Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar (A Cora Flash Children's Mystery, Book 1) (19 page)

"
I am not mad. I am actually quite amused at your antics. When I was your age, I probably would have done the same thing.
"

"
Inspector
, a
m I a suspect? Do you think I could have stolen the diamond?
"

"
I would hope not
.
"
H
e
laughed.
"
But I am hoping you saw something. Or better yet, heard something.
"

"
Heard something? Like what? What does a stolen diamond sound like?
"

"
Cora, people are often truthful with children
, and careless
. They tell them things they would not otherwise reveal to adults. They
'
re more open.
"

I
knew this to be true. If
I had a nickel for every time I
heard people say,
"
Now, don
'
t tell so-and-so
...
,
"
I would have enough to buy a small town
.

"
Has anyone said anything to you, anything that seemed a little unusual?
"
he
asked,
no doubt
hoping
I
would have the missing piece of information that would
crack
the investigation
wide open
.

"
No, I don
'
t think so
.
No one has said anything.
"

"
Think hard, Cora
.
Is there anything you saw or heard that might help? Sometimes people hear things or see things that do not seem important at the moment
,
but
turn out to be extremely important.
"

"
Inspector,
"
I
said calmly
,
"
I have been thinking all morning about that diamond and who could have stolen it. No one has said anything to me.
I could ask some people if they saw anything. Maybe someone will say something to me
.
"

He leaned back in his chair, frowning a little.
"No
.
That might be too dangerous. I do not want to put you in a position that might bring harm to you."

I'm sure
he
meant well, but I was a little disappointed he was not letting me be an official
junior
investigator on this case. I would just have to continue on my own, I decided.

Since
Dabruzzi
knew
I
had not seen or heard anything relevant to the investigation, and he hardly suspected an
eleven-year-
old, he decided to wrap up
my
questioning.

Then he leaned forward.
"
Before we go back
, t
here is something I would like to do.
"

The
i
nspector
was so serious
sounding
,
I
was not sure what to expect.
I
was surprised to see him rise from his chair, get down on the ground next to Calvin
,
and start tickling him!

"
Who
'
s
the cutest puppy in the world
?
"
cried Inspector
Dabruzzi
as he tickled Calvin
.
"
You are!
Yes
,
you!"

Calvin loved the attention,
and
roll
ed
onto his back and let
Dabruzzi
rub his belly and scratch him all over.
To be honest, I
was not sure who was enjoying the experience more
—
the
officer
or Calvin.

The train came to a complete stop in the town of Pecan River just as the
i
nspector
and I finished our conversation
.
He announced his presence in the
d
ining
car by addressing the whole group.

"
Excuse me,
"
he said.
"
I realize we have a scheduled stop in Pecan River, and there are some additional passengers we are picking up.
I have asked that the other passengers be allowed on, but restricted to the front of the train. You will still have access to the
back few
cars, as you have for the last little while.
"

"
Inspector,
"
Mrs. Bronwyn interrupted.
"
I need to take Calvin out for a little
walk;
we
'
ll be just a minute.
"
She turned on her heels and started to head for the connecting door that lead to an exit.
"
Come along
,
Calvin, time for pee-pees.
"

Calvin looked extremely relieved at this statement.

"
One minute, Mrs. Bronwyn
.
I
'
m afraid I must forbid you to leave this train.
"

Everyone who was considered a suspect, including me, had gathered in the
d
ining
car and
had front-row tickets
to the
exchange between Mrs. Bronwyn and Inspector Dabruzzi.
We
could not believe he was forbidding her to leave the train, and could not wait to see her response.

Mrs. Bronwyn, who had been holding Calvin, put him down on the floor and handed his leash to the closest person, who happened to be Sheila.

"
Inspector,
"
she
growled,
"
w
e
have been most cooperative so far with your investigation. When I booked this ticket to visit my sister, I was told we would be making a stop in Pecan River, where I would be permitted to leave the train for a short break with Calvin. The railroad company assured me of this.
Now you
’
re telling me that I cannot leave? I ask you
;
what am I expected to do? What is Calvin expected to do? We are scheduled to be here for a very short period of time, and we
’
re wasting
it
.
A
ll I expect
ed
was
a
little
break where I can exit the train, take Calvin over to the fence
,
and let him relieve himself.
"

"
Inspector,
"
I
said, hoping to cut the tension
,
"
I can go with Mrs. Bronwyn and Calvin if that would help.
"

"
No, Cora, I
'
m afraid not. I cannot allow that.
"

Mr. MacEvoy let out a nervous laugh
.
"
Huh, he even thinks the little girl is a suspect!
"

"
What I think,
"
said
Dabruzzi
calmly
,
"
i
s
that I will accompany Mrs. Bronwyn and Calvin on the restroom break.
"

She
took a deep breath
.
"
Fine
.
"
S
he
exhaled.
"
Do what you must, but I
’
m leaving this train right now. Come along, Calvin
.
"
She took
the leash from Sheila.
"
Let
'
s go.
"

Mrs. Bronwyn walked over to the door that connected the
d
ining
car with the sleeper car and made her way to the small staircase that lead to the platform.
Dabruzzi
followed her after saying to Willy,
"
Please
make certain
that no one else leaves or enters these last three cars, Willy.
"

"
Of course,
"
he replied
.

Through the window, w
e
could see Mrs. Bronwyn, still looking displeased, lead Calvin to a small fence
at
the side of the platform.
We
could not hear what she said, but could see her encourage Calvin to find a spot to do his business.

Calvin sniffed along the fence perimeter and began searching for
an area
he deemed sufficient. With a couple of sniffs, he found the perfect
place
and lifted his back leg on a fence post.