Then, with a great sigh, as if she were preparing for an important speech, Ms. Barbra looked at Shaniya and began to speak.
✧˖°.✧˖˚▹ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ༺༄ؘ 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 6 ༄ؘ༻ₓ˚ .୧ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୭˚▹ₓ˚.✧˖°.✧
"I'm very desperate for your help," she began. "Somebody stole an item from me and I need to get it back. The item was priceless!"
"Before we do anything," Shaniya replied, "we'll need to know what the item is, of course."
"I know that," the woman hissed. "I was just about to tell you. It's a small statue, about the size of this box of oatmeal," she proceeded to take a box of oatmeal from the pocket of her apron, which surprised my chaperone and I. Actually, I don't really know about my chaperone. At least I was surprised, my chaperone just stuck with her poker-faced expression.
"It's made of an extremely rare species of wood that's very shiny and black in color. That statue has been in my family for generations and it's worth a whole lotta money."
"A whole lotta money," Shaniya repeated sympathetically. "When was it stolen?"
"I actually do not know," Ms. Barbra answered. "It usually stays here in the library and I don't usually come here too often. Its stays on the mantel."
My chaperone and I glanced over at the mantel. It wasn't there. We then looked back at Ms. Barbra to see that her eyes were watering.
"I found out that it was missing two days ago and I've been upset over it ever since."
"Hmmm," Shaniya murmured as she walked to the windows of the library, which were covered by curtains. She yanked them aside and fiddled with both windows. "The windows are latched."
"They're always latched," Ms. Barbra replied.
"Hmmm." Shaniya sneakily stepped to the mantel as if she too were trying to steal something and she stared at it closely, as if the statue wasn't ever stolen and Ms. Barbra didn't look close enough. She took two, large steps backward and stared at the ceiling. "What is this, on the ceiling?"
"A small parlor, I believe," the old woman answered.
"The thief could've broken into this room from the parlor," Shaniya informed. "He or she would have to had saw a hole into the ceiling, but then gravity would've done the rest by dropping the thief right in front of the mantel. Glue...glue and plaster should cover it up."
The old woman said nothing while looking baffled at Shaniya's discovery. "And your point is...?"
Shaniya coughed a little. "Um, nevermind."
Ms. Barbra put her hand to her head. "I know who stole it."
"Who stole it?" I asked.
The old woman rose and limped to one of the windows. She then pointed to the lighthouse that we had passed on the way. "The Wahalian Family," she said. "Our families have been enemies for lifetimes. They'd always swear they'd steal the statue, and they finally have."
"Why didn't you call the police?" I asked the woman, who looked surprised and stammered for a few seconds the moment I asked.
Shaniya jumped into the conversation. "Because she called us instead." At that moment, Ms. Barbra sighed a deep sigh, of relief, probably. "Don't worry, Ms. Barbra, we will find the statue and make sure that the thieves get what they deserve."
"I just want the statue back with its rightful owner," the old woman told us hastily. "I want nobody to know that you're working for me, and I want nothing done to the Wahalians. They're nice people."
It's not usual that someone refers to enemies of their family as "nice people," but Shaniya just nodded and said, "I understand."
"Do you really?" The woman asked. "Do you promise to return the statue to its rightful owner, and do you promise to be discreet about the Trey name?"
My chaperone waved her hand as if she were waving a fly out of her face. "Yes, yes, of course."
"And you lad? Do you promise? Do you? 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?"
"Yes," I answered. "I promise to be discreet about the Trey name, and I promise to return the statue to its rightful owner."
Shaniya glared at me. "Well, Ms. Barbra, I think we're done here."
The old woman nodded at turned to leave but stopped in her tracks once I made an outburst.
"Wait," I called out, "perhaps Ms. Trey could tell us what the statue looks like."
"My apologizes," Shaniya made an awkward chuckle, "it seems that my apprentice didn't listen closely. It's a statue that's the size of that oatmeal box, and... made from the finest of woods, and the color of shiny black."
"But what is the statue meant to be?" I asked.
Ms. Barbra took one step closer to my chaperone and I and gave us a dark look. "The Bloodcurdling Beast," she said. "It's a mythical creature and something like a seahorse. Its head looks like this."
She lifted one limp hand from her cane to reveal the head of a creature carved into its top. The creature's eyes were thin and fierce, and its lips were drawn back in a snarl to reveal rows and rows of tiny, sharp teeth. Even at the end of the cane, it looked like something you'd want to avoid, but plenty of people put nasty things on their mantels.
"Thank you," Shaniya said. "We will be taking our leave now."
"Thank you," the old woman said as she took another deep sigh.
"You'll be hearing from us!" Shaniya yelled through the room as she opened the creaky double doors. We walked out of the hallway and then out the mansion. The butler was standing on the lawn while facing away from us with a bowl of seeds that he was throwing at some noisy birds. They whistled to him and he mimicked the exact sound that they made. It would've been pleasant to watch for a few more minutes, and I wish I had. But instead, Shaniya had started the car and was halfway down the driveway before I even had time to shut the door.