Thursday, Afternoon
‘I don’t know where you can buy such a watch,’ the doorman said, answering Lizzy’s question.
‘But where did you buy it from?’ Aditya asked. ‘Not from Solan?’
‘And how much did it cost?’ Kabir asked.
The doorman was taken aback by this barrage of questions. ‘That’s the thing, I didn’t,’ he replied.
‘Didn’t buy it? Then how do you have it?’ Aditya asked.
‘What is this about, Ma’am?’ the doorman asked Lizzy. He looked rattled at being questioned about the watch. The three young detectives could barely suppress their glee. They could almost see the guilt on the doorman’s face. Was he the thief and the kidnapper? If so, he deserved to be taken to jail.
‘That’s not important. Where did you get the watch from?’ Lizzy asked, distrust written all over her face.
‘Well, last week while I was on duty here, an American family checked out of the hotel. As the man climbed into the cab, a pouch fell out of his pocket. It was one of those pouches that I have seen foreigners use to keep their passports and cash in. The man didn’t notice it falling. They would have been in a lot of trouble without passports since they were foreigners. So I picked it up and ran until I caught up with the cab at the main gate.’
Looking at Lizzy, he added, ‘I am sorry I left the door unmanned for some time, Ma’am. But they were our guests, and I could not just stand here knowing that they could be in trouble.’
Nodding appreciatively, Lizzy said, ‘No need to apologize. You did the right thing.’
‘At the main gate when I returned the pouch to the man, he wanted to give me a tip. He offered me money, but I declined. I told him that I had simply done my duty and that I did not need a reward for it. So instead, he reached into his bag and gave me this watch. He said it was a thank you gift and that he would be terribly hurt if I didn’t accept it. So, I did.’
‘So, you didn’t buy the watch,’ Aditya said.
‘No, I didn’t,’ the doorman confirmed. ‘I don’t even know how much it costs.’
Lizzy looked extremely pleased with the doorman’s tale. Though the three crime busters were happy to hear how he had helped out a family, it also meant they were once again out of suspects. And it was already Thursday afternoon. There were just 24 hours left for the match to begin.
Lizzy bid adieu to the three detectives and went back to her private lift. Once back in the lift, Bella jumped out of her arms and started pawing the carpet and desperately lunged at the sides of the elevator. Akriti and the two boys watched bemused as Lizzy struggled to control Bella.
