Worth More Than a Sapphire

Chapter 1: The Crime

You were already having a rough day with things the way they were. It was criminally hot, and everyone had just gotten off work, meaning the traffic on both the road and sidewalk was unbearable. Normally, the thick clouds would block out the sun, but it seemed that now they only functioned to trap in humidity. You sighed, looking out the window. You couldn't hide out in the cafe all day, you had places to be. One more sip of your drink, and your excuse for shelter would be gone. Well, you thought, things are going to get worse before they get better. Might as well...

You froze, mid-rise from your chair. Out the window, you saw a face you'd become all too familiar with from TV.

It wasn't easy to tell right away. He was bent down by a vent on the sidewalk, diagonal from your direct line of sight. Where the army of pedestrians hid the man from the street, he was completely in view from where you sat. The man was wearing a fluffy fur coat a little too big for him, and had round sunglasses covering half his face. He honestly looked relatively unsuspecting... until you remembered nobody had donned sideburns like that for the past 50 years.

When he grinned, your heart hit the floor with a sickening splat. They say the eyes are the windows to a soul, but not for Lupin the 3rd, it's definitely his smile.

You didn't even breathe too heavily. You knew he was by no means a dangerous criminal, but he was also no petty thief, and he wouldn't mind "accidentally" dragging you off somewhere far away. You'd heard lots of stories about how Lupin's favorite treasure to take was a heart, and you just didn't have time for something like that right now. You quietly mulled over what to do-- drawing attention to him would only allow him to leave in the panic, but another option was to just let this play out and see where it went. Why would someone like him be crouched next to a building's exhaust vent? You sat straighter to increase your view, and watched.

He tapped his fingers on the ground impatiently, and you saw his cheeks puff out a little. You could almost hear his short "Hmph"s at having to wait. Then, his expression turned to delight as something bounced down to the vent, glinting from the peaks of sunlight traveling through the cover. He shifted his body closer to the vent, hiding it better thanks to the coat, but it was still very obvious what he was doing, as the sun also reflected a telltale glint off the small screwdriver he held. He set down the vent plate on the concrete beside him quickly but softly. He remained in front of the opening, grabbing the shiny object, then returned the plate to its home. Just like that, he stood, sporting that ear-to-ear grin again, and walked off, blending into the hasty crowds.

You were speechless. What could be said? It didn't matter though, as within five minutes, a store further down the street sounded an alarm. The droves of people seemed uneasy now, and retreated to their homes and bus stops much faster. You didn't even think that was possible.

You clutched your now-empty cup in confusion, more than anything else. You weren't scared, as he didn't even know you saw him, and you had nothing to do with the crime, but you were still a little panicked. Seeing such events transpire outside a window made them feel unreal, like a movie or a projection onto the glass. And yet, the sound of blaring police sirens outside reminded you it was real.

Oh God. The police.

That posed more of a threat. What would happen if they somehow found out you had seen the caper go down, and hadn't reported it to them? But what if you snitching only proved to make things worse?

Even though the police cars had passed, the task force was making their way back up the street, most likely tracking the flow of the heist. Going through shared vents of the street shops... a little creative, but you expected something a bit grander from a world-famous thief. Maybe it was an off day for him, too.