Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen: The Night Robber

With a thousand dollars advanced by Conrad Morgan, Tracy bought two wigs—a blond one, a black one, and lots of thin braids.She bought a dark-blue traveling suit and a black overalls jumpsuit, and a knock-off Gucci suitcase from a Lexington Street vendor.So far so good.As Morgan had vouched for, Tracy received an envelope containing a driver's license signed "Eileen Branch," a diagram of the alarm system at Bellamy's house, the number for the bedroom safe, and a Private train tickets to St. Louis.Tracy packed her simple packing and left the hotel.I'll never live in a place like this again, Tracy said to herself.She rented a car and drove in the direction of Long Island.She is going to steal.

What she was doing was dreamlike and she was terrified.What if you get caught?Is it worth taking such a big risk? It couldn't be easier, says Conrad Morgan. If he is not sure he will not do this kind of thing, he wants to protect his reputation.I also want to protect my reputation.Tracy thought poignantly: My reputation is too bad.Every time someone drops a gem, I'm a suspect until proven innocent. Tracy knew in her heart that she was trying to mobilize the grievances in her heart, trying to prepare herself psychologically for the crime.But this method does not work.When the car drove to Haiya Town, she was so nervous that she was about to collapse.She nearly drove the car out of the driveway both times.Maybe the police will stop me for "reckless driving," she thought hopefully, and I'll be able to tell Mr. Morgan that something went wrong.

But there was no police car on the road.Well, Tracy thought with disgust, the police aren't always there when you need them. She followed Conrad Morgan's instructions and headed for Long Island Sound.The house was right by the sea, and it was a Victorian mansion called Amberth Cottage.You will never miss it. Better not find it, Tracy prayed. But the mansion was just ahead, rising out of the darkness like a magic palace seen in a nightmare.The house seemed empty.The servants ran away on weekends, Tracy thought angrily, they should all be fired. She hid the car behind a row of tall willows, turned off the engine, and listened to the chirping of insects at night.There was no other sound.The mansion was not far from the main road, which was clear at this time of night.

There are trees all around the house, dear.The nearest neighbor is also a mile away, so don't worry about being seen.There is a patrol at ten o'clock.Next time at two in the morning, you'll be out of there long ago. Tracy looked at her watch. Eleven o'clock.The first patrol has passed, and the next patrol is three hours away.Yet it only takes her three seconds to turn the car around and drive back to New York, forgetting about this whimsical folly.But what are you going back to New York for?She couldn't help thinking of those past events.The sales manager at Saks said, "I'm sorry, Miss Whitney. We can't offend our customers..."

"I advise you not to get a job working with computers...they will never hire someone with a criminal record..." "Just spend an hour or two and you'll net twenty-five thousand dollars, tax-free. You don't have to worry about her, she's a horrible woman." what am i doingTracy thought.I am not a thief.Not a real thief.I'm just a stupid thief who plays tickets temporarily, and I get timid when I go on stage. If I still have a semblance of reason, I should leave here. It is still too late.In order to avoid being discovered by the "special forces", a burst of random gunshots beat me all over the body and carried me to the morgue.One can imagine the headline in the newspaper: "Attempted burglary, burglar shot dead on the spot".

Who will cry for her?Ernestine and Airy.Tracy looked at her watch: My God!She sat there thinking wildly for twenty minutes.If you really want to do it, you should do it now. She couldn't move, she was frozen with fear.I can't sit here forever, she said to herself.Why don't you go into the mansion to take a look, go and come back quickly. Tracy took a deep breath and got out of the car.She was wearing black overalls and her knees were shaking. She walked slowly towards the mansion, and it could be seen that the mansion was completely dark. Remember to wear gloves. Tracy reached into her pocket, pulled out a pair of gloves, and put them on.God, I'm on the move, she thought.Really started to do this kind of thing.All she could hear was the beating heartbeat, which was so loud that it drowned out all the surrounding sounds.

The siren is on the left side of the gate and has five buttons.The red light will come on to indicate that the siren is on.The code to turn off the siren is "3-2-4-1-1".If the red light goes off, the siren is off.This is the key to the gate. After entering the door, you must take the door with you and use this flashlight.Do not turn on any lights in the house, so as not to be seen by people driving by.The hostess' bedroom is upstairs, to your left, facing the bay.The safe is behind a portrait of Lois Bellamy.It is a very simple safe, you only need to press this code to unlock it.

Tracy stood still and trembling, ready to run away at the slightest sound.There was silence all around.She slowly stretched out her hand to press the siren buttons in order, praying secretly in her heart: it would be best if this set had no effect.The red light went out.Once you take the next step, you can't take it back.She remembered a lingo among pilots: This is a step of no return. Tracy put the key in the lock, and the door swung open.She waited a full minute before walking in the door.She stood listening in the hall, not daring to move, every nerve in her body throbbing violently.There was silence in the empty room.She took out the flashlight, turned it on, and illuminated the stairs.She walked forward, up the stairs.The only thought now is to get things done as quickly as possible and escape.

The hallway upstairs looked eerie in the flashlight, and the flickering of the beam made the walls fluctuate.Tracy looked in the rooms as she passed: all were empty. At the end of the passage was the mistress' bedroom, facing the bay, just as Mr. Morgan said.The bedroom was beautiful in shades of dusky pink, with a canopied bed and a chest of drawers with pink roses.There were two loveseats, a fireplace, and a dining table in front of it.I almost lived in a house like this, with Charles and our kids, Tracy thought. She went to the picture window and looked out at the ships moored in the far bay.God, tell me why you let Lois Bellamy live in such a beautiful house and I come here to be a thief?Why, girl, she said to herself, don't think too much.This is a once in a lifetime thing, and it's about to end.But if you stand here without moving, you will never end.

She walked away from the window and walked over to the portrait Morgan had mentioned.Lois Bellamy looked fierce and proud.Yes, she does look like a hateful woman.The portrait was removed from the wall to reveal a small safe.Tracy remembered the combination for the built-in lock.Turn right three times and stop at 42; turn left two times and stop at 10; turn right once and stop at 30.Her hands shook so badly that she had to do it all over again.She heard a click, and the cabinet door opened. The safe was full of thick envelopes and papers, but Tracy ignored them.There is a suede jewelry pouch on a small shelf at the far end of the cabinet.Tracy reached for the suede bag and took it off the shelf.At this moment, the siren sounded.It was the loudest sound Tracy had ever heard in her life, and it seemed to echo from every corner of the house into a high-pitched siren.Tracy stood there, transfixed.

What happened?Didn't Conrad Morgan know that picking up the jewelry bag would trigger the alarm switch in the safe? She must leave immediately.She stuffed the suede bag into her pocket and ran for the stairs.At this time, in addition to the siren, she heard another sound-the siren of an approaching police car.Tracy stood at the foot of the stairs, her heart pounding and her mouth dry.She ran to the window, raised the curtain and looked out.A black and white patrol car parked at the gate.Tracy saw a uniformed policeman run to the back of the house, and another policeman approached the door.Can't escape.The alarm bell went on and on, and suddenly changed to the mournful bell of the women's prison in South Louisiana. No!Tracy thought.I must not let them send me back. The bell at the front door rang hastily. Constable Melvin Durkin served the Sea Cliff Police Department for ten years.Sea Cliffs was a quiet town, and the police department mostly dealt with vandalism, a few car thefts, and the occasional Saturday night drunk.The bellamy mansion siren went off, an event of a different nature.It was this type of crime that Officer Durkin came to be a cop for.He knew Lois Bellamy and what a valuable collection of pictures and jewels she owned.Officer Durkin must have been patrolling the house from time to time when she was away, because it was the prey of burglars.This time, thought Inspector Durkin, I've hit it once.When the automatic control system of the security equipment company sent out a signal, his car was only two streets away from the mansion.It would be nice to have this on my resume.Did not say. Officer Durkin rang the doorbell again.He wished he could write down the report later that he had rang the bell three times before breaking in.His companions guarded the back door, and the thieves had nowhere to escape.The thief may be hiding in the house, but he's coming for a surprise attack.No one could escape Melvin Durkin's eye. When the police officer reached out to ring the bell for the third time, the door suddenly opened.The officer stood and watched.A woman stood at the door, wearing a very thin nightgown, so thin that it could hardly cover anything.Her face was covered with beauty pomade, and her hair was tucked into a beanie. "What happened?" she asked. Officer Durkin swallowed. "I... who are you?" "I'm Eileen Branch. I'm Lois Bellamy's guest. She's gone to Europe." "I know that." The police officer was a little confused. "She never told us she had a guest." The woman at the door nodded knowingly and said, "Lois really hasn't changed her temper at all. I'm sorry, this sound is too loud." Under the watchful eye of Officer Durkin.Lois Bellamy's guests reached out and pressed the siren buttons one by one, and the bell was silenced. "That's better." She sighed. "It's great to see you." Her laugh trembled. "I was about to go to bed when the alarm rang. There must have been a thief in the house. I was alone in the whole building. The servants left at noon." "Shall we go in and have a look?" "Of course, very welcome!" It took only a few minutes for the police officer and his partner to ascertain that there was no villain hiding in the mansion. "Got it," said Sergeant Durkin. "False alarm. Something knocked the siren off. Electronics are always going to go wrong. Should have called the security company and got them to come check it out." Check the alarm system here." "I'll definitely call them." "Okay, let's go," said the officer. "Thank you so much, I feel much safer now." She's a pretty dainty figure, Sergeant Durkin thought.If she washes off the beauty cream and removes the hair care cap, I don't know what kind of charm it will have. "Have you lived here long, Miss Blanche?" "Another week or two until Lois comes back." "If you need my help, just ask." "thanks." Tracy watched the police car drive into the night.After the danger was lifted, she felt her body go weak for a while.When the car was gone, she hurried upstairs, washed off the beauty cream she had found in the bathroom and smeared on her face, took off Lois Bellamy's hair cap and nightgown, and changed into her own black overalls , walked out the gate, and carefully reset the siren. Halfway through the drive back to Manhattan, Tracy realized she had done something audacious.Tracy giggled at first, then shook so much that she couldn't help it, and had to pull over to the side of the road.She laughed until tears flowed down her cheeks.It was the first time in a year that she laughed like this, and she laughed really hard.