Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: SKULDUGGERY (09/01/16)
-
TITLE: Trapping the Unwary Tourist | Previous Challenge Entry
By Robyn Harbour
09/08/16 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
‘What sort of trouble Hamish, you won’t lose your job will you?’ Better asked. Their lifestyle depended on the six figure income and the tax breaks that came with his job.
‘The managing director rang today and gave a very clear ultimatum. I need to lift profits otherwise my job will be on the line. I told him that the hotel was shabby and needed an update, if it was to attract more patronage. The only people that seem to book are tourists who book over the internet and have no idea that our current rating is only three star.’
‘If we put our heads together we will come up with something.’ Betty responded.
Betty was the queen of the ideas department, she could be depended on to come up with good idea, not necessarily an honest one. Hamish had no scruples, so one idea was as good as another, honest or dishonest. Hamish and Betty were semi-regular church goers, they went mostly to give the impression that they were honest upright people. People would never believe them capable of dishonesty. The church was a good place to hide.
During a sleepless night Hamish invented scheme after scheme. He eventually settled on what he thought would be a fool proof scam. A lot of thought would have to go into how he set about implementing his plan to dupe the tourist. If unsuccessful he could land himself in jail. Betty was unperturbed, they had been involved in many schemes over the years and so far had not been caught.
And so his devious plan began. He would target the overseas tourist, this would give him a better chance of flying under the radar. People on the move for a few weeks or more were unlikely to check their credit card online. If they did, the name of the hotel’s company on their bank statement was a completely different name, it was also based in Germany.
Each Monday morning he would go through the booking list for the previous week. He would then take 100 pounds out of the unwary tourist’s credit card using details provided at check in. Nine times out of ten he was successful. By the time the tourist got back to their home country they would not be able to remember what they had purchased and where.
Of course there was always the tourist that would ring and complain. “I found a 100 pound withdrawal from my credit card taken a few days after we checked out. I traced the company name to your hotel. Would you please explain how this happened, as we had paid for our accommodation some weeks earlier? We have already informed our bank in Australia of this charge.’
His answer was always the same: ‘Due to the fact that you had smoked in your room we have charged you 100 pounds to sanitize your room. It is very clearly stated in the hotel information book in the room and also on the back of the entry door that this would be the penalty for smoking in the room.’
There would be heated exchange, the tourist insisting that they had never smoked and certainly did not smoke in the room. Immediately Hamish would put the 100 pounds back into their account with a not so sincere apology.
His success rate was impressive, that is until the Hotel Chain CEO wondered why there was such a huge jump in takings over such a short period. An investigation into the hotel’s bank account soon brought to light the scam.
The police pounced and Hamish found himself sitting in a holding cell at the police station with his head in his hands. He thought he had covered his tracks well. As he pondered his predicament his mind flashed back to a Sunday school class forty years earlier. The words ‘Be sure your sin will find you out’ rang in his ears.
The full force of this verse hit him like a sledgehammer. ‘Forgive me God,’ he pleaded, ‘forgive me for all the scheming and stealing I have done over the years.’
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.