The Scammers-Chapter One

The Scammers



Austin Mitchell

Syd Bethune was into his third day of work at the bank as a trainee customer service representative. Suddenly he looked up from his desk and immediately his hand went to his mouth as in walked Reds Bryan, his former branch manager.

He immediately spied Syd and came over.

“Syd, you are working here again? I can’t believe it. You know that I live abroad now. I just stopped by to greet some of my former colleagues, but it seems as if most of them have left the branch. But one day you can tell me how you got re-hired.”

Reds shook Syd’s shaking hand and disappeared upstairs. Syd kept a nervous eye on the stairs until he saw Reds descending them and disappeared out of the bank. Syd said a silent prayer that Reds hadn’t said anything about him.

But that Friday at about two o’clock he got an urgent call summoning him to head office.

“Mr. Bethune you didn’t tell us that you formerly worked with us and of the circumstances why you had to leave,” Mrs. Hall, the bank personnel manager, said.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I never worked with this bank before and I can prove it.”

Mrs. Hall began reading from his file.

“Do you deny it now, Mr. Bethune?”

“No, I’m sorry, it’s only because I wanted a better job, why I did it.”

“I’m really sorry. I hope nothing like this ever happens to you again. You do understand that the bank has to protect its property and reputation. But see your services has been rewarded,” she said, handing him a brown envelope.

Syd thanked her and left the bank. When he opened the letter it gave an account of the first incident.

Syd remembered cashing those pensioners checks and collecting one hundred thousand dollars for his efforts. A month later the fraud was discovered and he had to pay back the money he had collected or face jail time. Three years later and Syd now in a low paying government job decided to try his luck again and would have gotten away with it had Reds Bryan kept his mouth shut.

Three months after being fired that first time from the bank, Syd formed a partnership with two friends, Junjo and Bankie. Bankie did hardware sales, while Junjo (like Syd) was an office clerk. To supplement their meager wages they stole easily concealed items from all kinds of stores. Syd could remember doing these same things to make up his lunch money. He had been punished many times by his parents who thought the money they gave him was enough.

Bankie soon got into trouble when he walked out of a pharmacy with several bottles of cologne. A guard chased and held him. He was fined twenty thousand dollars or three months in prison. The syndicate didn’t think Bankie was very smart and he was booted from the organization.

Perhaps their favorite time was when the two biggest department stores in town had their blow out sale. This normally took place between April and May, after the Christmas and Easter seasons.

This particular season, the blowout sale was in full swing when Syd weighed in, going into the store the Monday following his latest dismissal from the bank, without a belt or tie but coming out wearing both items. The next day he was back, making off with a shirt this time. Syd decided to take it easy the next day but got away with a pair of pants and two belts that Thursday.

On Friday he managed to snatch a hat. That same evening he met Junjo in Half Way Tree. He had been stealing things at the other giant department store.

“So how is it going, Junjo?”

“I heard that they held you last night, Syd.” Junjo dipped into his bag and brought out a pair of Italian made shoes.

“You stole those from Mac’s store? How did you manage to beat their security system?”

Just then Cal Morgan came up to them. He arranged deals for a cut out of the proceeds.

“I don’t rate what you guys going on with. To me, you are petty thieves. Sid, it’s two times they fired you from the same bank. To me what they fired you for is foolishness. You can’t work at a big bank like that and let them fire you for small change,” Cal said.

“I never knew that they would have sent me back to the same branch this last time here and the first time I didn’t know that the guy at the pension place so soft. He started talking even before the police arrested him. You have any bright ideas?

“What do you suggest that we do, Cal?” Junjo asked.

Cal stretched out his hand to Junjo.

“Give me back the two hundred dollars I paid the guard at that pharmacy not to come after you for those two bottles of cologne.”

“I will give you back the money when I sell some of the things I took from Mac’s store.”

“I have a sweet deal for both of you. I know people who have money in the banks and they’re not going to miss a couple hundred thousand dollars. We are going to draw the checks in your names and you will get thirty per cent of it,” Cal told them.

Both Junjo and Syd looked at each other.

“When can we start?” Syd asked.

“About how much will each check be worth?” Junjo asked.

“Four hundred thousand dollars.”

Junjo and Syd nearly jumped out of their seats.

Syd had been in banking too long not to know the regulations governing persons moving such large amounts of cash.

“Don’t you think they’ll call to find out who’s cashing the checks?”

Cal took out a letter and showed them.

“They will call this number and somebody will answer it.”

“It’s too easy, what about identity cards?” Junjo asked.

“We are going to fix up some papers for you to get identity cards very fast. Both of you can take it easy for this weekend. If you pull this off and my friends feel that they can trust you, we are going to let both of you in on some big deals.”

Upon Cal’s departure the two friends debated whether to follow his advice or not.

“It’s foolishness, Cal’s talking, because I wouldn’t mind if the sale could last another week,” Junjo said.

“You can say that again, I haven’t gotten enough things. I am not even going to make any money on what I’ve taken so far. They have some expensive suits, I wish I could get two of them,” Syd said.

“How are you going to take way suits? If it was in America it would be easier because everybody wears suits over there, but down here as they see you walking out of the store they would hold you.”

“Junjo, I will see you, don’t bother let them hold you.”

“Don’t worry yourself, Syd. I’m too smart for that.”

The two men shook hands and went their separate ways.

Syd went to work that Saturday morning and left to go shopping at midday. He actually reached Ruddy’s after two o’clock. The crowd was thick as persons tried to get the last of the sale. He tried several pieces of clothes and decided to steal an overcoat, cap and a tie by putting them on but he took three socks and two underpants to pay for. At the cashier, he turned around and saw Reds in the line behind him. As the cashier rang up his goods he heard a store attendant say something to the guard and pointed at him.

The guard grabbed Syd and held him tight.

“Where are the things that you stole?” he asked.

“I’ll pay for them. I forgot that I had them on,” Syd said in a fake accent.

“I hope you have enough money,” the store attendant said.

A crowd had gathered. Some of the store attendants were trying to see if they had ever seen him before.

“That guy has been here every day since the sale started,” another store attendant said.

“That guy’s a thief. Let us carry him outside and beat him,” a man said.

“A good looking man like you stealing. You should be ashamed of yourself,” an old lady said.

Just then the manager came out of his office and saw the guard holding Syd.

“This man there stole some of our clothes,” the guard said.

“What does he have on for us?”

The assistant pointed out the stolen items Syd had on.

“Take them off. Are you sure that he didn’t steal the clothes and the shoes he has on from us?”

“Take him down the back room and search him, Justin.”

“Let them take his photograph so that we can put it up in the storefront.”

Syd looked up and saw Junjo’s picture along with those of other banned persons above the store’s entrance. So that was the reason why he was so reluctant to shop here and of course he didn’t dare go near Mac’s.

When Syd returned, the manager asked.

“You find anything else on him?”

The guard shook his head as Syd had given him a five hundred dollar bill to keep quiet about the pair of socks he had on.

“Okay pay your bill and get out. You’re lucky Reds begged for you.” The manager then moved to another part of the store.

Syd found the money to pay for the socks and underpants and exited the store, his head bowed.

He was at home that Sunday morning when his cell phone rang.

“Syd, they arrested Junjo. They caught him stealing up at Mac’s store,” Marge, Junjo’s girlfriend, said.

“I can’t believe that Junjo’s involved in anything like that, Marge. It must be a lie, they are telling on him.”

“He’s at the station right now. They will give him station bail, but it’s fifty thousand dollars.”

“I tell you what, I have a bank manager friend who I can check. Maybe it will be Monday before that happens.”

“Then you mean that he has to spend the weekend in jail?” Marge asked.

“I will try and see what I can do.”

That reminded him that he was still trying to reconcile with his own girlfriend, Holly.

“It’s just one week you worked with the bank. So why did you apply for a job with them?” Holly had asked.

“I found the bank work boring. You were just pushing paper around and checking off money. I was just trying it out as it was during my leave. I am going back to my old job because I like it more.”

“You were getting more money than at the warehouse.”

“I talked to a couple of bank workers and they said they didn’t like the work. They only work there because they can’t do any better.”

Holly still wasn’t buying his explanation about his one week stint at the bank. She still felt that he was hiding something as one week wasn’t enough time for a person to get the feel of a job, she argued.

Syd decided to call Cal that Sunday afternoon.

“Cal, what’s going on? You know that after you warned Junjo to stop what he was doing for this week-end, he went to Mac’s store. They held him; right now he’s in jail.”

“What a foolish guy. My mind tell me to leave him out of the deal.”

“Give him a chance, Cal. He’s a good guy. I will talk to him. His girlfriend says it’s fifty thousand dollars to bail him.”

“That’s a lot of money. I will put it up for him, but he has to agree to take part in the scheme.”

“All right meet me in Half Way Tree, Monday morning. His girlfriend will be coming with us.”

Marge told Syd that she would phone Junjo’s employers and inform them that he couldn’t make it to work as he was ill. She was fearful that they might find out about his arrest.

Syd and Marge went with Cal to bail Junjo that Monday afternoon. The trial date was set for Tuesday of the next week. Since Junjo couldn’t afford a lawyer Cal told him that he should plead guilty and he would get off with a fine as it was a first offense.

“I don’t want to take part in what Cal is planning. I just want to stay by myself and don’t get in any more trouble,” Junjo said as they sat in Mandela Park that evening.

“How are you going to pay your fine if they find you guilty? I’m sure that you don’t have that kind of money in your bank account.”

“I’m only going with you guys because it will help me to pay my fine.”

“Cal says we have to meet him Wednesday to discuss the operation some more.”

“All right, I will see you then.”

The two men touched fists and then went their separate ways.

That Thursday both Junjo and Syd left work midday. They were given suits to wear and briefcases too. Syd’s teller went around a corner and in two minutes she returned asking him how he wanted the cash. He took it in one thousand dollar bills. Syd, Junjo and Cal were laughing as they made their way from the bank.

“That was easy,” Cal said. “I told you guys that it would be no problem.”

“Yeah, a couple of that every month and I’ll be all right,” Syd said as he stuffed his cash into his bag.

Junjo paid his fine out of the deal.

Monday, Cal phoned them that he had another job. This was at another bank and the strategies would be the same. So that Friday they turned up at the bank. Syd joined the line first. Junjo was several spaces behind him while Cal stood at the back of the banking hall watching the proceedings.

Syd gave the teller his check and identification.

“Just a minute, sir,” she said and disappeared into the bank. Probably gone to confirm the check, Syd thought.

Five minutes passed and the teller didn’t return. Syd counted several persons between him and Junjo. A guard came towards him, then two policemen, Syd panicked.

“Come with me, sir,” the Sergeant said to Syd.

Syd looked around, but there was no sign of either Junjo or Cal.

“What’s the matter, Sarge?” he at last found some courage to ask.

“Something’s not right about the check you gave the cashier and we would like to ask you some questions.”

Syd was arrested, charged with forgery and issuing false documents. In jail he reflected that his experience that Friday afternoon at Ruddy’s should have served as a warning. Junjo’s arrest should have served as a further warning.

To Syd’s surprise his lawyer was able to win a three year suspended sentence, for him plus a hefty fine of two hundred and thousand dollars. His two brothers in the States were able to come up with that money. When Syd was released from jail he wondered how he was going to pay his bills. His brothers told him that he was on his own. His savings couldn’t go far; he couldn’t fall back into stealing because of the suspended sentence. The only possibility was to get another low paying job or to go back to Cal and let him arrange some deals for him.

Syd and Junjo met accidentally in Half Way Tree.

“I like how you behave, Junjo. Imagine you never even came to look for me when I was in jail.”

“How was I to come and look for you and I heard that you squealed on me and Cal.”

“It’s a lie you’re telling, nobody didn’t tell you anything like that. You just ran left me alone in the bank. Hey, I want some of the money that you have left.”

“Want some of what? You must be mad.”

“All right, I am going to tell the police that you were involved too and let them lock you up.”

“Go on, you are an idiot, Syd. I don’t want to have any more dealings with you because you are a traitor.”

“It’s you who are a traitor,” Syd hissed his teeth and walked away.

Marge confronted Junjo two days later.

“Junjo, I heard that your picture is on Ruddy’s store front saying that you are a thief. Syd told me about everything that you, he and Cal used to do.”

“It’s a lie he’s telling. He begged me money and because I refused, he’s telling lies about me.”

“Junjo, I can’t bother. Suppose any of my friends go to Ruddy’s store and see your picture, what do you think they are going to say.”

“Go up there and see if it’s not a lie he’s telling.”

“Syd, you have to try and make something of your life. I know that it was Cal and Junjo, you were following. I only hope that you aren’t going to make them turn you fool again,” Holly said as they sat on the verandah of the house where Syd had his room.

“Junjo and I are no longer friends and Cal ran way to Montego Bay.”

“All right, so now that you don’t have a job, where are you going to get money from to buy food and pay your rent?

“I’ve sent out some applications already.”

“Who is going to recommend you? Why don’t you fix up your parent’s shop down at Oakley district. I will help you and I’m sure if you tell your brothers, they would help you too.”

Syd looked at her before replying.

“I don’t know if I want go back to the country and down there is slow.”

“Maybe when you lived down there it was slow but things pick up now. Remember that the house is adjoining the shop. You can fix up one of the rooms and live in there meanwhile you operating the shop.”

“All right I will give it a try, but after I go down there how am I going to see you?”

“I will come to look for you and help you out with the shop.”

“I don’t even know if my brothers will help me again, maybe it’s you who has to talk to them.”

“I will talk to them, I’m sure they will listen to me.”

“Holly, I don’t know what I would do without you. Marge has left Junjo and you still stick with me.”

“I want you to turn over a new leaf, Syd.”

“I’m not going to let you down. I am going to try my best to make things work this time.” They hugged each other before pulling apart and continued talking about their future plans. To be continued. Please visit my blog at:http://stredwick.blogspot.com