Burglary

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Burke and Hare robbing a coffin.

I was a little late for work on Tuesday the other week. When I was about to go to my locker, I was stopped by my boss.
'Mrs S', he hollered. I stopped dead, a little apprehensive. However, what he said next was a bombshell.

Don't touch anything at all!

Has the pharmacy been robbed?

My boss nodded.

How did they come in, through either of the front doors?

No, through the window in the loo.

I was baffled. All the pharmacy's back windows had been secured by a grid of iron bars after we'd last been burgled; tearing it off the wall must have taken quite some effort. Careful not to destroy any evidence, I went round the corner to have a peek. The lid of the toilet was broken, the window was open and bar-less. Everything was dirty from the burglar's muddy feet. All the lockers were open, but they didn't look particularly messy.

'Did they steal something? I asked my boss.

Only my laptop, from what I can see. You'll have to check your locker yourself, but remember not to touch the door. They tried to break up the safe, but without success. However, they cut off the hinges with an angle grinder and destroyed the safe door.

Curious, I went down to the cellar. The last time it had happened, the burglars had just taken the whole safe, which had been small. The current safe is large and very heavy, weighing about a tonne1. The safe was now open, the boss had removed the door. There was a strange smell. Cuttings lay on the floor. I was sure that this must have been very well planned. The burglars had been equipped with all the right tools. I went to fetch my camera, to take photos of the deed. Upstairs, my boss was on his third cup of coffee. He hadn't had any breakfast, but had left his home without further ado after he had got the phone call from my colleague. Looking at the damage, we all found it hard to believe that nobody in the house had heard all the banging and hammering. When I went outside to take photos from the window, I met the woman who lives on the first floor. On asking her about the noise, she replied immediately:

Oh, that was at 8pm last night, from what I recall. I was on the phone with a friend, and I told her there was such a banging going on in the staircase, probably made by one of the staff.

I refrained from making a comment. The pharmacy closes at 7pm, as she knows well.

I stepped on the grass to get a good shot of the window, destroying the burglars' footprints in the snow in the process. Uuups.

With practically nothing stolen, the worst thing was that we had to wait until somebody from the police would come to secure any evidence, which meant that we couldn't use the loo. Fortunately, there are public toilets not too far away, in the town hall. The man from the CSI came at about 11am, finally! He couldn't detect any fingerprints and told us that they must have worn gloves, probably simple household gloves, made of rubber. The insurance should hopefully cover all the damage and the loss.

During the 15 years I've worked there, this was the fourth time it happened. I'm glad I've never been the first to arrive on the scene – that has always been my poor colleague. She said she had been afraid there was a fire somewhere when she entered and noticed the smell. When she discovered the open window, she couldn't be sure the burglars were gone, but she plucked up her courage and went to look. It must have been spooky.

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B'Elana

02.04.09 Front Page

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1That's probably exaggerated.

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