by Hope McLean
“Come on, guys,” Willow hissed to her teammates. “We’ve got to stay focused!”
The Jewels rallied, and they managed to beat the All-Stars by five points. When the match was over, George and Lauren came across the stage to shake hands.
“You guys were tough to beat,” Erin admitted.
“I know,” George said with a laugh. “So you must be good.”
“Just do us a favor, okay?” Lauren asked. “Beat those Rivals in the finals. Those guys are jerks.”
Erin laughed. “Hey, they’re not in the finals yet.”
“I’m sure they will be,” Willow said.
And of course she was right. The Rivals faced a team from Delaware and beat them easily. There was one more semifinal match after that, and then it was time for a dinner break and the regionals party.
“I’m so proud of you girls,” Ms. Keatley said, giving them high fives. “Your hard work is done for the day. Tomorrow, we face the finals.”
“And the Rivals,” Erin added, smiling at her friends. She knew they were all thinking the same thing.
But first, we have to face them tonight!
“It’s a good thing they scheduled this party in the park tonight,” Jasmine whispered to Willow.
Willow looked around the small area of the park that had been decorated with white twinkling lights and vendors handing out steaming mugs of cocoa. The “Night in the Park” quiz bowl party was scheduled from six thirty to eight — and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
“Definitely,” Willow agreed, looking at her watch. “Now let’s get into position.”
* * *
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ryan Atkinson strolled around the colonial furniture exhibit, trying to look casual. He glanced at his watch. 6:58. The security guard should be leaving any minute now.
Ryan kept looking at the guard, a man of average height wearing glasses. Exactly at seven o’clock, he quietly strolled away from the exhibit.
Ryan grinned. His uncle Arthur had arranged things perfectly, as always. He had been hoping to get rid of the guard earlier, when Isabel was distracting the Jewels at the museum, but the crooked guard’s shift had moved up. It ended up working out better than expected. The museum was open until nine on Saturdays, and nobody would miss the Rivals at the crowded quiz bowl party — especially not Mr. Haverford. Ryan knew he’d be busy talking to that Ms. Keatley the whole time. That wasn’t part of the plan, but it was an extra lucky break for the Rivals.
Sometimes he didn’t know how his uncle did it. It was a little scary that Arthur Atkinson seemed to have contacts everywhere. But that didn’t matter — just as long as they got the diamond. Soon, the Rivals would be one step closer to returning all its old glory to Atkinson Prep.
Ryan quickly scanned the exhibit, which was mostly empty. A few people were strolling around, and Ryan didn’t see any of the Jewels anywhere. Of course, he wasn’t really expecting them — they were smart, but not smart enough to discover the exact place and time of the theft, Ryan was certain. He was sure that Isabel’s little trick this afternoon had discouraged them, just like it was supposed to.
He couldn’t help grinning, thinking about the Jewels. Uncle Arthur was convinced they knew the secret of the four Martha Washington jewels, and it looked like he was right. As soon as he sent them that message about the diamond they had started narrowing down its location. And after that message in the balloon, they had led the Rivals right to the desk. It was almost too easy! With any luck, getting the emerald would be just as simple.
Better focus! Ryan told himself. That guard will be back in five minutes. From his pocket, he quickly slipped out the key his uncle had given him. Then he stepped up to the desk, easily reaching over the velvet rope. The hidden keyhole was in the third drawer from the left.
He felt with his fingers until he touched the lock. Then he slipped in the key.
Success! A tiny hidden door slid open, and Ryan felt something inside. When he removed his hand he saw two sparkling diamond earrings in his palm.
With a grin, Ryan carefully placed them in a small velvet pouch he had brought with him and then stuffed it into his front jacket pocket. He slid the drawer closed and left the exhibit. He tried to walk slowly, but his heart was pounding and his palms were sweating. Even though he was sure no one had seen him, he wouldn’t feel relaxed until he was out of the museum.
Ryan took the escalator to the first floor, looking left, right, up, and down for any sign of the Jewels or a museum guard on his tail. So far, so good. He made his way to the exit and held his breath until he was standing outside on the front steps in the chilly air. Then a smug smile spread across his face.
Perfect! Of course, he congratulated himself as he bounded down the stairs. Then he picked up his pace — it was okay to run now. The sooner the diamonds were out of his hands and inside the hotel, the better.
He sprinted down the East Drive path toward the obelisk, which rose from the trees in the distance. Even though it was dark he could see the park lights glinting off the granite monument.
As he got closer, he could see Isabel waiting for him by the base of the obelisk. She had her back to him, but she was unmistakable in her wool coat and skinny jeans, with a black hat pulled over her hair.
Ryan ran up to her, his breath releasing icy clouds into the frosty night air. He took the pouch with the earrings out of his pocket and slipped it into Isabel’s gloved hand.
“I did it,” he said proudly.
Isabel turned to him and smiled. “Thanks, Ryan!” she said, and Ryan gasped. It wasn’t Isabel at all. It was Erin, from the Jewels!
Erin caught the stunned look in Ryan’s eyes as he stood frozen for a second, not sure how to react. She knew she probably shouldn’t have revealed herself to him, but doing that was too hard to resist. And it was worth it. The look on his face was priceless.
She savored the last moment, then quickly ran off. A few seconds later she heard Ryan’s footsteps behind her. If he caught up, she’d be regretting her decision for sure.
Because of the map they’d found, the Jewels knew that Isabel was supposed to hand off the diamond to Veronica at the Alice in Wonderland statue. So the Jewels had mapped out their own route. Erin made a right-hand turn and began to run west across the park. After about a hundred yards, she spotted Willow waiting for her.
Erin slipped the velvet pouch into Willow’s hand and her friend sprinted off without a word. The fastest runner on the quiz bowl team, she would be hard to catch, the Jewels knew.
Ryan caught up to Erin a few seconds later, puffing and panting. He glared at Erin, then took out his cell phone.
“Aaron, the Jewels have the diamonds! Willow is heading west on the Seventy-ninth Street transverse. You’ve got to intercept her.”
Erin could hear Aaron reply something, and then Ryan frowned. “What do you mean, you’re at the zoo? That wasn’t the plan!”
Way to go, Eli, Erin thought. You did it!
Ryan’s face was red with anger now, and Erin figured she’d better leave the scene. Besides, Ms. Keatley was sure to be missing her from the party by now.
Erin dashed after Willow, but she was nowhere near as fast. At the end of the transverse road she made a left. She could see Willow’s red winter hat as she wove through the pedestrians on the path up ahead.
Finally, the white twinkling lights of the quiz bowl party came into view. As Erin got closer, she could see Willow, Jasmine, and Lili talking to Ms. Keatley. Jasmine and Lili had stayed behind to make it look like the Jewels were at the party. But Ms. Keatley’s face was stricken with concern.
Erin ran up to the group as quickly as she could.
“Erin! There you are!” Ms. Keatley said with relief in her voice.
“Sorry, Ms. Keatley,” Erin said, catching her breath. “I was just, um, uh …”
“Looking for the bathroom, like we told you,” Lili finished for her. “It’s, like, you think there’d be a bathroom around he
re, right?”
“Yeah, right,” Erin said. “And I, um, I really had to go.”
Ms. Keatley shook her head. “Next time, please let me know. I was about to send out a search party for you. I don’t want you girls running off, okay?”
Willow and Erin exchanged guilty glances.
“Of course,” Erin said. “Sorry.”
Suddenly, Ryan ran up behind her, nearly knocking her over.
“Ryan! My goodness! Are you okay?” Ms. Keatley asked.
Erin felt a twinge of fear in her stomach. Would Ryan tell Ms. Keatley what had happened?
“Definitely not!” Ryan replied. “It’s Erin! She … she …”
His voice faded as he realized that he couldn’t tell the truth.
Of course, Erin thought. He can’t say anything without making himself look guilty, too.
“I was giving him a hard time about how we’re going to beat the Rivals tomorrow,” Erin said quickly.
“Erin! That’s very poor sportsmanship,” Ms. Keatley scolded.
Erin hung her head in mock remorse. “I know.” Then she turned to Ryan and flashed a triumphant smile, one Ms. Keatley couldn’t see. “Sorry about that, Ryan.”
He glared at her. “You’re the ones who will be sorry.”
“I don’t like the tone of this conversation at all,” Ms. Keatley said firmly. “Quiz bowl is competitive, yes, but ultimately it’s about having fun and improving one’s mind. This isn’t football.” Her voice dripped with disgust as she said the word.
Mr. Haverford strolled over, followed by Isabel, Veronica, and Aaron. Isabel and Aaron looked angry and sweaty, while Veronica mostly looked bored and cold.
“Is everything okay here?” he asked. Then he nodded to Ms. Keatley. “I see you’ve found Erin.”
“Yes, apparently she and Ryan were getting into it about the quiz bowl match tomorrow,” the teacher replied. “I apologize if anyone on our team is acting out of line. I’m trying to teach the girls to be good competitors.”
“Oh, you know, that’s part of the fun,” Mr. Haverford said with an easy smile. “I’m sure there are no hard feelings. Right, Ryan?”
Ryan only glared in response.
“Okay, then,” the advisor said amiably.
Around them, workers began to remove the party lights, and the vendors started to wheel their carts away.
“We should be getting back to the hotel,” Ms. Keatley said. “We all need a good night’s sleep for the finals tomorrow.”
“Good idea,” Mr. Haverford agreed. “And whatever happens tomorrow, I’m sure we’ll all still be friends, right?”
There was an uneasy silence as the Rivals and Jewels stared at each other.
“Of course,” Ms. Keatley said brightly, trying to break the tension. “And may the best team win.”
Erin grinned. “We already have,” she said, looking right at Ryan.
“We did it!” Erin shrieked, jumping up and down on the bed. “Go, Jewels!”
“Goooooo, Jewels!” Willow, Jasmine, and Lili cheered.
All four girls collapsed on the bed in giggles. It was still so hard to believe. Their plan had worked!
“Tell me again how Ryan’s face looked when he realized he gave the diamond to you?” Jasmine asked with a dreamy look on her face. “I wish I had a picture.”
Erin grinned. “He was totally shocked. It was awesome,” she replied. “I never thought I’d say this, but I guess it’s a good thing I’m sort of the same height and shape as Isabel. He didn’t suspect me for one second. Just handed the diamonds right over.”
“Still, we’re lucky he didn’t stop you right there,” Willow said. “The plan was to get the diamonds and run, to buy us some time.”
“You know that nobody can catch up to you,” Erin said. “Besides, Eli’s really the one who saved us with his tech powers. After Ryan realized he’d been tricked, he called Aaron right away and told him to intercept you. When he found out that Aaron was at the zoo instead of Strawberry Fields, he turned bright red. So thanks for getting Eli to help us, Lili.”
Lili shook her head. “Honestly, I know my brother’s smart, but I never knew he was such a genius,” she said. “Just think of what he could do with these powers of his.”
“So, he actually hacked into Ryan’s phone?” Jasmine asked.
“No,” Willow replied. “He was able to send text messages to Isabel, Aaron, and Veronica, making it look like they were coming from Ryan.”
Jasmine shook her head. “All the way from Hallytown. Amazing.”
“And those guys bought it,” Erin said. “Eli told them that their coordinates had changed, and he sent them to different areas of the park — and out of Willow’s way. Beautiful.”
Lili grinned excitedly. “Tonight, they lost, and we finally won!”
“Ooh, can we see the diamond earrings, please?” Jasmine asked, lowering her voice.
Willow nodded. “If we read that diary right, then one of these diamonds is a clue. Maybe you can find something, Jasmine.”
The girls sat cross-legged on the bed in a circle as Willow produced the pouch and gently placed the two earrings in Jasmine’s hand.
“They’re beautiful,” Jasmine whispered, her eyes growing wide. “I wish I had a jeweler’s loupe or something, so I could get a better look.”
Erin jumped off the bed. “I’ve been carrying this around ever since we started this detecting stuff.” She rummaged through her overnight bag and pulled out a large magnifying glass. “It helped us figure out that the Rivals stole the ruby, remember?”
“That could work,” Jasmine said, taking it from her.
“You know, maybe we all need detective tool cases,” Lili said with that faraway look she got in her eyes when she was creating something in her head. “They could be red — no, maybe black — with the letter J picked out in fake rubies.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Willow agreed. “It’s good to be prepared. I’ll start making a list of what we could put in them.”
Jasmine held the magnifying glass up to her hazel eye, making it seem huge through the lens.
“You look like a cyclops,” Erin joked.
“Shhh,” Jasmine said, as her face screwed up in a look of total concentration. She brushed a strand of frizzy hair from her face and examined the two earrings one at a time.
“What do you see?” Erin asked impatiently. “Are there any clues?”
Jasmine didn’t answer for a moment. Then she put down the magnifying glass.
“It’s interesting,” she said. “The diamonds are the same weight, but they’re cut differently. Normally, the diamonds in a pair of earrings would be cut the same.”
“What do you mean?” Lili asked, looking over Jasmine’s shoulder.
“Well, see the little flat surfaces all over each diamond?” Jasmine asked, and Lili nodded. “Those are called facets. This one diamond looks like it’s a rose cut diamond, because the facets are larger and there aren’t as many. That was a popular cut in Martha Washington’s time. But this other one looks like a brilliant kind.”
Lili squinted. “Oh, yeah, there’s a lot more facets, right?”
“Right,” Jasmine said. “Brilliant cut basically means that the diamond has a lot more facets so it’s more sparkly.”
Willow looked excited. “So if the diamonds don’t match, that means that one of them was replaced.”
“By Martha Washington herself,” Erin added. “One of these must be the special diamond. The clue.”
Jasmine sighed. “I don’t know what she means by ‘clue.’ Unless maybe it’s the name of the cut. Maybe the rose cut diamond means the clue is a rose garden or something.”
Willow jotted that down in her notebook. “Could be. Are you sure you don’t notice anything else?”
Jasmine studied the diamonds some more. “Well, the setting on the rose cut diamond is a little loose,” she said.
“Can you get it out?” Erin asked eagerly.
&
nbsp; Jasmine looked horrified. “But this is a priceless antique!”
“It’s more than that,” Erin pointed out. “It’s part of a big mystery that we’re caught up in.”
“Erin’s right,” Willow agreed. “We’re mixed up in something important. We went to a lot of trouble to get those earrings. We need to find that clue.”
Jasmine sighed. “Does anyone have, like, tweezers or something?”
“I brought my beading kit with me,” Lili answered. “I use my tweezers to pick up the tiny ones.”
“You brought your beading kit with you?” Erin asked.
“You never know when you need to add a little sparkle to something,” Lili replied. She handed the tweezers to Jasmine. “Here you go.”
Jasmine sighed and put down the magnifying glass. She carefully began to pry open the tiny bars of silver holding the diamond in place.
“I hope I don’t break anything,” she muttered under her breath.
The girls were silent as Jasmine worked. Then a look of relief swept over her face.
“Got it,” she said as the diamond popped out. She handed it to Willow, who picked up the magnifying glass. “Be careful with it, okay?”
Willow turned the diamond around in her fingers, examining it from every angle.
“Is there a clue? Is there a clue?” Erin asked eagerly.
“Oh my gosh, I think there is!” she said, her voice rising with excitement. “It looks like there’s something etched on the back of the diamond.” She moved the magnifying glass closer to it and then a little farther away, trying to get the best image.
“It looks like the letter E, and then the number fifty. See?” Willow gingerly handed the diamond back to Jasmine.
“Wow, you’re right,” Jasmine said, after examining it herself. “E fifty. But what does it mean?”
Willow quickly jotted it down in her notebook. “I have no idea,” she said. “But it’s definitely some kind of clue.”