Learning English

Narrator
Welcome to Inspector Stone, the case of the missing ring, brought to you by BBC Learning English. Episode 2 - The Ring. In this episode, you will practise listening for specific information in English. Let the show begin. 

(Sound of slowly dripping water, lots of echo, spooky creaking noises)

Inspector
(Thinking) Yes... The case of the missing ring. A very, very difficult case.  A wedding ring worth £5,000 goes missing just 3 hours before the wedding. After my first enquiries I knew that... this was clearly a job for a very experienced detective. But, first of all, I had a very important job to do.

Best man
(Calling from a distance) Inspector? Are you OK?

Inspector
(Thinking) Oh no! What does he want? I need more time - quick...

(Shouting) Err, yes, I'm just coming. Can I have a cup of tea?

Best man
Tea?! Oh, OK.

Inspector
(Groan... Grunt...) That's better.

(Thinking) Now I was ready to continue my investigation. I had one important question: which guest saw the ring last? I needed to ask all the wedding guests and if anybody's story was different... ha!! I decided to start with the most difficult person first, the mother of the bride.

(Sound of door opening and closing)

Inspector
A word, madam.

Bride's mother
May I help you, Inspector?

Inspector
(Thinking) Just as I thought: she was being difficult.

Yes, when did you... (He's given a cup of tea) Oh, bride, tea, lovely, thank you.

Bride's mother
Inspector!

Inspector
When did you last see the ring?

Bride's mother
Inspector. I am the mother of the bride. So, of course, I was arranging the flowers on the suits of the groom and the best man - I am an expert in the art of flowers you know.

Inspector
(Thinking) Really, flower arranging, how very interesting... Hmm... Which flowers was she arranging and... Who bought the flowers?

Did you see the ring?

Bride's mother
Of course I saw the ring Inspector! The best man kept it in his jacket pocket. He showed it to the groom. It was in a small red plastic box. 

Inspector
(Thinking) She really was a very difficult woman... But through hard work and patience, I got the information I needed. The best man kept the ring in a small red plastic box in his jacket pocket... But who took the ring out of the box? Was her story true? It was time to talk to the groom.

And you?! When did you last see the ring?

Groom
Me Inspector?? Well, err... Well... let me think, I was talking to the best man. He showed me the ring. It was in a small blue plastic box, which he kept in his jacket pocket.

Inspector
(Thinking) Hmmm. Very interesting. But what did the bride see?

You!! Bride. When did you last see the ring?

Bride
(Sobbing) I was fixing my hair and my mother was fixing the flowers for the best man and the groom. I saw the best man take a large red plastic box out of his pocket. He opened it and showed my wedding ring to the groom.

Inspector, you will find my ring, won't you??

Inspector
She's still asking difficult questions... And why does she keep crying all the time? Next on my list: the best man.

And you?!!

All
Me?

Inspector
No, not you, you.

All
Me?

Inspector
No... You. Best man.

Best man
(Innocently) Who me?

Inspector
Yes you. When did you last see the ring?

Best man
Ah, well, I was talking to the groom. The ring was in a small red wooden box. I kept it in my jacket pocket. I showed it to the groom. That's the last time I saw it.

Inspector
(Thinking) Just as I thought: another character I can't trust. I knew I had to keep my eyes and ears open. Which guest was lying? I needed a place to think - but I couldn't go back to the bathroom... then I found the solution - the garden.

Each one of these... people had told me their story… But who did I trust? Something was not quite right... What was it??

(Thunderstorm)

Inspector
(Thinking) It came to me suddenly, as if in a dream... But I knew it wasn't a dream. No, all my experience and my excellent detective skills made me realise that each and every one of them had made a mistake in their story. The groom said the box was blue, but everyone else said it was red.  The bride said the box was large, but everyone else said it was small. The best man said the box was wooden, but everyone else said it was made of plastic.

(Thunder)

Inspector
(Thinking) And with that, I had all the evidence I needed but I had one more question: what's happened to the horse?

(Thunder)

Narrator
So what is the truth? Who is the thief? And does anyone know anything at all? Find out next time, when Inspector Stone continues to uncover more vital evidence in the case of the missing ring.