Finding the Culprit

Chapter Thirty-one

Ryan took the small camera from its hiding place at the Gallery Connection.

         “Bring it back here.” Mrs. Langford led the way to her office.

         Ryan walked around the booths and stepped into a small room. Rows of enclosed cabinets lined two walls. A desk took up the middle space, and in the corner sat a television set.

         He pulled the VHS tape from the nanny cam and stuck it in the video player. “Let me rewind this.”

Pushing play, he hit the rewind button. A black and white photo of Goldie’s booth filled the screen. After a few seconds, a woman’s hand reached out to the teapot.

“Oh, that’s me.” Mrs. Langford chuckled. “Since we’re watching it in rewind, everything is backwards.”

Ryan kept his eyes on the monitor. Goldie and Noreen left Mrs. Langford, walking in reverse, then joined her. Other people filled the screen, and Ryan pushed the play button.

“Those are just customers.” Mrs. Langford leaned toward the TV screen. “None of them are touching the tea set. Let’s go back further.”

“Okay.” Ryan hit rewind. A few people walked by the booth, walking backward, and then all was still.

They waited a few minutes until a man’s hands set the teapot down, then picked it up. A small hammer appeared.

Mrs. Langford gasped. “Oh, my goodness!”

The hammer hit the bottom of the teapot once, again, then a third time. The man looked around the area, and his face swiveled toward the camera.

This time Ryan caught his breath. “I can’t believe it!”

The booth went black.

Ryan frowned. “What happened?”

“He must have damaged the teapot right after I turned on the lights this morning.” Mrs. Langford motioned to the TV. “Hit the play button, Ryan.”

They watched the scene again as it unfolded in real time. The perpetrator approached the booth soon after the lights came on, looked around behind him, picked up the teapot and hit it three times with the hammer. He slid the hammer in his pants pocket and set the teapot down.

Ryan rewound to the beginning of the scene before ejecting the tape. “Should I take the evidence to Sheriff Whalen?”

“Yes, please.” Mrs. Langford pressed her lips together. “I can’t believe that man thought he could get away with this.”

“He almost did.”

“But thanks to you…” She touched her forehead. “I’m so grateful, Ryan. I’ve thought of setting up cameras, but it’s so expensive, and we never had any problems before.”

“I hope that’s the end of your problems.” Ryan held up the tape. “I’ll run this to the police station.”

He entered the Gallery and passed Goldie’s booth. Spying a box on the floor, he stopped. “Mrs. Langford?”

She walked out of her office. “Yes?”

Ryan pointed to the box. “Goldie gave me an 8-piece dinner set of her pottery. She calls it the Presidential line. Maybe you could set it up in her booth for her.”

“I’ll do that.” Mrs. Langford tapped her lips with her fingers. “The buyer from New York City should arrive any time, and all the potters will be present. If you could keep the sheriff in the background until everything is over, I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure thing.” Ryan walked out the door, rehearsing in his mind what he would tell Sheriff Whalen at the Knotty Pine police station. If Henry Nesbitt hadn’t gotten drunk three weeks ago and crashed into the back of his Sunfire, Ryan wouldn’t even know where the police station was.

He stopped beside his car. Was that why the accident happened?

The implications played through his mind.

First of all, Henry tried to hide from that accident, but he was discovered and fined. Ryan didn’t have to pay a penny to fix his car since Henry’s insurance paid for it. Then Ryan got to know Sheriff Whalen at the police station, and now the sheriff trusted Ryan since he had been a victim, not a criminal…

“All things work together for good to them that love God.”

Even though Ryan almost had a heart attack when Henry crashed into the Sunfire, God used it for good. And now, this pottery breaker—

Ryan jumped into his car. Enough wasting time! He’d better get to the police station.

* * *

Until Monday…

May God bless you with a wonderful weekend!