To catch a thief T
SOLVE ITYOURSELF Mystery When a rare book and $2,000 are stolen, can Detective Tanya Tate catch the thief?
he woman was in the lounge when Detective Tanya Tate entered the home that had been burglarized. As always, Officer Pete Andrews had the situation in hand.
“This is Alexis Popolov,” said Pete. “She reported the crime. Alexis, this is Detective Tanya Tate.”
“I hope you find the thief,” said Alexis. “My brother will be furious if he returns from his trip in a couple of weeks to this awful news.”
“You won’t be informing him before then?”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t. He’s on one of those wilderness adventures —no technology allowed, no contact.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“Before he left, Boris gave me a diamond necklace to wear to the Mayor’s Ball on the 7th. It’s a family heirloom that’s kept in the safe.”
Tanya was impressed. Only people with connections were invited to the Mayor’s Ball.
“The event finished very late last night, so I decided to return it to the safe this morning. That’s when I noticed the $2,000 in cash was missing and his Wild Wizards novel. It’s a first-edition signed copy and worth $10,000.”
“Was the safe open or appear broken when you saw it?” Tanya asked.
“No, it was closed and locked.”
“So you have a key to this house and know the safe’s code?” “Yes. Boris trusts me.” Tanya wondered if Alexis had taken the items and only reported the theft to take suspicion off herself. Forensics had found the only fingerprints on the safe belonged to Boris and Alexis.”
“Where is the safe?” Tanya asked Pete.
When he led her to a room at the end of the hallway, Tanya did a double-take. Along one wall was a glass cage holding a big snake. Pete grinned. “It’s a python. Apparently, this type is a character in the Wizards book.” Tanya shivered. “Thank goodness the snake wasn’t stolen! I wouldn’t want to be looking for a python.” Tanya spotted the safe on the opposite wall and found only the necklace that Alexis had returned. As they searched the rest of the house, everything seemed in order, though she grimaced when seeing the individually packaged snake food packets in the
freezer. Printed on every carton was the number one, followed by a different month.
Tanya sighed. “I assume you’ve spoken to the neighbors?” she asked Pete.
“Yes, Ivy Curtis from next door reported seeing Rex Smith, a friend of Boris’, go into the house a couple of days ago.”
Twenty minutes later, Tanya was knocking on Rex’s door.
“Rex Smith, I’m Detective Tanya Tate, and I’d like to ask you some questions about a theft at Boris Popolov’s house. A valuable book and money were taken.”
“His first-edition Wizards novel? He’ll be devastated.”
“You were seen at the house two days ago.”
“Because Boris asked me to feed his snake while he was away.” “So you have a key?” “I do.” “Do you also know the combination to the safe?”
“No, but I think the sister knows it. Recently Boris told me she has a large gambling debt and wanted to sell a diamond necklace they both own, but Boris refused to allow it.”
When Tanya returned to Boris’ home, Alexis was still there.
“Be honest, Alexis,” Tanya said. “Do you have a gambling debt?”
Her face reddened. “Did Rex tell you that? He should talk, especially when he’s the one who got me hooked on gambling. He’s lower than a snake’s belly, and if his lips are moving, you can be sure that he’s lying.”
Tanya smiled. Case solved. — Rosemary Hayes