Detective Darla Angee and the Case of the Silk Endeavor Darla Angee walked in to find Mrs. Betty Wainwright sitting at the table and dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. She looked dup just as Darla sat down. ‘M-miss Angee!” She gave a sad smile. “I h-had wished th-that this c-could be s-solved without n-needing you, b-but alas.” “No need to worry,” Darla assured her. “I am happy to be of service.” She sniffed and nodded “Th-thanks.” She picked up the tea pot, but her hands were shaking too much. “Here, let me.” Darla took the pot and poured their tea. Oh Miss Angee!” Betty cried. “If only they could catch the culprit and convict her! Then my poor husband would be free!” -Wait.- Darla stopped for the slightest moment. -She said ‘her’. She knows who the thief is!- Her mind began ticking with thoughts. -What if Betty is the thief?! If she is, where would she hide the silk? Somewhere her husband wouldn’t look, I bet.- Darla reached out an purposely bumped the pot so the tea would spill all over herself. “My goodness!” She jumped up and wiped a napkin on the stains, managing to smear them further. “I have seemed to have made a mess!” Betty calmly called for a maid to take Darla to Betty’s room, for a fresh change of clothes. The room was tastefully decorated, and the clothes were stylish. Darla made a thorough search of the closet and located a small trapdoor. She opened it to find three small crates of silk with the name “Endow Silk Company” stamped on the tops. She showed them to the maid, who exclaimed “Goodness me, I never knew that someone as evil as Mrs. Betty could have such good taste in fashion!” Darla laughed before going back to the parlor to confront Mrs. Wainwright. “Betty, as you know, your husband, Mr. Ezra Wainwright, was convicted for stealing silks from the Endow Silk Company.” Betty nodded “Yes. Why?” “Do you have anything you could possibly say to help you find the real thief?” She watched Betty’s startled reaction. “N-no. I d-don’t know a-anything about h-her.” “Bety,” Darla walked about the room a few moments before continuing. “I found three small crates of silk hidden in your closet. It seems to me that someone is hiding something.” Betty paled. “You-youu found c-crates?” She nodded. “Mhm. In your closet. And may I remind you that evading arrest is also punishable?” Betty stopped and blurted out everything. “I was so sick of waiting for my husband to get money, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and slowly steal silk then sell it for more money. Ezra became suspicious, so I framed him, and he was caught instead of me.” “He’s your husband!” “Please. I married him for his money!” she rolled her eyes. “But it seems he was in the way, so I got rid of hi-“ Betty stopped as the sound of police sirens could be heard. “You-how?!?!” Darla smirked. “Your maid called them for me.” “But I bribed them not to!” “Thank you for the tip, but it seems like this one is still innocent.” The police walked in. “Mrs. Betty Wainwright, you are under arrest for grand theft and evasion of arrest.” Chief Carter Washington handcuffed her. “Wha-but-You can’t do this!!” She protested. “We actually can.” The police led her outside as Chief Washington turned to Darla. ‘You have our gratitude for catching the real thief.” “Glad to be of help.” Darla Angee smiled. “Congratulations, you solved the Case of the Silk Endeavor.” The End
Competition entry for Bandit! So sorry I was late in uploading this, I hope you will still allow it to be entered!
