The Melodious Mystery

Carl was left with no choice but to call his friend for help.

“Sam, this is about the same old issue. The Sheriff’s office sent a legal notice today. I got two days to solve it or else…You need to help me, man. Shutting down the shop would mean losing my only source of income. I can’t afford that." 

 “Hmm. Ok, stop worrying now. Lemme come down tomorrow. We’ll work something out.” The conversation made Sam wonder. It’s just an old pawnshop, for heaven’s sake. Who would mess with that? Well...

Next evening, after a sumptuous supper, the two pals stepped out to unfold the mystery. They positioned themselves outside the shop and patiently waited for the right moment. And there it started, at the strike of 22:00... Are you lonesome tonight...? 

 "Gosh, Carl. How did that happen? And the bass is quite loud."

"I have no idea. The neighbours keep complaining, so…" 

"Fine, let's find out then." They unlocked the shutter, went inside the shop, and checked each item. Every electronic device was turned off, yet, the songs played on.

"Sam, none of my items are faulty, yet..."

"Hmm...This is strange, but let me look around. I might just find some clue."

"Alright, buddy. I'll be right here."

-----

Carl looked at his watch; it was past 1 am. Damn, I dozed off. He looked for his friend. "Sam, it's quite late. Let's go home." But, there was no reply and no trace of Sam; inside or out. When Carl was down with despair, a sudden melody jerked his senses. Everybody's talkin' at me, I don't hear a word they're sayin'... 

 "Jeez, what's that now? Sam...is that you? Sam..." And there he saw his friend, walking up with an old transistor radio. "Gosh Sam. Where the hell have you been?"

"Haha. Relax mate. I finally found the culprit."

"Huh? Who? Where?"

"Here, hold this and don't let it escape."

"What? This...this rusted radio? You must be kidding."

"No, I'm not. Come, I'll explain the whole thing."

"This radio dates back to the '60s, but this piece is a modified version. It's either the owner himself or some expert engineer, who designed an automatic mechanism and set the time to 22:00. So each day, when the program gets aired, the device automatically sync with the incoming signal, and starts working, without any human intervention."

 "Wow. That’s quite amazing. But where did you get this?"

"It was on a shelf, in the storeroom. Guess you didn't go in there."

"Nope, but how can you say that the radio belonged to a man?"

"Ah, that's because of the FM station, Rock Radio. It is more popular amongst men."

"I see. All thanks to you, man.”

"It's alright. Now that the mystery got solved, it calls for a celebration."

"Haha. Sure. I definitely owe you one."

 Next day, Carl took the radio to the Sheriff's office and explained about the integrated mechanism. They were quite amazed, but all ended with a hearty laugh.