Theft

Today, I'm alone in the office as all my coworkers either have the day off or are working on an unpleasant project at another office.

Although I've done quite a bit of talking on the phone with employees at other branches, there has been very little foot traffic through the office today, which is nice.

However, I just had a visit from the person in accounting whose responsibility is fixed assets.

Occasionally, he'll visit each office, writing down numbers from bar codes on items ranging from chairs to phones to calculators to computer equipment and everything you can imagine. Even the plastic mat that chairs roll around on is accounted for, and he makes sure that we are not in possession of anything that is not ours, nor missing anything we should possess.

Today, he was here with a single purpose:

Fixed Assets Man: (looking at the TV in the department) Okay, this one's a Panasonic, and it's got a bar code, but... (trails off)
Me: (silence--best to not speak until spoken to with regard to fixed assets)
FAM: This isn't it, though. You must've taken one of our TVs home with you.
Me: (thinking how I would NEVER steal any of our lame, old TVs) Nope, we've just had these two TVs in our department for around the past five years.
FAM: (thoughtful shuffling of his paperwork)
Me: Uh, but if I find an extra TV somewhere, I'll let you know!
FAM: Okay, thanks.

And off he went. We've had both of our TVs for longer than he has worked for the company, so I have a bit of an edge on him. The TV he was looking at actually has questionable origin--that's why I didn't originally say anything to him about it. I'm pretty sure if he looks back through the paperwork from many, many years ago, he may discover the origin of the TV and try to repossess it. Then again, I may not have the story straight--maybe it's not the TV that has the questionable origin, but perhaps the DVD player on its stand...

Having worked in my department for a little over four years now, I remember bits and pieces of stories that I was told by former department employees who are now all long gone. No one in the department now would've heard those stories, so I may be the only one who knows of the questionable origin of the TV/equipment.

Shhhh...don't tell.

Unless you remember the story and can enlighten me--seriously, pretty sure we commandeered that TV and/or DVD player.