by Paul Moxham
The Mystery of the Perfect Thief
The Mystery Series – Short Story No. 11
By Paul Moxham
Copyright 2018 Paul Moxham
Version Updated: 4th July 2018
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All rights reserved, without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE MYSTERY SERIES
This adventure series set in 1950’s Britain will delight children of all ages.
~*~*~
Summer Holidays:
The Mystery of Smugglers Cove
The Mystery of the Missing Money
The Mystery of the Missing Gnomes
The Mystery of Adventure Island
The Mystery of the Mysterious Man
The Mystery of the Strange Notebook
The Mystery of Hidden Valley
~
Winter Holidays:
The Mystery of Claw Mountain
The Mystery of the Golden Elephant
The Mystery of the Red Balloon
The Mystery of the Golden Dragons
The Mystery of the Howling Dog
The Mystery of the Hidden Suitcase
The Mystery of Treasure Island
~
Easter Holidays:
The Mystery of Four Towers
The Mystery of the Burning Plane
The Mystery of the Russian Spy
The Mystery of Ghost Island
The Mystery of the Perfect Thief
The Mystery of the Underwater Car
The Mystery of the Crown Jewels
~
Summer Holidays:
The Mystery of the Escaped Prisoner
~
Box Set:
The Mystery Series Collection (Short Stories 1-4)
The Mystery Series Collection (Short Stories 5-8)
The Mystery Series Collection (Short Stories 9-12)
The Mystery Series Collection (Books 1-3)
The Mystery Series Collection (Books 4-6)
The Mystery Series Collection (Books 7-9)
PRAISE FOR THE MYSTERY SERIES
"I was drawn in by the fast-paced plot. I enjoyed reading the book and couldn't wait to see how things turned out." --- Smashwords Reviewer
"Paul Moxham takes the reader on a whirlwind of chase scenarios that up the ante with each narrow escape." --- Amazon USA Reviewer
"I love this book, could not put it down and I felt as if I was standing beside the characters." --- Shelfari Reviewer
"This is an entertaining adventure story that would make pleasurable holiday reading for 7 to 10 year olds." --- Amazon UK Reviewer
NOTE:
This can be read as a stand alone story, but if you want to have full knowledge of the characters, I suggest that you read The Mystery of Smugglers Cove, the first book in The Mystery Series.
-----------
This story is set in 1950’s Britain and is written in British English - not American English - so bear this in mind regarding the spelling of some words.
-----------
This story is set after the events in The Mystery of Ghost Island.
Let the Adventure Begin…
With thoughts of their recent adventure in France still on his mind, Joe hurried down the stairs of Rose Cottage. His two younger sisters were already seated at the kitchen table and he sat down next to them and helped himself to some of the porridge that his mother had just cooked.
After the children had eaten, they went into the living room and sat down on the comfy settee.
Joe picked up the local paper to see if anything exciting had happened while they had been away. He loved nothing more than a good mystery and, even though he and his sisters, along with their friend Will, had been involved in many mysteries over the last year, he could never get enough. He had dreams of becoming a detective when he was older but, since he was still in school, that wouldn’t be occurring anytime soon.
It wasn’t long before he came across a news item that caught his attention. After quickly skimming over it, he looked across at his sisters who were talking amongst themselves. “Hey, there’s a story here about the Perfect Thief.”
“Who is this Perfect Thief?” Sarah asked.
“I’ll read you what it says in the newspaper,” Joe replied. “I won’t read the entire article, just the important bits.”
Amy nodded. “Go ahead.”
“The police are baffled as to how four robberies in Smugglers Cove were carried out,” Joe began. “Constable Biggens has stated that in all four cases there are quite a few similarities which lead him to believe the same person is responsible. Because of the lack of clues that the policeman has to go on, he has given the thief the nickname the Perfect Thief.” Joe stopped reading and folded up the newspaper. “That’s basically all.”
“It’s a pity the constable didn’t go into any detail,” Sarah said.
Joe placed the newspaper on the table and thought to himself for a moment. “I think I’ll have a talk to him.”
“How can we find the thief if the police can’t?” Amy questioned.
“Well, you could have said that about some of the other mysteries we’ve solved,” Joe replied. “I’m going to see Will and see what he thinks about all of this.”
As their brother left the room, Sarah turned to her sister, her green eyes twinkling. “Let’s go with Joe. I know we might not find the thief, but it’s better than reading or playing board games.”
Amy grinned. “You seem to be wanting a mystery to solve almost as much as Joe.”
“Well, I do enjoy parts of every mystery,” Sarah admitted. “I mean, I don’t like it when it’s scary, but I like it when we solve a mystery. And, as long as we don’t do anything dangerous, then it’s fun.”
Amy brushed her hand over her long brown hair as she thought. “Okay, I suppose it can’t hurt to talk to Constable Biggens.”
~
As the children lay sprawled on Will’s front lawn, Joe told his red haired friend about the news item in the paper. As Will listened, his blue eyes lit up in excitement. “The thief must have struck when we were in France.”
Joe nodded. “Yes, he must have. Otherwise we would have heard about him earlier.”
“I still don’t see how we are going to solve this mystery,” Amy said. “After all, the thief could strike anywhere in Smugglers Cove on any day at any time. So, unless Constable Biggens has a description of the thief, I think it’s going to be a waste of time.”
“If you think that, then why don’t you go back to Rose Cottage?” Joe walked over to his bicycle that was leaning against the fence. “I’m sure Will wants to come and talk to Constable Biggens with me.”
“I’ll still come,” Amy said. “I just think this mystery will be more difficult t
o solve than previous ones.”
“Well, we won’t know how difficult it is unless we try to solve it,” Joe replied as he opened the front gate.
The others followed Joe and soon all four were riding to the small brick police station. They arrived just as a plumpish, middle-aged man opened the door and walked down the steps.
“Good morning Constable Biggens!” Joe called out.
The policeman smiled. “Hello. Enjoying the Easter holidays are we?”
Joe nodded. “We just heard about the Perfect Thief.”
Constable Biggens sighed. “Who hasn’t? I was a bit reluctant to tell the reporter about the robberies, but then I thought that maybe if the public knew they might be able to help, but so far that hasn’t been the case. In fact, it actually might have made the thief aware that we are searching for them.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Will asked.
The constable glanced at his watch. “I’m meeting someone in ten minutes, so I can’t talk for long. Then again, there isn’t much to tell. I only have one suspect, but—”
“Who is it?” Joe interrupted.
“Ivy Higgins,” Constable Biggens replied.
“Is she a local?” Will asked.
Constable Biggens nodded. “Yes, you could say that. Though, she’s only recently returned after spending a year in prison.”
“So you think it’s her because of her past?” Sarah asked.
“Well, she was sent to jail for theft,” Constable Biggens stated.
“If it is her, how does she get away from the scene of the crime without anyone seeing her?” Amy asked.
“That I don’t know,” Constable Biggens admitted. “However, I have a plain clothes officer shadowing her, so if she does anything suspicious I’ll know.”
“Can you tell us what Miss Higgins looks like in case we see her around?” Joe questioned.
“She has long brown hair and wears earrings and a necklace on most days as well as colourful clothes,” the constable replied.
“She sounds like a very fashionable lady,” Amy remarked.
Constable Biggens nodded. “Yes, she likes to wear fashionable clothes which is the reason she got into trouble the first time. She was stealing items of clothing and jewellery from shops.”
“Do you have a list of what has been taken?” Joe questioned.
“It’s here somewhere.” Constable Biggens reached into his pocket and pulled out a black notebook. He flicked through a number of pages and then stopped. “Here it is.”
As the man handed the notebook to the boy, Joe began reading. “Mr Jones is missing a wedding ring, Mrs Tubby is missing a diamond necklace, Mrs Hog is missing a brooch and Mr Dodson is missing a gold watch.” Joe turned to the constable. “I don’t suppose you’ve found any of the missing items since their disappearance?”
Constable Biggens shook his head. “None of these items have been found, so whoever stole them probably still has them in his or her possession.”
“They’re probably waiting a while until the police stop looking before they sell them,” Will said.
Constable Biggens nodded. “Yes, that’s my thought as well.”
“It said in the newspaper that no one had seen the thief,” Amy said. “But how could no one at all have seen the thief?”
Constable Biggens sighed. “I don’t know, but you’re free to go and talk to the people who have lost the items if you feel that will help solve the mystery. But if they don’t want to talk, don’t push them. I don’t want you annoying people. Is that clear?”
“Of course.” Will looked at the others. “Shall we do that?”
Joe nodded and, after taking a piece of paper from the notebook, he jotted down the names and addresses of the four people. He then handed the notebook and pencil back to the policeman.
After saying goodbye, the children climbed on their bicycles and cycled down the road to Darby’s for a bite to eat.
Leaving their bicycles outside, they went inside. They said hello to the owner, then ordered some scones before sitting down at a table which was fairly close to the door.
It didn’t take long for the food to arrive and, as the children started eating, the cafe door opened and a woman with long brown hair entered.
Joe stopped eating mid bite as he saw the woman was wearing a green dress and had earrings and a sparkling necklace. As she walked over to the counter and began speaking to the owner, Joe whispered to the others. “She must be Miss Higgins.”
“Yes, she must be,” Will agreed.
Joe resumed eating for another few minutes and then, as the woman took hold of a paper bag and left the cafe, he turned to the others. “We should follow her.”
“But Constable Biggens already has a man following her, so what would be the point in us doing the same thing?” Amy questioned.
“Because I want to know where she’s going,” Joe replied.
“Well, there are still two scones on the plate,” Will pointed out.
“Then, how about we take them with us?” Joe picked one up and Will took the other.
The children then quickly left the cafe. Once outside, they saw that Miss Higgins was slowly walking down the street, glancing in the shop windows as she passed by.
“We’ve plenty of time since we’re on our bicycles and she’s just walking,” Joe said.
“Hey, let’s do what she’s doing and have a look in the shop windows while we eat the remaining scones,” Amy suggested.
Joe nodded. “Good idea.”
They walked down the street, glancing into the windows. The woman soon left the main street and turned right. Not wanting to go too fast, the children walked as well, pushing their bicycles as they did so.
“What if she turns around and sees us?” Amy asked.
“So what? We’re just children,” Joe pointed out.
As they reached the church, Miss Higgins went inside. Joe stopped. “We’d better wait outside. It would look really suspicious if all four of us went inside.”
Five minutes later, the woman reappeared with a basket.
“I wonder what’s in the basket,” Sarah whispered.
The woman paid no attention to the children as she walked past them. As she approached a house, she reached into her basket and took a magazine from it which she pushed into the letter box.
As the woman proceeded like this for the next few minutes, Joe peered into a letter box so he could she what she had put in it. As he saw the church magazine, he frowned. “Why is she delivering magazines if she’s a crook?”
“Maybe she isn’t a crook,” Sarah said.
Joe nodded. “She might or she might not be. It’s too early to tell. Well, let’s continue trailing her to see where she goes.”
“But she’s delivering parish magazines!” Amy pointed out.
“I know that, but let’s just follow her,” Joe said.
Reluctantly, the girls followed the boys for the next fifteen minutes as Miss Higgins walked around the village delivering the magazines.
Once she returned to the church, Joe turned to the others. “Let’s hide behind these bushes. It will look a bit suspicious if we’re waiting outside the church for a second time when she comes out.”
The children did just that. The woman emerged from the church a few minutes later and strode down the path.
“I would say she’s going home now, so let’s follow her to see where she lives,” Joe said. “Then, in the future, if we do want to talk to her, or follow her again, we’ll know where she lives.”
Sarah sighed. “Okay, but then I want to do something else. It’s boring following someone, especially since I don’t think Miss Higgins is a thief. She looks too pretty to be a thief.”
“Just because she’s wearing jewellery and a nice dress it doesn’t mean she’s not a thief,” Joe said.
Knowing that they weren’t going to settle the argument by talking, Joe fell silent and walked after the woman. Five minutes later, she opened a wooden
gate and walked down a path that led to an old, brick house.
As she went inside, Will gazed around the garden. Weeds grew amongst the prickly bushes while knee high grass covered almost the entire length of the garden. “The place clearly hasn’t been looked after.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Sarah said. “After all, didn’t the constable say she has been in jail for the past year?”
Amy nodded. “Yes. In fact, I’m surprised the garden doesn’t look worse. Anyway, now she’s gone inside, what are we going to do?”
“Well, you girls can go back home but I’d like to go and talk to the priest about Miss Higgins to see what he thinks of her,” Joe said.
“So you still think she’s the thief?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know,” Joe admitted, “but since the constable believes she is I would be interested in seeing what someone else says to see if they think the same thing.”
“I don’t think we would learn anything from the priest.” Amy turned to Sarah. “Come on, let’s go back home.”
“Good idea.” Sarah climbed on her bicycle and, along with her sister, rode down the road.
Joe turned to Will. “What about you? Are you going to go home?”
Will shook his head. “No, I’ll go with you to speak to the priest. Like the girls, I am not sure she is the thief, but since we don’t have anything else to go on, we might as well talk to someone about her.”
The boys cycled back to the church. Leaving their bicycles up against a sturdy tree trunk, they went inside the old, stone building.
The priest was by the altar. He turned around as he heard the boy’s footsteps. He was a man of about sixty with a few wisps of grey in his brown hair. He was dressed neatly in black. “What brings you here?” He then smiled. “I know, you’re those mystery kids! I’ve read about you.”
“What made you think we were them?” Will asked.
“Well, there aren’t too many boys with red hair in the village, and besides, Constable Biggens is a friend of mine and he’s often told me about your exploits,” the priest explained. “That being said, I know why you’re here.”
