Unraveling the Mystery of the Missing Roll and Other Oddities
“Denis, did you happen to take the chocolate roll?” she asked with a hint of curiosity.
“No, you said it was meant for treating the girls at your work. I didn’t touch it,” the husband responded from the bathroom doorway.
Nika had spent nearly thirty minutes searching throughout the kitchen, unable to locate the roll she had bought the previous evening.
“That’s exactly the problem. I intended to bring it to work, but left it at home this morning—and now I can’t find it anywhere,” she explained, looking perplexed at the open cupboards.
“Perhaps you took it after all?” Denis wondered aloud, glancing into the cupboard himself.
“I’m certain I left it on the table when I left, fully aware of it. Yet, it’s vanished,” she insisted, glancing over the empty dining surface.
Both glanced at the dining table, which was completely bare.
“That settles it! We’ve been robbed,” Denis joked, smirking at his wife. “We should call the police immediately, find witnesses, and inventory what’s missing.”
“You’re kidding!” Nika grumbled, patting her husband’s shoulder. Working in the police herself, she had already checked and confirmed that nothing else was absent.
“I know!” Denis exclaimed enthusiastically. “Carlson’s the culprit—the one living on the roof!”
Nika smiled at the playful accusation.
“Then maybe I looked in the wrong spots. We should count the cookies and jam jars in the cupboard!”
They shared a laugh and soon forgot about the mysterious disappearance of the roll.
“Denis, you have some nerve! I used that bubble bath foam myself, yet you consume it like water!” Nika complained one evening. “Besides, it smells feminine. If you want foam, just ask, and I’ll get you your own bottle.”
“I swear I’ve never used your foam. Besides, I mostly take showers, so why would I need it?” Denis responded.
“Then why is it disappearing? I used to get months’ worth from one bottle; now it doesn’t last a month, even though I’ve only had about five baths with it,” she said, puzzled.
“It must be the house spirit playing tricks,” Denis declared, embracing his wife.
“Denis, that’s not funny,” Nika replied sternly. “Ever since the roll incident, I’ve noticed other strange occurrences. I leave the kitchen glasses arranged one way, but when I return, they’re all rearranged. And groceries seem to vanish faster than usual.”
“I told you, it’s the house spirit messing around,” Denis said, less confidently now as he realized his wife’s concern was genuine.
“Also, for an entire week, I couldn’t find my chiffon scarf and the gold diamond earrings you gifted me on our anniversary. I checked the jewelry box daily—they were missing. Then, last night, I opened the box and they were back in their place! How do you explain that?”
“And you found the scarf too?” Denis asked, bewildered.
“Yes! It wasn’t where it normally is—it was hanging on the coat rack in the hallway,” Nika said triumphantly.
“I honestly don’t know what to say. This doesn’t seem like the work of thieves,” Denis remarked, shaking his head.
“Exactly my point!” Nika exclaimed victoriously.
“Denis, let’s go to the movies tonight,” Nika said, juggling her phone and purse as she searched for her keys.
“Did they let you leave work early?” Denis asked happily.
“Yes, the boss relented, letting me leave early in recognition of the festive overtime,” she answered.
“Okay, I’m on my way home now. Meanwhile, boil the kettle,” he instructed before hanging up.
“Here they are!” Nika exclaimed, finally retrieving her keychain.
She hurried upstairs, mentally planning the tasks she needed to finish before Denis returned.
As Nika opened the door, she abruptly stopped. The unmistakable feeling of someone else’s presence filled the apartment, though her husband was still at work—it couldn’t be anyone else.
“Could burglars be inside?” she wondered anxiously.
She carefully examined the lock; it showed no signs of forced entry.
“Strange. Why would an intruder have our keys? I’m sure I locked the door,” she thought.
Everything inside was neat, with no sign of disturbance.
Faint water sounds echoed from the bathroom, and the apartment smelled strongly of foam—the very foam that had been mysteriously disappearing. The TV played in the kitchen, and the clinking of dishes was audible. An unwelcome presence was clearly inside.
Quietly removing her shoes, she crept toward the kitchen and peeked carefully around the corner—only to freeze in surprise.
Elena Fedorovna, Denis’s mother and Nika’s mother-in-law, was calmly making tea, surrounded by a vase of cookies and a plate of sandwiches. She seemed so absorbed by the TV that she hadn’t noticed Nika’s approach.
“Hello, Elena Fedorovna,” Nika said boldly, stepping fully into the kitchen.
The older woman let out a startled squeak and abruptly sat down, clutching a plate of sandwiches. Seeing Nika standing firm, she sighed.
“Have you lost your mind? You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Elena complained, waving her arms.
“If you stopped roaming through other people’s kitchens, your heart might fare better,” Nika retorted playfully. “Did they cut the sausage too thick?” she inquired, nodding towards the half-eaten sandwich.
“So, what brings you here?” Nika’s smile vanished as she stared intently.
Elena Fedorovna’s eyes darted anxiously.
“Let me guess—you decided to have a bath and snack,” Nika said knowingly.
“You’ve always been rude. I told Denis not to marry a policewoman—cynical and disrespectful,” the mother-in-law scolded, regaining composure.
“Can we stay on topic? Or I’ll have to use my professional skills on you,” Nika warned.
“Don’t yell. You should thank me,” Elena said sharply. “I saved you from a real burglary.”
“What do you mean? You ate all the good stuff yourself so thieves wouldn’t?” Nika asked, amused.
“Always so sarcastic! But I had a strange feeling today. Passing by your house, I tried the door and found it unlocked…” her mother-in-law explained, glancing at Nika suspiciously.
“I’m certain I locked it,” Nika said, unable to take the story seriously.
“I’m telling the truth. You just have to say something and stop mumbling. How else could I get in? I don’t have a key, so I couldn’t lock it. I decided to wait for you and made tea and filled the bath to pass time,” Elena concluded.
Nika wondered anxiously, “Could I have forgotten to lock the door?”
“Elena Fedorovna, I don’t know what’s come over me. Honestly, I don’t mind the cookies, sandwiches, water, or foam…”
The mother-in-law’s confident tone made Nika question her own memory.
“Perhaps that explains the visits and all the missing items—the foam, roll, earrings, and scarf,” she pondered quietly.
Something wasn’t adding up; there was more to the story Elena Fedorovna wasn’t revealing.
“Nika!”
Her husband’s voice broke her thoughts. It was already dark as they returned from the movies.
“Why have you been so distracted all night? I asked you multiple times about the movie,” Denis asked with concern.
“The movie? It was fine,” she replied, trying to act normal.
“Come on, what’s really going on?” he persisted.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she dodged.
“Tell me, did you lock the front door today?” Nika challenged, looking him in the eye.
He hesitated briefly.
“Yes, remember when you handed me your purse and fiddled with the key, tucking it into the small pocket with a lock?” he recalled.
“Exactly!” She slapped her forehead. “She tricked me. The door was locked! How else could she have entered?”
Denis looked completely baffled.
“Nika, how are you feeling? Let me call you a taxi. When we get home, I’ll make you a hot bath with your favorite foam to help you relax,” he suggested gently.
“Ha-ha-ha. Do you think I’m losing it?”
She recounted the encounter with her mother-in-law earlier that day.
“Water was running, it smelled like my foam. I can’t understand how she got in if I locked the door,” she said skeptically.
“Damn!” Denis cursed, slapping his forehead hard. “I gave her the keys!”
“Why?” Nika asked, surprised.
“About six months ago, we went on vacation, and I gave her the keys to look after the apartment,” Denis explained.
“And you never got them back?”
“I asked, but I guess she forgot,” he shrugged.
“Or maybe she never intended to return them and pretended to ‘visit’ uninvited,” Nika suspected.
“Don’t worry; I’ll get them back tomorrow,” Denis waved off her concerns.
“No, leave them,” Nika stated firmly. “I plan to teach her a lesson!”
A cunning plan formed in Nika’s mind, promising that her mother-in-law would think twice before entering uninvited again.
That evening, Nika installed cameras throughout the apartment, streaming the footage live to her phone. Even at work the next day, she could monitor the apartment remotely.
Instead of going to work the next day, she stayed with a neighbor, Lenka, explaining everything.
“Are you sure you want to teach her such a harsh lesson?” Lenka asked cautiously.
“Absolutely. I warned the guys to be careful,” Nika grumbled. “She’ll remember not to drop by uninvited.”
Lenka shook her head disapprovingly.
“I told my mother and mother-in-law to act respectfully, like visiting their own home. When I visit my mother, I don’t ask to have tea. Why should she ask when visiting me?”
“I don’t hide treats or interfere with tea time, but coming when no one’s home is different!”
Nika stood firm.
Elena Fedorovna didn’t wait long. Confident that she outwitted her daughter-in-law, she came around noon the next day.
She calmly unlocked the door with her key and headed straight to the bathroom, turning on the water.
“So you enjoy my foam, huh? Why not get your own?” Nika grumbled while watching.
“Look, she’s taking the sausage from the fridge,” Lenka exclaimed, eyes wide as they watched.
Oblivious to the surveillance, Elena Fedorovna confidently moved to the bedroom.
“There’s my bracelet! I’d been searching all week,” Nika exclaimed happily. “Now she’s trying to grab my brooch,” she added, narrating the footage.
“Kolyunya, time’s up!” Nika ordered, dialing a number. “Remember, it’s a drill—don’t trash the place, or you’ll clean up,” she told the interlocutor, switching back to the cameras.
Feeling perfectly at home, Elena Fedorovna was pouring tea when three armed men in tactical gear burst into the apartment.
The startled woman sank to the floor as the commander announced, “The alarm panel has been triggered!”
“What alarm? What security?” Elena wailed in confusion.
“You’ve broken into another’s home. You will come with us until we clarify the circumstances and your identity,” the officer declared.
“I’m not going! This is my son’s apartment. He gave me the keys,” she protested, showing the keychain.
“So you do have the keys after all!” Nika exclaimed triumphantly as she entered.
“Was this your doing?” the mother-in-law blushed with frustration.
“I only wanted to catch the thief stealing our sweets and valuables. Who would have expected it was you?”
“So, give back the keys and the bracelet too,” Nika demanded.
“Who needs your bracelet? I was just borrowing it,” grumbled Elena while pulling it from her purse.
“Thanks, guys, you really helped! See you at work,” Nika said, relieved after scaring off the intruder.
“Call us if you need help, Veronica Nikolaevna,” the commander said, departing.
“I always thought you were rude and uneducated,” the mother-in-law snapped.
“Look at you—polite and well-mannered, a model to follow,” Nika retorted.
“By the way, Denis gave me the keys himself. I’ll tell him how you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Elena threatened.
“Denis and I installed an alarm system. Next time you want tea or a bath, do it in your own home,” Nika said firmly.
Elena lowered her gaze and quietly left.
“Son, your wife really outdid herself,” she complained on the phone.
“What did she do?” Denis asked.
“She practically roasted me! I felt like I was having a heart attack,” Elena said.
“Mom, judging by your voice, you’re fine. But lying isn’t good,” Denis chided.
“Oh, you think I’m lying while your wife is brilliant? Do you have a spare mother?”
Elena expected Denis to scold Nika, but he defended his wife instead.
“Well, at least your mother won’t be calling for a month or more,” Denis joked that evening.
“Maybe she’ll think twice next time,” Nika said.
Indeed, Elena Fedorovna refrained from visiting uninvited thereafter, forgetting her secret visits altogether.
Conclusion: This amusing yet insightful story highlights how unresolved household mysteries can sometimes have surprising domestic explanations. The importance of communication, trust, and clear boundaries within family relationships shines through the unusual incidents. Ultimately, honesty, vigilance, and a bit of humor can turn perplexing situations into memorable life lessons.