Page 29 of The Case of the Vanishing Valuables

Daisy opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. She looked around at the residents, who were all glaring at her now, their joy at recovering their stolen goods quickly giving way to anger.

I sat down beside Ray, giving Daisy my best “you’re done” look.Next time, maybe don’t leave the suitcase full of loot in the shed, Daisy.

Just then, Mrs. Hargrove appeared, rushing across the lawn toward Ray. “Oh my goodness! You found everything!”

Ray nodded, his expression grim. “It’s all here. Daisy’s been stealing from the residents this whole time.”

Mrs. Hargrove’s face turned ashen as she stared down at Daisy, who was still struggling to get to her feet. “Daisy… how could you?”

Daisy muttered something under her breath, but no one seemed to be listening anymore. Mrs. Hargrove pulled out her phone. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed. “I’m calling the police. This needs to be handled properly.”

The residents continued to murmur and reclaim their stolen treasures as I watched from the sidelines, my tail flicking with satisfaction. Mortimer, who had wandered over at some point, sat down next to me, his eyes half closed as he thumped his tail against the ground.

Well,Mortimer, I thought, glancing at him,looks like the case is closed.

Mortimer let out a low, lazy purr, barely lifting his head, as if he’d known all along who the culprit was.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

The moment Mrs. Hargrove disconnected the call with the police, the crowd of residents that had gathered around the shed buzzed with excitement. Daisy, still sitting on the grass, looked defeated, wringing her hands nervously in her lap. Ray stood tall, arms folded, looking rather proud of himself, and I couldn’t blame him. He’d cracked the case!

We waited for only a few minutes before the distant wail of police sirens broke the chatter. The residents looked around, whispering to one another as the sound grew closer, and then, sure enough, a police car pulled up onto the lawn, crunching the gravel under its tires.

Ray didn’t seem nervous—at least, not until the police cruiser’s door swung open and Viv stepped out, looking all business in her crisp uniform and sunglasses. Ray’s confident posture wavered just a little, and I could practically feel him trying to stand a little taller.

Here we go, I thought, eyeing him with mild amusement. Ray might have had the situation under control, but when it came to Viv, things always got interesting.

Viv strode toward us, the picture of cool, calm professionalism. She took off her sunglasses when she reachedthe crowd, and her eyes landed on Ray. For a moment, her expression was unreadable, but then her gaze flicked to Daisy, who continued to sit on the grass.

Mrs. Hargrove, clearly relieved the police had arrived, rushed over to Viv. In a voice bubbling with gratitude, Mrs. Hargrove cried, “Oh, Officer Moretti, thank goodness you’re here! You won’t believe it—Ray figured it all out! He caught Daisy red-handed! All the stolen jewelry and valuables were hidden in the shed!”

Ray straightened his back again, looking pretty pleased with himself as Mrs. Hargrove kept gushing. “We didn’t know what to do! It’s been going on for months, and Ray—well, he solved the whole thing! He’s just been fantastic!”

I flicked my tail, glancing up at Ray. He had that look—thatlook—on his face. The googly-eyed expression he got over Viv, like some kind of lovesick puppy. Honestly, I’d never understand humans and their silly emotional entanglements.

Ray shot a glance at me, trying to play it cool, but I could see it in his eyes—he was hoping Viv would be impressed.

Viv finally turned to Ray, and for a second, her cool demeanor softened. There was a flicker of something in her eyes—something warmer than I’d seen in a while. “Good job, Ray,” she said, her voice quiet but genuine. “Looks like you really pulled this one off.”

Ray’s chest puffed up a little, and he cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, just doing what I do. It wasn’t easy, but we got there in the end.”

Oh brother, I thought, rolling my eyes.Here we go.It was all part of that human love thing that made no sense to me. I didn’t know why Ray cared so much about what Viv thought, but humans got all tangled up in these things. It was a mystery even I couldn’t solve.

Viv’s eyes lingered on Ray for a beat longer, and I could practically hear his thoughts spinning. But then, her professional demeanor returned, and she turned to Daisy, her voice hardening once more. “Daisy Barker, you’re under arrest for theft.”

Daisy let out a soft whimper as Viv pulled out a pair of handcuffs and moved toward her. “I didn’t mean to! It just… happened!” Daisy babbled, still sitting on the grass. “I didn’t think anyone would notice!”

Viv gave her a sharp look. “Tell it to the judge.”

Without another word, Viv helped Daisy to her feet and snapped the handcuffs on her wrists. Daisy stood there, looking forlorn as Viv led her toward the police cruiser. The residents murmured among themselves, some looking shocked, others just relieved the ordeal was finally over.

Ray watched Viv walk away with Daisy in tow, his eyes following her until the cruiser door closed with a soft click. I could tell he was still basking in the afterglow of Viv’s praise, probably imagining all kinds of dramatic things—like how she might come to respect him even more after today.

Viv turned to Ray one last time as she climbed into the driver’s seat. She gave him a small nod, her voice just loud enough to hear. “Good job, Ray.”

Ray smiled, and I could swear he looked like he was about to float off the ground. “Thanks, Viv,” he said, his voice soft.

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