Overheard

The woman barber buzzing the guy in the next chair – she’s the kind of person who, if she’s thinking it, whatever it is, it’ll come right out with no filter.

And right now, she’s talking about how happy she is because her boyfriend is getting “tons of overtime” searching for the Dannemora escapees. Forty dollars an hour!

“Wow. That’s good money,” says the guy in the chair.

“Yeah, and we can really use it,” she says.

“But aren’t you a little worried? Those guys are some bad asses. He better be careful.”

“Oh, it’s ok. He says they just walk around in the woods. He’s says there’s hundreds of COs and cops, and they just line up and walk through the fields and woods. Everybody thinks it’s a joke. Those guys are long gone, but big shots want them to keep searching so they do. They don’t care at forty bucks an hour.”

“You know I was wondering about that. I saw on TV they are lined up and walking across an open field. What the hell is that about? Are they hiding in the tall grass?”

The two of them laugh at that.  The fella in the chair continues: “I’m no expert, but it seems to me like they’d have split up a long time ago. Hell, they’re twice as recognizable as a pair. Apart they look like anybody walking down the street.”

She says: “I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right. Everybody’s looking for two guys.”

At this, the another barber in the shop says: “And everybody’s seeing two guys, too. There was a report of two guys on a railroad track in the western part of the state. And there was a report of two guys in a drainage pipe someplace else. But you know what? I think one of those guys was a Marine. Don’t you think he’s got some sense to him? Do you think they’d be walking around looking like they look in the wanted poster?”

At this point in the conversation, the owner of the barber shop walks in and joins the conversation. He was talking to someone who was talking to a retired State Police Colonel who said that the whole thing is a “shit show.” The Colonel says the time for road blocks is over and all they can do now is monitor friends and relatives of the two guys (escapees) and sooner or later there’ll be some contact. He says it’s a waste of money to do a big search.”

At this, the original barber lady says: “Oh, come on, don’t say that. Don’t call it off, yet. Please.” Everyone laughs.