When planning to rob a store, be sure to case the place first.  Never skip classes when going to crime school.

hapter Eleven


o Close And Yet So Far

A quiet weekday night at the store.  Gord was there late and was partaking of some StarCraft with a friend of his in Japan.  The recent purchase of a headset proved to be very interesting as it was considerably easier than typing.

But eventually, the friend in Japan had to depart for two hours.  Until then, Gord would have to amuse himself in the game store after hours.

Sadly, at the same moment the friend departed, Babylon 5 ended as well.  In it's place began a particularly bad episode of Star Trek Voyager. 

Gord, in a valiant fight to save his soul, turned off the TV and sat on one of the couches in the back.

"Hmm.... What to do.  I could play a PlayStation game, maybe some more StarCraft.  Or I could just sit here on the comfy couch for two hours in complete darkness trying not to fall asleep."

Several seconds later....

"zzzzzz"

....two hours later....

'zzzzz.... StarCraft....zzzzz...  Yes sir!.... zzzz....  your forces are under attack.... zzzz....  as ordered... zzz... BAM BAM:

Gord wakes from his sitting slumber.

"wah?  StarCraft doesn't go Bam"

<BAM BAM BAM>

"What the?  Sounds like that sound is coming next door.  What would the dance hall be doing at... err....  what the hell time is it!  Where's a clock!  Damn it, I can't see."

<BAM BAM BAM>

"That sounds like it's coming right from the very back of the store.  That's odd.  Where's a clock!"

Gord was still in very much a groggy state.

<BAM CRASH TINKLE>

"I should NOT be able to hear a tinkle through those walls.  That is coming from the back."

Gord jumps to his feet.  And reaches a curious conclusion.  The crashing in the back must be someone he knows who he is storing stuff for in the back, and must be sorting it, even though he doesn't have a key to the business.

"That had DAMN WELL better be YOU Brendan!"

"Oh shit!"

<clang>

<stomp stomp stomp>

<Slam>

<Voooooooom!>

<Screech!>

"Uhm.... crap.  Guess it wasn't."

Gord investigates the back and conducts a quick investigation.  The thieves broke into the utility room of the building by prying the door open, and once in there were hammering away through the wall.  Seems the cement walls of the store only went between the stores, and along the outside.  The utility room was technically part of Gord's store on the original building design.

So with this design flaw, they were hammering through the wall.  They had created a rather sizeable hole in the wall.  Sadly, they had not looked in the back room before they did this, or they would have noticed it was full of boxes being stored for people.  There was no way to get into the room from that wall.

When they fled the scene, they left behind the tools of the crime.  Gord made a profit!

In the end, a short blurb on it made the local paper followed by the national papers the next day as a curious little story.