Page 25 of The Case of the Vanishing Valuables

Rick gave me a tiny piece. It was delicious.

Ray, oblivious to the tuna negotiations happening beside him, leaned back on the bench, tapping the notepad with his pen. “You know what’s been bugging me?”

Rick wiped his hands on a napkin. “What’s that?”

Ray flipped to a page in his notebook, showing the rough drawing of the map he’d found in the attic. “This. The map. At first, I thought it was some kind of maintenance plan—maybe rooms that needed fixing up.”

Rick squinted at the drawing then shook his head. “Like I told you, I’ve never seen it.”

Ray frowned. “So, I wonder what it could be for. It was recent, up in the attic with no dust, and the rooms marked were rooms that were stolen from. You haven’t seen anyone with anything like that, have you?”

Rick leaned back and tossed another piece of tuna to Mortimer, who was now practically sitting on the man’s shoes, waiting patiently. “Hmmm… well, it does sort of remind me of that paper that Gina uses to keep track of when patients get their meds.”

But Ray’s eyes narrowed, the wheels turning in his head. “Right. She’d have to keep track of that. And a person that is used to keeping track might also keep track of other things.”

Rick raised an eyebrow. “Sure, that makes sense.”

Ray sat up straighter. “Exactly. And no one would think twice about seeing her go in and out of residents’ rooms.”

Looking a little surprised, Rick nodded slowly. “Yeah... Gina’s in and out of those rooms more than anyone. Always checking on people, especially the ones who are, y’know, not doing so great.”

Ray stared at the map, realization dawning on his face. “If Gina made this map, she could’ve been keeping track of which rooms she’s hit already. She’s careful. Systematic.”

I sat up a little straighter.Good job, Ray! Let’s get her!

An energized Ray jumped up from the bench. “Rick, thanks. I think you just helped me crack this thing.”

Rick chuckled, standing up and brushing off his hands. “Hey, don’t mention it. Just glad I wasn’t on the suspect list.”

Ray grinned. “Don’t worry. I know who I need to talk to next.”

I followed close behind as Ray walked back inside, my mind already racing ahead to the confrontation with Gina. We had her now—at least, I was pretty sure we did.

Chapter

Twenty-One

We headed back inside Tranquility Terrace. Ray was looking more energized, his eyes sharp with determination, and I could tell he was ready to confront Gina. I followed close behind, my mind already racing through the possibilities. The culprit had to be Gina—everything pointed at her now.

Just as we stepped into the hallway near the common room, we almost bumped into Daisy, who was standing there, wringing her hands like she’d been waiting for someone. As soon as she saw us, her eyes widened, and she rushed up to Ray.

“Oh, Mr. Leonard! Ray!” Daisy stammered in a slightly too-eager voice, her words spilling out in a nervous rush. “Have you... have you figured anything out? Are you close to... catching the thief?”

Ray raised an eyebrow. “I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of who’s behind all this,” he said, his voice calm but clipped.

Daisy’s eyes darted around, and she bit her lip. “Oh... that’s... that’s good. Really good. I just hope... I hope it all gets resolved soon.”

Before Ray could say more, Mrs. Hargrove appeared from around the corner, her face tight with worry. She marched straight up to us, and even I could sense the frustration radiating off her in waves.

“Mr. Leonard,” she said in a hushed but firm voice, “may I speak with you privately for a moment?”

Ray glanced at Daisy then nodded. “Of course.”

I followed as Mrs. Hargrove led us down the hall to her office. As soon as the door closed behind us, Mrs. Hargrove turned to face Ray and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Ray,” she started, her voice low but full of tension, “I understand you’re trying to help, but this... this can’t go on like this. Accusing people left and right, making everyone nervous—it’s creating chaos. The residents are all on edge.”

Ray frowned, looking slightly defensive. “I wasn’t accusing people left and right?—”

---