Suspect List: Cindy, Josie's mother, Lester, Lorraine
The engine roared on her pink Corvette, and Josie laughed insanely as its
tires squealed up the highway ramp. “Catch us if you can!”she laughed.
Josie Morales was wild. She also knew that her mother needed money. “We’re
not late yet,” Josie shouted to me, as she sped instantly to sixty-five miles
per hour and whizzed past the traffic. “Millionaire’s mansion, here we
come!”
Valentine’s Day was the busiest day of the year for Josie and her mother. They
were both beautiful and smart, but after Josie’s father had died last year,
Mrs. Morales couldn’t shake off the sadness. I worried about both of them,
but finally in a dream, Mrs. Morales thought she saw her answer. She’d
seen “the Valentine Mobile,” an exciting classic car airbrushed with red
hearts and detailed with fancy lace patterns. Mrs. Morales decided to
start a business helping other people treasure the ones they loved ... by
delivering their valentines in a pink Corvette!
“I’m desperate for Mother’s dream to come true,” Josie shouted over
the roar of the engine. For the last year they’d been struggling without
much success. Mrs. Morales worked hard in the shop, assembling beautiful
bouquets for her customers. Then yesterday she’d received a phone call
from a wealthy woman offering their first chance to earn some big money.
“We’re going to deliver a million dollar piece of jewelry!” Josie told me,
and the news made our rush down the highway even more exciting. Josie’s
mother was especially busy at her shop today, assembling twenty-five
valentine’s bouquets that her other customers had requested. The assembly
would keep her occupied for hours, and so Josie got to drive the Corvette. As
sunlight streamed through the window, Josie’s long black hair tossed madly in
the wind. We had less than ten minutes to reach the mansion of the
mysterious Lorraine Wellington, where we’d pick up the million dollar gift, and
then surprise her husband that afternoon by delivering it in the pink Corvette. Josie
shouted back at a honking driver. Yes, I was worried about Josie and her
mother, and I knew time was short, but I was also worried about dying in a car
crash!
Josie left the highway and drove the fancy pink Corvette up a winding road
across a beautiful hill, until we arrived at the gate of a very large estate. Its
driveway was nearly a mile long. I’d imagined there would be birds in the
woods surrounding the mansion—but everything was strangely quiet. The
millionaire was reported to be eccentric and reclusive. The gates to the
mansion were locked every night at sunset, and not opened again until sunrise
the next day.
When we got to the mansion, we were met with a surprise: Three police
cars were parked in front, their bright lights rotating, valentine-red.
On the steps, Lorraine Wellington stood nervously, surrounded by five
police officers. Everyone knew that she’d inherited over fifty million
dollars when she was just seventeen, and then quadrupled that money through
smart business investments. “I’m proud of my success,” she was saying. She
lived in the mansion with her husband Lester, who wasn’t nearly as good at
business. “My husband spends most of his time playing golf and gambling,”
Lorraine told the police. “But he also watches over our estate.”
It was obvious that Lorraine Wellington adored Lester. The night
before, she’d invited Josie and her mother to her guest cottage behind the
mansion just before sunset, where she showed them the special gift she’d
created for Valentine’s Day. Lorraine hired a famous designer to craft an
elaborate wristwatch with a sparkling band lined with fourteen rows of diamonds
and shiny strips of real silver. So Lester wouldn’t find it, she’d tucked
it inside a vase on the bookshelf. “I checked it early this morning—and
the watch was gone!”
Because it was so expensive, Lorraine Wellington had called the police to
launch an investigation. She looked tired and worried, and sported a
bandage on her right hand. The “Valentine Mobile” wouldn’t be making
its big delivery after all. And that meant no extra money for Josie and
her mother.
“Did anyone else know where the watch was hidden?” one of the police
officers asked her.
“I did,” Josie volunteered. “My mother and I were here last night, and
Lorraine showed us her special hiding place.”
“But the cottage was locked!” Lorraine wailed. “Only my husband
and I had a key. Besides the copy I gave to Josie’s mother, of course.”The
police looked at us suspiciously.
“May we see the scene of the crime?” I asked quickly.
Lorraine led us to the tiny cottage, which had floor-to-ceiling windows on
three sides and a bookshelf on its fourth. Her worried hand trembled as
she pulled out her key, saying her arthritis made it hard to clutch the key
ring. Besides books, each shelf held an unusual decoration—including a
plant, a globe, and even a stuffed rabbit. But one shelf was bare, the
shelf where the vase had been. On the floor below the empty space lay the
jagged pieces of the vase. It had been smashed to bits.
Just then Lester Wellington appeared at the cottage, carrying an expensive
pair of golf clubs. “Is this what you got me for Valentine’s Day?” he
joked. “A police escort?”
“Your present’s been stolen,” Lorraine said sadly, eying Josie
suspiciously.
“Do you think my mother stole it?” Josie asked defensively.
“Well, I’m a practical business woman,” Lorraine said sternly. “I
worry about anyone who’s crazy enough to start a business based on her dreams.”
“It was a beautiful dream!” Josie retorted. “And she’s making it come
true!”
“Maybe she’s trying a little too hard,” the police officer suggested. “She
could’ve used the key to come back and steal the wristwatch.”
“I’m getting a wristwatch?” Lester asked with delighted surprise.
“Not now, Lester,” Mrs. Wellington said with exasperation. “Wait
a minute,” she added. “My maid Cindy also has a key to this cottage, I
just remembered.”
“Maybe she knocked over the vase while cleaning,” suggested Josie, “and
found the wristwatch inside!” The police officer who had been questioning
us hurried with Mrs. Wellington up the grand staircase to the bedroom where
Cindy was dusting.
“You have a key to the guest cottage?” he asked, and Cindy nodded yes. She
was young and very careful about her dusting. Cindy said she started her
cleaning every day while Mr. and Mrs. Wellington were asleep, so she needed
keys to get into all the rooms. She began at eight and cleaned for eight
hours. “When I went home yesterday, there was nothing out of order in the
guest cottage.”
I turned to Mrs. Wellington and asked, “Are you offering a reward for the
return of your watch?”
“Yes, of course!” she said quickly.
“In that case,” I said, “you can give the reward money to Josie and her
mother. Because I’ve figured out who stole your wristwatch.”