A great train robber?
Polite as you like, he still stole my wallet
He was the politest thief I ever met.
“Good morning” he said before engaging me in conversation on an early Sunday morning train into London Bridge Station. We had a carriage to ourselves.
When he said “would you mind handing me your wallet,” as we pulled into London Bridge, I thought I’d misheard, until my eyes caught sight of gray metal beneath his jacket. Tracing my gaze, he smiled again and nodded.
Shaking, I handed over the wallet with about £30 cash and some assorted cards. Hardly worth an armed hold-up. He looked through the wallet, nodding as if satisfied. Tucking it away, he jumped up and left the train just before it started to pull back out of the station.
I returned home to call the police. There were no cell phones in those days. Just as I was lifting the receiver, I heard a loud banging on the door, with a shout: “Police… Open up!”
After three hours of gruelling interrogation, detectives showed me my wallet. “Is this yours?” It had been found at the scene of an armed raid on a diamond merchant near London Bridge.
Seems my polite thief had used the wallet as a decoy.
About the Creator
Raymond G. Taylor
Author based in Kent, England. A writer of fictional short stories in a wide range of genres, he has been a non-fiction writer since the 1980s. Non-fiction subjects include art, history, technology, business, law, and the human condition.
Enjoyed the story? Support the Creator.
Subscribe for free to receive all their stories in your feed. You could also pledge your support or give them a one-off tip, letting them know you appreciate their work.
Comments (1)
Clever thief. Gives them that much more time to make themselves scarce before the authorities start looking in the right direction.