Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar (A Cora Flash Children's Mystery, Book 1) (9 page)

"
Just this morning, but I don
'
t know when. I was looking at it
earlier
, in the briefcase. I had left it open so I could
keep
it in view as I got ready for breakfast. Then
,
the motion of the train must have knocked the lid of the case shut. I heard it close
,
but as there was no one else in the room and as the case locks as soon as it closes, I was not worried. Not in the least. I continued to get ready for breakfast and
was going to check on the diamond when I noticed that
girl watching me from the hallway.
Naturally, I stopped what I was doing but decided to check on the diamond one last time before I came here.
That
'
s when I saw it was gone.
"

"
But there was no one else in the room,
"
quipped
the little nervous man with glasses.

"
No, there wasn
'
t,
"
Mr. Sloane said.
"
But the door was open.
That stupid door kept opening! I tried to shut it over and over, but it
just wouldn’t stay closed
.
Someone could have
easily
slipped in and out. I had my back turned for just a moment, but I guess that is all it took for someone to come in and steal the diamond. Oh, what am I going to do?
"

"
Is the diamond insured?
"
Mr. Dabruzzi asked.

"
Yes, of course
!
"
snapped
Mr. Sloane.
"
But the value is not just financial. It is worth so much more than just the dollar amount. This is a
one
-
of
-
a
-
kind piece, worth more money than you could possibly insure. Nothing like this has ever come out of Madagascar before; it is the most valuable and flawless diamond that
East
Africa has ever discovered.
"

I
remembered reading about
it in
one of our
National Geographic
magazines
at home
.
The diamond
was a magnificent discovery
,
found by a group of local villagers who were exploring a cave in a part of Madagascar that no one had thought
c
ould
offer
diamonds. All previous attempts had failed, so the large diamond excavation companies had not bothered to excavate in that part of the country.

The
locals
always believe
d
the area was rich in
the precious gem,
as t
heir traditional stories had many references to the stones. Eventually, using almost primitive methods, they discovered a diamond that turned out to be the most valuable
one
the region had ever produced.
It
was auctioned with all the proceeds going to the townspeople. With the money,
they
were able to build schools
, establish
proper medical facilities
,
and were prosperous beyond their wildest dreams.

O
nly a few days after the story broke
,
the large companies started
arriving
in their little village, offering them even more money to allow them to set up mining operations. It was because of that one discovery that the small village grew into one of the most prosperous towns in the entire country.
Such
an amazing discovery.

"
Well,
"
I
said to
my
tablemates,
"
t
he
diamond is still on the train at least. We haven
'
t stopped anywhere yet.
"

"
You
'
re right,
"
said Willy.
"
That should make it easier to find.
"

"
Willy,
"
I
asked,
"
w
here
were you just now?
"

"
If I wasn
'
t in your car or in this room, I was somewhere in between. Why?
"

"
D
id you see anyone pass by to come into
this
car besides the people in this room?
"

He
paused to consider
my
question.
"
Come to think of it, no, I didn
'
t.
"

"
So,
"
Sheila said.
"
No one from the first four cars of the train passed by?
"

"
No, not a single person.
"

"
Then the person who stole the diamond is in this car!
"
I proclaimed.

The room grew quiet as everyone realized that
I
was right. If none of the other passengers had gone by, the only people with any chance of stealing the
stone
had to be the people
i
n that room.

"
I can
'
t believe it,
"
said Ted.
"
One of us?
"

"
It certainly sounds like it,
"
said the nervous man with glasses.
"
But which one of you took it?
"

"
Which one of
us
?
"
demanded
the girl in her twenties.
"
Who
'
s to say it wasn
'
t
you
?
"

"
Now just a minute,
"
he said
.
"
I know for a fact it wasn
'
t me, therefore it must have been one of you!
"

"
Ugh!
"
T
he
girl
grunted
in disgust.
"
I can
'
t believe this.
"

"
Let
'
s not get too excited now,
"
said Mrs. Bronwyn.
"
I
'
m sure the diamond will turn up. Let calm heads prevail. What was your name
,
dear?
"

"
Abigail
.
Abby.
"

"
Well, Abby,
"
said Mrs. Bronwyn,
"
I
'
m sure this gentleman did not mean to accuse
anyone
. We
'
re all just a little edgy right now.
"

"
As well we should be!
"
yelled Mr. Sloane.
"
My employer is going to be furious. I
'
m supposed to deliver the diamond tomorrow! Oh! I feel sick to my stomach
.
"

"
Here,
"
Mr. Dabruzzi
suggested as he stood.
"
Take my chair. You should sit.
"

"
Thank you
.
"
He took
up Mr. Dabruzzi
'
s offer.

Mr. Dabruzzi turned to everyone in the room.
"
I
'
m afraid I have a confession to make
.
"

A wave of quiet shock went through the car as everyone
stared accusingly at him and expected he
was about to confess
to stealing the diamond
.

"
I am not who I said I am
.
Yes, it is true that I am called Rudolpho Dabruzzi, but I am not a watch salesman on my way to a convention. I am here on official business, sent to ensure the Diamond of Madagascar made it safely to
Topaz Mountain
.
From now on,
"
he
took
a confident step forward,
"
You may call me Inspector Dabruzzi.
"

"
Inspector?
"
gasped
Mrs. Bronwyn.