Tiredness overcame me suddenly. The long day of driving had finally caught up with me and I was so glad to have checked into the hotel for the night. I crashed down on the bed and found that the duvet was an amazingly soft duck feathered type. This was the quality I had paid for. Where was the TV remote? Ah yes. This business trip had been worth it after all. My eyes relaxed and began to wander around the room. I couldn’t help noticing that the wardrobe door was slightly ajar. From the bed I could see a silver glint on the shelf.

“I guess it’s just a complimentary hair dryer” I reasoned aloud, as if I was lucky enough to have someone else listening. I sighed. This quiet night would be a lot more fun if I had a beautiful woman with me for company. Who was I kidding? If I wanted to start dating again I’d need to get myself back to the gym.

“Snap out of it.” I was annoying myself. It was harsh, but I needed to come back to reality. I was here on business and needed to get a good night’s sleep so I could show off at the meeting in the morning. I got up, walked over to the window and drew the mauve, velvet curtains to a close. As I returned to the bed, the wardrobe caught my eye for a second time, so I opened it.

There was something on the wardrobe shelf, and it wasn’t a hair dryer. It was a large silver suitcase. It was so well made that the case must have cost at least £500. Before I knew it, I found myself dragging it down onto the bed. A case this size would inevitably be locked with a code that only the most creative of hackers could crack, but, as hopeful as I am, I decided to try and open it anyway. My heart fluttered as beyond my belief, the clasps clicked open and I was able to raise the lid. The surprise on my face transformed into a gleaming smile and I chuckled with a wave of victorious success. The case was packed with cash. Thousands of twenty pound notes.

My conscience attempted to keep me on the straight and narrow, but my evil heart grabbed the controls and I began frantically grabbing wad after wad and stuffed the money into my back pack. I stopped. My eyeballs darted to the left then right in one movement. I needed to think.

The phone rang and I jumped as if a shot of electricity had sped up my spine. I took a deep breath and told myself to act normal, picking up the receiver with a shaking hand.

“Mr Harrison?” The hotel clerk’s voice came across clearly.

“Sure, that’s me.” I replied.

“I’m afraid we must make a request. The previous guest has returned to us claiming to have left an important piece of luggage in the room. They have asked to come to the room to look for it and collect it. Would that be okay with you?”

All I could do was drop the receiver. I had limited time. They would be here any minute.