Mysterious Mrs. Pansy

The forensic expert proceeded with his task. Soon after, he returned to the crowd, cleared his throat, and declared, “The forensic test indicates that Jane North’s fingerprints are on this ring.”

Jane’s heart skipped a beat. Her fingerprints on the ring? How was that even possible? She had never touched it. Since Patrick had personally called the police, there was no chance the forensic expert had been bribed by Florence. So, Jane pondered, how had Florence managed to place her fingerprints on the ring?

“Jane, now that it has been proven you stole the ring, what do you have to say?” Florence said, a smug smile playing on her lips. “Sir, she stole my ring. Please arrest her so she can face the law!”

“Jane, did you really steal it?” Patrick questioned, sensing that there was more to this story. Although he had only known Jane for a few days, he didn’t believe she was a thief.

“Of course not,” Jane replied, her composure still intact.

“Your fingerprints are on the ring; why deny it?” Florence glared at Jane. “Patrick, why do you keep giving her the benefit of the doubt? The Pansy family despises thieves. You deserve someone better than her!”

“You have to come with us and cooperate during the investigation,” the chief officer said, addressing Jane. All the evidence was pointing to her, and the police couldn’t let her go without proper investigation.

Jane, however, had other plans. “I have a way to prove my innocence.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Florence wasn’t ready to accept that, convinced that Jane was on her way to jail.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I can prove it,” Jane declared, her lips curling into a smirk.

Jane requested the ring from the chief, who reluctantly handed it to her, shooting a cautious glance at Patrick. With the ziplock bag containing the ring in hand, Jane scanned the crowd until her eyes landed on the waiter.

“Did you see me wearing this ring?” Jane questioned.

“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes,” the waiter replied.

Jane stretched out her hand, urging the crowd to pay close attention. “Observe my hand carefully.”

As onlookers observed, Jane’s fingers began to swell, and red bumps appeared on her skin.

“What’s happening to her hand? It looks awful!” The crowd expressed their astonishment.

After a few minutes, Jane returned the ring to the ziplock bag and handed it back to the chief officer. Raising her hand for everyone to see, she confidently stated, “I’m allergic to platinum, and the ring’s band is made of platinum. You all saw how my fingers swelled and developed bumps shortly after I touched the ring. The reaction usually lasts for a few hours. If I had stolen the ring, my hand would have been swollen and covered with painful bumps long before now. It only became swollen just now. Therefore, this is the first time I ever touched the ring. I didn’t steal it!”

As Jane spoke, she held her swollen hand up for all to see.

Florence, who was once confident in Jane’s guilt, was now baffled. How could it be such a coincidence that Jane was allergic to platinum?

“You must have done something!” Florence grabbed the ring, inspecting it for any signs of tampering. To her dismay, there was nothing amiss with the ring; it was exactly as she remembered it.

Florence’s demeanor shifted as she realized her plan had failed. She had orchestrated everything meticulously. Why had it gone awry?

Not content with simply proving her innocence, Jane snatched the ring with her regular hand. “It’s hard to convince you, huh? Not to worry, I’ll show you again!”

Once more, the same outcome occurred: her hand swelled when she touched the ring.

“This is enough proof that I didn’t steal the ring, right?” Jane asserted.

The police chief spoke up after reviewing the evidence. “Miss North is clearly allergic to platinum. She couldn’t have stolen the ring.”

Jane then turned her attention to the waiter, her tone demanding. “You have some explaining to do, don’t you?”

The waiter’s forehead glistened with sweat. Fidgeting with his fingers, he glanced at Florence for support. Seeing his hesitation, Florence shot him a murderous look, gritting her teeth.

Kneeling before Jane, he finally admitted, “I’m sorry. I stole the ring. I was blinded by greed. Please forgive me. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Jane, in a tone tinged with sarcasm, responded, “Oh, really?” She was far from convinced. There was no way the waiter could have orchestrated this entire scheme without Florence’s involvement, and she wasn’t buying into the idea that he acted alone.