The story so far: Rhea’s plan worked and the three men walked into the enclosed veranada space to look for the loot. Sam slammed the grill gate shut locking them inside. Sam and Rhea hope for help to arrive and soon, they heard police sirens...
Sam opened the door to two policemen and a couple that seemed familiar.
“Aunty Beenu!” cried Rhea from behind him. “Mom called you?”
“Are you okay, child?” asked Aunty Beenu, Rhea’s neighbour.
Sam burst out, “They are at the back! They’ll get away! They’re four of them!”
The policemen rushed to the back of the house.
Sam and Rhea ran to the kitchen and were just in time to see the leader toss the bag in disgust as they were rounded up by the policemen. They managed to get out of the back veranda, but the police were waiting for them.
“We need to take your statements,” said a policemen.
Aunty Beenu rushed Mom off to hospital.
“The children and I can fill you in with the details,” said Grandma.
“These men are under suspicion for several robberies,” said the policemen. “Last year, there was a major heist in a jewellery store. Though we nabbed this gang, we didn’t find any of the loot. Now we know they hid it in your house. Or garage, to be exact.’
“But they couldn’t find it…” said Grandma, “because after I lost my husband I cleaned up the garage. And in the course of that clearing up, I found bundles of money. I thought my husband had forgotten to tell me that he had cashed in some of our savings.”
“…You didn’t think it odd that your husband kept money in the garage?” asked the policeman.
“My husband was forgetful. He would keep things anywhere. So no, I didn’t think it odd.” The policeman nodded and Grandma continued. “I repaid family and friends who had helped out with medical expenses and put the rest of the money in the bank. I think the total was about five-and-a-half lakhs. I had about three-and-a-half lakhs left.”
Precious art
“Yes!” cried Rhea. “I heard the leader say, ‘I don’t care about the money – it’s five-and-a-half lakhs – but what about the stones?’”
“Excuse me,” said Grandma. “What stones?”
“They made off with a bag of precious stones. Uncut diamonds, emeralds, rubies…” said the policeman.
“Oh no! Oh no!” cried Grandma. “You know, my husband loved stone and glass work — you can see it outside the house. He covered one wall with multi-coloured stones and glass that he had collected over the years and he also put sharp bits of glass on the top of the wall to deter thieves!’
Grandma continued. “He wanted to make a mosaic table. He managed only half and after he died, I completed the picture with the stones and glass I found in the garage.”
“The jewels are in the mosaic…” began Sam.
He led everyone to the table and removed the cloth covering it. “Grandma only opens this on party days,” he said.
The dining table had a glass top. And under the glass top on a wooden surface about three inches below was a mosaic picture of a house and a garden and flowers, all made with coloured stones and glass.
“Oh!” said Grandma suddenly and everyone turned to look at her. “I just remembered! When I was done with the picture, I tossed all the extra stones into that vase.” She indicated the big frosted glass bowl that Sam had lifted onto the sideboard. “The jeweller is welcome to come and take whatever he finds. And I can return his money too, since most of it is in fixed deposits.”
“What about those packages behind the cupboards?” asked Rhea.
“What packages?” said Sam.
Sam hauled out the packages.
Grandma gasped. “His old paintings! I wondered where they were!” she said.
“He made a secret storeroom and kept it out of the way!”
Epilogue
It was already dark when the car stopped outside the door that evening. The car doors banged loudly and Rhea rushed out of the front door and flew into her mother’s arms.
“What an experience!” said Rhea’s mother as she hugged her. “How awful!”
Her mother sighed. “I was so worried. You had the scariest day of your lives!”
“Not a full day,” said Rhea. “A little more than two hours.”
“One-sixty minutes,” said Sam.
The end.
