The Tale of Three Servants

“Well, who was it?” the master asked desperately.

The detective pointed a single curved claw back at the master and said, “It was you.”

Astonished, the master replied “That’s completely absurd – a horrible accusation! What possible reason could there be for me to harm the youngest servant?”

“Money,” replied the detective, calmly. “The banker told me you owed his institution five million dollars, and you didn’t have the money.”

The master sputtered, “That’s preposterous. I have tens of millions of dollars just in my house vault downstairs – not that I’ll be showing that money to you. So, why would I possibly need the measly sum of money the youngest servant had?”

The oldest servant chimed in. “Yeah, it makes no sense. The youngest servant was as poor as dirt – and almost as poor as me.”

“And me,” replied the second servant.

“Incorrect,” the detective snapped. “The youngest servant’s investment in the dairy farm was worth close to six million dollars.” He showed the assembled gators the compounding app on his phone.

“That can’t be,” said the oldest servant in disbelief.

“Impossible,” said the second servant.

“He only invested a few dollars a year,” said the oldest servant. “How could he have that much money now?”

“He couldn’t. It’s a lie,” said the master, dismissively.

The banker stepped forward, eyeing the master cautiously now, and said, “It’s not a lie at all. It’s the miracle of compounding. Even a few dollars invested at high rates for long periods of time can turn into a fortune.”

The detected stepped closer to the master and said, “You know what I think? I think your wife was the one with money. But when she died, her wealthy father cut you off. That’s why your house and grounds have deteriorated over the years. And that’s why your clothes are in such poor condition. The simple fact is that your money ran out.”