Jewel Thief

Hotel Ambassador has seldom seen a bigger gathering. The former
princess of Boldania was coming home to India after a long stay abroad.
The party was being thrown in her honour by her uncle. Though the
princely state of Boldania no longer existed the princess was heir to a
lot of wealth. The wealth included quite a lot of cash in banks and
enormous amounts of diamond jewellery. It was rumoured that the
princess was going to wear her most valuable ornament for the party.
The ornament in question was a massive diamond necklace. According to
those in the know, a lot of people had been eyeing the necklace for a
long time. Some of them were going to be present during the reception.
Naturally the police were keeping a keen eye on the whole affair.
The party began at seven thirty in the evening. The trickle of guests
started by seven pm. Among the first to arrive was Rima, first cousin
to the princess and daughter of the host. Rima was known to be a person
who wanted to enjoy life. Her shopping sprees and late-night partying
was fodder for society gossip columns. Today she was the hostess and
had promised her father that she would be on her best behaviour. After
a while her brother Joe arrived. Joe was a midget. He had a love for
horses and the races. Naturally he required money all the time and his
father was not willing. The next to arrive was Mr Rick. Mr Rick was a
distant relative of the princess' mother and had served in the armed
forces. He had lost his eyes in war and wore dark glasses. He always
went about with a dog that helped him find the way. His dog was with
him in the party too, a huge Labrador Retriever. Among other invitees
to the party were people who had acts to perform. There was Monty, a
middle-aged magician. He had once been indicted in a jewel heist case
but released later for lack of proof. Finally there was Donny, the
crooner. The princess was fond of both music and magic. There was a
live band and a dance floor but the magician would only be paid if the
princess wanted him to perform.
The last person to arrive was the princess herself. As imagined she WAS
wearing the diamond necklace. The glitter of the necklace was so great
that you could see it from the other end of the room. Almost everyone
was looking at the princess though she did not seem to mind the
attention.
Soon Donny got into her act. The invitees clapped after her first song
but thereafter did not seem to notice her. After ten songs she was
tired and so was the audience. Now, the host took the mike and spoke
about the occasion. He talked about the princely state of Boldania, its
great past and the present condition. He dwelt upon the fact that
despite problems the former rulers were still one close-knit family. He
welcomed his niece Nita, the princess, and invited her to speak. Nita
looked elated and got up from her chair. As she was about to take the
mike the lights suddenly went out. There was a shout from a shrill
voice and the lights came on again. Nita was lying on the floor feeling
her vacant neck. Rima was kneeling next to her. The necklace was gone.
The police immediately swung into action.
Apparently all the bearers and orderlies were policemen in
plainclothes. At the request of the host every single person was
searched. The results were very interesting. Donny the crooner was
wearing a wig which was of a colour different from her natural hair.
Rima had a passport with her which had Nita's name but Rima'a
photograph. Apparently, her father was soon going to file for
bankruptcy. The magician, during his short stay in the ballroom had
managed to pick up napkins, toothpicks and a few decorative articles.
However despite much effort neither the necklace nor the thief was
found. At ten pm everyone was allowed to go home.
At ten thirty, an employee of the hotel handed over a letter to the
Chief Inspector of Police. It said, 'Sir, This is Rick, Nita's uncle. I
needed money, I needed it very badly. So I thought of a plan. I am not
completely blind though I wear dark glasses. In fact in the dark I see
better than many others. I had given Joe some money to turn off the
mains supply. You will be surprised the amount was really very small.
The rest of the work I did myself in the dark. The necklace was
attached between my dog's leash and the belt around his neck. I am glad
nobody noticed.'