THE MOMENT
Women like her were easy targets. The college-aged blonde woman walked along the shops with undeserved confidence. Her perfect, shiny, golden blonde hair and flawless tan skin hinted that she'd never seen an ounce of hard work in her life. Peabody watched her meet the gaze and smile of anyone she passed, completely ignorant of the dangers around her. He wasn't short on marks, it was a busy Sunday afternoon downtown with plenty of patrons milling around. But, something about her drew his spite. No one deserved to be that blissfully unaware.
Peabody's job was made even easier because she kept her wallet separate from her bag. She wore a small pink rucksack on her back to serve as a purse; but, when she stopped at the sidewalk vendor for a snack she paid from her wallet and returned it to a loose pocket on the side of the bag. He'd been watching her for a bit, and after she started enjoying her ice cream cone, it was the perfect time. Her hands were full, and she was distracted.
After four blocks, he was impatient to act and he started lightly jogging. He wanted to pretend he was in a hurry; but, not in a panic.
"Oh god, I'm sorry!" He apologized as soon as he bumped into her. But, he kept running, the wallet was his already. "I left my oven on! Sorry!" He waved with the excuse and continued moving. He caught enough of a glimpse to see she smiled and waved back; but, by then he was already turning a corner to disappear.
It wasn't his usual, subtle method. But, she was blonde, and he wanted to be sure that sometime down the line, she'd realize it was him that stole her money. She wouldn't be able to do anything about it, and he hoped she learned a lesson about the world.
Peabody continued running to put space between them and took several familiar back alleys until he was finally far enough away to take a look and dump the wallet.
He pulled out the brown leather wallet with an 'M' monogrammed on one corner, folded it open, and was suddenly disappointed. He opened the billfold first and saw only a single white business card. It looked like countless others, and he ignored it for the time being.
"Huh," then he dug through the card pockets and any other openings he could find. "What the hell?" It was completely empty except for the card. He was sure he saw her put money back into it; he opened the wallet wide again to check for secret compartments, and that was when he saw the front of the card. It was such a shock, he dropped the wallet as if it was scalding his hands.
He looked around the alley where he was, and no one else was there. He looked down, focused on the wallet, and the card that had fallen out. For anyone else, it would've just been a random business card. But, the familiar logo on the front in green font made him chuckle.
"Just a coincidence...," he said it aloud to give the statement more credence. "Peabody Landscaping is established...," he decided as he reached down for his business card and the wallet again. Landscaping was an easy racket to get into, and it paid to know how the homes of his wealthy clients were organized. He never advertised, and tried to encourage a rich word-of-mouth network; and, dozens of people around the city that he'd never met had his business cards.
He knelt to collect the card and wallet. As he returned the business card, he was surprised by a female voice.
"Oh, looks like some kind soul already found it. Thanks for the help, officer!" Peabody was usually more graceful under pressure; but, he'd had a confusing few moments, and the mention of a policeman really got his attention. He looked up to see the young woman with a beat cop next to her.
"You lost it here...?" the officer asked as he looked around the dim alley.
"Shortcut," the woman giggled with a shrug as she stepped forward to take the wallet from Peabody. His only option was to turn it over, it was empty anyway.
"It was empty when I found it!" he might've been panicking a little bit.
"Is that right..?" the cop looked at the woman with curious concern. She giggled and shook her head.
"No, he's just joking!" she laughed. Then, she reached into the wallet, and pulled out three $20 bills. "Looks like it's all there," she said. That seemed to finally put the policeman at ease, and he nodded politely at Peabody.
"Have a good day folks... and, miss," he turned to the woman. "I'd avoid dark alleys if you're by yourself."
"Thank you!" she waved at him. He seemed almost unwilling to leave her there; but, he didn't seem eager to stay there either and he left the alley.
"Thanks for finding my wallet, Mr. My name's Morgan," she turned and smiled at Peabody. Then, she stepped forward and gave him the $60 she flashed for the officer's benefit earlier. He wasn't going to turn down money; but, he was confused as he accepted it.
"What's this for?" he asked.
"Well, I'd feel kind of like a heel for leaving you completely empty-handed," she shrugged with a smile. "I'm not that greedy." He was confused; but, he had to admit that thought was amusing. He had at least $500 in cash in various bills already, and that was only counting what he had on him.
"Sure, I'll graciously accept it," he nodded. They shook hands as he took the money, and he felt he could at least introduce himself. If she was already familiar with his landscaping services, it might be a route to get to know her better, and into her home. "Name's Peabody," he added. She had already turned to leave after the handshake, and she paused.
"I know," she nodded, waved, and continued out of the alley.
"I think I need to sit down somewhere...," Peabody chuckled as he reached for his wallet to store his new gains. He knew it had been a very eventful interaction, and he needed to relax and unpack it all. Except, when he opened his wallet, all his money was gone.
"NO!" the only thing left was a white business card. He didn't hesitate to pull it out, and it was another one of his business cards. Except, he didn't usually carry any in his wallet like that, and this one had a little handwritten note with a heart drawn on it.
"Now we're even, leave my stuff alone. - Morgan"