Stolen

 

I'm watching a good documentary on Netflix:  This is a Robbery.  It's about world famous paintings being stolen from a museum in Boston. This reminded me of a story I love to tell.  It was in my book.

Many years ago I was friendly with a man who owned a warehouse on the near south side.  The business specialized in small items stored for short periods of time.

One day a man came in with a package, left it for storage, took his claim ticket and left.  Over time, since no one picked it up, and since the package was sturdy and flat, someone put it next to the coffee machine.  It was a convenient surface for cups and sugar.

A few months later, the FBI arrived.  "We need to search the warehouse."  They found what they were looking for: the Cezanne painting stolen from the Art Institute.  It was undamaged except for a few coffee stains on the packaging.