Detective Clara Rose walked into the silent gallery. A priceless painting had vanished overnight, and everyone was pointing fingers.
The curator, pale and nervous, said, “It was locked up last night, I swear. But this morning, it was gone. Just vanished into thin air.”
Clara raised an eyebrow. “Things don’t just disappear.”
She talked to the staff. The security guard said he was on break for ten minutes tops, but Clara wasn’t buying it. His story sounded too fishy.
Back in her office, Clara reviewed the footage. There was a glitch — ten minutes of blank screen.
“Well, well,” she whispered. “Somebody knew exactly when to strike.”
She went back to the gallery, and calmly said, “Let’s cut to the chase. Either someone inside helped, or you’ve got a ghost.”
The guard cracked. “Alright! I got paid to look the other way. I didn’t steal it, I just opened the back door.”
“Bingo,” Clara muttered. “Case closed.”
Idioms Used in the Story
1. Vanish into thin air
Meaning: To disappear completely without a trace.
Examples:
- My keys vanished into thin air.
- The criminal vanished into thin air before the police arrived.
2. Fishy
Meaning: Suspicious or not quite right.
Examples:
- His explanation sounded fishy to me.
- There’s something fishy about this deal.
3. Cut to the chase
Meaning: To get to the point without wasting time.
Examples:
- Let’s cut to the chase — are you quitting or not?
- Stop rambling and cut to the chase.
4. Look the other way
Meaning: To ignore something wrong or illegal.
Examples:
- The teacher looked the other way when they cheated.
- He looked the other way while the rules were broken.
5. Case closed
Meaning: Said when a mystery or problem is solved.
Examples:
- We found the missing file. Case closed.
- Once she confessed, it was case closed.
