B and E artist: hidden in plain view right next to you

Dear G:

"Bob", I forgot his history of Breaking and Entry, and theft of things from my parent's house (prized antiques), his group of B and E friends, and the stories around. It may have been sunk in the basement as I was a "christian" in high school and has some "pray for you brother thing going on". I was always singing the pop song, He's my brother he aint heavy. 

So, the info comes up in the middle of the night:  I write it down: B and E artist, his two best buds went to prison for it. Several stories came to light, but he was hitting not lake cabins, but remote cabins: the lake cabins had weekend visitors, and he'd come home with stuff. It now makes sense: he'd borrow dad's truck to go for a ride, but dad made him take me to "get me out of the house", and he was scoping out cabins on the back road of little ski hill and our place, on the West Lake road of Cascade lake, to Donnelly: old cabins, some owned by sheep herders, and some with sheep herder wagons. Why his historical and cabin interest? 

Mom found a chest once, wood with brass edges: he said he "found it abandoned," as he always said. She went into a rage realizing how he got it....then, she tossed his room and found 9 items, including hunting knives and more, and another rage: she lined them out on his bed. They would not tell me what the story was, and that added to my confusion. 

Another time: he stole a giant antique saw blade from the mill, 36 inches mom painted gold, from the outside of house, and he ran to Boise. I remember now, him "casing" it all weekend, and asked him why he was staring at it. He just drove off. mom made him bring it back that week, but she got into some later forgetting or denial. He always took one nice old wood crate dad had collected, and when he moved to boise, filled it with tools. He'd have a story to tell dad, con, "you don't need it". But once, he took dad's used paints he liked to use and keep: "Don't take my paints thief". 

Now, I realize much of what he owns is from this very smart B and E: he has a giant Gnome wood statue and other stuff around the house he stole.......loaded. It's likely in Mccall he also B and E'd when in high school not just cabins, but outlying Forest Service guard stations we all knew well. 

He always had tools, objects, guns and knives showed up, antiques. 

He got mom and dad conned that the old fashioned jugs he brought home, all in perfect condition, were "found" in abandoned old cabins around Burdgorf and Warren: they weren't. But mom and dad believed it so much we always poked around fallen cabins expecting to find a perfect jug. 

I think now he lost his job at Axxx glass from theft. 

He stole from parents, others, my grandma: he stole grandma's house from me. And not, he's taken all dad's antiques, loot, money.....all of it....I estimate 7xxx. Theft.

What this means to me: I was having difficulty feeling fully assured he was a criminal thief until this piece came into place....now, I have his "history", though it was "veiled" to me at the time: he always had money (because he was wheeling and dealing with stolen goods), hunting and fishing stuff.....

As a kid, I'd always lose "money". Dad would get on my case for being slovenly, and blamed me. He even went to my room, forced by mom, to help me find my 10 or 20, or rare $2 bill.  They fell into it.....and dad's in fully into the con. 

He got positive attention for being "enterprising" and finding stuff. After he got attention for the first jug, he soon "found" a whole group of them: in perfect condition. So, of all the valuables that could be left in an abandoned cabin, he said, why would these jugs in perfect condition be left behind?

I am reminded of the reality of "theft and thieves", but also my own vulnerability to the con: