Who was the culprit? - short story
It was but natural to blame the maid. After all, she was the one who was present there in the apartment when the theft was supposed to have happened.
The other apartments were all vacant and the new owners had chosen to entrust theirs to the maid and the caretaker and went off. They were newly married and had kept all the gifts and jewels that they had received in the new steel wardrobe which they thought was secure.
When the police called them, they were in the midst of their honeymoon trip. They were informed that the apartment was broken into and the steel wardrobe was open and things lay scattered. The police called the owners to confirm the missing stuff and whether they could return as soon as possible.
The couple was astonished and upset and it was justified. Their first suspect was the maid and they told the police about it. After all, she was a new recruit and they could not find a reason not to blame her. The police took their statement and told them that an investigation would proceed. Meanwhile, the apartment was locked and sealed and the keys were with the police department. The maid was asked to report to the police station every week until her name was cleared. The caretaker was common for all the other apartments too and so he was just questioned and left.
Meanwhile, the lone occupant of the only other occupied apartment on the ground floor entrusted the keys to the same maid and told her that he would be away for the weekend and requested her to clean his house. She agreed and he went away in his car.
Unknown to the caretaker and the maid, he returned and hid behind the garden shed to watch if anything untoward happened. He had also alerted the police and a few policemen in plainclothes took their position opposite the apartment building.
After it was late evening, a few men came in a car and met the caretaker. They went into his office room. He called for the maid and sent her out to buy food from a restaurant. She agreed and took the money and went out. The men came out of the office, opened the door of the ground floor apartment and were there for a few minutes when they realized that they were surrounded by the policemen. The caretaker who tried to escape was also caught.
The maid whom everyone had suspected had actually approached the police and told them that the same group of men had come to the apartment building the day the previous robbery had taken place. So, she suspected foul and told them to come and check. They had been already informed and so they reassured her and also accompanied her back to the complex in case she was harmed.
The caretaker and his mates were arrested and the maid was let free. The couple and the ground floor occupant thanked her and also apologized to her. She was relieved that she was proved innocent. She was a student too and told them all that she worked as a maid so that she could cover her expenses. The apartment manager promoted her as the caretaker and also made sure she got paid well.
©sayee
