To catch a thief

Kate had been conned by Tony once. Was it about to happen again?

When I spotted a small split seam on the belly of Jenny' s bedside teddy bear, I switched off the hoover.

I carefully prised the stitched seam open, then held my breath when I discovered a big fat roll of cash stuffed inside.

My mind spun there must have been at least £200 inside the bear.

Why had my employer, a successful businesswoman called Jenny, hidden this money away?

It was none of my business really. I mean, I was only the part-time cleaner.

I suddenly made a snap decision. I desperately needed the money, so...

Then I finished my duties as usual, set the burglar alarm, slammed the door and went home.

House cleaning wasn' t my ideal career choice.

Six months ago, I' d been fired from my high-earning mobile phone sales job, because I' d stupidly taken too much time off to be with my unemployed ex-boyfriend.

We' d met via social media. He' d sent me a friend request, we' d swapped messages and the rest was history.

But to my bitter dismay, Tony had turned out to be a smooth-talking con man.

My mind flew back to when it all began¼

I need you to apply for a loan for me, Kate. A bank or a pay-day loan,' he said.

Why can' t you apply for one yourself?' I asked.

I' m broke, babe. You know I was booted out of my finance officer' s job because of a misunderstanding.'

I nodded. A colleague had accused him of stealing from the petty-cash tin.

He' d been instantly sacked, simply because the colleague was jealous of his success.

Poor Tony had had no way of proving his innocence, as there was no CCTV in the stationery cupboard where the tin had been kept.

It doesn' t make sense, Kate. I was in a trusted position. I could have secretly robbed thousands, fiddling it on their IT system,' he' d bragged. So why would I bother stealing 50 quid?'

I agreed.

Anyway, back to the loan¼ Why do you need a loan?' I asked, curious.

For a business-based project. It' s a sure-fire winner, babe!' He took my hand and squeezed it.

Tell me about this project.' You won' t understand it.

It' s quite complicated it involves buying and selling stocks and shares.'

As I didn' t know a lot about the field of finance, I was cautious. So, to try and win me over, Tony gave me a pleading puppy-dog look.

Trust me. We' ll double our money in weeks. Think of how we' d enjoy spending it, Kate! All those luxury cars and cruises, a wardrobe crammed full of designer clothes and shoes, dinners at fancy restaurants¼'

It all sounded very tempting, so I went ahead and took out a significant bank loan.

A month later, Tony had sweet-talked me again.

I need more cash, babe,' he' d wheedled.

Why?'

The project will fail without more capital. Look, I' m an expert in this area. I know what I' m doing.'

So I' d reluctantly dipped into my savings.

Despite this, the project failed and Tony fled, taking my savings with him and leaving me up to my eyeballs in debt.

As for me applying for another sales job forget it! My confidence was at an all-time low.

Well, I thought, I'v e only got myself to blame for being taken in by a charming, good-looking, lying cheat!

I' d reported Tony to the police, yet I came away dejected. They said, because I' d loaned him the cash willingly, they couldn' t take action.

I assumed Tony was still out there, hard at work on social media, seeking out other solvent, independent women...

Trust me. WeÕ ll double our money in weeks. T hink of how weÕ d enjoy spending it, Kate!Õ

Can you come into the living room please, Kate?'

A week later I arrived at

work, and to my surprise I found Jenny at home.

We need to have a chat,' a familiar voice said.

I spun round, only to see Tony lounging on the sofa, holding Jenny' s hand.

Tony! What an earth are you doing here?' I gasped.

Oh, didn' t I say? He' s my new partner,' Jenny explained.

Your partner?'

I' d confided in Jenny about Tony fleecing me, and Jenny had promised that the disclosure would be kept strictly confidential.

I' d told her how we' d met, and I' d even shown her a photo of him on my mobile.

I can see why you were taken in, Kate,' she' d said at the time. He' s what I call a prime piece of eye candy!' Now, I felt sick and cold. Tony installed a tiny hidden camera in my bedside teddy' s eye for me,' Jenny went on.

A hidden camera? My mouth went dry.

I turned to Jenny. Did you install a camera in order to test my honesty?'

She nodded. It wasn' t my idea it was Tony' s. As I didn' t know anything about you, he said I shouldn' t trust you.'

So, I mused, Jenny's become involved with the rotten schemer and believes his lies.

It looked like Jenny had sided with him¼ I felt disappointed and sad.

So much for the sisterhood! Jenny had broken her promise to keep my disastrous romance between ourselves.

Look, have you checked the camera footage?' I asked desperately.

We haven' t checked it yet,' Tony said. We were hoping you' d tell us the truth before we discovered it for ourselves.'

I kept my cool. Well, if you' d checked the footage before you brought this up with me, you' d have realised that neither of you can accuse me of anything. Even though I spotted the big roll of cash in the teddy bear' s belly, I left it where it was. I didn' t steal Jenny' s money.'

and Tony glanced at each other nervously as a tense silence filled the room.

Irealised that the suave confidence trickster had done an expert job in persuading the businesswoman to support him. And he probably had robbed the petty cash from his previous company.

It was only now that I realised Tony wasn' t really clever enough to get away with stealing thousands from a secure in-house IT system.

Well, I reflected, the last thing I want is to be stuck in the middle of this awkward triangle.

I' m fed up of this. I want to resign. I may as well go now,' I announced.

But before I could make a move, Jenny lifted a cushion to reveal the stuffed teddy and the cash inside. Then she handed it to me.

Here. This is yours,' she said softly. To thank you for your honesty.'

I looked up, confused. Tony rounded on his partner. Hang on. What are you doing, giving the money to her?'

Jenny smiled. It was a cool, clever cat smile.

Oh, Tony. You think you' re God' s gift to women, don' t you?'

That money' s mine! I gave it to you for our holiday.'

Just like you, Tony, I don' t take anyone at face value. You see, I installed a second hidden camera in my dressing room. It filmed you stealing my jewellery. Luckily, it was only cheap costume jewellery, but you didn' t know that, did you?' she purred.

My heart sang. Yes! Jenny had cottoned on to his sneakiness all along!

This is a set-up!' he spat. You' re both in this together. I' m off¼'

As he slammed the door, I gaped at my employer.

Talk about a change of heart!

Thanks,' I spluttered.

It' s me who should be thanking you. When you showed me his photo, I sought him out via social media. He couldn' t believe his luck when he discovered I was a businesswoman,' Jenny chuckled.

So, I mused, she' d set him up from the start, in exactly the same way he' d preyed on me. Then a thought occurred¼

But Tony could go on to scam again?'

I' ve contacted the police,' she said. He' ll be arrested and charged. A couple of officers are waiting outside. Now, how about a welldeserved cuppa and a slice of chocolate cake to celebrate?'

It was Tonys idea. As I didn t know anything about you, he said I shouldn t trust you