Instant Gratification II: The FBI
The store had some initial interest. Neighborhood people came to wish me well and to see what I had created. I found out the several people in our little community were using their basements for businesses as well. Unlike a retail store though, those businesses were more like offices and all appointments were scheduled. I had to have appointments as well. This was to avoid having congestion in the streets on our block. One of the people who had bought some clothes from me, showed off her purchases to one of her friends. It turned out the friend was a Judge. She knew immediately that the business wasn’t legal, but, she was a large sized lady and was curious about the clothing I was selling. She called and made an appointment.
I had no idea who she was. She arrived on time, looked around and took some things in the dressingroom to try. She loved everything! I made my first sale. She talked to me for a while explaining that although the store should not be in my house, she wouldn’t say anything because she wanted to remain a customer. Appointments fit her schedule and having me “look” for certain things she needed made me more like a personal shopper. That was it! A personal shopper was having clients in your house, like a psychologist, or an accountant. I just couldn’t describe the place as a retail business. She would continue to buy an item or two once a month. The rest of the time, well, business was slow to non existent. I did have open hours on the weekends. It was very slow, and I was very thankful that I didn’t have to pay rent! Sometimes on a weekend, I had other obligations and couldn’t be at the store. A friend of mine, one of the Card players, also a large sized woman, was happy to sit in for me. She would bring her knitting or cross stitch and play with my dog!
The clothing I sold was on the expensive side, but I priced it as well as I could. A few people came and looked but it wasn’t what they wanted. Oh well, that’s business. One day, a man made an appointment. He came to the “store” and said that he was looking for a gift. I assumed it was for his wife. He looked like an average guy, he was very pleasant and he carried a little bag with him. I immediately started to think he was going to shoplift. I watched him like a hawk. He was fascinated with an outfit hanging on the wall. He checked the size and looked at me and asked if he could try it on!
TRY IT ON! I was confused. He told me that he was a cross dresser, and these were the kind of clothes he was looking for. He dressed as a woman when he had group socials with other cross dressers. They were always outfit competing.
I had a hard time wrapping this around my head. He took the bag and showed me his “ accoutrements” I tried to act nonchalant, but I was having a hard time. I had no trouble with his being a transvestite, I just wasn’t expecting it. Hey, his money was as good as anyone else. I told him to try it on, but I wanted to see him in it!
He came out of the dressing room and I was blown away. He looked fabulous! He tried on a few other things and bought them all. I now had a steady customer. I was jealous that the clothes looked so good on him. In my warped mind all I could think of was that one day something would cause him and the Judge to be wearing the same outfit and meet!
After he changed back to his street clothes we had a little chat. He was a very nice guy, married, two children. His habit hurt no one, his wife knew all about it. It worked for them, and that’s all that mattered. His wife by the way, was very tall and lean.
After his purchase, I started getting calls from his “friends.” My little women's store now had more male than female customers. When one guy would purchase something he had to tell the others what he bought! It would be terrible for two men to show up in the same outfit at a “social engagement!” Well, for a short while they kept me in business and in my own wardrobe. I also needed record keeping to know who bought what!
One day, when school was out, and I was dusting and vacuuming the store, the phone rang. I answered, I heard two women snickering and I knew who they were. The said stupid things like, “Is this Instant Graffiti” or “I heard you had bad taste in clothing.” They giggled and I hung up. It was my former “partners” and they acted like children.
The phone rang again, and I was sure they were calling back but this time I answered, “Instant Gratification, may I help you.?”
A man on the other end of the line started with the line, “Write this down.” I knew he was trying to sell me something, but I was bored, so I grabbed a pen and a notebook I had there and started writing. He spoke for at least 15 minutes and I never interrupted him. I decided I was going to write down everything he said! When he was finished, hearing an ocassional uh huh, or yes from me, he said, “Thank you for not hanging up. You are a fabulous listener and I want to send you a gift.”
Uh oh, caught in my own game. I told him no way did I have any money to spend on anything and I would not accept a gift. It was amazing, he had my name, my business name, and the address. He didn’t need my permission. He went on to say that “speaking” to me was the highlight of his day, etc. I hung up, dated the phone call with the transcript of it and put it aside.
About 5 days later, a small package came for me. There was no identification where it came from. I opened and and inside saw a beautiful ring. I knew the stone was a London BlueTopaz. The ring was 14Kgold. A little note, read Thanks, —------- and he signed his name. I wanted to send it back, but back to where? I took it to the jewelry store and it was indeed gold. The Jeweler placed a $350 value on it. I put it back in the box and tucked it away. The next week, he called again, I continued my challenge and continued writing everything he said. The conversation changed quickly and this guy, this very lonely guy just started spilling everything that was on his mind. Everytime he called, he sent another gift. That’s how my husband and I got our first color TV! It was impossible. I was afraid to get his calls and more afraid to ignore them. It was about 5 months later, I was in the store and again the phone rang. It was a man who identified himself as FBI. He said, he knew I had been in contact with the man he was investigating. I said to him, “I don’t know who you are, and the person in question has never done anything to harm me.”
The man on the phone gave me his name his identification number and the office he worked out of. He told me to call the FBI and give them his name and case number. I was too scared to call from home, I was sure someone was now listening in to all my conversations. I was shaking as I went next door to a neighbor to use her phone. I briefly explained the story. I didn’t use the number he gave me to call back. I used a number supplied by the information system. It was different from the earlier number. I dialed and spoked to a woman who did answer FBI when she picked up the line. I told her I wanted to speak to an Agent____ and the case number he was working on. She connected me and the agent answered, “Feel better now?” He asked me if I had any correspondence with my caller, and I told him, “You’re not going to believe this, but I have every word he ever said to me written in a notebook!
“What! Why would you have that?” I explained and he started to laugh, well chuckle. He wanted to see the notebook, I told him no problem, and I took it to Manhattan to his office. At the beginning of the notebook, I had my customer’s names and dates of purchase. He let me cut that out. It had nothing to do with the case.
I won’t bore you with the case against this guy. The Agent said that this con group knew they were almost ready to grab them. He said they had been following them for almost a year and now they were feeling pressure and ready to flee the country. They wanted to get him red handed. He told me he was probably going to ask me for money. I was supposed to tell him that all I could give him was a thousand dollars. When the deal was made, I would be given marked money. I asked if I was supposed to mail it, and the Agent told me he was sure that this guy wasn’t going to have me mail it, He would send a courier and it could even be the guy himself. After all, I never saw him. I was dubious, but as long as I wasn’t spending my money, I didn’t care!
That’s exactly what happened. A thousand dollars was brought to me, and I put it is the package my caller wanted. It was picked up by a courier. That was that!
The phone calls stopped. A few months later, the Agent called back and told me they had all the people involved and I was needed to testify. The trial was to be in Las Vegas. All my expenses would be paid. When I jokingly asked him if the would give me money to gamble, he had no answer. “I was joking! I don’t know how to gamble!” Anyway, the trial wasn’t for a few months. I still didn’t understand why or how I was involved, or what the con was! At the last minute after all those involved pleaded guilty, there was no trial. I never got to Vegas. My notebook was returned to me. I asked if I had to return the gifts, and was told no, it had all been processed through insurance. Whatever that meant. I had not worn or used any of the gifts, except for the TV. When I was told I didn’t have to return anything, I sold the more expensive stuff and considered it profit of the business.
About 5 months after the whole fiasco was over, the phone rang in my “personal shopper “ store. A man on the phone introduced himself and told me he was a good friend of _______, my gift giving criminal. He told me that ________ was serving a sentence and that he gave him my number. I quickly grabbed my notebook and made the new entry. Instead of just listening, I gave my first Academy Awards Performance and told him how I missed ________. That his phone calls were a life line for me. I asked the guy on the phone if he could relay messages to him. I poured in on thick. Between what he was saying and what I was saying you would have thought we were two separated lovers. All the time in the back of my mind I was not sure if this guy really worked with_________, or the FBI? Anyway Mr. Idiot on the phone told me his full name and where he was calling from and same other names. If he was a crook, he was quite stupid. I told him I had to go but instead of waiting to hear from him, could he give me his number so I could find out things sooner. HE DID!
The minute he hung up, whether my line was tapped or not, I called the FBI, got hold of the Agent and informed him that there were still others operating in whatever it was.I gave him the names and phone number I had just been given.
That was it! I never heard from anyone, again. Case closed. My husband told me and others many times that he never would have believed any of it, but he knew I wasn’t buying all the stuff I got. I says he wishes the FBI would have waited a little bit longer because __________ had promised me a car! And we needed a car! I still am not quite sure what crime was comitted or why the FBI
would be involved. I was just one tiny part, but seemingly a key point in whatever this investigation was.
All things great and small pass. So did my business!!