Читать книгу Further Adventures of "Dirty Joe" Callihan - Joe Callihan - Страница 6

Some shoplifters have a great degree of patience. I was again working at Kmart. I was busy working on the floor, stocking. Suddenly a back door alarm near to where I was standing began sounding loudly. Someone had opened a secured door at the back of the store. It was a door which to get to, they had to go through our back stockroom. I ran through the opened door and observed a man casually walking toward the far end of the store. I quickly caught up with him and said, “Excuse me.” Looking at me the man innocently asked, “Did I do something wrong?” “Yes, you opened a secured door in our back stockroom,” I answered.

Noticing he was carrying a big bag I asked, “May I see what you have in your bag?” “Sure, he said. It’s a Lantern I just bought.” “Do you have a receipt for it?” I asked. “It’s inside of the bag,” he replied. Seeing a receipt, I pulled it out and began to look it over. By this time Bill Wilson, along with several other guys had joined us. The receipt had the right item, a Coleman Double Mantle Lantern. Even the selling price was correct. But that date?

I had a bit of a problem with the date. Today was June 15^th 1975, but the receipt I was looking at said June 15^th 1974. This idiot had waited a full year to try and take advantage of getting a free lantern. Had I not learned from my Op Con job in the Navy to be observant, he might have gotten away had I only glanced at the receipt. I looked him in the eyes and said, “Nice Try!” Bill then asked me, “Is there something wrong Joe?” “Look at the receipt,” I told Bill as I handed it to him. “I don’t see anything wrong,” he said. “What is today’s date?” I asked Bill. “June 15^th, the same as it says on the receipt.” “O.K, then tell me what year is it?” I said. Looking again at the receipt, Bill said, “Oh I see. Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to accompany me back to the store.”

All the way back to the store and continuing once inside, the man kept on saying this was a receipt he had just been given for his purchase. Once back in the Sporting Goods Department, where the man insisted he had paid for the lantern; he was asked at which of the two registers had he paid? Pointing to the one on the left without delay, he said with certainty, “That one!”

At this Bill walked up to the register, grabbed a nearby item and rang it up. Looking at the receipt, the year was 1975. “You must be mistaken,” Bill told the man. “You’re right, I’m too nervous. It was at the other register that I bought the lantern. “You’re sure?” Bill asked. “Yes, it was that register, I remember now.” “O.K. lets see,” said Bill, as he grabbed another nearby item and proceeded to ring it up on the second register. “What date is on this receipt?” The man asked Bill. “1975,” he said. “But that can’t be! I know I bought it here just a few minutes ago.” “I have another theory,” Bill said. “Could it be you are a thief?” At this, the man said, “Yeah, I guess you’ve got me.” Bill looked at me and said, “Good job Joe!”