Beating the System #4

Beating the System #4
Gifts for everyone Part 3



‘The safe deposit box’ said Betty holding onto a bag of cash
‘Your 3rd visit this week. ‘replied the banker opening the door.
‘We’ll be out for a few months so you won’t be seeing us for a while. ’Betty looking at Paul ’The islands’ Smiling.

At a gift store
“So there are no records of who these people are except a kid came in and purchased these 30 rolls of gift wrap’ Said officer Wytun of the Illnevertellville police. ‘A young man who looked around 18 came in and bought the rolls and paid with cash.’ Replied the clerk. ’The same description from before ‘Replied Wytun who then opens up a note book and writes down some notes. He’s using someone else to purchase materials. OK.’ Closes book.
The clerk at the counter looks at a newspaper on the counter and notices on the front page ’Scam garbage gifts rampant throughout city of ‘Illnevertellville’. He then picks it up. ‘I’ve never seen anything this strange before.’
‘We have almost 2 warehouses full of these ‘Said Wytun ‘Its becoming a health concern here in Illnevertellville. If anyone comes by to purchase these materials give me a call’ Hands the clerk a business card. ‘Sure thing’ Replied the clerk.


2 kids on bikes pull up to a bus stop
‘Hey what’s that?’ one kid said pulling up to 2 gifts on a bus bench.
‘Looks like the gifts that have trash in them. It was on the news the other night. Gifts full of garbage are being dropped off all over the city.’
The other kid takes a close look at the gifts and looks at the other kid.
‘Let’s take them over there behind the benches and see what’s in them’.
‘Shoes’ Ken called out. ‘Red ones.’
‘Open the other one’
‘A worn out coat. We could clean these up and add them to the garage sale were having.’
‘You’re a genius ’
‘I told you I was.’


2 weeks later

‘2 o’clock and all we have left are these red shoes .’
‘Did we go through all the 25 gift boxes we found?’
‘This one we didn’t open yet. We’ve been working all day ,Have 330 bucks Screw the gift. Take it back to where we got it.’
‘Okay-boy-genius’
Gary puts the gift on the bench and starts on his way back to catch up with ken when a light flashed from behind.
Gary looks back and sees a police car
The police man gets out .
‘Come here’.
‘Me?’
‘We need to talk to you’

Inside the police station
‘Gary, your picking up things that don’t belong to you’ said Ralph
‘Dad, they’re just boxes of trash’
‘Would you rather explain that to a judge or just leave the mysterious things alone?’
‘We just need to know where you pick up the fake gifts. ‘Said the policeman
‘We assure you My boy has no involvement in trash hauling he was only putting it back where he found it.’
‘And the other stuff he sold? ‘replied the officer ‘Let’s go to where they were found.’

Back at the location.
’Here we found 4 and down the street on a table 3 more.’ Said Gary
‘Ok Just leave them and notify me if you find any one dropping the gifts off ok?’
‘’Sure thing’
‘Go home’




--At one of the homes where the Paul and Betty dual picked up trash—

‘Honey look what’s on TV .The things we paid to have hauled away or on TV’
‘What?’
‘The coat, hat and cookbook we got rid of. They found it in a gift-wrapped box. Some kid had it’

‘That hat You just got at the garage sale last Sunday. Let me see it.’
‘That’s the hat you had hauled away!’
‘What? This here?’
‘It was cleaned and you went and paid 20 dollars for the same hat you got rid of. Even paid to get rid of!’
‘I’m calling up the hauler.’
An hour later--‘The machine again’: Thank you for calling discount haulers. Were in the field right now ’Bill hangs up the phone’ Scam artists making money on both ends how do you like that?’
‘Try them back tomorrow. Maybe they’ll be back in the news.’

The tv goes to news ‘Now back to the scam gift caper. If you have any invoice from a company that picked up trash in th last 30 days please contact the Illnevertellville police.’
Turning the TV off ‘We didn’t get an invoice did we?’
‘No but the phone number is right here.’
Picking up the phone ’Maybe they’ll give a reward ‘
2 minutes into the call ‘It was 4 weeks ago I have the number’

At the police station
‘The number was traced to this address. Let’s see what is there.’

10 minutes later at Paul and Bettys house
‘There are clothes where were going. We can buy anything we want there.’
‘Just in case its cold’
Knock Knock .
‘’Who’s that?’
‘Ill go see’
‘It’s the cops.’
‘What?’Paul quickly puts a sheet over Petes cage.
Pete the parrot starts ’Don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell anyone’
The front door opens. ‘We need to search your home .We have reason to believe you have involvement in bogus trash pickup service.’
‘’Don’t tell anyone’ The officer looks over at cage.
'That a bird?'
'Its his nap time.'replied Paul
'Sounds like a parrot.'said the officer.
'Don't tell anyone.Don't tell anyone.'
Paul takes the cage into the bedroom.'
'We were getting ready for the holidays ahead of time.Wrapping paper is cheap right now and easy to get.Right Paul?'
Paul looks back at Betty 'Right.Better to be ahead the the rush'
The bird could be heard even with the door closed.'Don't tell anyone.Don't tell anyone.'It drew glances from everyone in the house.

---Gifts for everyone will continue next week--