What John heard of the phone conversation implied that the "thief" was going to try the dryer out before paying the $20, so we're actually reasonably sure the person intends to use it (and now reasonably sure that this was the person who had been invited to pick it up).

But yeah, the thing was in the backyard and probably not very visible from the street. People around here also have seeming entire scrap metal repositories in their lawns, though, so I'm guessing the pricing for such things isn't so good that people feel a need to lock 'em up.

Strangely, I have no idea how long things on the curb last here. We have these giant bins and things won't be taken if they're not in the bins, so I seldom see junk on the side of the street with a "free" sign on it the way I expect in other places.