Nancy Jew and the case of the Missing Menorah

Nancy Jew woke up one Saturday morning wondering what her next case will be, and remembering her latest case, The case of the Dirty Kiddush Lunch. She got out of bed, and put on a skirt, and went downstairs for breakfast. She finished breakfast, and walked to the synagogue with her family. While she waited for the announcements, she read her favorite book, The Gelt Guys. When the announcements came she was so excited for them that Mr and Mrs Jew had to calm her down. She was so happy when the Rabbi said the menorah was missing, and whoever found it would get a $2000 dollar reward. She realised that her next case would be, The case of the Missing Menorah. After services were over she went to the Rabbi’s office and asked for the details of the case. The Rabbi said that it was stolen yesterday in broad daylight. Nancy figured the way to start would be to dust for fingerprints, so she got out her magnetic powder and lockpicking kit for opening the door to the sanctuary. She walked inside and she saw out of the corner of her eye a person. “Let’s not worry about him right now.”,she thought. Just then he snuck out from his hiding place and knocked Nancy unconscious. Then he took her magnetic powder and lockpicking kit, and tied Nancy up and threw her into the ark. Nancy was starting to regain consciousness. “How am I ever going to get out of here?!”she thought. Then she noticed that her magnetic powder and lockpicking kit were missing. She had an idea, I have very long fingernails. This rope is thin enough for me to cut through. So she cut through the ropes, and made her way out of the ark, and tried to find her magnetic powder and lockpicking kit. Lucky for her, the person had dropped them on his way out for the synagogue. Then she did what she was going to do — and look for fingerprints and footprints. She found a couple on the wall, and used her camera to take a picture of them, and walked to the police station to show the police the picture. The chief was glad to see her. “What is it today Ms. Jew?”he asked. Nancy showed him the fingerprints and he looked in his files. Those prints belong to a well-known con man named Victor Napoli, he said. Nancy thanked him, and walked home thinking about her clue. Mr Jew, a well-known attorney, had told her that even the smallest clue can lead to a bigger clue. When Nancy got home she looked in the phone book for Victor Napoli. He probably wouldn’t have his name in the phone book but it is worth a look.”,she thought. She found his name and address and phone number. She decided to go to his house tomorrow. After lunch she went door-to-door asking people if they knew Victor Napoli. Finally she came to a couple who knew him. He usually stays in a house in Nebraska, they said. After her parents agreed, she booked a plane for the following morning. The next morning, she got up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and drove to the airport to board the plane. Surprisingly the plane was already there. She got in, found an unoccupied seat and sat down. As soon as she got a magazine, the plane started. Huh! That is odd. It is not yet the start time for the plane.”, she thought. Nancy tried to enjoy herself on the plane ride by thinking about Nebraska, and the west. Just then she realised that the plane was heading north. Oh no!”,she thought. There is only one thing to do and that is…,”,she thought. She knocked out the pilot and took over the plane, flying it to Nebraska. After landing in Nebraska, she decided to call Victor’s phone number which she had written down on a notecard. When she called, the line was blank. She tried 50 more times. It wouldn’t go through. Just then it occurred to her that the pilot of the plane was Victor Napoli, trying to sabotage the visit by trying to put her in the middle of nowhere. She decided the easiest way to talk to him would be to go to the airport where she had had the plane land and talk to him. When she got inside the plane, he wasn’t there. “He probably regained consciousness, and escaped.” she thought. She got out her magnetic powder to try to dust for footprints, but the magnetic powder had been replaced with dirt. She went to the store to buy new magnetic powder, but her money had been counterfeit. She went to the bank to get a loan of $100 and used it to buy new magnetic powder, and phone home to tell her father what had happened so far. “You better be careful!”, her mother warned. She went back to the airport to try to find footprints, but they had been erased. Nancy was stumped. She decided she would take a break for a day and enjoy the sunshine. She figured she’d pick up a clue or two. When she opened the door, she found Victor Napoli standing there. “What are you doing here? This is my house!” he growled. Then he walked away. Nancy called the police, but before she could reach them, he was too far to even find a trace. She thought he was a member of a gang, so she walked around the town trying to find a criminal, but with no luck. She returned to her house, and sat down to write what her clues, suspects, and proof. Just then she received a call, and ran to pick it up. The caller was mysterious and said that Nancy should drop the case. Nancy was not worried. She had gotten lots of calls like that in her lifetime as a detective. She asked her father to ask him for his opinion on what to do next. He said she should just talk to people in the town and ask them about the person, and if this really was his house she should dust for fingerprints, on her walls, and also on her counterfeit money and magnetic powder case. She took out her magnetic powder and spent two hours dusting everything. She found a couple fingerprints, but they matched the ones she had found at the synagogue. She decided to ask the police if they had any record on Victor Napoli. The police chief looked and found that he had illegally killed Trumpeter swans in 1905. Nancy thanked him even though in her opinion that wasn’t of much help. She then updated her father on what had happened. She walked around town asking anybody if they knew Victor Napoli. One man knew him but didn’t know where he had gone off to. Nancy figured he just wanted to lie low for a while since he figured out that there is a detective involved. As soon as she got home and sat down on the sofa to read another volume of The Gelt Guys, someone broke into her house and stole everything in her pockets and before she could say STOP THAT! He left. Nancy informed the police on what had happened and they said they would be on the lookout. Luckily she had had her camera in a hiding place and was able to get a couple good pictures of the man that she gave to the police, and kept the other one. She also found some fingerprints by buying new magnetic powder, and taking a picture of those, and giving them to the police to look in their files. They came back to her a day later with news. They said that these were made by a man named වික්ටර් නැපෝලි. “That is Victor Napoli in Sinhala!” Nancy exclaimed! Just then Nancy remembered seeing those letters on a poster on a house. She decided to go back there to see the house and talk to the person because he would probably be Victor Napoli or a member of his gang. When she opened the door a man came out and asked Nancy what she wanted. She said that she would like to make a quick telephone call, and also see anybody else who lives here. The man happily agreed, and sure enough, Victor Napoli lived there, and before he could do anything Nancy called the police. The chief said he will come by right now, and put Victor in jail, and return the menorah, and find out if the other man was a criminal too. The police put Victor in handcuffs, and he confessed. Meanwhile the other police officer was talking to the man, and thanking Nancy, and Nancy was finding the menorah. She finally found it, mailed it to the synagogue and the next day went home on a plane. When she arrived home, her parents congratulated her on solving the case, and Mrs. Jew made a big feast for the special occasion as she always did when Nancy solved a case. While they ate, they talked about what they should name this case. “I think The case of the Missing Menorah would do nicely.” Nancy said.