While
@Eugene and
@Nace were examining the trap, Joseph seized the opportunity to give the Junior Detectives a brief lesson.
"There's a reason I asked each of you to think about why a thief steals; the purpose was not to find the perfect answer but rather to get everyone to think.
The worst thing you can do as an agent or detective is to simply charge into a case without looking through all the facts carefully. Always take the time to do your research and make sure you know who or what you are up against.
Every detail and location in a case tells us something about who we're up against."
Pausing, Joseph turned to look at
@Zack.
"Zack, remember what you asked earlier? Why would a thief steal the dolls? That was a good question, but you should have followed up on that line of thought."
Making a point to look at each junior detective, he continued.
"Let's do just that right now together, shall we?
The object a thief steals may not point to his gender but it does tell us how the thief plans to earn money from the theft. This in itself also tells us what kind of thieve we're likely to be facing.
When a thief steals money, jewels and gold, it's obvious the item of theft itself is where he will make a profit; this type of theft is typical of amateurs and bank robber, both of which are quick to draw weapons and desperate to not get caught.
If the stolen item is something that is considered valuable, say a painting, statue, etc., then it is possible that he plans to sell it for a profit. In this case it is the difficulty of the heist that will tell us whether the thief was more likely to be an amateur or a professional.
However, when the item in question seems to be innocuous and worthless, it is a sure sign that we're dealing with a professional or a group of professionals, one that has been hired to retrieve or acquire an item for a price."
Gesturing to the location he continued,
"This place is deserted and out of the way; there are no amenities and long distance travel by either air or land is required to reach here.
It is an inconvenient and impractical place for a hideout of any sort; ergo, it is more likely to be meeting point or drop-off location specified by the employer of said thieve(s).
There is no gas station or possible refueling place nearby so most likely they took a helicopter rather than drive here.
Also, we can infer that either the thief or most likely the employer is financially well-off; helicopters don't come cheap.
Why then hire someone to steal dolls that you can easily afford? Most likely because those aren't ordinary dolls; it should tip us off that we need to be taking a real close look at what makes this particular set of dolls special."
Turning to look at the booby trap, he added.
"You don't trap the front door unless you don't plan to return. They're probably long gone by now.
They also laid a trap when they knew law enforcement was closing in; either the thief or the employer doesn't mind killing cops. This tells us we're dealing with ruthless people, and that whatever was special about those dolls was valuable enough to kill for."
As he spoke his next words, Joseph made sure to look each JD in the eyes.
"It should be apparent now that a lot can be gleaned from seemingly insignificant details. A wise detective always keeps his or her senses open and sharp.
The tiniest detail can be the difference between success or failure, victory or defeat; and in the worst cases, life or death.
Keep thinking, keep learning, keep sensing."
