"After obtaining the necklace, the thief inadvertently broke the glass of the rear door on the second floor near the balcony, alerting the patrol team. Ultimately, forced to rely on luck, they had to scale the wall of the backyard and flee. On the following Saturday, I chance upon them at the port's black market. Even though the person escapes, the necklace is dropped and retrieved by me, and I then inform Councillor Carter for collection. How does this story suit?"
"It doesn't quite cut it; there's too much reliance on luck and coincidence."
"That's because you're aware that the story is spun. Would the average person believe it?"
"People tend to believe what they see, or what is commonplace to them. This scenario, while not extraordinary, would seem like just another theft to anyone not present at tonight's dinner," Mr. Russell articulated.
"So, what is the truth?" Seraphina inquired.
"I can only offer an explanation based on the information I've received and the conclusions I've drawn from it," Elyon responded.
"The first oddity was the timing of the theft report. It's unusual for a robbery to occur while everyone is still awake. While most guests were in the front hall, you, not being the homeowner, would be unaware of the surveillance in the residential area."
"Could the theft have been perpetrated by a guest or a servant?" Seraphina proposed.
"My sister, the guests at this party were all affluent or noble, with the exception of three 'paupers' who might steal out of need—us, and we're well acquainted with them. As for the servants, the majority were preoccupied in the front hall, leaving only two reliable guards in the courtyard," Elyon explained.
"So the three 'paupers' are not suspects?"
"My naive sister, haven't you realized who the three 'paupers' are?" Nyara chortled.
"One 'pauper,' two 'paupers,' three 'paupers,'" Elyon deadpanned, indicating himself and his sisters with a finger.
"So, it's our dear brother's penury causing his sisters to suffer," Nyara retorted.
"The second point is how peculiar it was for the thief to scale the high wall of the backyard. The wall is adjacent to Pine Wood Street, a main artery in the King's District. An average person would require tools like grappling hooks to climb it. And normally, one would choose the sides of the wall to climb."
"Certainly, any passerby witnessing someone scaling a wall with tools would promptly call the police."
"The third point is the scene of the crime, strewn with jewels and cash remaining in the drawers. Even if the ruby necklace was the most expensive, would a thief really forsake other valuables and take only the ruby?"
"There's more?"
"The fourth point is the anomalies at the scene: an excess of glass fragments, not just on the balcony and lawn but also indoors; two holes in the ceiling; the indoor plant's soil excessively moist; three people consuming half a bottle of juice and using two pounds of ice; and the empty picture frame."
"So, what is your conclusion?"
"Sometimes the truth is straightforward—the person who took, or rather hid, the necklace is Miss Annie herself, and these peculiarities make sense," Elyon said, watching his sisters with a smile.
"How is that possible? Why would she do that? As a practical joke?"
"Perhaps it's resentment towards some aspect of her father's actions. Letting the necklace, a token of her father's love, vanish might be her way of shaming him. Human nature is far more complicated than any riddle."
"How can that be? Aren't they family?"
"Let me explain it bit by bit. The first point is simple: the head of the household would certainly know that there would be no guards in the residential area that evening, as most servants were assigned to attend to guests. Annie, not being alone, had two companions to guard against unexpected intrusions that might uncover her act of self-theft."
"The second point is also straightforward. She likely chose the back wall to avoid detection by the guards. Miss Annie must have donned her father's shoes and made two sets of footprints in the backyard after 7 p.m., suggesting someone had scaled the wall. Naturally, there was no need to actually climb the wall, so there was no worry of being seen by pedestrians on Pine Wood Street. Instead, she had to be cautious not to be seen by the courtyard guards. Thus, the only viable option was to make footprints in the backyard concealed by the main building."
"The third point is the simplest of all. She certainly doesn't lack for funds, so the theft or concealment of the ruby necklace had to be for its symbolic significance," Elyon mused with a touch of envy for the rich lifestyle.
"The fourth point involves using the ice block and two nails with rings to create a makeshift timed door-breaking device. After the patrol team passed by Pine Wood Street outside the backyard, the glass was precisely shattered. What could break the rear door's glass and not arouse suspicion?"
"Hmm...glass?"
"Exactly, glass. A few days ago, Miss Annie brought home a picture frame that likely had double glazing. After the maid delivered the drink and left, she must have used the silver hammer for breaking ice to secure two nailed rings into the ceiling. One would hang the spare piece of glass from the picture frame near the rear door with a clear thread, and on the opposite side of the ceiling, another nail with a thread would pull the glass up at an angle. Once the inclined thread was released with time, the glass would fall, being pulled towards the balcony's rear door due to the fixed thread, impacting and shattering in a way that left only glass shards. No other traces would remain."
"And how was the inclined thread ensured to release after her departure?"
"That's where the ice block comes into play. You know ice melts quickly in summer. Miss Annie's recent requests for ice to cool down were likely her observing how long it took to melt. Threading the inclined glass through a ring created a fixed pulley. The other end was tied to a sizeable ice block. Thus, when the ice melted, the thread would naturally slip off the ice."
Elyon gestured with his left hand, making a circle, and then demonstrated with his right index finger as if it were the thread passing through.
"And how to deal with the water from the melted ice most naturally? Place the ice block in the plant pot near the rear door, which avoids needing a long thread that could break, and lets the water from the melted ice naturally seep into the soil."
"Why go through all this trouble? Why not simply say she lost it?" Seraphina asked.
"It's to ensure the incident became known. The patrol outside was handled by a contracted security firm; if it remained an internal matter, it could easily have been suppressed. Annie likely observed the patrol team's timings from the second floor earlier in the day, making sure to smash the rear window glass as they passed by."
Seraphina fell silent at this point, and Elyon continued.
"Dismissing the guards right after the incident was probably to deal with the threads and the setup. The necklace must have been hidden before 7:30, as all three were in evening gowns, none with pockets large enough for such a necklace. However, the threads and nails could easily be carried out by her companions."
"Aren't they father and daughter? Must human relationships be so twisted?"
Elyon didn't know how to explain it to his youngest sister without shattering her innocence.