What a Couple of Thieves [7th installment]

continued from Jan. 1st post..........

"Sally does Cecil control your stock?" the Burlyboys ask in a serious tone. "He has everything of mine in his safe. Cecil gets my bills, makes out the check, then brings the check to me for signing, he takes care of all that, he has for years. Since my husband passed away anyways." she informs the Burlyboys. "Have you been selling any stock?" the boys asked. "No, why would I?, I don't need it right now." "O.K., then have you endorsed any checks that you did not know what they were?" they ask her. "No, I always look of course. I wouldn't sign anything that I didn't know what it was. Cecil sometimes puts a bunch of checks in front of me and says sign here and here, but he always tells me what they are." "Are you sure?" the boys ask again. "As far as I know." Sally responds. One of the Burlys finally asks, "do you have anything with any information about your stock, any phone numbers of your stock broker, or stock buying program, employee information phone numbers, anything at all?" "Let me look", said Sally. After rummaging around her house for several minutes Sally says, "I found this list of phone numbers for retired employees, and one is for employee stock." The Burlys use the speaker phone on the cellphone to call the number. It is late, so they can only leave a message and ask for a call back. The next day they get a call back and they are provided with specific phone numbers of a number of third party brokers. The Burlys call the numbers, again with Sally listening on speaker phone: AT&T - 500 shares sold 03-10-02, Bell South 1000 shares sold 11-05-02, Sprint 2500 shares sold 05-23-03, Quest 1200 shares sold 10-16-03, Vodaphone 5000 shares sold 04-02-04. At this point Sally is sitting paralized! Eyes wide open, her chin dropped to her blouse, in a state of shock, dumbfounded. After a long pause, and no more calls, says "I can't believe they did this to me. Selling my stock! but I haven't endorsed any checks!" "Are you sure?" the boys ask. "That little bastard! Cecil is so tricky, he must have slipped them in." "Think again, did Cecil ever ask you to sell any stock?" "No, never, how could he sell my stock?" We better find out everything we can quick, because they are moving. Sally is still overwhelmed, as one could rightly imagine. "They've wiped me out" she whispers in disbelief. How could these people say to Sally that "neighbors have to watch-out for each other, we have to stick together, thats what neighbors are for." Cecil and Maggie met Sally when they moved to the area shortly after her husband died. Sally told the boys that Cecil came over one day and introduced himself to her, and Maggie too. Had her over, got to know her, helped her in her time of need. then pounced on her loneliness. O.K. that is my version, but that is what happened. Sally had no heirs and was getting up in years, was probably wondering what to do with her house and ten acres, Cecil became her only friend (his own doing), it made sense to her, leave it to him, her neighbor and handler. That sounded good to Cecil, something for nothing, just how he likes it. Till evil set in, and Maggie, o.k.... same thing.

...............to be continued