The hardware heist

As State Police Detective Kelly Stone stepped into Logan’s Hardware, her memory raced back to those times years earlier when she had tagged along with her dad to pick up a pipe or screw to finish a project around the house. A bit of a tomboy growing up, she had felt proud that he trusted her to help out.

- Hal Charles

“Kelly,” came a voice from the rear of the store, “I’m glad they sent you.”

Kelly smiled as Emmit Logan approached. “Mr. Logan,” she said, “my dispatcher told me you reported a robbery. Exactly what was taken from the store?”

“Around three-hundred dollars,” said the downcast owner. “So many of my longtime customers are like your dad and prefer to pay in cash. I was planning to take the money to the bank later this morning.”

“When did you discover the money missing?”

“I arrived at 7:00 AM,” said Logan. “Kelly, you know how tight things have been lately. With the competition from the big box stores and the downturn in the economy, I’m barely making ends meet as it is. To lose that money will be devastating.”

“Was the money in a safe or lockbox?”

“I guess I’m foolish, but I’ve never felt a need for either kind of security here in Shadow Falls. I simply kept the money in the top drawer of my desk.”