Diamonds Are a Thief's Best Friend

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Diamonds Are a Thief's Best Friend Page 6

by Hope McLean


  “Dude, I gotta go,” Zane said, interrupting Eli’s thoughts. “We’re the last ones here, and my mom is going to pick me up any minute now.”

  “Sure, Zane,” Eli said. “We’re making progress. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  As Zane left, Eli rolled the cart that held the computer cages into the corner of the computer lab. He picked up his backpack and walked down the empty hallway toward his locker.

  As he rounded a corner near Arthur Atkinson’s office, he overheard voices.

  “Mr. Atkinson, I don’t understand,” a man said. “You’re being very generous, but this key is no good to you.”

  Eli stood still so he could listen. The man’s voice was unfamiliar.

  “I’m paying plenty for it, so you don’t have to worry about what it’s for,” the headmaster said in his loud, confident tone.

  “But Mr. Atkinson, this key is for a very specific desk, one that was built in the seventeen hundreds,” the stranger said.

  “So what is the problem, David? You are an antique furniture dealer. I want an antique key you have,” Atkinson said. “I’m willing to pay top dollar for it, too. It seems simple to me.”

  “The desk I sold you last year was built in the eighteen hundreds,” David explained. “This key won’t work for it. It is for a specific desk that was built in the eighteenth century.”

  “Are you going to sell me the key or not?” Atkinson questioned, his voice rising with impatience.

  “Of course, of course,” the antiques dealer replied quickly, unwilling to lose the sale. “I simply wanted to make it clear that it would not work with your present desk.”

  “Understood. Thank you, David,” Atkinson said firmly. “And as always, this transaction must be held in the strictest of confidence. Now, if we are finished here … ?”

  “Yes, of course. Good night,” David replied with relief. Eli heard a chair scraping against the floor, then footsteps.

  He turned around quickly and pretended to be opening up a locker as the antiques dealer walked by. Then he casually walked past Arthur Atkinson’s office, glancing into the room. He saw the headmaster sitting at his desk, staring at the key he was holding in the palm of his hand. He didn’t even look up as Eli passed.

  That was weird, Eli thought as he picked up his pace and hurried to his own locker. Why is Arthur Atkinson getting so worked up about a key? He was pretty mean to that dealer guy; the key must be important somehow. If Lili is right and the Rivals are planning another jewel heist in New York, the key could have something to do with it.

  He grabbed his phone out of his backpack and started texting his sister.

  Vanishing jewels. Mysterious keys. It was much harder to figure out than building a Linux box from stock parts. Eli shook his head as he texted. He hoped the Jewels could get to the bottom of it!

  “Honestly, girls, I am beat.” Ms. Keatley sounded tired as they walked into their suite after ice-skating. “I’m going to lie down for a few minutes before we eat, okay?”

  Jasmine yawned. “That sounds like a good idea. I think I will, too.”

  “The quiz bowl dinner is at seven p.m.,” Ms. Keatley reminded them. “Luckily, it’s right here in the hotel, in the tenth floor ballroom. So we don’t have far to go. We’ll head down a few minutes before seven.” She walked through her bedroom door and shut it behind her.

  Jasmine opened the door to the girls’ room and flopped onto the bed. Erin jumped next to her and picked up a pillow. “Pillow fight!” she teased.

  Willow groaned as she sat on the bed next to them. “Seriously, like, no way! We’re tired and we’ve got lots to talk about.”

  Lili kicked off her shoes and lay down next to Willow. “Erin, what are you, the Energizer Bunny?”

  Erin grinned. “I’m just super-excited that I truly and totally bugged Isabel for the first time. Did you see her stomp off the ice? Ha!”

  “Anyway,” Willow said as Erin cackled with glee, “we’ve got a new message from our mystery helper to decipher. Any ideas?”

  A beeping noise answered her. Lili grabbed her phone and read a text message. Her eyes widened.

  “News from Eli!” she said. “It might be a clue, or it might not.”

  “Huh?” Jasmine asked. “What do you mean?”

  Lili explained what Eli overheard. “So basically, Atkinson was acting really weird about a key for a seventeen hundreds desk.”

  “But the antique dealer said Atkinson owned a desk that was made in the eighteen hundreds,” Willow pondered aloud. “What would he need another key for?”

  “That’s the question!” Erin explained. “Do you think it’s possible the answer is the desk we saw in the Met?”

  Jasmine bit her lip as she thought. “The John Townsend desk? Maybe, but it does feel like a stretch.”

  “Then the diamond could be in the desk after all!” Lili cried.

  Willow tapped her fingers on the bed, pondering. “The desk wasn’t behind glass, or protected by alarms.”

  “Nope! It just had a fancy red velvet rope in front of it,” Erin said. “Pretty easy. Wait until the security guard walks the other way and slip behind the rope. We’ve done harder stuff than that before!”

  “Did anyone notice if the desk had any locks on it?” Jasmine asked.

  Lili held up her phone. “No, but I took lots of pictures.” She began to run her finger along the touch screen while squinting at the images.

  “It’s hard to tell on the phone,” she said. “Let me e-mail them to my computer, and I’ll open them up with the photo program.”

  She pulled her laptop out of a dresser drawer, plugged it into the wall behind the bed, and sat back down. The girls gathered around her.

  Lili opened up the photos. She flipped through until the she found the best shot, and then zoomed in on the brown desk.

  “There!” she said as she pointed at the screen. “The top part!”

  The top of the desk folded down to reveal tiny drawers and cubbyholes. Lili had zoomed in on the left side, where one of the small drawers had a keyhole on the front.

  “There it is!” Erin cried as she pointed.

  They gazed at the screen silently for a few moments.

  Jasmine broke the silence. “So the diamond the Rivals are after could be in that locked desk drawer?”

  “It could be. Or the diamonds they are after really are the earrings at the Fraunces Tavern Museum,” Erin moaned. “This is so hard!”

  “If Arthur Atkinson has the key, when — or how — is he going to get it to the Rivals?” Willow asked.

  Lili chimed in. “But doesn’t it seem like way too much of a coincidence? Martha’s diary, the Townsend desk, bumping into Aaron at that exhibit, Atkinson getting a mysterious key, and now a locked drawer?”

  “It’s a lot to think about,” Erin said. “And you know I can’t think on an empty stomach! Isn’t it almost time to eat?”

  Willow sighed, stood up, and stretched. “Erin’s right. We should get ready for dinner. But we’ve gotta keep a close eye on the Rivals. Be on the lookout for Arthur Atkinson or any mysterious packages!”

  “Yes, sir!” Erin stood up straight and saluted Willow.

  They all burst out laughing.

  “Someone’s got to keep our spirits up,” Erin said. “It might as well be me!”

  They got ready and met a refreshed Ms. Keatley before taking the elevator down to the tenth floor. The elevator stopped once to let on another group of quiz bowl students and their teacher, chatting excitedly. The smell of food greeted them as the elevator doors opened on the tenth floor.

  They walked into the ballroom, which doubled as a conference room. A floral carpet in shades of blue, red, and gold covered the floor, and several glass chandeliers adorned the ceiling. A large buffet service was set up against one wall, and tables and chairs filled the rest of the room. Students and their teachers were checking in at a table just inside the door.

  Ms. Keatley signed them in and each of the Jewels
received name tags.

  “Let’s eat!” Ms. Keatley said. “And don’t forget about mingling with some of your quiz bowl competition. It’s nice to meet other —” But Erin was already making her way to the buffet. Ms. Keatley laughed and shook her head as they got in line behind her.

  “Salad! Ziti! Chicken parm!” Erin announced each food as she piled it on her plate. “Meatballs!” she chirped as she reached her hand out for the serving spoon, but at the same exact moment someone else was reaching for it, too. She quickly drew her hand back and looked up. A boy with brown hair, wearing glasses and a buttoned-up shirt, held the spoon.

  “Hey!” Erin said. “Don’t mess with my meatballs” — she read his name tag — “George!”

  “Sorry!” George took his hand off the spoon. “I love meatballs. But then again, I love ziti. And salad. And chicken parmesan. Here.” George moved out of the way. “There’s plenty.”

  Erin smiled and served herself some meatballs. “I know what you mean. Walking around New York really builds up an appetite, doesn’t it?”

  “Definitely,” George agreed. “Besides, I always think better on a full stomach. I need to keep up my energy for quiz bowl.”

  “Hey, that’s what I always say!” Erin said, impressed. “So, where are you from?” The two chatted as they made their way down the rest of the buffet line.

  Lili whispered into Jasmine’s ear. “I think Erin has found her soul mate.”

  They all filled up their plates and found an empty table. George and one of his quiz bowl partners, Lauren, joined them.

  “George and Lauren are from Pennsylvania,” Erin explained. The Jewels were enjoying eating and talking with their new friends until the Rivals entered the room. Willow nudged Jasmine in the side and pointed as a reminder to keep an eye on them.

  The rest of the evening passed quickly. The girls met some of the other team members, a few of the quiz bowl coordinators made speeches — and the Jewels were watching the Rivals the entire time. Nothing exciting happened, except Ryan spilling his drink.

  Finally, dessert was served. Erin and George were the first in line for the cake and cookies. The other girls filed in right behind the Rivals, who didn’t seem to see them.

  Aaron and Ryan were joking around with each other, while Isabel was talking to Mr. Haverford.

  “I need to go back to the Fraunces Tavern Museum tomorrow, Mr. Haverford,” she said loudly. “It’s an emergency!”

  Mr. Haverford frowned. “Isabel, it’s all the way downtown, and the quiz bowl tournaments start tomorrow.”

  “I left my cell phone there!” Isabel whined. “We have a break during the afternoon tomorrow. Can’t I go then? It’s a really expensive phone. My father will be very angry if I don’t get it back.”

  Mr. Haverford sighed. “We’ll see.”

  Willow, Jasmine, and Lili exchanged looks and rushed back to the table where Erin was eating cake with George.

  “We need you!” Lili said. “Privately! Just for a sec. Sorry, George.”

  “No problem,” he said, getting up from the table. “I was just going up for seconds.”

  “Grab me some, too, please!” Erin called after him, then turned to her friends. “So what’s up?”

  Jasmine quickly filled her in on what they had overheard.

  Willow snapped her fingers. “I just remembered something! When we were skating, before you started the conga line, Isabel pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and took a picture of herself in front of the Prometheus statue.”

  Willow took out her own phone and typed something in. “Aha!” She had gone to Isabel’s Chatter profile. “Look at her profile pic!”

  It was Isabel at the skating rink!

  “She went skating after she visited the museum!” Lili said. “So she’s lying about leaving her phone there.”

  “Then is she planning to steal the diamond from the jewelry exhibit tomorrow?” Erin asked.

  “Maybe Aaron followed us to the Met just to throw us off the trail,” Willow suggested. “And they’ve actually been planning to steal the diamond earrings from the Fraunces Tavern Museum this entire time.”

  Jasmine frowned. “Isabel was talking really loudly. Maybe she wanted us to hear her. The Rivals have set traps for us before.”

  “So you’re saying Isabel’s acting like she’s got some big, secret reason to go back to Fraunces Tavern just to fool us?” Lili asked.

  “Then that would mean the diamond is really hidden in the desk at the Met,” Willow said thoughtfully.

  Erin groaned and put her head down on the table. “This is so confusing!”

  “There’s only one way to know for sure,” Willow said. “We’ve got to follow Isabel. If it’s a trick, we’ll just be embarrassed. But if we’re wrong, then we’ll lose the diamond, just like we lost the ruby!”

  “No way, Lili,” Willow protested. “We are not wearing those!”

  “For once, I might have to agree,” Erin said.

  “I don’t know,” Jasmine thought aloud. “I kind of like them.”

  It was seven o’clock the next morning, and the girls were up bright and early to get ready for the competition. Lili was practically jumping up and down with excitement as she showed her friends her latest creation: four matching tiaras to wear during their matches.

  “But I worked so hard on them!” Lili pleaded. “I found plain silver tiaras at the accessories store at the mall, then spray-painted them to look just like the Statue of Liberty’s crown. And I added some fake rubies, ’cause we’re the Jewels. See?”

  “They’re pretty,” Willow admitted. “But crowns? We’re quiz bowl contestants, not princesses.”

  “We need to look like a team,” Lili argued.

  “A team of princesses,” Erin countered sarcastically.

  Jasmine stood up for Lili. “We do call ourselves the Jewels. It kind of goes.”

  Willow turned to Ms. Keatley. “We’ve got a tie. What do you think?”

  Ms. Keatley held up her hands. “I’m staying out of this. Now let’s get down to breakfast. We don’t want to be late.”

  “Well, I’m wearing my crown,” Lili said, planting it on top of her black hair.

  “Me, too!” Jasmine said, sticking the tiara into her curly locks.

  “I’m still not wearing mine,” Willow said stubbornly.

  “Me, neither,” added Erin.

  Lili tucked the other two into her bag. “Whatever. I’m bringing them, just in case.”

  The girls and Ms. Keatley left the room and got into the elevator. The door opened two floors down and George and Lauren, whom they had met the night before, got on with their teammates.

  George grinned at the girls. “Nice tiaras,” he told Lili and Jasmine.

  “Yeah, they’re really cool,” agreed Lauren.

  Lili beamed. “Thanks! I made them myself. For our team. ’Cause we’re the Jewels.”

  Jasmine shot Willow and Erin a look. With a sigh, the girls each held out a hand. Lili smiled, opened her bag, and triumphantly handed them each a tiara.

  Erin put hers on and glared at George. “Thanks a lot,” she complained.

  “What did I say?” he asked innocently.

  The elevator opened up and the smell of bacon and eggs greeted them, reminding the girls how hungry they were. As they walked through the lobby toward the breakfast buffet in the dining hall, they saw Ryan Atkinson at the front desk.

  “Here’s your package, Mr. Atkinson,” the woman said, handing him an envelope.

  Curious, Willow walked closer to the desk. There was an overnight label on the envelope, as well as the logo of Atkinson Preparatory School.

  Ryan caught Willow looking.

  “Hey there,” he said, startling her.

  “Oh, hi,” Willow replied. “Um, just wanted to say, good luck today.”

  Ryan grinned. “We don’t need it,” he replied, and Willow was instantly mad at herself for ever thinking that Ryan could be nice.

  She
turned and quickly caught up to her friends.

  “What was that about?” Jasmine asked.

  “I’ll tell you guys later,” Willow said, flustered. “I was just checking something out, that’s all.”

  * * *

  After breakfast they all took a short but brisk walk to Kane College, which was loaning out its auditorium for the day’s competitions.

  “So, the middle school qualifying matches are this morning,” Ms. Keatley explained. “If we make the semifinals, we’ll have a match around four o’clock. Then the final rounds take place tomorrow.”

  When they got to the large auditorium, it was quickly filling with quiz bowl teams from the region. Some teams wore matching T-shirts, while others, like the Rivals, wore their school uniforms to compete. One team even wore matching red scarves.

  “See?” Lili said, pointing to them. “We’re not the only ones.”

  They took their seats in the auditorium to watch the first round of competition. George and Lauren’s team was facing a group from Delaware. The Jewels played along, whispering answers to the questions they knew. Their new friends won easily, and the Jewels cheered loudly for them.

  The second match took place between the Rivals and a team from Queens, New York. Every time the moderator asked a question, one of the Rivals buzzed in before he even finished talking. The Queens team didn’t have a chance.

  “They’re on fire,” Willow whispered to Jasmine.

  Erin shook her head. “It’s a massacre. I feel sorry for that other team.”

  Then it was the Jewels’ turn. They took their place on stage across from their competition. Each contestant stood behind a lectern with a microphone and a buzzer.

  The girls looked at each other as the moderator got ready to begin.

  “Oh, no! We forgot to do our pre-match cheer!” Jasmine said.

  “We have time,” Erin said quickly, thrusting out her hand. The other girls quickly gathered around her and placed a hand on the pile.

 

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