Stealing Shakespeare – Part Two
The next day, Ben walked several blocks from his neighborhood to wait for the bus. He did not forget the rare Folio and carefully placed it among his other books before leaving home. When he got to school, he took out the Folio and carefully put it in his locker.
As the daylight hours progressed, Ben looked forward to Mr. Leaf’s literature class to show him his rare edition. Just before walking to his class, Ben opened his locker safe and took out the book, placing it in his bag. He got to class early for a change. Then slowly he took out the Folio. As soon as Ben set it down on his desk, Leaf saw it immediately and his eyes widened as he carefully turned the pages. He began to lick his lips as foam began to form around his mouth. He looked at Ben with wide eyes.
He then asked, “Where did you get this book?” “I got it from my father’s office in the Yale library.” “Can I?”
Ben hesitated, but agreed.
Mr. Leaf picked it up and examined it carefully, turning its old pages. “Where exactly does your father work at the Yale library?” “In the department of rare manuscripts”. A girl with short hair asked, “What’s up, Mr. Leaf?”
“Class, Ben brought this extremely old book with all of Shakespeare’s plays. It is dated 1623, seven years after his death. It is one of the first of his plays to be printed. Ben got it from his father’s office at the Yale University Library.
Some gasps were heard from the class. A big boy who was part of the soccer team asked, “Is he worth a lot?”
Mr. Leaf smiled slowly. “Not worth much. A lot of these were printed.” No, this copy is worth millions! Leaf thought to himself. “Ben, can I keep this just for today? I promise I’ll return it tomorrow.” But, Leaf had no intention of returning it to him; he had already decided to steal it and leave New Haven.
Ben dropped out of school after his last period and took the bus to the Yale Library.
As soon as he entered his father’s office, he saw his father with two guards.
Joe stormed out of the office door and yelled, “Ben, where is it?!!!!…the Folio!” Ben got so scared that he muttered, “I… I… took him to school.” “You better have it with you!” His head dipped, staring at the ground. “No sir.” “What did you do with it?” Joe yelled. “I’m letting you borrow Mr. Leaf.” “George Leaf… Your literature teacher?”
The security team entered Leaf’s name into their computers, searching for him. One of the guards, a young man, located him as Ben’s teacher in high school. In addition, he searched through police data showing that “George Leaf” was not his real name; it was “Richard V. Winchester.” Furthermore, the analysis revealed that he was under investigation for stealing rare works of art and even books. The guard called the police and told them about the robbery. He directed them to go to his office at the school.
At the same time, Leaf was finishing some paperwork in her classroom. Police were several blocks away when three members of the soccer team entered the room. Leaf knew they were here because of the book, but she pretended he hadn’t seen them. She couldn’t believe that word had spread so quickly. “Where is that cute book?” one of them asked in a harsh tone. “We want that expensive book!” said another player. Leaf cursed under his breath that he shouldn’t have told his class about the Folio.
Dammit! Now everyone knows! he thought she.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said nervously. “Oh you won’t! Give it to us and we’ll go,” the teen thug said as he pulled out a switchblade.
At the same time, the policemen quietly entered the school with their weapons raised. They scattered looking for Leaf. Two officers walked down a hallway and heard some large students threatening Leaf. “Give us the book and we won’t hurt you!” With the players’ backs turned, the officers leaned their guns in and pointed directly at the soccer players. “Freeze! Put your arms in the air!!”
Before the hour was up, Richard Winchester had already been arrested; he had his hands cuffed behind his back and he had been granted his rights. Then Ben and his father came in. Joe saw the rare Folio resting on the instructor’s table and examined it carefully, making sure no damage had been done to it. It seemed to be in the same condition and Joe immediately put in a special briefcase that secured and preserved valuable books.
“Ben, don’t touch anything in my library again! I don’t want to lose my new job! I may already be in danger. The library is closed, but security will report it.” Ben was embarrassed and wanted to cry, but his father was so relieved to get his new addition from Yale back that he wasn’t so mad at Ben at the moment. Joe’s only thought was, “All’s well that ends well.”
