The Laptop Thief

The shop was almost empty, save for one or two customers with their backs to the young woman. There were no assistants in sight, either.
The young woman smiled to herself - a perfect chance.

The latest technology was on display, apparently unguarded: laptops, DVD recorders, wide-screen televisions, not bad to sell, she thought, excitedly. She looked nervously around her, then slipped a laptop into her handbag and calmly walked out of the shop. I must not run or panic, she told herself, otherwise I will arouse suspicion.

She had never stolen anything until that morning and the fact that she had actually done so unnerved her. Her heart had begun throbbing in her ribcage and she felt nauseous. People walked past her in the shopping arcade and she dared not look any of them in the eye. She slid out of the arcade and into the street.

She arrived at the one-bedroom flat that she shared with her boyfriend an hour later. He was currently in prison for aggravated burglary, so she was temporarily alone. The stolen laptop weighed heavily in her handbag. She took it out and switched on her own computer and typed: "Brand new laptop for sale. £500." She added her own personal details and hoped for the best.