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Extract from the Story
At the dinner table on Tuesday night, Chief Brown stared at his cream-of-mushroom soup. Encyclopedia and his mother knew what that meant. He had a mystery he could not solve.
“Tim Nolan died yesterday,” he announced in a matter-of-fact manner.
“That name is familiar,” Mrs. Brown said. “Wasn’t he mixed up in a jewellery robbery a few years ago?”
“Five years ago,” Chief Brown replied. “Two masked men held up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue. They got away with a million dollars worth of jewellery.”
“I thought Tim Nolan was arrested,” Mrs. Brown said.
“He was questioned, not arrested,” Chief Brown corrected. “I always believed that Nolan and a friend, a man named Daniel Davenport, pulled the hold-ups. There wasn’t any proof, though.”
Encyclopedia sat quietly. He knew his mother and father were discussing the case for his benefit.
“Tim Nolan died yesterday,” he announced in a matter-of-fact manner.
“That name is familiar,” Mrs. Brown said. “Wasn’t he mixed up in a jewellery robbery a few years ago?”
“Five years ago,” Chief Brown replied. “Two masked men held up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue. They got away with a million dollars worth of jewellery.”
“I thought Tim Nolan was arrested,” Mrs. Brown said.
“He was questioned, not arrested,” Chief Brown corrected. “I always believed that Nolan and a friend, a man named Daniel Davenport, pulled the hold-ups. There wasn’t any proof, though.”
Encyclopedia sat quietly. He knew his mother and father were discussing the case for his benefit.
in a matter-of-fact manner
— without showing much emotion
hold-ups
— robberies conducted with the use of threat or violence
nursery
— a place where young plants and trees are grown for sale
Summary in Bullet Points
- Chief Brown suspects Tim Nolan and Daniel Davenport. They had met in prison and later lived together for a short time.
- A clerk almost identified Nolan. One robber’s mask slipped, but the clerk was not certain enough to testify.
- Davenport disappeared after the robbery. The stolen jewellery was never found.
- Chief Brown’s hunch: the men hid the loot and waited for the case to cool down.
Questions from this Section
What evidence made Nolan and Davenport suspicious?
2 Marks
How to answer:
Give the direct reason and one supporting detail.
View Answer
Answer: They had met in prison, Davenport stayed with Nolan shortly before the robbery, a clerk thought she recognised Nolan, and Davenport disappeared immediately afterwards.
Why was the case difficult for the police even though they suspected Nolan?
3 Marks
How to answer:
Explain the reasoning and why it matters to the mystery.
View Answer
Answer: Suspicion was not proof. The clerk was not certain enough to testify, Davenport vanished, and searches did not locate the jewellery. The police therefore lacked evidence strong enough to prove the robbery.
