still there."
"What's the name of the guy whose stuff got nicked?" I asked him.
"He said his name was Frank Lascart, but to be honest I doubt that was his real name. I don't even have an address for him. I was pretty stupid."
"We've all been there, and I think I know who he is. I came across someone calling himself that a few years back. Can you tell me exactly what was taken?"
"I didn't count them, but there were perhaps thirty laptops, all in boxes, and a few video game consoles."
"Leave it with me, I think I can fix this. Meet me back here tomorrow morning, OK?"
I left then and headed home to make a phone call. The following morning, I went to the cafe to meet Jason, and enjoy a fry up of course. Jason looked a lot better when he arrived, obviously hopeful that I had been able to do something. I handed him a piece of paper with a phone number and a code written on it. He took it but looked puzzled.
"Give it a couple of days then phone that number. When they reply tell them you have a code and read it out to them. They will arrange to pay some money into your bank. Might be a few months before you see it, but it will come" He just looked at me. Kate who had joined us also looked at me as if I had gone off my head.
"The guy who got you to look a??er the stolen items did it to me once, a long, long time ago. He finds someone down on his luck and gets him to hide some stolen stuff while it's still hot. Once it has cooled down enough, he goes round and steals it back. You can't do anything, or you'll end up in trouble, and then he comes round demanding his stuff back. You don't have it of course, he has, but you don't know that. So, he demands his money back, and more. Probably you get a beating as well.
Sometimes he might force you to do a robbery to pay him back what you 'owe' him for the lost goods." I could see realisation dawning at last. "So, I rang a friend of mine in the police, and they went and busted him. Caught him with all the gear still in his flat." Jason looked at the paper I had given him, still puzzled. "There was a reward offered for the capture of this guy, and that code number means you will be the person who gets it." Jason just looked at me, smiling for the first time since I had met him. I wished him well, finished my tea and went home. OK, it was a job with no chance of any payment, but hell, it had only cost me a lunch for him, and a couple of hours of my time. And I had got some revenge on the scumbag who had done it to me all those years before. Mind you, I still needed a new job.
