To Nick, the best part of Oktoberfest wasn't about the beer. That was part of the draw, sure, but there was so much more to the three-day event. Tourist and locals alike lined up for days of beer, food, music, and a good time. Defenses were lowered, and lips were more loose with each refill of their stein. In the back of his mind, Nick knew that going was a bad idea, but he told himself he was only going to partake in the town festivities. He hadn't run a job in months, and he was incredibly thankful to the Millers for what they'd done for him and his brother. But it was just a normal town event, and what was the harm in that?
He arrived around lunchtime just after the Main Street Party had begun. Beer wasn't necessarily his favorite alcoholic beverage, but he wasn't going to turn down the chance to have a few drinks. His stein was being filled for the second time when he caught sight of a group of college kids laughing and already half falling over each other. Some of them looked old enough to drink but the rest clearly were getting by with a handful of fake IDs. Not that he cared much about that, Nick had a few of those himself over the years with different aliases. He'd gotten his first fake at the age of 15, and he made his first fake for himself when he was 18.
It wasn't the IDs or the laughter and good times coming from the group that interested him though. No, all Nick could see were easy targets. Trying to preoccupy himself didn't work, and soon Nick ended up blending in with the large group. The messenger bag he'd brought with him was draped across his body, and he didn't even need to free his hand of his beer in order to slip a couple wallets from the co-eds and drop them into his bag. It was so easy. Too easy.
A hour or two went by, and Nick had secured six or seven wallets. The crowds of people made it easy as people were already bumping into each other, and the later it became, the more easy targets he spotted. He stopped and even made friendly conversation with a handful of people before ripping them off. He'd flash a smile at the same time he was slipping wallets and cash clips into his bag. At hour three, he'd also lifted a couple watches that were worth more than what he'd earn in a year at the ski shop.
Deciding to stop while he was ahead, Nick went for another refill at one of the vendors and started making his way towards the exit. On the north end, there were uniformed police officers monitoring people going in and out, but they didn't seem to be searching people. There was a group of about eight or ten people just ahead of him that Nick did his best to tag along with as they walked through security. The people in the group were all over the place, so it was easy to pick up a conversation with one of the guys as they past security.
"Excuse me, sir, we need to check your bag, please," one of the officers called out to him. Nick kept up his conversation with his new friend Robbie and pretended that he didn't hear the officer. He'd nearly made his escape but there was a firm hand on his shoulder that forced him to stop. New friend Robbie continued on without him with the rest of his group.
"Sir, I need to check your bag. We've had some reports of stolen items and are doing routine bag checks." The officer looked halfway bored and didn't seem to think that he was the culprit but was doing his job anyway.
Nick hesitated for a moment, but smiled and opened up the bag. "Of course." Luckily, there were two compartments in the bag, and Nick made sure to only open up the first while trying to keep the second concealed. It had nearly worked but one of the watches had been dropped into the first compartment. He tried waving it off. "The clasp kept coming loose, so I took it off before I lost it complete," he said with a smile that would charm most anyone. Except this cop. Apparently, Nick much not have looked the type to be carrying around piece that cost as much as some cars.
"I think you need to come with me." The officer waved over one of his buddies, and Nick knew he had to get out of there. If he was arrested now, he'd be screwed. He sighed heavily and started to go with them, but in a split second was darting in the other direction. He tried to avoid running into anyone, but he probably knocked a couple people as he ran and shoved over a trash can to block the officer's way. He made it down the street and nearly to a restaurant where he could duck inside for a while, but someone grabbed him from behind and shoved him to the ground. It was an ununiformed officer who was already slapping cuffs on him as fast as he couple. Nick winced at the pinch on his wrists but didn't struggle. He was too busy feeling the pit of his stomach sink lower and lower until he felt like was going to be sick.
Oktoberfest. Beer, food, music, and a good time. What was the harm, right?