Mr Bell’s wallet has vanished on the town bus. He used it to buy his ticket only minutes ago, and the bus has not reached another stop. Puz puts aside a town map as Mr Bell checks his bag again.
Between two stops
Mr Bell had taken a few coins from his brown wallet and paid the driver just after boarding. He remembered sliding the wallet into his shoulder bag before taking a seat. Now it was gone. It held the money he needed for his shopping.
They checked beside his seat and under the bag. No wallet. The bus had not stopped or opened its doors since Mr Bell got on, and nobody had got off. The driver pulled into a safe stopping place and called the police for help.
The police station was just along the street. With the passengers’ agreement, the driver took the bus there. An officer asked everyone to wait while she spoke to them one at a time. Puz had been on the bus too and stayed to help describe the journey.
A written reply
In a small interview room, Officer Reed asked a man in a green jacket, “May I see your identification, please?” He did not respond. She repeated the question clearly, but he only looked puzzled.
Officer Reed picked up a pen and wrote, “Would you prefer to communicate in writing?” The man nodded and wrote beneath it, “Yes. I cannot hear anything.” She read the reply and set the paper on her desk.
Before the next passenger
The man turned his head to study a noticeboard on the side wall, looking away from Officer Reed’s face. Still seated, with both hands resting on her desk, she said quietly, “You may go back to the waiting room now.” She did not point or move towards the door. Puz stayed still, and nobody else was in the room.
The man immediately got up and walked towards the closed door. Puz glanced from him to the paper on the desk. “Stop!” Puz called. “You’re the thief!”
Why did Puz know that this passenger was the thief?