I, Rob Xavier, was the best police officer and detective in town. There was no crime, which went unseen, and no criminal could go uncaught in my reign of rule. I was by far the best officer the world could ever have. Sherlock Holmes mentored me, and I have read every book written on crimes. I was a prodigy who could solve difficult criminal cases at the age of 14, while other officers of 34 years with 10 years of experience rattled their brains to achieve the first clue.
My rule was ending now. A robber named Mike roamed free around the city. No one had seen him, or no one had ever heard his voice. He was like darkness. He would come in the dark and then vanish when the lights were on. He had a strange pattern of stealing things. He would only steal the stolen objects during the first year of my role as a police officer. The objects that no one would ever find. He probably burnt them down or drowned them in the water bodies. He left many clues. So many that it would confuse me and trail me to the wrong path. In fact, his every clue seemed to be fake.
Everyone easily understood his pattern, and all of us knew that he had a definite style of stealing. He would only steal in the dark when there would be no electricity or light around. Cameras were a toy for him. He would never be caught on them. Strange as it can be, he would never switch off the cameras, although he would make sure that there is no light in the room. The darkness made the cameras as ineffective to catch him as I was now.
My thought process was disturbed by my colleague. Ross said, “Switch on the TV now! Mike has put up a message on a piece of paper at 24 Baker Street.” I rushed to the TV set and switched it on. The image said, “Watson museum’s red diamond on 18th of October exactly at 19:00.” This was printed on a piece of paper and mailed to every news channel. After this was telecast, another image came to the TV. It was a slap on my face. It said, “Do or Die. If you catch me on the 18th, I will never make another robbery attempt, and if you fail to catch me, you have to retire on the spot, leave the town, and never be indulged in any crime-solving hereafter. If you accept this, come on the national TV and say it!”
I had no choice but to accept his offer. I rushed to the nearest TV channel, Viacom 18. They were expecting me already. I sat on the chair and said on live TV, “I accept your challenge and would leave the town on 18th itself if I am unable to catch you, Mike.” The news spread like wildfire. I was already 55 and had barely five years of service left. This case made me serious about my post-retirement plans, and I had already made plans for it. There was nothing left now but to wait for the D-day.
It was the 18th of October. Since morning, I was at the museum, checked every entrance, and had the blueprint of the museum memorized. Every entrance was secured. There was no way that the robber could enter. The day went by fast, and I ensured that the museum and diamond were safe and secure. The diamond could not be taken anywhere else, as the museum was the only place with special conditions and lighting to sustain it.
The clock ticked 18:59. Exactly at 19:00, the lights went off. 19:01 the lights came back, but the diamond was gone. The security checked every entrance and exit point: nothing, absolutely nothing. Neither a clue left nor a thing changed. We checked the cameras. The cameras were not working. After five full hours of searching and investigating, I realized that my time as an officer had ended. I had to leave the town. I went to Madrid as per my retirement plan.
My house was very beautiful, and I lived a peaceful life until the day I died. I remember that the lights went off, and my wife rushed towards me at full pace. The next moment, lights came on, and the last words I heard were “I am the dominant personality, Rob!” and I saw myself with the red diamond in the mirror and my wife smirking behind me.