The Mystery of the Stolen Object, Part 2

Collmenter led the boys down a long hallway through a well-decorated mansion.  As the boys followed, he briefly told them what had happened.

“Let’s get right to the point,” he said.  “Thanks to my financial position, I have been able to collect many rare and valuable items.  I have always enjoyed is chess, and one of my most prized possessions is a marble checkerboard dating back to the 1850s that was once owned by Queen Victoria herself.”

Kurt whistled.  “That’s got to be worth a lot of money.”

“It is,” said Collmenter.  “Apparently, someone else thought so too.  Now, it’s missing.”

“Oh, so that’s what you want us to find,” said Jack.

“Precisely,” said Collmenter.  He stopped.  “The suspects are all in there.”

“You have it narrowed down to three people?” asked Jack.

“Yes,” said Collmenter.  “These are the only three I have allowed into the room the checkerboard was kept.  They were all at my house this morning when the item disappeared.  I’ll let you see them.”

He led the boys into a large sitting room, well-decorated with fancy draperies, paintings, and ornate furniture.  Seated along a couch at one end of the room were who the three boys assumed must be suspects.  Standing were four police officers, one of whom was in the middle of questioning the suspects as the boys came in.  He turned to see who had entered.  Then, his eyes narrowed.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” he said.

Jack gulped.  They had met before.  Once, when the three boys had been on a bus, Kurt had made a smart-aleck remark about how the man sitting next to him might be a criminal.  The funny thing was, the man was a criminal.  Funny as in strange, that is; it was almost lethal for the boys.  The officer that had just spoken, whose name was Williams, had warned them to avoid the area of town the crook had taken them too.  Still sheepish about the incident, Jack had hoped not to meet him again, at least not so soon.

“I thought you said you were getting detectives, Collmenter.”

“I am,” said Collmenter.  “Here they are.  I’ll bet these kids get this case solved before you do.”

“Oh, really?” said Officer Williams.  A sneer crossed his face.  “Give it a try.  The suspects are all yours for questioning.”

“Thanks,” said Jack.  He walked over until he was closer to the suspects, two men and a woman.  “Introduce yourselves from left to right, and tell me how you happened to be accused of stealing the checkerboard.”

To Jack’s dismay, the man on the left laughed, but he answered.  “I’m Collmenter’s nephew, Edgar Rasmus,” he said.  “I live here with my sister, Mildred.”  He motioned to the woman sitting next to him.  “We were both here the day the checkerboard was stolen.  I guess that’s why we were accused of stealing it.”

“Don’t forget you were in the room that morning, Edgar,” called Collmenter.

“So what?  I was in it; you were too,” said Edgar.  “Was the checkerboard still there when I left?”

“It was,” said Collmenter, “but that doesn’t mean you didn’t take it later.”

“When exactly did it go missing?” said Robbie.

“Sometime around 9:30,” said Collmenter.  “I discovered its absence at precisely 9:32 this morning.  The checkerboard sits in my study, and may I note that Edgar was in there asking if he could borrow money.”

“So what if I was?” said Edgar.  “You’ve got plenty of it, and you’re my uncle.  It’s only natural that I should ask you first.”

“I guess you’re Mildred Rasmus,” said Jack to the woman next to Edgar.  “Were you in that room at all this morning?”

“No, I was not,” said Mildred.  “I’ve been feeling under the weather, and I didn’t get up until I heard everyone shouting about the missing checkerboard.  That’s why no one saw me until after the board had been stolen.”

“I see,” said Jack.  “And you?”

“I’m Wilson Perkins,” said the third man.  “I and Mildred—well, we’re engaged to be married, as soon as I can get a job and support us.”

“That’s what he’s been saying for the last year-and-a-half,” filled in Collmenter, “and, come to think of it, he also came by my office to ask to borrow money.”

“Which one came first?” asked Robbie.

“Edgar,” said Collmenter, “but Wilson walked in during our meeting.  I told them both that they’d better look elsewhere for money.  I’ve been far too generous in the past.”

“What time did Edgar show up in your office?”

“Precisely 8:30,” said Collmenter, “and Wilson showed up nine minutes later.  Cosgrave let him in.”

“Speaking of Cosgrave, how do you know he didn’t commit the crime?” asked Kurt.

“Cosgrave was on his way out at 8:30.  He was driving a business partner of mine to the airport, and he didn’t get back until after I discovered the checkerboard was missing.  The board was still here during the interviews, though, so neither Cosgrave nor my guest could have stolen it.”

“Which leaves you three,” said Jack.  “Tell me, when did you leave the room, Mr. Collmenter?”

“I left it at nine o’clock, to have breakfast,” said Collmenter.  “Edgar and Wilson had left nine minutes before, at the same time.”

“What did you do after leaving?” Kurt asked Edgar.

“Me?” said Edgar.  “I called my financial broker and told him I hadn’t been able to borrow any money, thanks to my dear uncle.  Then, I went and had a workout in my uncle’s fitness facility.  I was still stretching when my uncle came and asked me where his board went.”

“You weren’t sweating, Edgar.”

“Try working out sometime,” said Edgar, “and you’ll see that you don’t start to sweat during the stretching.  Unless, of course, you’re in really bad shape.”

“Edgar—”

“And where were you?” Kurt asked Wilson.

“I left right away,” said Wilson.  “Like Edgar, I wanted to get money from somewhere as well.  Since Mr. Collmenter wouldn’t lend it to me, I wanted to drive around and clear my head a little.”

“We’ve checked Collmenter’s story,” said Officer Williams, “and the broker vouches that they were on the phone.  Of course, that doesn’t mean Williams didn’t steal the checkerboard after the conversation.  However, we haven’t been able to prove Wilson’s alibi.”

“Officer, I can assure you I’m telling the truth!” said Wilson.  “Why would I rob my fiancée’s uncle?”

“That would put Wilson in a tight spot, wouldn’t it?” said Jack.  “Cosgrave wasn’t around to see him leave, and Mr. Rasmus, did you see him reach the door?”

Rasmus smiled.  “I did not.”

“Then he could have hidden, instead of leaving,” said Jack, “especially since no one saw him—”

“I saw him!” exclaimed Mildred.  “He left when he said he did.  My window overlooks the driveway, so I could see him from it.”

“I see,” said Jack.  “Mr. Collmenter, I think I’ve found your thief.”

“What—”

“Earlier, your niece said she couldn’t have stolen the checkerboard because she was asleep until everybody started shouting when it was missing?  If so, she couldn’t have seen Perkins drive away.”

“I was asleep!” insisted Mildred.  “I—er—I woke up and went back to sleep.  I wasn’t lying.”

No one believed her though, and they had good reason not to.  Williams and his men had already searched Mildred’s room, but upon her slip of the tongue, they searched it again—and found the checkerboard, under a loose floorboard under the carpet under a small endtable.  At this point, Mildred broke down and confessed she had committed the crime.  Arthur Collmenter gave the boys a reward for their help, despite their insistence that a reward was unnecessary.  The biggest reward for them was the new respect they had gained in the eyes of Williams.