A story incorporating words which are pronounced with a silent ‘P’.

Detective Inspector Arthur Finch believed in facts, not feelings. He studied psychology at university, convinced that the answers to all crimes lay in the human mind, not in destiny or curses. This is why he was so annoyed to be called to the home of Mrs. Eleanor Vance, who claimed a rival psychic had stolen her most treasured possession.

“He came in a dream, Inspector,” Mrs. Vance said in a frail voice. She was still recovering from a bout of pneumonia and her thin hands trembled as she gestured towards an empty mahogany shelf. “He told me, ‘The light will be taken, and the truth will be hidden in the stone.’ The medallion is gone!”

Arthur sighed inwardly, his eyes scanning the room. The air was thick with the scent of old books and lavender. There was a small, dusty lectern in the corner, with an open book on it. It looked like a very old bible. A thin scrap of paper lay beside it, printed with the first few lines of a psalm.

“And you’re sure you haven’t just misplaced it, Mrs. Vance?” he asked, trying to sound patient. “You mentioned you had a receipt for the medallion. Is that also missing?”

“Of course! It was with the medallion, in the little box in the cupboard! I am not an old fool, Inspector!” she replied indignantly.

Arthur had to admit, the case seemed strange. Mrs. Vance had a reputation for being eccentrically wealthy but sharp-witted. He dismissed the psychic’s dream-clue and instead focused on the physical evidence. He examined the shelf where the medallion had sat. There were no marks, no fingerprints, no sign of forced entry. He then turned his attention to the cupboard. It was a beautiful piece, but the handle seemed slightly loose.

He opened the cupboard and looked inside. It was empty. Mrs. Vance’s face fell. He reached inside and felt around, and his fingers brushed against a loose panel at the back. It was a hidden compartment! Gently, he pulled the panel away, revealing a small, velvet box.

Inside, nestled on a silken pillow, was the golden medallion. Next to it was the missing receipt, and a few more pages from Mrs. Vance’s old book of psalms. Arthur held them out to her.

Her eyes went wide with a mix of surprise and embarrassment. “Oh, my word,” she whispered, a faint blush appearing on her pale cheeks. “I… I remember now. After the fever, I hid them away. I must have been confused.”

Arthur smiled. “A matter of simple human psychology, Mrs. Vance. Not a crime at all.”

He left Mrs. Vance’s home feeling satisfied. The case was closed, not by dreams or mysterious visions, but by logic and a little bit of common sense.

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Vocabulary Notes

Frail
Meaning: physically weak and delicate. It often describes someone who is old or unwell.
From the story: “He came in a dream, Inspector,’ Mrs. Vance said in a frail voice.”
Similar words: weak, delicate, fragile.
Example sentence: The old man was too frail to carry his own luggage.

Indignantly
Meaning: feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment.
From the story: “I am not an old fool, Inspector!’ she replied indignantly.”
Similar words: angrily, resentfully, huffily.
Example sentence: “That’s not fair!” he said indignantly when he was accused of cheating.

Eccentrically
Meaning: in a way that is unconventional, strange, or slightly odd.
From the story: “Mrs. Vance had a reputation for being eccentrically wealthy but sharp-witted.”
Similar words: unusually, strangely, oddly.
Example sentence: The artist dressed eccentrically, often wearing a bright purple suit and a top hat.

Witted
Meaning: having a particular kind of intelligence or wit. It is often used as part of a compound word, like “sharp-witted.”
From the story: “Mrs. Vance had a reputation for being eccentrically wealthy but sharp-witted.”
Similar words: clever, intelligent, smart.
Example sentence: The detective was quick-witted and solved the puzzle in minutes.

Conscience
Meaning: an inner feeling or voice acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behaviour. The title of the story is “A Matter of Conscience.”
From the story: This word is not in the body of the story, but it is in the title, which suggests that Detective Finch’s sense of right and wrong guides his actions, and that Mrs. Vance’s mistake weighs on her conscience.
Similar words: morality, scruples, integrity.
Example sentence: After he took the money, his conscience bothered him so much that he returned it.

Story written by Gemini Pro AI.

Image created by 1min.ai.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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