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book. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I don’t think your granny knew what she was talking about. We won’t mention it again.”
    But Mrs. Jinks was never quite the same after this particular encounter with Granny. There was a worried look in her eyes. Loud noises—a slamming door or a car backfiring—jolted her. Joe got the impression that she was walking a tightrope and was afraid of falling off at any time.
    And then the thefts began.
    It was the second week in February and Granny had come for lunch. Joe hadn’t seen her since the tea and he had been dreading it, but in fact she couldn’t have been more pleasant. She gave him a smaller-than-usual kiss and a larger-than-usual present of one dollar, which hadn’t even been given to her by her daughter in the usual way. She ate her lunch without complaining, complimented Irma (who immediately dropped all the dishes), and left all the knives and forks on the table.
    It was only as she was leaving, as Wolfgang handed her her twenty-seven-year-old coat, that she let out a sudden scream.
    â€œMy cameo brooch!” she exclaimed. Tears welled in her eyes. “My beautiful cameo brooch. It’s gone!”
    â€œAre you sure you were wearing it, Mummy?” Mrs. Warden asked.
    â€œOf course I’m sure. I put it on specially. It was on the lapel of my coat.”
    â€œWell, maybe it’s dropped off.”
    â€œNo, no,” Granny wailed. “I pinned it quite securely.” She turned to Mrs. Jinks. “You didn’t happen to see it, did you, Mrs. Jinks?” she asked with a quizzical smile.
    â€œNo, Mrs. Kettle,” the nanny replied. Two pinpricks of pink had appeared in her cheeks. “Why should I have seen it?”
    â€œWell…” Granny couldn’t have looked more innocent. “You have often admired my cameo brooch. And I did see you looking in the hall closet just before lunch.”
    â€œAre you suggesting—?” Mrs. Jinks didn’t know what to say. Her cheeks were now dark red with anger.
    â€œI wasn’t suggesting anything,” Granny interrupted. She almost sang the words and her whole body was shaking with pleasure. Once again her lips slid away from her teeth in a yellowy smile. “I’m sure Wolfgang will find it in the garden.”
    But Wolfgang never did find the brooch, and the next time Granny came for lunch, the whites of her eyes were quite red from weeping. In fact she was crying so much that instead of her usual tiny lace handkerchief, she had brought along a tea towel.
    â€œNever mind, Mumsy,” Mrs. Warden said. “I’ll buy you another one. Don’t be so upset. It’s only a piece of jewelry.”
    That was the day that Mrs. Warden found her diamond earrings had gone missing. She screamed the house down.
    â€œMy earrings, Gordon!” she screeched. “My lovely earrings. They matched my ears! How can they have gone? Oh no…!”
    â€œSomeone get her a tea towel,” Mr. Warden muttered. He was trying to read the Financial Times. “And put it in her mouth.”
    â€œWere they your diamond earrings, darling?” Granny asked. She was sitting in her usual chair, her face a picture of innocence.
    â€œYes,” Mrs. Warden sobbed.
    â€œHow sad. You know, Mrs. Jinks was saying to me only the other day how much she liked those earrings. What a shame that they’ve suddenly disappeared…”
    Joe was as puzzled as anyone by the thefts, but already a nasty thought was forming in his mind. Two thefts. Both had taken place on days when Granny was in the house. And twice Granny had pointed the finger at Mrs. Jinks…
    That night, Joe got out of bed and crept downstairs. The hall was dark, but he could see light spilling out underneath the door of the living room. He pressed his ear against the wood. As he had thought, his parents were inside.
    â€œSomeone must have taken