The Tooth Hunters

So last night I was taking Roscoe for a late-night walk. Probably around 2AM (it was a late night). Up ahead on a darkened street--  I saw a car pulled off the road with the headlights pointed into a construction site area. A couple dudes were milling about. They seemed to be looking for something. One of them had a big flashlight and was scoping the ground. The other one was looking in the light from the car headlight beams.

I rolled Roscoe's leash tight around my hand (to make it look like he needed to be extra-controlled due to his potential for viciousness) and I approached the dudes to see what was up. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hey. What are you looking for?

Flashlight guy: A tooth.

Me: You're looking for... a tuh... Tooth?

Flashlight guy: His tooth.

(He thumbs at the other guy)

Other guy: My tooth.

Me: Oh...

They ignored me and kept looking around on the ground.

Me: Ok! Good luck!

Then I quickly walked away with Roscoe.

Whatever was going on there I knew I really didn't want to get involved. And as I walked home I tried to figure out what possible scenario there could be for two guys to be looking for a tooth at two in the morning in some lot.

Here's detective-y questions to that situation based on the information I have:

1. They seemed to have driven to that spot to look for the tooth-- so I have to assume the tooth was lost earlier. If they had just lost the tooth at that moment-- they most likely wouldn't have a car nor a big flashlight on hand.

2. If that's the case, why was it not looked for when it was initially lost? If the lost tooth guy knew where he lost it he must have known when he lost it? And why come back at night? Why not wait till the morning?

3. The tooth must of had some value so perhaps it was a gold tooth or blingy tooth. Or a tooth of sentimental value. But worth so much coming back for at 2AM? Why would anyone want an old tooth that fell out of their head? Tooth fairy value?

4. If he didn't looked for it right then and there then maybe he was forced in some way to leave without looking for it at the time he lost it. Perhaps he was in a fight and it knocked out of his head and he ran away crying holding his jaw-- but it didn't look like he got in a fight. No signs of face punching.

5. Is it possible that they told me a lie to wave off some nosey jerk with a fake-viscious dog? Perhaps, they were in fact not looking for a tooth but something else? But if that's the case, they seemed very prepared with the lie of the lost tooth because neither of them flinched of laughed when they said they were looking for a tooth. And why would they use 'lost tooth' as a lie? Why not just say they were looking for 'keys'... or better yet 'none of your business, now shove off, dick..'?

In any case, there was no mystery to the idea that I needed to get the hell away from them. By the time I got home I didn't have any answers. Just more questions. And as I faded off to sleep, my intrigue about the tooth hunters drifted in to the land of mystery, pointlessness and eventual disinterest...

ok bye!

tOdd