Here's the story where telling the truth made a difference.

We owned a medical equipment and supply company.  Part of our stock was infant formulas and diapers.  Some of the stock was missing and we didn't know who was taking it.

Just like a typical cop show we ended up with an informant.  The husband of one employee bragged to another husband that his wife was taking formula and diapers.  The story got back to me.

Now we had to set up the sting.  The suspect was to work late by herself.  I set up a cubby hole in the warehouse so I that could be hidden, yet watch what was going on.  My wife, Lindie, headed out the door and announced that I had left by a side door.  Instead of leaving, I opened that door so that the alarm system would chime.  Then I went to the hide out.

Within three minutes she was taking things from the warehouse and loading them in her car.  Now I thought that if she left with the items and I called the police that they would grab her.  Not so.  They wouldn't do anything.

I ended up going down to the police station.  I filed a report that was so detailed in what happened that the police detective started ribbing me about it. 

As it turned out the detail paid off for me.  When she was finally questioned, her story kept changing and they knew that mine was the true one. 

By my telling the story in detail and with accuracy, I never had to "remember" a story I told.  I only had to remember what actually happened.  She couldn't remember the story she had told them, so I got restitution and she lost her job.