Page 4 of The Case of the Vanishing Valuables

Mr. Sanders gave him a look. “Of course. The door was locked, the windows shut tight. It’s like the thief walked through the walls.”

I hopped up onto a chair, my ears twitching.

Ray turned to Martha. “You had something stolen, too, right?”

“Emerald necklace,” she said bluntly. “One of a kind. It was on my nightstand when I went to bed, gone by the time I woke up. I had the flu—bad. So bad that Mortimer was lurking outside my door, waiting for me to kick it.”

Sally shot Mrs. Hargrove a hard look. “If you’d listened to me about security, none of this would’ve happened.”

Mrs. Hargrove stiffened but didn’t argue. “We’re looking into the security options, Sally.”

Sally sniffed. “Too little, too late. I say we call the police.”

That caught my ear. Ray stiffened. I knew the police most likely meant Ray’s ex, Vivian Moretti. She was a detective now with the local police, and Ray still carried a torch for her. He blushed and got all tongue-tied around her.

Viv was cool as a cucumber, though I thought maybe she still liked Ray too. The way her gaze lingered on him just a bit longer than necessary and her tendency to smile whenever he stumbled over his words gave her away. I wasn’t sure what had caused the rift between them, but I was glad it hadn’t carried over to me… Viv still gushed and cooed over me every time I saw her.

“I don’t think we need the police,” Ray stammered.

Sally didn’t look convinced. “No? This is serious.”

“Ray is a serious detective,” Mrs. Hargrove said, her voice firm. “I’m confident he’ll get to the bottom of it.”

I watched her closely. There was something in her tone, a hesitation that made me wonder. Maybe she didn’t want the police involved for her own reasons—though I wasn’t sure what those were.

With the matter of the police settled, Ray continued asking questions about the thefts.

“Can anyone think of any unusual activity recently?” he asked, jotting down notes. “Visitors who seemed out of place, or maybe noises during the night?”

Martha shook her head. “Nothing, except for the usual creaks and groans of this old place.” She glanced up at the ceiling as if the creaks and groans came from it.

“And what about staff changes?” Ray pressed, glancing at Mrs. Hargrove. “Any new hires recently?”

After hesitating, Mrs. Hargrove replied, “Nope, everyone has been here for quite some time.”

I padded along the edges of the room. A strange draft was blowing, even though all the windows were shut. I tilted my head. The air didn’t smell like a fresh breeze—it smelled like dust, old wood, and neglect. My eyes followed the ceiling line. The draft was coming from above. I made a mental note to explore the upper floors later.

“My watch got stolen,” Mr. Billings grumbled, taking a newspaper off the table. “Family heirloom. Gold. Gone without a trace.”

Ray nodded, jotting that down. “So, no signs of forced entry?”

“None,” Billings said, crossing his arms. “And I check my door twice before bed. It was locked. I don’t trust anyone around here.”

I flicked my tail, thinking the situation over. No forced entry. Valuable items gone without a trace. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that someone in this building had sticky fingers.

“And my mother’s brooch was stolen just last week,” Daisy added.

Ray gave her a sympathetic smile. “That must’ve been upsetting.”

Daisy’s eyes flicked toward Gina, softening. “It was. But Gina helped calm me down. She’s always been such a help.” She paused then added, “We go way back. She’s taken care of me here and at Green Pines.”

I perked up at that. Green Pines? I made another mental note. That was a small detail, but small details often turned into big clues.

Ray scribbled one last note in his book. “All right. Thank you all for your time. We’ll start investigating and let you know as soon as we find anything.”

Mrs. Hargrove gave us a tight smile. “Thank you, Mr. Leonard, Earl. I trust you’ll get to the bottom of this soon.”

“We’ll do our best. I’d like to start by inspecting the rooms,” Ray said.

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