Complete. Use the Past Simple. First Lord Rich and Clueless (finish) finished their game
of chess. Then Lord Rich (telephone) 2 the police.
Next the police (come) 3 to Lord Rich's house and
(ask) 4
a lot of questions. The police, Lord Rich and
Clueless (know) 5 the housekeeper (be) 6 the
thief but they (want) 7 to find the money too. The
housekeeper (be) 8 clever and he (put) 9 the
money in a vase. Finally Clueless (decide) 10 to
leave. He (take) 11 his hat from the housekeeper
but he (knock) 12 the vase on the floor and there
(be) 13
the money. What a great detective!​

First Lord Rich and Clueless finished their game of chess. Then Lord Rich telephoned the police. Next, the police came to Lord Rich's house and asked a lot of questions. The police, Lord Rich, and Clueless knew the housekeeper was the thief, but they wanted to find the money too. The housekeeper was clever and he put the money in a vase. Finally, Clueless decided to leave. He took his hat from the housekeeper, but he knocked the vase on the floor and there was the money. What a great detective!

Explanation:

1. Finished: In the sentence, it is stated that Lord Rich and Clueless completed their game of chess in the past. The action is finished and there is no indication of ongoing or repeated actions, so the past simple tense "finished" is used.

2. Telephone: Lord Rich's action of making a call to the police is mentioned in the past. It is a specific event that happened at a particular time, so the past simple tense "telephoned" is used.

3. Came: The action of the police arriving at Lord Rich's house is stated in the past. The verb "come" is a regular verb, so in the past tense it becomes "came".

4. Asked: The police asked a lot of questions. This action is in the past and it is a regular verb, so the past simple tense "asked" is used.

5. Knew: The police, Lord Rich, and Clueless all had knowledge that the housekeeper was the thief. The action of having knowledge is in the past, and "know" is an irregular verb, so in the past tense, it becomes "knew".

6. Was: The housekeeper being the thief is mentioned as a fact. The verb "be" is an irregular verb and in the past tense, it becomes "was".

7. Wanted: The police, Lord Rich, and Clueless had the desire or intention to find the money. This action is in the past, and "want" is an irregular verb. In the past tense, it becomes "wanted".

8. Was: The action of being clever is mentioned in the past. "Be" is an irregular verb, so in the past tense it becomes "was".

9. Put: The housekeeper put the money in the vase. This action is in the past and "put" is a regular verb, so it remains the same in the past tense.

10. Decided: Clueless made a decision to leave. This action is in the past and "decide" is a regular verb, so in the past tense it becomes "decided".

11. Took: Clueless took his hat from the housekeeper. This action is in the past and "take" is a regular verb, so in the past tense it becomes "took".

12. Knocked: Clueless accidentally hit the vase and knocked it on the floor. This action is in the past and "knock" is a regular verb, so in the past tense it becomes "knocked".

13. Was: The money was in the vase. This state of being is in the past, and "be" is an irregular verb. In the past tense, it becomes "was".