CHAPTER III
Aidan works on Monday through Wednesday, from 16:00 to 19:00. His job is to keep each yard clean, neat, and orderly. It did not take long to make him popular among the seniors, especially women. Aidan never knew that his face was so common that it resembles all those seniors’ grandchildren or children.
Actually, Aidan is not a talkative teenager. He doesn't like talking with unfamiliar people. However, he knows how to behave to elder people As a result, while working there, he have eaten more pies or cakes than he had had in his entire life.
That Saturday morning, while enjoying the day off, Aidan pokes a spoon into the meat pie he have brought from the Retirement Home. Mrs. Jefferson eagerly placed a basket full of pies before him a few days ago. Aidan puts a spoonful of pies in his mouth. Today, he plans to laze around at home. His mother has left since morning. On weekends, she spends a lot of time in her yoga studio. Aidan had just finished his second scoop when Josh emerges from the kitchen door.
"Looks tasty." Josh takes the spoon from Aidan's hand and puts a spoonful of pies into his mouth. "Mmmmm... delicious, how come I never get something like this?" Josh asks with his mouth full and without hesitation begins to scoop the second.
Aidan walks to the kitchen shelf, fetching a new spoon for himself.
"Hey, Aid, have you heard? There was a theft last night at the Retirement Home."
"Nope, are you serious?"
"Yup, Mr. Thomas lost his gold watch, Mr. Lucas and Mrs. Beatrice lost gold rings."
"That is three people in one night?" Aidan shakes his head in disbelief. "That means two houses at once. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Lucas are housemates and Mrs. Beatrice lives next to them. Could there be more than one culprit?"
"It’s still under investigation," Josh answers while continues chewing. "But, from what I heard, strangely, only jewelries were taken. No money, cellphone, or other items were missing."
"Strange, for a thief to be picky like that, is anyone hurt?" Aidan asks, worried.
Josh shakes his head. "The thief was like the wind, maybe a ninja," he says, grinning.
Aidan looks confused.
"There is no evidence that the door was broken, nor the window. There were no sign of vandalism. Nothing, clean, none at all."
"Strange. What about the guard? Did they see anything?"
"Nope."
Aidan pauses, thinking of something. "This is interesting," he whispers.
Josh sees Aidan's face changes, his eyes narrowing indicating he has an extraordinary theory and Josh could already guess what his friend is thinking. "Come on, Aid, you don't think this was done by something, do you?"
"Think about it, Josh. Who is crazy enough to steal when the residents are at home? Even though they are seniors, there are guards who are always ready. There was no sign of destruction, the guards saw nothing, the occupants did not know what was happening, and not all valuables were taken."
"One or several professional thieves? An experienced thief? That's a possibility, right?"
"Not a human being is also a possibility, isn’t it?" Aidan says excitedly.
"Gull?" Josh replies casually.
Gulls are midget creatures with a height not exceeding the waist of an adult. These creatures are so agile that it is easy for them to avoid human sight. They are very fond of gold and cannot stand the temptation of that precious metal luster. They have a series of sharp teeth and aggressive nature, requiring us to be very careful when dealing directly with these creatures.
Aidan nods. "It is worth investigating."
"All right." Josh gets up and takes the last bite of pies into his mouth. Then he steps outside through the door where he came from.
"Hey, where are you going?" Aidan exclaims.
Josh's head appears from behind the door. "Investigating this problem," he replies then disappears once again.
Aidan chases after Josh. "You will go alone?" he asks, slightly offended.
"You guard the house. This is an easy task," Josh exclaims.
"What?" Aidan stands still in the yard, staring at Josh angrily.
"Just wait for news from me, okay?!" Josh shouts while pedaling his bicycle.