Nightcrawlers for Sale II

As time went by we moved the large cooler to the patio and gradually customers got used to the self-service nightcrawler business. That’s when the trouble started! But first let me tell you about the set up.

The cooler sat on the patio just outside thejkl;o back door that led first to an enclosed porch and then into the kitchen. The cooler usually contained several dozen worms in Styrofoam cups, a frozen bottle of water and a cup with some change in it. Buyers would come and take as many dozen as they wanted and leave their payment in the cup. It worked remarkably well for some time.

Once in awhile we might be short a little money but other times there seemed to be extra in the cup. Then we started missing cups of worms. We were amazed that people would steal fishing worms but it was happening. It got worse! Someone started taking all of the worms and money.

I was infuriated! We stopped putting so many worms out in the cooler and were careful to not leave much money there. Still it was continuing. There was another worm seller across the highway and I began to suspect him. He was an ex con who rode around town on a bicycle.

I set up all kinds of elaborate schemes to catch the culprit whoever it was. One involved running a fine thread around the yard and attaching it to a bell in our bedroom window. That would have worked but every dog or cat that went through the back yard set it off. Early one morning I heard the bell jangle and then heard a bicycle in the alley. It didn’t register with me for a minute or two and then it was too late.

Becky and I took turns sitting on the back porch with the lights off and waiting for the thief. Late one night when Becky was sitting there, a thief came across the neighbor’s patio and crept by the back door to the cooler. At that moment Becky turned a flashlight on and shined it in his face. I am not sure who was scared more, Becky or the crook. He turned and ran and Becky came and got me but by the time I got out there he was nowhere to be found.

Another time I was sitting in the dark on the porch and I heard a terrible racket on the neighbor’s patio. Then a stark naked guy came gingerly stepping through our yard. He stopped near our clothesline and turned back towards the neighbors and said, “Larry! Come on!” A second naked guy came through the yard and they both headed off towards the alley. I heard them swearing all the way. I heard them him hit Van Allen’s fence, too.

Then a policeman appeared in our backyard. I went out and told him which way they had went. The boys had been skinny dipping in the pool, which was about a half block away, and had ran when the police came leaving their clothes behind.

One evening, after dark, Becky and I were sitting on the front porch when we saw a figure walking up the street and then cut between our house and the neighbors. Becky went back through the house and I followed the guy to the back of the house. We had him dead to rights! I recognized him right away and he was very surprised. I turned him into the police but I don’t think much ever happened to him for that charge but soon after he was implicated in some other thefts and got in serious trouble.

We got out of the worm business but for a long time after that people would stop at our house and ask if we were still selling worms.