Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar (A Cora Flash Children's Mystery, Book 1) (27 page)

"
Oh
...
my
...
goodness,
"
he said in a state of shock.
"
No-one move!
"

"
Looks like you
'
ve found your
self a
Spotted Pilkington
,
"
said Willy, who had just stepped off the train to join the group.

Mr. MacEvoy looked completely thrilled at his visiting bird, and slowly lowered himself so he could get a better look.
"
What a perfect specimen!
"
he said upon inspecting the bird.

"
We had better be going,
"
said Ted.
"
We have a honeymoon to start!
"

"
Have fun!
"
I
said as Ted and Sheila picked up their suitcases and made their way to the taxi stand.

Calvin, who had been quietly sitting at
my
side, suddenly noticed the small bird that held Mr. MacEvoy
'
s interest. He decided, right then and there, that the bird was there for his amusement, and he needed to catch it.

"
Grrrrrrr
,
"
Calvin said.
"
Aaarrff!
"
He lunged at the bird, but the leash around
my
wrist kept him from going far.
He
did, however, scare away the bird, who flew in the direction of the train station.

"
Oh
,
no!
"
cried Mr. MacEvoy.
"
My bird! My precious bird!
"
He grabbed his suitcase and chase
d
after the bird, desperately trying to catch up with it before it disappeared for another twelve years
.

As he hopelessly
ran after the animal
, a man in a button-up trench coat and a tweed Newsboy cap
rushed
over to the group.

"
Cora!
"
he called.
"
Cora, is that you?
"

I
recognized him and
raced
over to him.
"
Uncle André!
"
I
said,
running
into his arms.

"
How was the trip?
"
he asked. Before giving
me
a chance to explain, he asked
, “Why are the police here?”

"
Well, I
'
ll tell you on the ride to
the hotel
.
"

"
If you don
'
t mind,
"
he said.
"
We need to make a stop along the way. Oh, Cora, something terrible has happened. Everyone in town is terribly distressed.
"

"
Sounds like you have your
self another mystery, Cora,
"
said Willy with a smile.

"
Sounds like it,
"
I
confirmed, with a
grin
of
my
own.

"
Cora,
"
said Abigail.
"
You know how to reach me if you need help.
"

"
Thanks,
"
I
replied
.
"
I just might do that.
"

I
said
,
“G
oodbye
,”
to Willy and thanked him for all his help.
I
then turned to Abigail and said a quick goodbye to her, although
we
both knew
we
would be seeing each other soon.

"
Uncle Andr
é
, t
his
is Calvin. He
'
s my dog.
"

"
Hello
,
Calvin, I
'
m your Uncle André
.
I
t's
very nice to meet you
.
Now
,
Cora, we must get back to town
.
T
here
is so much I need to tell you.
"

I walk
ed with
my
new
dog
to
my
u
ncle's
car in the parking lot. Just as
he
was about to tell
me
about the mystery,
my
cell phone rang.

"
Hello?
"
I
said.

"
Cora, are you there yet?
"
my mother
asked.
"
You were supposed to call me when you arrived
!
"

"
Yes,
Mom
,
"
I
replied.
"
I
'
m here. Sorry, I was just saying goodbye to everyone and then Uncle André arrived.
"

"
Is everything okay? How was the trip? Anything exciting happen?
"

I
thought for a minute and then decided not to say anything just yet.
"
No,
"
I
replied.
"
Nothing exciting. Nothing at all.
"

I
looked at Calvin, who
I
swear had a mischievous smile on
his
face.
I
realized
I
not only had to tell
my
m
om
about the Diamond of Madagascar, but
I
had to tell her about Calvin
,
too
! And if Uncle André was correct, it sounded like there was going to be even more to
explain
.

Some things
,
I
thought,
can wait
.

At least until after
The Mystery
of the Haunted Hotel
!

Tommy Davey spent his youth writing mystery stories and plays, and watching reruns of Three's Company until every line of dialogue was permanently burned into his memory. When not writing, he enjoys traveling to favorite destinations including New York City and Paris, which he plans to feature in future stories. He lives in Toronto, where he was born and raised, with a Norfolk Terrier named Calvin.
Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar is his first novel.

If you enjoyed reading this book, please consider contributing an online review.

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ - !/tommy_writes

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tommy-Davey/286285028086669

Blog:

http://tommydavey.blogspot.com/