London Art Chase

by Natalie Grant

  “Well, I’m here and I’m listening,” Mom said. “I want to hear what you have to say.”

  “I know what I saw, Mom. Someone stole a painting and I don’t think anyone is even looking for the thief.”

  “What if what you saw . . .” Mom started, as though she was weighing every word carefully. “What if it was odd, but not a robbery?”

  “You didn’t see him, Mom. We watched him reach up and take the most beautiful painting in the whole museum off the wall. And he looked over his shoulder like he was afraid someone might see. It seemed so suspicious.”

  “So, then what happened?”

  Maddie pictured his retreating back as he’d hurried through the employees-only door. “He went into an employees-only door, and Mia wouldn’t go in because that would be breaking the rules. So we ran downstairs to see if we could cut him off . . .”

  “And that’s when you ran into the cello?”

  “It’s not funny, Mom,” Maddie said, catching the smile in Mom’s voice.

  “I know it’s not, sweet girl. But I can just imagine the look on your face when you came around that corner, not expecting a cello, of all things.”

  “I know everyone wants me to let it go—Miss Julia and Mia and the museum director. But then I saw him later, walking away with a painting-sized package wrapped in brown paper. That’s not what happens with famous paintings, is it?”

  “Sweetheart, I don’t want to argue with you about this. Maybe you’re right. Maybe you did see a robbery. But don’t you think news of a stolen painting would have already been broadcast everywhere? Wouldn’t we have heard about a theft at a famous place like the National Gallery and also about a citywide search for the thief? Or if it was a theft, and somehow the museum staff hasn’t yet realized it happened, they still must have security footage from cameras and access to investigators who can figure this out much better than we can. It’s not our job to find thieves.”

  Mom was trying to make her feel better, Maddie knew, but she felt like everyone was handling her. No one was taking her seriously. She pushed one finger after another into the pillow on her lap, watching each of the indentations slowly disappear.

  “I just . . . I have to prove—”

  “Maddie, unfortunately, I don’t think we can prove anything. The man is gone, and we wouldn’t be able to find him even if we tried.”

  “But, Mom . . .”

  “Sweetheart, I don’t want this to ruin your time in London. We’re on a very special trip, and I want you to have fun. I don’t want you to be filled up with worries, particularly when they’re worries about something we can’t fix.”

  “But what if there is something I can do?” Maddie asked.

  Mom didn’t respond for a moment, considering. “Is there something you think we might be able to do?”

  Maddie scrolled around her mind for options, but came up blank. She couldn’t think of a thing. Mom was right, but she still didn’t feel right letting it go.

  “People shouldn’t get away with doing wrong things,” Maddie insisted.

  “You’re right,” Mom said. “You’re absolutely right. When I watch the news or when I see situations that are definitely wrong, and that I can’t fix, I feel very frustrated. I want to do something, but sometimes the solution is beyond my capability.”

  “So, what do you do?”

  “I pray,” Mom said. “I know praying sounds like a very small thing to do. And of course, God knows all about every situation without my telling him. But sometimes when I pray about things, God gives me ideas about ways that I can do something. Usually—almost always—what I can do turns up as a complete surprise.”

  “You think I should pray about the thief?”

  “I think you should bring anything that’s making your heart heavy and worried to God, and let him hold it for you. There’s a passage in Philippians that says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ ”

  “Guard my heart from what?”

  “From worry,” Mom said. “Worry gets in our way. As soon as there’s something we can do about the painting, if there’s anything we can do, we’ll do it. But until then, it’s important to let go of worry. Do you see why?”

  “Because then I’m not trusting God to work it out?”

  “That’s a big part of it,” Mom said. “Would you like to pray about this right now?”

  “I’m not really sure what to say,” Maddie said.

  “Remember, praying is just talking to God. You don’t have to use fancy words. All you need to do is tell him what’s on your mind. The way you’d tell a friend, or Mia, or me. Even though we can’t see God, he wants to be as close to us as any friend would be.”

  “It feels a little weird sometimes, talking to God when I can’t see him. When he doesn’t talk back.”

  “We may not hear an actual voice,” Mom said. “But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t talk to us. Sometimes God gives us answers by causing an idea to pop into our heads, and sometimes his answers actually do feel like words we can almost hear. Other times, we don’t hear anything at all. That’s when we have to trust the very most. We have to trust that prayer matters, even when we don’t see results right away.”

  “I guess I’ll try praying about this,” Maddie said, not feeling very sure at all.

  “Good girl,” Mom said, kissing the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you, Maddie.”

  Maddie closed her eyes and tried to think of how she’d explain the problem to a friend. Slowly, the words started to come. “God, I think I saw a man steal a painting today. I got in trouble for chasing after him, and it didn’t feel fair. No one listened to me. Well, except Mom. And I feel like I should do something more to help, but I don’t know what to do. So, maybe that’s what I want to ask . . . If there’s something I can do, will you help me figure it out? And if there isn’t . . . I guess . . . help me let it go. So that Mia and Lulu and Miss Julia and I can all have fun. And Mom and Dad too. And thank you for letting us come to London to stay in this amazing hotel and see art and everything. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  Maddie opened her eyes and looked at Mom. “Was that okay?”

  “That was perfect,” Mom said. “Do you feel any better?”

  Maddie stared down at the pillow and considered. “Maybe a little bit.”

  “Do you want to go see if we can catch the end of Dad’s story?” Mom asked, nodding toward the peals of laughter coming out of the girls’ room. “Sounds like it’s a good one.”

  Maddie grinned, realizing it had been hours since she’d truly smiled. “Let’s go!” She led the way back to the bedroom, back to her sisters, leaving as much of her worry behind as she could.

  EIGHTEEN

  Early the next morning, the girls and Miss Julia ate toast and berries. Then they loaded up into a cab and were off to the Tower of London. They’d decided to take the first tour at nine a.m. so they’d also have time to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

  “And we’re really going to see crowns?” Lulu asked. “Real ones with jewels?”

  “Yes,” Miss Julia said, snapping a photo of Lulu’s wide-eyed expression for the travelogue.

  “Ones that kings and queens wore,” Mia added. “I wish we could try them on. Do they ever take them out?”

  “They use the crown jewels for coronations,” Miss Julia said. “So, when a new king or queen is named, they take out pieces from the collection for the ceremony. The crown jewels aren’t just crowns, either. We’ll see scepters and swords and necklaces and bracelets, and some of the most famous diamonds in the world.”

  “I wonder if anyone will put my jewelry into glass boxes and look at them when I’m old,” Mia said.

  “What, because we’re royalty?” Maddie teased, remembering Mom’s story about Sir Robert Peel.

/>   “Well, we are Glimmer girls,” Mia said. “And that’s nearly as good.”

  “As fun, at least,” Maddie said.

  “Glimmer girls, sparkle and shine!” Lulu shouted.

  “Yes, but never leave out the most important part,” Miss Julia said.

  “But most of all, be kind!” the girls shouted in unison.

  Maddie pushed all thoughts of being a detective out of her mind. Today, she had decided to have a fun day no matter what. Soon, the cab pulled up to the curb at the Tower of London, which turned out to be a castle, not just one tower. High stone walls surrounded the fortress, with a wide stone bridge leading up to an iron gate. Miss Julia paid their admission, and then they gathered with a small group to listen to a man wearing a top hat with a red band, and a black and red jacket.

  “He’s called a yeoman or Beefeater,” Miss Julia whispered to the girls.

  “What’s that?” the yeoman asked. “Speak up, if you’re going to speak at all. Well, actually, no. Don’t speak. This group has paid top dollar for this tour, so we’ll all keep our mouths shut and listen up. Got that?”

  Maddie glanced over at Miss Julia, unsure whether they were really in trouble or if the man was joking. Miss Julia winked.

  “Now, is anyone here from Australia?” the yeoman asked.

  No one said anything.

  “Now, now, speak up. Ignore what I said before,” he said, cracking a smile. “How about anyone from America?”

  A few people raised their hands, including Maddie, Mia, and Miss Julia. Lulu jumped up and down as she raised hers.

  “Love to see that national spirit!” the yeoman said, indicating Lulu. “How about anyone from Europe?” he asked. “There’s no one here from France, now, is there?”

  No one raised a hand. Maddie caught Miss Julia’s eye and grinned, happy to be in the know about at least something.

  “Anyone from France?” he repeated, looking for any offenders. “Good.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Well, no matter where you’re from, you’re all welcome here at Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. My name is Thomas. I’ll be taking you on a tour of the tower and telling you stories. Stories, ladies and gentlemen, but not necessarily the truth.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Thomas, the yeoman, continued on, explaining the history of how the Tower was built. William the Conqueror defeated the Norman people, and they weren’t happy about being defeated and having him as their ruler. He wanted a fortress to impress and dominate them. William’s fortress started with the White Tower, which is part of the current Tower of London. Over time, other kings added to the fortress. Sometimes it has been a palace, other times it has been a prison, and the Tower of London was even bombed during World War II. But after the war, the damage was fixed so people could continue to tour the grounds and see the Tower of London as it had been hundreds of years ago.

  After Thomas had talked enough to fill Maddie’s head twice, he told everyone to follow him, and they crossed the bridge and went through the gates. Inside the outer wall, they found another wall made up of a number of buildings. Thomas explained that Sir Isaac Newton had lived and worked in one of those buildings.

  “A very important man. He invented gravity, you know,” Thomas said.

  Mia nudged Maddie. They’d done a report together on Newton this year in school and had learned just about everything there was to know about gravity. Well, probably not everything there was to know, but a lot, anyway.

  The group followed Thomas past the inner wall, where the tower grounds opened up to grassy grounds, and in the center, a stone tower.

  “That’s the White Tower,” Thomas said. “Home of the Crown Jewels.”

  He led them around the Tower grounds a little longer and told story after story. Miss Julia clicked so many photos that Maddie stopped counting, and she let Lulu take a number of pictures too. Maddie liked the way Thomas joked while keeping a completely straight face. Then, when he did smile, it was like the sun coming out on a gray day. Whenever he smiled, she couldn’t help smiling too.

  At the end of the tour, Thomas led them into the White Tower so they could walk through and look at the jewels. Maddie had been looking forward to seeing the collection, but she hadn’t expected to feel so . . . awestruck. Even Lulu whispered the entire time they were inside the White Tower. The jewels on the crowns and swords glimmered and glinted in the light. Maddie thought about the people who had worn them, people who had been crowned king or queen. What made someone special enough to be made a queen? In England, you became a king or queen because of your family. Even being in the Glimmer family, Maddie knew that just because you were part of a certain family didn’t mean you were a certain kind of person. She may be able to get up and sing with her sisters and enjoy the feeling, but she couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if she was expected to grow up and be a singer like Mom or a producer like Dad.

  “Aren’t they beautiful?” Lulu whispered, her nose only inches away from the glass.

  “Yes,” Maddie said, and then hugged her little sister tight. “Love you, Lulu.”

  Lulu looked up at her, surprised. “Love you too, Maddie.”

  “Are you girls ready to head over to Buckingham Palace?” Miss Julia asked. “If we go now, we should be able to find a spot where we can see the whole ceremony.”

  “Yes!” Lulu said, and then put her hands to her mouth, realizing how loud she’d spoken. “Yes,” she repeated, this time in a whisper.

  Maddie tried to keep her giggles as silent as she could until they were out on the Tower lawn.

  Mia twirled around in a classic Lulu move. “I love London!”

  Lulu and Maddie joined the dance and twirled and leapt their way toward Traitor’s Gate.

  NINETEEN

  By 10:45, the girls and Miss Julia had found their way to Buckingham Palace. People stood three or four deep around the barricades, so they circled round until they were on the far side and better able to see the famous Changing of the Guard.

  The guards stood in front of the palace, just outside little booths that looked almost like telephone booths, but were blue and black instead of red. Each one of the guards was unmoving, wearing a red jacket with gold buttons and a tight-fitting gold band around the collar, and holding a rifle. They wore tall, furry hats with gold bands that circled under their chins, covering up a lot of their face so what you could see most of all was their stern expression.

  “Why do they just stand there, not moving?” Lulu asked.

  “That’s one of the most special things about the Queen’s Guard,” Miss Julia said. “They take their job very seriously, and as part of it, they stand still for hours.”

  “For the whole time they’re in front of the palace? How long is that?” Mia asked.

  “They have two to three hour shifts,” Miss Julia said. “And they mostly stay still, but they are allowed to do ten-step marches every once in a while.”

  “But they never have to scratch their noses or anything?” Lulu asked.

  Miss Julia laughed. “I think everyone’s nose itches now and then.”

  “So they just ignore it? I could never do that,” Mia said.

  “I couldn’t either,” Maddie said.

  “It would be very difficult, especially if people tried to make you laugh, the way people do with the Queen’s Guard. But it’s important to remember that the soldiers aren’t just here for show. They’re real soldiers—who fight in wars if they have to and everything else. This is only one of their duties, and a big honor. If something goes wrong, they will definitely move.”

  “Please take a picture for the travelogue,” Lulu said. “We’ll all stand here very still like soldiers so you can take it.”

  After what felt like forty tries, Miss Julia finally managed to take one picture where no one was smiling. Maddie didn’t mind. So far, this picture had been the most fun one of the entire travelogue. When she finally stopped laughing, Maddie took out her sketchbo
ok and drew one of the very still soldiers, stern face and all.

  The crowd fell silent as far-off music started to play. Soon, Maddie could see the red jackets and gold hats, and the way the musicians stepped in perfect time as they played.

  “Can you imagine trying to walk like that at the same time you were trying to play?” Mia asked.

  “Crazy,” Maddie answered.

  Tubas and other brass instruments filled the air with sound, punctuated by the sharp staccato of drums and the repeated ring of cymbals. Ahead of the musicians marched the conductor, outfitted in a long gold jacket, using his long baton to keep everyone in time.

  As the musicians assembled in the courtyard to continue playing, the new guards marched in, also in perfect step. Even though their bright red-and-gold uniforms, their tall hats, and perfect marching made them seem like toy soldiers come to life, Maddie knew Miss Julia was right. Those weren’t toy rifles. Anyway, toy soldiers would have been modeled after the real thing, not the other way around.

  One soldier marched ahead of the rest, shouting commands. To Maddie, these sounded like, “He-hup! Ha! Heffulump!” Probably not what the commander was saying. Up closer, and to the soldiers, surely these were clear orders. After another shout, the soldiers step-stepped, and then went still. They’d lined up with their backs to the girls, facing the courtyard. Another shout, and a few soldiers marched forward to face some of the current guards. They stood facing one another and then swapped places, the old guards now marching back to join the rest of the assembled soldiers.

  “What do you think happens if one of them messes up?” Mia asked Maddie.

  “It doesn’t seem like they ever do, does it?” Maddie said. “I don’t know, it all seems so serious. If it were me, I’d never be able to stop myself from laughing.”

  Maddie looked back at the Square and then froze. Her eyes narrowed. No. She couldn’t be seeing what she thought. But yes, the more she looked, the more she was sure!

  “What, Maddie?” Mia asked.

  “I think I see him,” Maddie said, up on her toes now, leaning this way and that, trying to see.