Keep Unravelling That Purse String

(I have just finished serving a customer whom I think is acting a little odd. I turn to watch her leave. As she turns the corner out of sight, I just think that maybe I had her wrong. I am still looking at the corner she turned when I see her coming back down another aisle. She seems to be trying to look over fixtures at another of our counters and keeps checking over her shoulder. I make a beeline for her but am still on the opposite side of a table from her.)

Me: *loud and cheerful* “Is there anything else I can do for you today? You look like you are looking for something.” *starts making my way around the table to her*

Woman: *turns to me with deer in the headlights eyes, saying frantically* “OH! It was there; I didn’t touch it!”

Me: “What was there?”

Woman: *still frantic* “I swear it was here; I just found it.”

Me: “What did you find?”

Woman: *even more frantic* “I never put it here; I just saw it!” *turns and pretty much bolts away*

(Her reaction has made me a little fearful about what I might find. There are three levels to the unit she was standing at. The lighting is not great, but bending down I see a small black rectangular item sitting amidst some very dark stock on the second level. There was no way for the lady to have seen it unless she already knew it was there. I pull it out to find it is a purse, and I immediately carry it to my counter and page for the owner. I don’t get an answer, so I take it over to the second counter to have it placed in the office for safekeeping. A coworker sees me with it.)

Coworker: “WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT?”

Me: “It was on the display; I noticed a customer acting weird.”

Coworker: “Was it the customer you just served?”

Me: “Yes, why?”

Coworker: “She was second in line and walked off, right before my customer noticed her purse was missing off the counter. I went after her and stopped her right by the display to ask if she had seen the purse, which she denied. We then watched her go around your counter, get served by you, and then leave. How did you find the purse?”

Me: “I noticed after she left, she pretty much snuck back, and it looked like she was trying to keep an eye on your counter at the same time. I went after her to see what she was up to.”

(The first customer had left her phone number and was very glad to have her purse back intact.)