The money clip caper

We are completing a circuit from our home to Montana and through Yellowstone country, and back. On the way up last week we stopped at Subway in Casper, Wyoming. Later that day I realized I was missing my money clip, and by mentally backtracking supposed I had left it at that Subway. As I said to my wife, “Well it’s a bad day for me, but a good day for someone else!” I thought the clip had about $160 in it.

I assumed it was lost forever, as it had no name on it, and, well, frankly, Wyoming seems like an impoverished place. We only see the highway dives, but it has a trailer court feel about it. But stopping by Subway again today, I asked if they had a lost and found. The young gal asked if I had found something, and I said no. I had lost a money clip. Her eyes lit up and she was excited, said someone had turned it in. My lucky day!

They had to summon the manager, as the clip was in the safe, so we went for coffee. On returning, we learned that someone pretending to be my wife had come in the following day and asked if anyone had found a money clip containing $137. She said that her husband had lost it and was just sick. They turned it over to her. The Subway manager really was just sick that they had been scammed, but that is the end of the story. We kindly thanked her and her staff for their effort, and we left.

What we know now is what we knew before – there is desperation in Wyoming. Such trouble to what … split $137? Further, the fact that the woman claiming to be my wife knew the clip had $137 in it means that someone inside that store worked the con with her. How many people know exactly how much money they have on them at any time? This will be a fatal error, I am afraid, as the manager intends to get to the bottom of it. Not for our sake, of course. She thinks she has a bad apple on staff, but did not say that.

I am like most people … Losing $137 is painful, but not earth shattering. And I was so pleased at the attitude of they Subway staff – they were all (except one) honest, and the person who found it and turned it in was too. That pleases me, and does not surprise me.

Later, driving down the highway, we were talking about the incident. The manager is going to review her surveillance tapes to get a look the woman who claimed to be my wife. My real wife laughed, threw up her arms and said “You know what? The tape will be erased!”

Yes. There will be an eighteen minute gap.