Beach Tale: "To Trick a Thief", a self-sleuthing short story

Who is stealing the tips at a small diner?  Tawny, one of the waitresses, aims to find out.  All the clues are there for you to figure it out, too.  The solution is at the end of the story.  

To Trick a Thief

by Jayne Ormerod

  

        “Ya’ll travel safely,” Tawny said, placing the check on the table.  Early June vacationers had been traveling through at a steady stream, heading for the outer banks of North Carolina for their summer beach vacations.  But despite the high turnover at her tables, tips had been disappointingly low.  She’d held off getting new brakes for her car, hoping she’d make enough extra money early in the summer in order to afford them.  At this rate, they’d have to wait another week.  Or two.      

          Loaded down with five plates piled high with pulled pork barbecue sandwiches, fries, coleslaw and fresh from the deep-fryer hushpuppies, she passed the table that had just left and spotted a stack of singles tucked under the salt shaker.  Good.  Maybe her luck was about to change.

          After delivering the food and chatting with the family hailing from Ohio, she returned to the table to find it already cleared for the next guests.  A few bills were tucked under the salt shaker, but not what she’d seen when she’d passed a few minutes ago.  Somebody had stolen more than half of her tip.  Although frustrating, it was not an uncommon occurrence in a place that catered to people traveling through.  Having cash lying out like that was tempting for someone who would be leaving the town limits within the next twenty minutes.    

But as the day wore on, Tawny made a point to eyeball the money on the table and compare it with what was there when she returned.  Yup, money was disappearing at an alarming rate.  That meant it wasn’t a random traveler, but somebody within their own ranks. 

Beach Bling: Let's Start with a Beautiful Summer Tote

We’re going to start building our beach bags here.  So you need to RUN to your nearest Barnes and Noble.  No, not to stock up on beach reads to tuck into your summer tote, but to purchase what is, IMHO, THE BEST BEACH BAG EVER!  Look….

       

See what I mean?

It’s made of sturdy canvas, and it’s like a CAVERN (13” x 7” x 14.25”) just waiting to be filled with all your beach necessities.  Without any pockets or partitions to limit what goes inside, this bag will tote a LOT of beach stuff. More importantly its design allows you to dump out sand easily. 

There are 4 colors to choose from, each with two designs on them (one front, one back).  The orange one has an umbrella and a beach ball.  Turquoise has an anchor and sailboat.  Green has a frog and a dragonfly. And the one in lovely lavender has a kite and a bird.    

This is not the cheapest beach bag you’ll ever find, but it is an EXCLUSIVE (so that adds a few dollars on to the price tag.)  Cost is $24.95, BUT you can pick one up for $12.95 with the purchase of any two items (no minimum dollar a mount stated). 

Even if you aren’t going to the beach this summer, this bag is perfect for trips to the pool, picnics at the park, or even schlepping stuff to the neighborhood cookout. 

Where to buy: Your nearest Barnes and Noble store, or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/special_offer.asp?PID=27759 

Beach Tale--"The Runaway Bridesmaid"

          Is there anything more romantic than a wedding on a deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean at sunset?  Not in my book.  But there were things that kept today from making the top of my “best days ever” list.    

          First, it wasn’t my wedding.  I was the maid of honor, holding the bouquet while vows were exchanged.

          Second, by some cruel twist of fate, the ceremony was between my best friend and Ryan McAllister’s best friend, involving both Ryan and I in the official wedding party.  We had been going at each other’s throats since we’d shared a sandbox.  Funny thing is, I can’t explain why.  It’d started when he’d dumped a bucket of funky-smelling mud over my head and ruined my pink polka-dot sun dress.  I exacted revenge by not inviting him to my birthday party that year.  Twenty years later, we still do whatever we can to aggravate one another.  Old habits die hard, I guess.

 As Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Morietti shared their first kiss as husband and wife, I felt a tear trickle down my cheek.  I knew if Ryan saw me, he’d roll his eyes.  He loved nothing better than to tease me whenever I showed the slightest bit of emotion, be it in response to a sad movie or a Kleenex commercial.  But witnessing Drew and Danielle promise their lives to each other, I couldn’t help myself.  I’d never known two people more suited.  Was it too much for me to hope to find a love so complete and consuming?