Stories published in my book "Para Vivir Seguros" (2005) If you missed the previous story, here it is: #571457

The teller noisily stamped the check and handed the stack of bills to Mrs. Herminia Martínez. She stepped aside to count the money. Now she had to deposit the cash at another bank to complete the payment for her children's school registration. After verifying the amount was correct, she put it inside her purse, grabbed the strap firmly, and walked out onto the street. She had to walk about three blocks to the other bank. She hadn't reached the corner when a man in a gray suit and tie hurriedly walked past her, almost brushing against her. She had to move aside to avoid him. She shrugged, checked that her purse was securely on her shoulder, and was about to continue her way when she heard someone calling her.

"Ma'am, ma'am..."

She looked up. A well-dressed woman, about fifty years old, was calling her and pointing towards the edge of the sidewalk. The woman bent down and picked up a thick bundle of bills, folded and held together with a rubber band. The woman looked up and, in a low voice, said to Herminia:

"I think this money fell from the man who just walked by, the one in a hurry... Look, there’s a lot of money here... Let's do this: we split it fifty-fifty and leave..."

Herminia Martínez saw the woman take off the rubber band and quickly count the bills. There was quite a bit. She thought that this money, fallen from the sky, would be very helpful; she hesitated for a second but then extended her hand. The stranger gave her half and walked off to one side of the street. Mrs. Herminia, still processing that she had just received a good sum, hurriedly put it inside her purse. But before she could cross the street, she heard shouts:

"Hey, ma'am, ma'am!"

Herminia Martínez turned around. The man in the gray suit and blue tie was coming towards her. He confronted her:

"Ma'am, I saw you pick up money that I dropped. It's mine. Please give it back." "Well, but I didn't..." The man raised his voice. Passersby stopped to see what was happening. A uniformed policeman, who just happened to be nearby, also approached.

"Ma'am, I saw you put it in your purse!" "Well, a lady told me..."

The policeman intervened. "What's going on here?"

The man in the gray suit spoke first. "Officer, I was heading to the bank and a bundle of bills fell out of my pocket. When I turned back to pick them up, I saw this lady put them in her purse."

The policeman, acting as mediator, gave Herminia Martínez the floor. She tried to explain: "Well, it's true... A woman picked up the money and gave me half."

"Another woman? I didn’t see anyone else. Just you." The officer, continuing his conciliatory role, asked, "Where is this other woman?"

Everyone present turned to look. Mrs. Herminia, sensing that something was very wrong, desperately tried to locate her, but she was nowhere to be seen. The man in the gray suit insisted:

"Officer, she has my money. I even marked a bill with my initials. I wrote M.V.J in blue ink. Ask her to open her purse, and you'll see my money there."

The officer put his hand on Herminia's arm, "Ma'am, please open your purse."

"Look, I have no problem returning the money, but I also have what I just withdrew from the bank, from my checking account."

The man in the gray suit shouted threateningly, "I had three thousand dollars. She picked them up. I demand she give them back."

Someone in the crowd of onlookers shouted, "Take her to jail, she's a thief!"

Feeling worse by the minute, Herminia Martínez opened her purse and showed it to the officer. He immediately pulled out the bundles of bills. He found the bill marked with the initials M.V.J. The officer counted the money and extended his hand to give it to the man in the gray suit. Feeling the ground open up beneath her, Herminia Martínez pleaded:

"But... It’s mine... Part of that is mine."

The officer, decisively, said: "Ma'am, if you refuse to give the money to its rightful owner, I'll have to take you to the station..."

Mrs. Herminia stood on the sidewalk, scared, almost trembling, surrounded by people looking at her with hostility, beginning to understand that she had been the victim of a scam and had just lost a lot of money in a matter of seconds.