Disgruntled Bear...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

I'm a disgruntled Beastly Bear today...well, have been for a couple days.

Over the weekend I found out my Mother got a call from the police....let me explain.

My Mother had a long time boyfriend, and by long time I mean over thirty years. His name was Jerry.

Jerry used to work with my mom, and I really considered him my Step-father. Jerry was a Pontiac police officer during the '68 riots, was shot in the line of duty and eventually left the force for a job at the local natural gas company. The pay was better, and nobody shot at you! Through his contacts in the law enforcement community, he did remain a part time Conservation Officer.

Jerry started dating my mom, my junior year of high school and we hit it off immediately what with he having been a cop, and me wanting to be one.

She started seeing him not long after my accident and was there to help talk me down when it all became too much and I had my meltdown.

We shared a love of guns and hunting, fishing and the outdoors. We even started a home business J&J Guns.

He got the Federal Firearms License, I used my knowledge.

It was the ideal business, we got our stuff at dealer cost, and we could make a few bucks getting stuff for others.

When Michigan became a "Shall Issue" state, Jerry and I were among some of the first in line to get our carry license.

About 10 years ago Jerry bought a S&W 360PD revolver as a carry gun. It was a small frame, hammerless .357 magnum 5 shot. 

It's claim to fame was a frame made of Scandium with a Titanium cylinder. This created an ultra lightweight (11.4 ounces) compact carry gun.

Unfortunately these high tech metals made this a pricey weapon, carrying a $300 premium over a comparable stainless steel gun.

7 years ago Jerry had left the gun in his truck in my mom's driveway in a very safe neighborhood. The next morning, to his horror his truck had been broken into and his gun was gone!

The police were called, reports taken, serial number recorded. We all knew, in all likelihood he'd never see his weapon again.

We lost Jerry two years ago after a long battle with lung cancer. He passed at my mothers home, his daughter, my mom, my wife and I around him.

Estranged from both his son, and his brother Jerry left most of the guns he had not sold off to me. A couple he wanted his daughter and her husband to have, and the rest my mother kept.

So Friday my mother gets a call from the police, asking for Jerry. She explains that he is deceased and asks what this is about. The officer says they have recovered Jerry's gun, and they'd like to return it. If not to Jerry, then to his family/estate (which my mother is executor of) or it will be destroyed.

So my mother tells them to go ahead and destroy it!!!!

To say I was less than pleased would be an understatement.

So she says "Well I didn't know what crimes it might have attached to it."

I told her "Mom, if it HAD crimes attached to it...they wouldn't be returning it to you, it would be evidence.

You don't get those back usually. They probably pulled somebody over and found it on them, ran the serial number and found it was stolen."

"Well it's 'tainted' anyway, I didn't want it..."

"Mom, that's not a cheap piece of shit gun...those are well over a thousand dollars these days! If you didn't want it, maybe someone else did! Even if you didn't want anybody in the family to have it, you could have walked into any gun shop and turned it into $600 cash in a heartbeat!"

"Well I didn't even remember what it was...and there was no one here to ask." 

That's the little "you never come to see me" guilt dig, even though I do and we take her out almost every week.

"That's when you say "let me call you back", and you call me!!! You don't say "just destroy it"!!!"

"Well I wasn't feeling good, and they just caught me at a bad time..."

Oh for Gods sake!!!

"It's been gone 7 years Ma, another day or two wasn't going to make a difference... They didn't need an answer "right NOW"!!!"

"Well what's done is done..."

Arrrrrrggggghhh!!!!

As she said, what's done is done...would I have liked to have it back? You bet! Mostly just because it was Jerry's. He had tried talking me into getting one when he got his, but it was too much money for too small a benefit ratio for me. 

But it would have been a nice remembrance.

Be Well Folks!

Beastly Bear

Not what I expected...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

Another tale from the "Ghost Files" from my days working at Waterford Kettering High School.

A few months after the girls broke into the Cheerleader locker room (read about that here), it was the Drama teacher that sought me out.

Patti Looman, the Legendary Drama teacher at Kettering had retired the year previously...and this new teacher was struggling to distinguish herself from the shadow of her predecessor! She must not have done that great a job, as her name slips my mind...lol!

Anyway, she came to me to say that someone was getting into the prop/costume room above the stage.

She had found cigarette butts and things were moved.

Costumes had been thrown on the floor into a "pile", evidently to sit on as there was no furniture up there.

Her very real fear was of these kids accidentally starting a fire up there, and it going full bore before anyone knew it!!!

Again, this is a locked room and she had the only key save for the custodial staff, principals, and hall monitor/security. She never is without her key or loaned it out...it was a mystery. I LOVE a mystery!

I discussed the situation with the other monitors and the principals and it was decided I'd pull another covert vigil to see what I could find out. Because the room was so rarely visited she had no idea when this was occurring so I could be in for a long wait.

The stage, like at most High schools of the day was in the Gymnasium. Not long after I'd graduated the school went from gender specific gym classes to a coed format. Normally my suspicions would have run to the girls, as the stage was on their "side" of the gym, now it could be anyone.

Drama club was preparing for their final play of the year, and the stage proper was in somewhat of a disarray. Luckily for me there was a couch not being used for their production at the back (read darkest part) of the stage. By rearranging a couple screens, I had a little "blind" built with a clear view of the prop room door. I set up outside, so I could see exactly how they were getting in.

Because of my previous experiences I thoroughly examined the door to make sure it was in fact locked, the mesh vent at the bottom was secure, in short there was no way they should be being able to get in there.

So, I sat my blind right after the beginning of first period. Got comfortable on my couch and sat in the dark to wait...just like deer hunting! Lol

It was almost lunchtime before my quarry appeared.

There were 2 of them, that much I was sure of, it was too dark to tell if they were boys or girls...they were of a height, about the same size and weight...other than that I had no idea who they were.

They came in around the side of the curtain, walked quickly and quietly right to the door and within seconds were inside. WHAT?

I checked that damn door, it was definitely locked!

Through the vent screen I saw the light come on...it stayed on long enough for them to navigate their way up the stairs, and then the light went out.

Just like the girls in the locker room.

I gave them about five minutes to get settled and comfy before making my way to the door.

Silently as possible I tried the door, still locked!

I quietly slid my key in, one tumbler at a time until I could open the door. I ghosted silently through the door and closed it quietly behind me.

I could hear relaxed voices at the top of the stairs, I was undetected.

Now it was up the stairs, one at a time...gently setting down my gum soled shoes as to make minimum noise.

My eyes were well adjusted to the dark, but I could see nothing...no glow from the lit end of a cigarette though I could smell one recently burned. I didn't know what they were up to, but I no longer heard talking.

I searched behind me to find the light switch, I had no idea where in the room they were, but it was not an overlarge room.

I hit the switch and said "Hi guys!!!"

The surprise was mine this time, as what I saw before me was a couple "In Flagrante Delicto"!!! YIKES!!!

A certain scene from the movie "Porky's" flashed through my head an instant before the young lady screamed like her skin was being peeled!

There was a mad scrambling for anything with which to cover themselves from the pile of costumes they were using for a bed...their clothing, in a pile not far from my feet being unobtainable.

"Ummm, sorry guys..." I stammered out "but how in the hell did you two get in here?!?"

"It was open..." Said the young man.

"No it wasn't...I checked before you guys ever come up on stage, see I was sitting up there waiting for you."

"For us???" The girl, obviously terrified said.

"Well, not you specifically...but whoever was sneaking up here." They looked at each other "So again, how'd you get in here?" 

"I told you, it was open...can we get dressed" the guy, over the initial shock was getting cocky.

"Sure," I said. " unless you want to walk down to the office like that."

I tossed the girl her gym clothes and turned my back so she could get dressed and gestured to the guys clothes indicating he should get dressed as well.

Had I not been in such complete shock I would have thought to search their clothing before allowing them access. 

As the boy picked up his clothes, something went into his hand and right into his mouth! I was across the distance between us in a second, grabbed his throat and told him "SPIT IT OUT...NOW!!!" 

But I was too late while I caught a flash of gold he had already swallowed whatever it was.

"Well, that was stupid..." I told him "what was it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, a triumphant smile on his lips.

"I wouldn't be too cocky there boss, just because you swallowed it...it's still 'on you'..."

When I got them down to the office, I discovered that the young man was the son of one of the night custodians. It also turned out there had been multiple thefts from otherwise locked rooms throughout the school.

This prompted the inclusion of the Waterford PD Liaison officer. And a trip to Emergency for the young man as I was not certain what he swallowed.

X-rays determined he had swallowed a key. Laying the master key over the x-ray proved it was a "master" key. His mother the custodian was called and she produced her key. While talking with the police the young man admitted to stealing his mothers key as she slept, and having a copy made.

Making a deal with our young felon, the school promised not to prosecute if the stolen property was returned.

Our young lady got a week suspension and I'm sure had plenty of explaining to do at home.

The young man fared far worse, while not prosecuted he was expelled from the ENTIRE school system.

So he finished his schooling, the rest of junior and then senior year elsewhere!

Mom was given an official reprimand for not keeping track of her keys.

All in all a lot of misery for a little bit of fun...

Let's hope your fun is nowhere near as costly!

Be Well!

Beastly Bear