by Hope McLean
“Hey, we’ve got to shake the Rivals’ hands,” she reminded them.
“Can you believe it?” Lili asked, smiling. “We finally beat the Rivals at quiz bowl!”
“Pinch me, I must be dreaming,” Erin said. “I’ve thought about this moment so many times, how can I be sure it’s real? Ouch!” she cried as Lili gave her a pinch on the arm.
“It is real. All that studying paid off,” Jasmine said with a grin.
The girls calmed down and lined up to greet the Rivals.
“Good job,” Ryan said, shaking Willow’s hand, and he sounded sincere. Isabel didn’t say anything at all. Aaron gave her a smile.
Then she got to Veronica.
“You almost had us,” Willow said, looking her in the eye. She wanted to make sure Veronica got the message: Willow knew Veronica had carried her whole team that day.
To Willow’s surprise, Veronica answered her.
“Thanks. It’s because I actually care about quiz bowl,” she said. “Not like some of my other team members.”
Willow couldn’t wait to tell the other girls about Veronica’s comment. But when they got offstage, Erin tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to Principal Frederickson. She was on her cell phone, looking very upset.
Erin ran up to her principal. “Is everything okay?”
“The security company just notified me that the alarm in my office has been activated,” she said. “The police are on their way.”
“Oh no!” Erin cried. “You don’t think —”
Principal Frederickson nodded. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
She hurried out of the auditorium, and Erin motioned for the other girls to follow them. They ran to Principal Frederickson’s office. The door was open. The principal raced behind her desk, to a painting on the wall. But while the left side of the painting was connected to the wall, the rest of it swung out — like an open door. The girls quickly realized that the painting was actually the door to a safe.
Principal Frederickson opened the door all the way.
“It’s gone,” she said in a defeated voice. “The diamond has been stolen!”
Jasmine gasped. Lili and Erin stood with their mouths open while Willow peered inside the safe.
“It is gone,” Willow said sadly. “I guess it would have been safer in Jasmine’s locker after all!”
Jasmine sighed heavily. Not another stolen gem, she thought unhappily. The prospect of failure, even just moments after beating the Rivals at quiz bowl, was unbearable.
Erin looked at her friend with raised eyebrows and, placing a hand in front of her face, gestured toward Principal Frederickson. “Double agent,” Erin mouthed silently.
“Erin, I can see you,” Principal Frederickson said as Erin, startled, put her hand down and stood up straight. “I assure you, I am no double agent. But the timing is suspicious. Who would have known I had the diamond in my possession? Did you girls tell anyone?”
All of the Jewels vigorously shook their heads. “No way!” Erin cried.
Jasmine and Willow also responded with a no, but Lili hung her head sheepishly. “I did tell Eli,” she admitted. Lili’s brother, Eli, a high school student at Atkinson Prep, was a computer genius. His tech savvy had helped the girls keep the diamond out of the Rivals’ hands — so far.
Lili quickly explained to Principal Frederickson how Eli had been aiding them.
“He has kept everything a secret. I know he wouldn’t have said a word to anyone,” Lili said passionately. She might argue with her brother from time to time, but she trusted him completely.
The other Jewels did, too. “As far as I’m concerned, Eli is an honorary Jewel and totally trustworthy,” Willow said firmly. Erin and Jasmine nodded in agreement.
Principal Frederickson listened closely before commenting. “From everything you’ve told me, I agree.”
“It has to be the Rivals, right?” Jasmine asked. “We saw them at Java Hut yesterday afternoon. They were probably making plans to steal the diamond!”
“Of course it was the Rivals!” Erin fumed. “And they’re still on campus. Let’s go get them!” She started to run out of the office, but Principal Frederickson gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Not so fast,” she said. “The alarm was tripped at ten fifty-one a.m. The Rivals were onstage competing against all of you at that exact moment. I know. I was in the audience watching when the call came in from the security company. No one left the stage at any time during the quiz bowl match.”
Two uniformed police officers walked into the room. As Principal Frederickson moved to join them she turned to the Jewels and said, “Girls, if you would please excuse us?”
The girls walked out into the hall. Actually, Erin stomped. She was furious.
“Those rotten, no-good thieves!” she said. “This is the second time they’ve waltzed into our school and stolen a gem right from under our noses. First the ruby, now the diamond.”
As Erin slumped against the wall in frustration, Willow wondered aloud, “But how could it be the Rivals? You heard Principal Frederickson. They were onstage — with us — when the alarm went off.”
“We’re the Rivals’ alibi!” Lili sounded shocked at her own conclusion. “Who would have ever imagined that?”
“Wait,” Jasmine said. “What if they used something to trigger the alarm after they had already stolen the diamond? Maybe they stole it before the quiz bowl.”
Willow nodded. “It’s a possibility. We know Arthur Atkinson is helping them, so who knows what kind of gadgets he’s providing?”
Before they could explore the idea any further, the police walked out of Principal Frederickson’s office.
“I’m so sorry about that, officers,” Principal Frederickson said smoothly. “There must have been some kind of malfunction with the alarm. I will let the security company know.”
“Hey!” Erin cried. “There is no problem with the —”
A warning glance from Principal Frederickson stopped Erin from saying anything else.
“I mean, bye, have a nice day,” Erin said awkwardly. “Thanks for, um, protecting and serving, and all that good stuff.”
The officers gave a polite nod before leaving.
“Why didn’t you tell them?” Erin asked in disbelief after the police officers had left.
“Come inside my office. We’ll talk in here.” Principal Frederickson held the door open as the girls passed her and filed inside the room. She shut the door tightly behind her before sitting down at her desk.
“Now, girls, I could not report something as stolen that I wasn’t even supposed to have possession of in the first place, now could I?” she asked. “What if they wanted to know where the diamond came from?”
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed. “I bet the Rivals were counting on the fact that we couldn’t report it.”
Principal Frederickson nodded. “I think you are right about that, Jasmine.”
Willow looked deep in thought. “We had an idea while we were in the hall. Maybe the Rivals stole the diamond before the meet and did something else to trigger the alarm while they were onstage with us, giving them the perfect alibi.”
Jasmine flashed an angry look at Willow. That had been her idea!
“It’s a possibility. But I know how we can find out for sure,” Principal Frederickson answered as she switched on her computer. “We’ll take a look at the security footage.” As the girls eagerly gathered around, she clicked on the System Defender program on her desktop. The security software launched, showing a live video of the office. Erin waved at the camera and stuck her tongue out, while the others laughed.
“Pretty cool program,” Lili admired.
“It lets me monitor my office security camera from any computer, even my smartphone,” Principal Frederickson explained. “It’s part of the school’s campus-wide security system. Now let’s see,” she said as she clicked and the live feed began to rewind. “First we will go back to right before ten fifty-one, wh
en the alarm was triggered.”
The video footage at 10:50 showed an empty office, with no signs of activity. Everyone watched quietly. At 10:51 a.m., a man entered the room, pushing a janitor’s cart. He was short, and he wore the button-down navy work shirt that all the custodians at Martha Washington used. But instead of emptying the trash can or vacuuming, he went straight for the picture behind Principal Frederickson’s desk, swinging open the false-painted cover and revealing the locked safe door.
From his tool belt he pulled out a small, slim device and held it to the top corner of the safe door. A low, whirring sound could be heard on the audio. After a few seconds, he put what seemed to be a drill back in his tool belt and pulled out a different instrument. This one had a piece of long, flexible tubing that he inserted into the hole he had just drilled. He threaded it through until it disappeared, then looked into the eyepiece at the end. Then he reached a hand to the combination dial and began to turn it slowly. After a few moments, he stopped and pulled the tubing out of the safe. He opened the safe door and grabbed the small black box that held the diamond earrings. He opened it quickly to check the contents before placing it in his shirt pocket. After glancing at his watch, he quickly wheeled the janitor cart out of the room, leaving the door of the safe ajar.
“So the diamond was stolen while both you and the Rivals were competing onstage,” Principal Frederickson said thoughtfully.
“But who could have taken it?” Lili wondered. “He doesn’t look like any of the custodians that work here.”
“He most certainly does not,” Principal Frederickson said. “I would know.”
“There is something really familiar about him, though,” Willow remarked. “Is there any way to zoom in on his face?”
“I was just about to suggest that myself,” the principal answered. She rewound the footage and found a spot where the thief’s face was turned toward the camera. With a few clicks, she zoomed in.
Willow nodded. “I knew he looked familiar. That’s Aaron Santiago in disguise!”
“Whoa! Wait just a second. How is that possible?” Erin questioned. “According to the time stamp on the video, the theft started at ten fifty-one a.m. The exact moment we were beating the Rivals onstage in front of a roomful of people!”
“And Aaron was there the entire time, I am positive of that,” Principal Frederickson replied.
“Are you sure that’s Aaron?” Jasmine squinted at the screen.
“It’s him, I just know it!” Willow insisted. “And we all know how he likes to put on disguises. Remember his security guard getup at the Smithsonian? Or how about his old lady costume at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?”
Principal Frederickson raised an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked.
“That’s true.” Lili nodded. “He does have a flair for the dramatic.”
“Yes, but is Aaron also a master safecracker?” Jasmine wondered. “The thief on this video really knows his stuff. He got into that safe in a matter of minutes.”
“Let’s bring him in for questioning,” Erin said. “We’ll sit him down and shine a bright light in his eyes. Trust me; I’ve seen this in lots of TV shows. I’ll be the bad cop. Lili can be the good cop. We’ll have him confessing he believes in unicorns by the time we’re done with him!”
Principal Frederickson shook her head. “Erin, you will do no such thing. Thank you for your help, girls, but I will take it from here.”
“What?!” Erin asked, shocked. “Are you firing us?”
Principal Frederickson smiled kindly at her. “I don’t think I ever hired you.” But her smile turned to a frown. “You’ve done great work so far, and I’m very impressed with what you all are capable of. But let me remind you of our discussion. You are minors and, as students in this school, under my care. I absolutely do not want you girls in any danger. I will handle this.”
“But —” Willow began.
“No buts,” Principal Frederickson said firmly. “I’m afraid the matter is closed, girls. Thanks again for your help, and congratulations on your quiz bowl victory. You should be very proud of yourselves.”
The girls exchanged glances. They knew it was no use arguing.
“Thank you,” Willow said. “Please let us know if you need more help.”
Principal Frederickson smiled. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
The other girls mumbled their thanks and followed Willow out of the principal’s office.
Once in the hallway, they huddled into a circle. “We all heard Principal Frederickson,” Willow said.
“Loud and clear,” Erin replied glumly.
“We’ll have to do what she says,” Willow conceded. “But I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open just in case — and I suggest you all do the same. If we find out something useful, we can let Principal Frederickson know.”
“We’ll need to do more than that!” Jasmine cried. “Now the Rivals have the ruby AND the diamond. If the ruby has a clue on it, too, that means the Rivals are one step closer to learning the secret of the jewels.”
“But what can we do?” Lili wondered.
Before anyone could answer her, a voice interrupted them.
“There you are!” Ms. Keatley said as she came hurrying down the hallway. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Congratulations!”
The girls gazed at one another with sad faces. Finally beating the Rivals in a quiz bowl match would normally have them grinning from ear to ear. But the stolen diamond had soured their victory. They managed to muster some smiles for Ms. Keatley’s sake.
“I know you and the Rivals have been very competitive, but I also know how you tried to make friends with them on the New York trip,” Ms. Keatley said. Erin stifled a cough while Willow flashed her a warning look. On the trip, the Jewels had convinced Ms. Keatley to arrange some outings with the Rivals in order to keep an eye on them, not because they enjoyed spending time together!
“Anyway,” Ms. Keatley continued, “Josh thought we should take both teams out after the competition to celebrate. We’re all going bowling!”
Josh Haverford was the Rivals’ advisor. He had a huge crush on Ms. Keatley. But apparently she was the only one who couldn’t tell. Even the Rivals were on to him. It had started in New York, when Mr. Haverford kept trying to make up reasons to be in the same place as Ms. Keatley and the Jewels. Since then, he always made sure to sit next to her at quiz bowl tournaments.
“Bowling?” Erin asked as she stifled a groan.
“Yes, and I got the okay from your parents. So as soon as quiz bowl is done for the day, we’ll get going.” Ms. Keatley beamed. She thought she was delivering great news.
“Um, hurray?” Lili said halfheartedly.
* * *
At the bowling alley, they reluctantly followed Ms. Keatley inside. Lois’s Lanes was Hallytown’s only bowling alley and a popular spot. On a Saturday afternoon the place was crowded, but Mr. Haverford had arrived early and had a lane reserved for them.
“Over here!” he said as he waved an arm in the air, a smile spreading across his face.
“We’ll be right there!” Ms. Keatley called. She turned to the girls. “We need to get our shoes first.”
As they waited in line to rent their shoes, Willow looked around the bowling alley. The gleaming lanes reflected the colorful backdrops painted on the back wall above the pins. A café with seating that overlooked the lanes sold hot dogs, pizza, and other snacks. Willow watched Aaron, Ryan, and Isabel eating pizza together, talking and laughing. They seemed pretty happy considering they had just lost a quiz bowl match.
If they stole the diamond from us, they would be celebrating, she thought.
Veronica was down near the lane, sitting next to Mr. Haverford, her shoulders slumped. She was the only member of the Rivals who didn’t look cheerful.
“These are such a fashion disaster,” Lili said as she put her shoes on. “And you know how I love taking practically anything and turning it into a wearable work of art, but even I
can’t get inspired over these shoes.”
“What are you talking about? Strike a pose!” Erin did a model spin in her shoes as everyone laughed.
By now, Aaron, Ryan, and Isabel had finished their pizza and were waiting with Mr. Haverford and Veronica. The teacher’s smile grew even bigger when he saw Ms. Keatley.
“I’ve got to warn you, I am the king of gutter balls,” he said with a laugh.
Behind Mr. Haverford’s back, Ryan rolled his eyes. He caught Willow watching him and gave her his usual smug smile, the one he seemed to have misplaced at the Java Hut yesterday.
“I’m not much of a bowler, either,” Ms. Keatley admitted with a smile.
“Don’t worry, it’s just for fun,” Mr. Haverford assured her. “We’ve done our competing for the day. And congratulations, girls, on your wins!”
Mr. Haverford smiled again. He seemed really nice. Way too nice to be the Rivals’ advisor, Jasmine thought.
Isabel gave a tiny, slightly mocking laugh. “Yes, congratulations,” she said. “You win some, you lose some. That’s how I like to think of it.”
Erin felt her cheeks getting red. She just knew Isabel was talking about the diamond!
“Let’s get started!” Mr. Haverford said cheerfully, ignoring — or most likely not noticing — the tension between Isabel and Erin.
They began to play. Willow was surprised at how well the Rivals bowled. Aaron did a funny series of silly steps before throwing his ball, but it worked. He scored a strike.
“Yes!” he said, smiling, as he high-fived Ryan.
Willow confidently took her turn and also had a strike.
Isabel daintily clutched the ball, then took a few tiny steps before throwing. She, too, threw a strike.
Erin watched her with an open mouth.
“What?” Isabel asked when she noticed Erin’s shocked expression. Then she shrugged. “It’s what passes for culture around here. My options are limited.”
After Jasmine bowled, she noticed that Veronica still looked upset.
“Hey, are you okay?” Jasmine asked as she sat down beside her.