The Grandfather Clock

There was a knock on my office door.

“Come in!” I said.

An old man with gray hair and a cane walked in. He was limping and his clothes were all battered.

“Mr. McKeever,” said the old man, “I need your help. My grandfather clock got stolen. Can you help me find it?”

“Tell me what happened,” I said.

“I was getting ready to go to bed when I heard footsteps. I thought it was my cat. I went into the kitchen. The pantry was open and everything inside it was thrown out. I ran to the front door and saw that it was open. Then there was a smash. I ran to the kitchen and I saw that my prized grandfather clock had been stolen! I ran outside and saw darkness. I looked at my watch. It said 12:14 a.m. Then there was a gunshot. Pain burst into my leg. I saw blood spilling from my leg. I climbed painfully inside. I called an ambulance. In a matter of two minutes, I heard sirens.  They took me out on a stretcher. The next thing I knew I was in the hospital. My leg wasn’t hurt. In a few days I was let out. Then I came straight to you,” said the old man.

“Okay, what did the robber look like?” I asked.

“I don’t know, it was too dark to see,” said the old man.

“Can you take me to your house?” I asked.

“Yes,” the old man said.

I led him outside. There was a shiny new Ferrari parked against the curb.

Why was this man in battered clothes and owned a Ferrari? I thought. I got in the back seat and said, “Nice car.”

The old man ignored me. He started the car. He took off.

“You’re going too fast,” I said.

Again, he didn’t respond.

We pulled up to barred gates. The old man typed something in on a meter-ish thing. The gates opened. He drove inside. There was a fountain. Behind the fountain there was a huge tan-colored mansion. The old man parked the car. I got out. I went inside. There was a long hall.

“Show me where your grandfather clock was,” I said.

The old man walked to where his grandfather clock was.

There were many gunshots.

I dived out of the way. Then I saw somebody run past me. I grabbed his leg. He tripped. He was a 15-year old boy with many freckles. “What is your name, son?” I asked.

“L-Luke,” said the boy trembling.

“Well, you’re going to be arrested,” I said. I forced him up and put handcuffs on him. Then I went outside to look for the old man. He was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is that old man?” I thought. I looked inside his car. He wasn’t there. I asked the boy, “What did you do to that old man?”

“What old man?” asked Luke.

“Never mind,” I said. I looked up and down the street. Then, I heard the door bang shut. Suddenly, the boy broke free from his handcuffs. He dashed away.

“Boy, get back here!” I yelled angrily. I dashed after him. I got a glimpse of the boy jumping over the barred gates. I ran after him.  I hopped the fence and cut my hand on one of the barbed wires. I almost fell off the fence. I finally managed to get down from the gate. I ran after the boy. Then I saw an idling motorcycle. I hopped on the motorcycle and pressed the gas pedal. It zoomed into the street. Then I saw the boy. I sped up. I caught him by the shirt.

“You better not run away again!” I yelled. I forced him on the motorcycle and zoomed to my office. When I got there, I saw a wreck inside. I quickly went inside, the boy on my heels. There was the old man.

What, why is the old man here? I thought.

“Well, good job, Luke, here’s the money,” said the old man. The old man pulled out $8,000 dollars.

“Why are you giving him money? Are you working for him, Luke?” I asked. The old man ran for the door. I punched him hard on the nose. He backed away. Then I locked the door.

“Explain to me why you are paying Luke money!” I yelled at him.

“Well, I said to Luke that I would pay him if you were kidnapped, and now you are,” he said. Luke jumped at me and grabbed my wrist. The old man tied me to a wall. Then they went to open the door but it was locked.

“Give me the key,” commanded the old man.

“Never,” I snarled. I took out my knife and cut the rope. I rolled and jumped up and snatched Luke’s gun.

“You’re under arrest,” I said pointing Luke’s gun at them. I pulled the trigger. A jet of blue light shot out from the gun and shocked them both. They fell to the ground. I called 911. A few minutes later the police showed up. They took them both.Then the mayor showed up. “Good work, detective. You caught one of the most skilled criminals in the U.S. I will award you $50,000 dollars,” said the mayor. The mystery was solved!