Dreich #242

I popped into Ocean Terminal (shopping mall) to spend some vouchers I had.  I'd checked the website of the voucher mongers so knew that Waterstones (book store) accepted them.  I was looking for Christmas presents and I enjoyed the challenge of making my purchases add up to the nearest £10. 

But then there was checkout mayhem!   Before proceeding with the transaction I checked that the store still accepted the vouchers.  Shop person #1 was doubtful so put through a trial transaction.  This didn't set off any alarms but she was still doubtful.  Shop #1 explained that there had been a spate (yes!  a SPATE!) of forged vouchers and that one voucher monger had cancelled all it's vouchers and she wasn't sure which voucher monger had cancelled it's vouchers!  So she called on reinforcements.  Shop #2 had a look at my vouchers and declared them to be valid. Well, he THOUGHT so.  Shop #1 was not convinced so she RANG THE BELL.  After a suitably senior delay, Shop #3 arrived and cast her beady eye over my coveted vouchers. "My precioussssss..."  isn't what she said.  She explained that...       ...and got out A Big Book and proceeded to flick through it and saying, "Nope... nope....nope..." at each page she looked at.   She called on Shop #2 (who seemed to be the sharpest of the bunch despite Shop#1 explaining that Shop#3 was The Boss) who advised that the info she was looking for was on the notice board in the staff room upstairs.  So Shop #2 (who I developed an affinity with) KNEW that my vouchers were bona-fide but Shop#3 wasn't taking any chances (nor was Shop#1 but she was at the bottom of the pecking order so wasn't making ANY decisions).  So Shop#3 now put me on hold as she went upstairs to check the notice board in the staff room.  While she did this I had a nice chat with Shop#2.  With his top-knot and enormously manicured facial hair he was an engaging chap.
And then Shop#3 came back all apologetic and explanatory and apologetic and a bit more apologetic.   
So I was NOT the voucher forger after all!         

...or was I?