Chapter 6 - The Fake Heirloom
Desperation makes people do incredibly stupid things.
Cut off from my family's money and unable to find a job because of his ruined reputation, Ryan was running out of cash.
He and Brenda had been living in a cheap motel, burning through their meager savings.
One afternoon, I received a call from a high-end pawnbroker downtown.
The pawnbroker was an old friend of my father's and recognized the piece Ryan was trying to sell.
It was a diamond pendant that had belonged to my late grandmother.
Ryan had stolen it from my jewelry box before he left for Mexico.
"He's asking for fifty thousand," the pawnbroker told me over the phone.
"Keep him there," I instructed, my blood boiling.
I called the police and drove straight to the pawnshop with my father.
When we walked in, Ryan was leaning against the glass counter, trying to act casual.
He froze when he saw the police officers enter right behind me.
"That pendant is stolen property," I told the officers, pointing at the velvet box on the counter.
Ryan started stammering, looking wildly around the shop for an exit.
"She gave it to me! It was a gift!" he lied, his voice pitching high with panic.
My father calmly pulled out an insurance document listing the pendant as part of the family trust, meaning it legally could not be gifted or sold by an individual.
The police officers moved forward, pulling Ryan's hands behind his back.
The click of the handcuffs echoed loudly in the quiet shop.
As they led him out to the cruiser, he looked back at me, tears streaming down his face.
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I felt absolutely nothing for him.
He was just a stranger who had tried to steal from my family.
