The Thief and the Pot of Gold

Click! Click! C-l-l-l-ick! That last click took abnormally long. Theo's bad feeling about this job intensified. When the sound alarm created an ear-piercing noise, he pulled open the door of the vault. There was no way that he would leave empty-handed! Alas! The vault was really empty! There was no necklace! The Necklace of Medusa was not nestled on its pillow! 'Damn!' he swore to himself. He gathered his tools neatly and took them back on his working belt. He left the crime scene coolly. While walking to the door, he peeled off his rubber gloves. He removed the black blazer and turned the inside. By the time he was going down the stairs, he was wearing a champagne-colored blazer. He pretended he only got out of the comfort room. "What that noise?" Theo asked in an irritated voice. Of course, the men running up the stairs ignored him! He shrugged innocently and went down the stairs. A side door was left open and he slid into it. A black Bentley was parked there along with the Porsche and the Audi. He chose the nearest to him. Theo had no problem opening the locked door. He had switched on the ignition without the key. He drove the car noiselessly down the driveway. When he reached the highway, he pulled the full throttle of the car. "Dammit! Who got the necklace before me!" he shouted furiously. "If I found out who did it, I'll strangle you like this!" His fingers tightened their hold at the steering wheel. Theo reached an intersection. The Bentley was still zooming. A truck had stopped with difficulty. Several cars bumped against each other. "What's the matter with you!" Arms were wagging outside the windows while they shouted at the fast car. Theo did not stop until he reached his neighborhood. He drove at the end of the street and jogged back to his entrance. He was wearing black turtleneck and black pants. His blazer was abandoned somewhere on the highway. Theo jumped over the fence nimbly and noiselessly. His sharp eyes glanced around the dark corners while he did it. 'Safe!' Agilely, he opened a hole. He held the pole and shot down the tunnel. The hole closed automatically. Its door was disguised as a grassy part of the lawn. When he reached the underground abode, he pulled the small refrigerator from under the desk. He got himself a big bottle of water. Theo was morose when he opened the answering machine. 'Teevee! Where is the necklace?' the garrulous voice of the mobsters demanded bad-temperedly. 'Where is my necklace! The Necklace of Medusaaa!' 'The necklace is gone! I don't know who got there before me!' Theo thought angrily. He switched off the machine. 'Or it is not there in the first place!' He looked around. Hoping to find an inspiration. There were pictures of the necklace pinned on the wall. The different angles showcased the full glory of the Necklace of Medusa. Not that it was owned by Medusa herself! It was named after her because it was inspired by snakes. The eyes of the snakes were different colored diamonds. The glinting bodies of the reptiles were realistic and made of solid gold. 'This is the second time! I won't wait for a third time! This place is bugged!' Theo gathered his few things and placed them on the pockets of his duffle bag. He was always packed. Ready to move anywhere. The first busted job was minor. It was a large pink diamond pendant. The trinket was just visiting the country. The same leader of mobsters had commissioned him. 'Who is wrecking my reputation?' Theo asked himself while checking his mailbox. There were a ton of envelopes. 'Why do people insist on selling things through mail?' He used tongs to hold the mails. He threw them away in the trash can. The box caught his attention. It was shiny and golden with bold black letters on the surface. 'How-to-Take-Out-the-Pot-of-Gold is the name of the game!' 'Absurd! What kind of gimmick is this!' He opened the box suspiciously. A brand-new cellphone emerged from the bed of tissues. He examined the device. He switched it on. When he discovered that it was only a recorder, he chucked it on the overflowing garbage basket. 'Scam!' He shook his head. 'What kind of scam is this!' Theo was collecting the papers. He placed them at the center of the room. He was ready to go out when he heard a voice. "Theo Vincent!" Theo turned his head. He frowned. The voice was disembodied. "Theo Vincent!" Theo looked around slowly. He snatched the cellphone when it vibrated. "Theo Vincent! Theo Vincent! Theo Vincent!" It emitted the ear-splitting shrieks. He tried to stop it by dropping on the floor and breaking by stomping his foot. But, no, it continued to scream. Theo picked it up again. He pressed the button. 'His name is used as a ringing tone!' he realized when the device halted on making noise. "You are invited to an ocean trip in a cruise ship and a two-week stay at a five-star hotel. All expenses paid. All you have to do is meet the requirements!" A robotic female voice recited precisely. 'What? An all-expenses paid vacation! It is too good to be true!' After a few moments, the female voice repeated the message. 'You've got nothing to lose!' His mind argued with his instinct. He was reluctant to accept the invitation... His teeth gnashed when the missive was restated again. His weakness was repetitiveness! "Okay! I'm in! Stop!" Theo breathed deeply and exhaled loudly. "Am I committed?" The device vibrated and started reciting the message again. "I am committed!" He put the cellphone inside his pocket. He used the other entry way. It was an invisible door that opened to a meandering corridor. It was a channel under the ground. When he was halfway, he triggered the switch found in the carved wall. Theo heard the small explosion inside his abode. The fire would not come out because there were sprinklers in the ceiling. The structure above his abode would be undergoing minor detonations. Theo sighed. 'A mountain of cleaning will be waiting for me when I returned from vacation!'