Monday Confessional - Crime Busters

Last Thursday afternoon when Russ came home from work he found me folding laundry on our bedroom floor and flopped down on the bed to chat with me. While I filled him in on the big news that Colton was finally off Survivor (I'd just watched the previous night's episode on my laptop and was rejoicing and singing hallelujah to the heavens that he was gone), Russ noticed some movement down the end of our driveway and wanted to know what it was.

Russ: "Is that a truck parked at the end of our driveway?"
Me (peeking out our window sheers): "No, it's in the neighbor's driveway."
Russ: "Is the neighbor out there with it?"
Me: "No, I see two guys... looks like they're loading stuff from a wheelbarrow into the truck."
Russ: "What stuff?"
Me: "The stuff in the wheelbarrow."
Russ (laughing): "Thank you, Captain Obvious. I mean WHAT are they loading?"
Me: "Oh. well... is that an air compressor...?"

It is at this point that I remembered an article I'd read in our local newspaper a week before about some local thefts that had happened in rural settings. The thieves had parked at the end of their victim's driveways in the middle of the night and used a wheelbarrow to haul stolen goods out of outbuildings, barns and shops.

I immediately reminded Russ of the story and exclaimed, "Babe! What if they've got up the nerve to steal in broad daylight when people aren't home! Go see what they're doing!"

So Russ limps out on his still recovering knee to investigate and save our neighbor's property while I get the brilliant idea to take pictures out the window in case they take off.

You know, evidence.

But they don't take off. They stand and visit with Russ for a while. And next thing you know, out strolls our neighbor, OF COURSE, because he's always home and I think I've mentioned before that he is Mr. Neighborhood Watch, himself. And one of the guys from the truck walks halfway down the driveway to meet him and shakes his hand. And then I see Russell laughing with the neighbor before turning and hobbling back down the driveway with a funny smile on his face.

I have no photographic evidence of any of this of course because I am hiding back behind my curtain in shame. Turns out the neighbor had set out a tiller for free at the end of the driveway and the innocent men in the truck had stopped to pick it up. (Tiller, air compressor, close enough, right?)

AND THEN I remembered that the main focus of the newspaper article I'd read was that the thieves had stupidly listed the stolen items for sale on Craigslist, had been met by undercover cops, and been busted.

Meaning, they were no longer at large.

Regular ol' Sherlock and Watson, we are.

(Make sure to give us a call if you need any super sleuthing done ;)