Carol, Alex, Alie, and Sally are four best friends. They go to the same school in Valencia, Spain. They do everything together: study, play, and do sports.
At their school, there is a very famous painting. The painting is called Old Woman Frying Eggs by Diego Velázquez. It is very old and very important. The painting is priceless. It is worth millions of euros.
The Painting Disappears
One morning, the students arrive at school. Everyone is shocked. The painting is gone.
The teachers call the police. The students whisper and worry. Someone says, “Maybe it was The Thief of the Night,” a policeman says.
The Thief of the Night is very famous. No one knows his real name. No one has ever seen his face. He steals famous paintings and diamonds.
The four friends decide to investigate. They love the painting and want to see it again in their school
A Suspicious Cook
Carol thinks carefully. “Who works near the painting?” she asks.
“The cafeteria is close to where the painting was,” Alex
answers.
Alie nods.
“The cook works late,” Carol says.
Sally says, “His name is Santo.”
Santo is quiet. He never talks to anyone in the cafeteria. He
works at night.
He wears expensive watches and rings. Why does he have so much money? The girls
feel something is wrong.
A Short History of Diego Velázquez
Before they continue, their art teacher tells them more about Velázquez.
Diego Velázquez was born in Sevilla in 1599. He was a very
talented painter.
He painted real people and real life. Later, he moved to Madrid. He worked for
King Philip IV. He painted the king and the royal family.
Velázquez loved light and shadow. His most famous painting is Las Meninas. It is in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
The stolen painting is also very important. The police must find it.
Following Santo
After school one day, the four friends follow Santo. They are quiet and careful. Santo has a big package under his arm.
Many blocks from their school, they see Santo meet another man. He shows him the painting. The man is a fence — someone who buys stolen art. Sally calls the police.
Suddenly, police cars arrive. The police arrest Santo.
“The Thief of the Night is Santo!” everyone says.
A Big Reward
There is a big reward. Five millions euros!
The police thank the girls. They give them the reward.
“What will we do with the money?” Carol asks.
“We should have a party for the whole school,” Alex says.
“Great idea!” Sally answers.
Alie smiles and nods. They all agree.
The Best Party Ever
The school party is enormous. There is music, games, and laughter. There is a lot of food. Of course, they cook two big paellas because this is Valencia. Everyone is happy.
After the party, the girls still have a lot of money.
“What will we do with all this money?” Alex asks.
“I want to buy Lego. It’s very expensive,” Sally says.
The girls are heroes — and best friends forever.