Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.

I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.

The rules for law and order create the boundaries for civil co-existence and, ideally, the backdrops for individuals, families, and companies to grow and thrive. Breaking these rules puts civil order at risk. And while murder is the Big Daddy of crimes, codified ordinances across municipal divisions, counties, states, and countries show the nearly endless ways there are to create mayhem. This season, we put our detective skills to the test. This is Season 8, Anything but Murder.

This is Episode 10, large-scale theft is the featured crime. This is Graciela’s Gifts by KM Rockwood.

Another mystery from KM Rockwood, who has written the Jesse Damon crime novels, and numerous short stories.

DELIBERATION

Graciela doesn’t know who to trust as she tries to suss who is behind the large-scale theft. Lucky for her, she has us. Here is everyone currently on her “do not trust” list, in the order we met them:

Cooper Reynes, security expert, hired to stop Graciela’s inventory lossesMichelle, Graciela’s friend and first employee, she needs money to help her sister with medical billsRaoul, Graciela’s second employee, he works hard to keep the store neatJocelyn, a recent hire, she came from Cooper’s recommended agencyLivvy, a recent hire, she also came from Cooper’s recommended agencyOfficer Bronkin, investigating similar thefts at other storesNoah, custodian for the strip mall, has access to all the storesGiggling girl, customer, left her wallet in among the pugs

Here are the facts swirling in Graciela’s mind:

Cooper Reynes was recommended by the Chamber of Commerce for his success in reducing thefts. He upgrades his client’s security, personally reviewing the footage for problems. Prompted to do an inventory, Graciela and Michelle found significant merchandise loss, including whole cartons of purses and scarvesMichelle and Raoul were with Graciela long before the problem started. Still, they both bring bags to work able to smuggle out product and tend to live paycheck to paycheck.Jocelyn and Livvy are newer employees, hired through a service Cooper recommended.Officer Bronkin is working the case but without much progress. He turns Graciela on to a trick of moving stolen goods using trash dumpsters.Raoul always takes out the trash. He was meticulous like that. Graciela inspected one suspicious box but found only packing peanuts.Graciela found one of her stolen, unique pieces, an Eiffel Tower with a Celtic cross, on an on-line retail site. Graciela’s most expensive piece, a diamond accented pug, went missing during the previous day, including after hours. She does not suspect the cleaning crew. The others with after hours access were Cooper and Noah.Noah showed Graciela how to view the security footage, countering Cooper’s argument that it was difficult and could overwrite footage. The recent footage showed Livvy taking out trash.

Who is ruining the party at Graciela’s Gifts and More?

About Large-Scale Theft

Large-scale theft is also known as organized retail crime. As you saw in our story, it’s the theft of large quantities of products from retailers with the purpose of selling the products. Where shoplifting is committed by individuals for personal use, large-scale theft is a highly organized big business. According to the National Retail Federation, retail losses in 2022 totaled $112...