Who Did It?

“Ah, DC Evans, glad you’re here. The rest of the team is busy with that airport robbery. There has been a rash of petty thefts over the last few weeks. Please deal with it.”
I was pleased and petrified. This would be my first case on my own. I would prove to myself that I could be a detective.
Looking at the reports of the thefts, I saw a pattern emerge. They occurred only in the afternoons. Was there a reason? Maybe the thieves were not available at night or even in the mornings. That made me think maybe school children?
Next on my list was to visit the crime scenes. In every case, they gained entry through a small downstairs window. Surely at least one thief must squirm through that window, then open a door for the rest of the gang.
I had a breakthrough when I found a scrap of material.
“DC Evans, the material we found matches the make and colour of a school blazer. A blazer from St Mungo’s.”
A quick visit and an inspection of blazers yielded a result. Carl Daniers owned the blazer but swore he knew nothing of the damage it must be his brother Bernard.
I interviewed them together. First, I carried a couple of glasses of water. I handed one to Carl, who grabbed it with his left hand. His brother took his glass with the right hand. I looked at them and pointed at Carl, who smirked at me. I shook my head. “He didn’t do it .....you did.”
Confronted with the evidence, Carl confessed.
Later, I explained to my boss that only a left-handed person could have done the window’s damage. Carl is a lefty Bernard is right-handed.

(c) Felicity Edwards