An old man lived alone in the country. It was spring and he wanted to dig his tomato garden, as he had done every year, but it was very hard work for the aging man as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was currently in prison.

The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

“Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If only you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. Love Dad.”

A few days later he received a letter from his son: “Dear Dad, Not for nothing, but don’t dig up that garden. That’s where I buried my weapons. Love, Vinnie.” 

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived at the old man’s house and dug up the entire area. However, they didn’t find any weapons, so they apologized to the old man and left.

That same day the old man received another letter from his son: 

“Dear Dad, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances. Love, Vinnie.”