Episode 2: The Mystery of the Vanishing Violin (The Misadventures of Felix Bright and Dr. Moira Keys)

The Setup

It began as a seemingly ordinary Tuesday, with Felix Bright engrossed in a game of chess against himself and Dr. Moira Keys knee-deep in overdue paperwork. The peace shattered when the door to their office flew open, and in stumbled a lanky, bespectacled man clutching a violin case like it was his lifeline.

“My violin!” the man gasped, collapsing onto a chair. “It’s gone!”

Felix’s eyes lit up. “A stolen violin? Marvelous! Was it snatched during a daring heist? Perhaps by a masked villain wielding a grappling hook?”

The man blinked. “Uh... no. I left it in my practice room at the conservatory, locked the door, and when I came back—poof—it was gone!”

Moira leaned forward. “Start with your name, please.”

“Oh! Right. I’m Rupert Vandergrove,” he stammered. “The violin was an Amati, worth—”

“An Amati?” Felix interrupted, nearly spilling his tea. “One of the most exquisite violins ever crafted? This is no ordinary theft, Moira. This is art crime!”

Moira rolled her eyes. “It’s a missing instrument, Felix. Let’s not invite Netflix to make a documentary just yet.”

The Investigation

The duo arrived at the Mayfair Conservatory of Music, a sprawling building filled with melodies and the occasional screech of a violin student discovering vibrato for the first time.

Rupert led them to his practice room, a cramped space with music stands, scattered sheet music, and an alarming number of coffee cups.

“Locked door, no sign of forced entry,” Felix mused, tapping the lock with his magnifying glass. “Curious.”

Moira examined the window. “It’s open, but the fire escape below doesn’t look disturbed. Either the thief had wings, or they’re very, very good.”

Rupert wrung his hands. “I’m ruined if I can’t find that violin! I have a recital tomorrow!”

“Fear not, young maestro,” Felix declared. “We’ll find your precious Amati, even if we have to interrogate every musician in this building!”

Moira raised an eyebrow. “Let’s start with the security footage, Sherlock.”

The Suspects

The conservatory’s security officer, a surly man named Gus, reluctantly handed over grainy footage from the hallway outside Rupert’s practice room.

“There!” Felix exclaimed, pointing to the screen. “A figure in a long coat and hat, carrying a violin case. The thief in action!”

“That’s not a thief,” Gus grumbled. “That’s Professor Appleby. He’s always lugging cases around. Probably borrowing it for a lecture.”

“Professor Appleby?” Moira asked.

“The eccentric head of the string department,” Gus replied. “He’s harmless... mostly.”

Felix and Moira tracked down Appleby in the conservatory’s library, surrounded by towering stacks of music theory books.

“Professor,” Felix began, “might we ask if you recently borrowed a violin from a certain practice room?”

Appleby adjusted his glasses. “Borrow? Good heavens, no! I’ve plenty of instruments of my own.”

“What about this morning?” Moira pressed.

“I was in my office all morning, preparing for my lecture on the tonal subtleties of Baroque pizzicato,” Appleby said, looking affronted.

Felix stroked his chin. “If not you, then who? The plot thickens.”

The Breakthrough

Back at the practice room, Felix paced dramatically. “A locked room, a missing violin, and no sign of forced entry. What are we missing?”

Moira sat on the desk, her gaze drifting to the scattered sheet music. One page caught her attention—an elaborate solo titled The Phantom Fugue.

“Rupert,” she called, holding up the sheet, “what’s this?”

Rupert squinted. “That? Oh, it’s part of the recital. I left it here this morning.”

Moira frowned. “Then why does it smell like... lavender?”

Felix’s eyes lit up. “Lavender, you say? A scent most peculiar!”

Following the faint smell, they discovered a trail of lavender-scented powder leading to the janitor’s closet. Inside, perched innocently atop a stack of cleaning supplies, was the missing violin.

The Reveal

Moments later, Gus the security officer arrived, looking sheepish. “Ah... looks like that’s where it ended up.”

“Care to explain?” Felix asked, crossing his arms.

“Well,” Gus admitted, “I saw the violin lying out in the practice room this morning. Thought it might get stolen, so I put it somewhere safe. Forgot to leave a note.”

Moira stared at him. “You hid a priceless Amati in a janitor’s closet?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” Gus mumbled.

Felix grinned. “A twist ending! The violin was never stolen—it was overprotected!”

The Wrap-Up

With the violin safely returned to Rupert, Felix and Moira shared a laugh back at their office.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Moira said.

“Nonsense!” Felix replied. “It had all the elements of a classic mystery: intrigue, red herrings, and an overzealous security guard. What more could we ask for?”

“How about a case that doesn’t involve me climbing through windows next time?”

Felix sipped his tea. “Ah, Moira, where’s the adventure in that?”