A convenience store is robbed a dozen times in less than five months. The robberies usually occur after 10 p.m. and there are usually no customers in the store.

Bernard, the clerk, calls police immediately. He gives a detailed description of the suspect. So far, there’ve been no arrests.

Shift Sergeant McNabb asks his officers, "What’s wrong with this picture?" They all agree — something about these robberies ain’t right. So Sergeant McNabb invests a little extra taxpayer money for deputy overtime, and sets up a couple of stakeouts.

The convenience store is less than 100 yards from the I-95 entrance ramp. Bernard, the night clerk, says each robber makes his getaway by car, never on foot.

Sarge knows there are only three escape routes: the entrance ramp back onto the interstate, or traveling north or south on the secondary road in front of Bernard’s store.

Starting at 9:45 p.m., Sarge sets up roadblocks along the three possible exit routes. A fourth deputy is stationed in a wooded area where he can watch the store using night-vision binoculars. All Sarge needs now is a robbery and his day will be made.

On the second night of the stakeout, there’s a 911 call coming from Bernard’s store. The clerk tells officers the gunman made his getaway in a red Ford Escort. As usual, Bernard’s report is loaded with detail.

Sergeant McNabb makes a quick check with his stake-out team: the deputy with the night-vision glasses saw nothing extraordinary. Neither did deputies at the three roadblocks. For at least 10 minutes there’s been no traffic at all near Bernard’s store.

After a few hours of intensive interview time, Bernard finally confesses that he gave false information. The robberies were Bernard’s bits of fiction to satisfy his desperate need for money.

The sergeant is now Lieutenant McNabb while Bernard is making license plates at the state pen.