progress

Yes! Of course, I did. I checked it double, no triple, times just to make sure.”

There was no hesitation in his answer, and I was inclined to believe him. Almost

anybody else would have done the same thing when they were locking away

something so valuable, especially if they had no insurance on it. Our theories

may have had to include poor Mr. Judas if he’d managed to ensure it, so there

was that small mercy.

“And what about your shop assistant? What’s his name…?”

“Craig. Oh but, there is no way that Craig did it,” Mr. Judas said adamantly,

daring us to suggest otherwise. “I always leave the shop at his disposal when I

have some work to do elsewhere, and he never does anything wrong. Not even

a penny has gone missing on his watch. He is very honest, I would trust him with

my life.”

Not that the two of those were mutually exclusive.

I turned my mind back to Craig. A friendly looking lad with a slightly jutting chin

and overly bushy eyebrows, he almost always had a smile fixed upon his face,

and he would chat aimlessly with the customers while he served them.

“Alright, I understand.” Simon soothed. “Tell me about your normal routine.”

Judas took a calming breath, before continuing. I could see he was still riled up

about the mild suggestion his assistant may have done anything untoward.

“Craig opens up the store at around six in the morning, and on a normal day, I

would join him at around eight. Often I work the back in the mornings. Then we

both take separate lunch breaks, Craig, first, and I second. At five in the evening,

I leave to go home and leave the shop with him until eight when he closes up.”

“That’s an awfully long shift.” I ventured.

“He needs the money, and begged me to give him more hours.” Mr. Judas

explained. “I’m getting on in years so I was only too happy to give them him.”

“I see. But earlier you stated that you closed up the store at five in the evening.”

Simon pointed out. He is often quite direct with his clients, saying that if he

wants them to be straight with him, he had better do the same to them.

“Well, you see…” Mr. Judas murmured.

“Come on now, just say it.” “Craig had to leave the shop early yesterday, at around three o’clock. His

mother is very ill and currently in the hospital. He is so worried about her these

days that he often asks permission to leave and visit her. I can’t deny him that,

she is all he has in this world. We all hope that she can have her heart operation

soon and get better. This is why he was working all those hours.”

It was a sad state of affairs.

Simon clapped his hands together, startling the two of us. “Right, thank you

very much for that. Now we should visit your shop. By the way, who has been

assigned to your case?”

“I can’t remember. Office Jordan? Officer Jameson?”

“Officer Janford?”

“That’s it.”

“Ah, a good officer. Let’s be on our way, time is a ticking.

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