text: Harold Nussbaum, a jeweler, has spent the last fifty years of his life running his jewelry store. He had always imagined retiring to a life of luxury, traveling the world on his private yacht, and sipping tropical drinks on sandy beaches. Serafina, Harold's wife, got increasingly impatient and restless over the years, eventually convincing Harold to retire after years of nagging and threatening to leave. But there was one problem: he had never invested, and his business was constantly teetering above the brink of insolvency. His wife had no idea how bad things were. She would spend her nights fantasizing about vacations, cruise ships, and winters in Florida, whereas Harold could barely afford winters in Trenton, New Jersey, where his house mortgage would be underwater in a matter of months. With his last day approaching, the business was certainly his most valuable asset. Unfortunately, he had begun discreetly replacing some diamonds with glass and some gold with imitation gold plating over the past five years. This was another reason he wanted to retire; it was just a matter of time before he was caught. Harold was sitting in his store, staring at a bank account with such a low interest that it didn't even round up to a cent, when he got an idea. He'd stage a fake robbery, collect the insurance money, and make up for all his cheating with one large final payday. Harold was excited with his idea and set about putting it into action. First, he needed to cast actors in the roles of robbers. He advertised on Craigslist for actors for a short film. It didn't take long for a band of wannabe thespians and hopefuls to knock on his door. He wrote "Grand Heist," a short screenplay with a final heist scene to take place in the store in front of all the security cameras. To keep up with appearances, he also rented lights, audio equipment, and cameras. Harold chose three actors from a group who agreed to work for free and not ask too many questions. They would gather after hours in the store to rehearse their lines and plan the shoot. "What is my motivation for robbing the store?" One of the performers inquired. "You're after the jewels," Harold responded. "Yes, but what is happening with my character beneath the surface?" “Nothing, you don’t have jewels; you want jewels, so you rob a place with jewels.” As he moved about the set, the actor kept his fist under his chin. “Are we feeling a Sidney Lumetesk heist like Dog Day Afternoon or a more sophisticated trickster vibe of the Thomas Crown Affair?” Harold is confused and replies, "the idea is simple: you burst into the store, demand all the jewelry, and leave." "I don't think my character would rob this bank," said a female actor. "It's a jewelry store," Harold said. "Will this film be listed on IMDB?" The third actor spoke out. "Yes, that's a valid question; will there be a make-up trailer?" The female actress chimed in. “Make-up? You’ll be wearing a mask for the robbery?” Harold responded. "Yes, but under the mask, I want to look my best because you never know who will see this," she replied. Harold shook his head and sighed. This was not going according to plan. He had assumed that hiring some actors, practicing a few lines, and then collecting the insurance money would be simple. However, these performers seemed more concerned with their characters and IMDB credentials than with actually helping him with the heist. Despite his reservations, Harold continued with the rehearsals. He knew he had to get this right. The insurance company would never pay out if the robbery did not appear to be genuine. They were finally ready to shoot the film after a few more rehearsals. Harold's heart was beating as he waited for the actors to arrive on the day of the robbery. When they arrived, he gave them a pep talk in an attempt to boost their confidence and get them ready for the big scene. "All right, guys," he began, "we've practiced this a hundred times. Everything will be fine if you just stick to the script." When they finally burst into the store, guns, and masks at the ready, Harold couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. However, things immediately went wrong. When one of the actors slipped and fell, he knocked over a display case and shattered a collection of real, rare, and precious diamonds. Another actor began talking incoherently about his unsuccessful acting career after forgetting his lines. In a panic, the third actor snatched one bag of costume jewelry instead of all the genuine jewels and made a clumsy escape. His plan had completely gone off the rails, and he knew it was only a matter of time until the insurance investigator uncovered it. Harold devised a different plan in order to save this cluster of a plan from disaster. He would steal the remaining jewels and attempt to convince the investigator that the robbers stole much more than one bag. He put all of the bags into the store's basement, where there was hidden room behind a false wall. Harold paid the actors and told them the film would be released in a couple of months, even though he never planned to release anything. They invited him to the rap party, but he had to contact the police and the insurance company first. Donnie Williams, the insurance investigator, logged all of the stolen jewelry and noted that he should receive a check after completing the investigation. Harold also offered the police an edited version of the film in which the actors robbed the store. Detective Morris, a basset hound when it came to solving crimes, was on the case, but Harold wasn't worried. As Detective Morris got closer to the truth, he confronted Harold with discrepancies in the heist video. Harold had no choice but to bash him in the head with a hammer and put his body in the basement with the jewels. Donnie Williams, the investigator, overhears one of the actors talking about the heist film at a bar one night. Donnie plays it coy. The actor tells him about the short film and describes the intricate narrative and connected character development written by the director Harold Nussbaum. Donnie is more interested in the final robbery scene described by the actor. Donnie pays a visit to Harold after speaking with the actor. Harold panics with all the jewels and a dead body in the basement and reveals that the film will be ready by tomorrow. Donnie returns the next day to attend the “movie premiere.” Despite some good editing, Donnie detects similarities between the final robbery scene and the jewelry store heist. Harold becomes scared and chokes the investigator with a gold chain. Harold places the dead body in the basement alongside the other. Harold's world is closing in on him. The police searched for missing detective Morris, leading them to Harold's jewelry store. Harold had only wanted to make a few dollars to retire, but it got out of hand, and he turned into a serial killer. He admitted what he did, and the police arrested him. Tuesday night is movie night in Davisville Penitentiary, and the award-winning short film "Grand Heist" is playing this week. The director is in cell block D, so everyone is looking forward to this one.