Last Monday we had Cappello Plumbing fix a leaky shower valve in our master bedroom bathroom. A plumber showed up with a young kid apprentice. They were fast, professional and budget friendly.
We have been missing my wife's engagement of 30 years and an heirloom ring from the Middle East that her dad bought in the '50s since they left.
Facts:
Rings were in a little dish on my wife's armoire, right by the bedroom door.
Rings were discovered missing the next morning when my wife went to put them on and leave for work. Of course, we have looked, and continue to look, everywhere.
Only the apprentice was alone in the bedroom when packing up, while the main plumber was out at the truck making out the receipt.
The owner responded right away and came over to talk to us, asked all the normal and obvious questions. Could they be misplaced? Anybody else have them? And so forth. All of his responses were only supportive of his crew; one is a long-time employee and friend, the apprentice was hired from internet and had been with him for two weeks.
Through several conversations over the next few days, Jordan Cappello used the phrases open mind and benefit of doubt over and over again, even blurting at me that I was biased. Not once did he use those phrases to our benefit, never saying anything like You seem like honest, reliable people, maybe you're right.
He did set a tricky little trap for the apprentice that didn't work, and brought him to talk to me and my wife. Of course, the apprentance denied it.
That wasn't the end. I asked Jordan to give my number to the apprentice and have him call me. Surprisingly, he did. I told him I knew he took the rings, that we only wanted them back, and since they meant more to us than anybody else, we would pay more than he could get elsewhere. He responded Yes, sir, and we hung up.
Interestingly, the call came in restricted, which was fine. I checked my call log and the number was restricted, but a caller was Identified: Jordan Cappello. I texted this information to Jordan with big ??? marks, His answer was He does not have a phone of mine, so I repeated the caller ID information. He wanted me to call him the next day; I didn't, and haven't heard from him. I still don't have an answer to why did the caller ID was Jordan Cappello, and did that last interference prevent us from recovering our rings?
I WOULD ADD:
When speaking with Jordan myself, he questioned if there was anywhere else I could have put my rings, and there is not. My habit is to remove my rings before bed, placing them in the dish, putting them on again the next morning before leaving for work. Had I not been home sick on Monday, I would have been wearing them. I'm certain I wore them while out on Sunday and that I put them in the dish that evening. My husband purchased the wedding ring 30 years ago, and my mother gave me her ring upon her death in 1987. Women do not leave their wedding ring and/or family heirloom jewelry laying around here or there.
Police case number for Sierra Madre #190027