Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar (A Cora Flash Children's Mystery, Book 1) by Tommy Davey Page A
Authors: Tommy Davey
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seen anything. "
" I see . I have been thinking about this morning over and over, but I can ' t think of anything that would help your investigation. I wish I had seen something. "
The inspector asked, " How well do you know Abigail? "
" Abby? Oh, I ' ve known her since she was born. I worked with her father for years and years, before that terrible accident. I still keep in touch with her father; in fact we are going to have dinner the day after tomorrow, at Topaz Mountain . She ' s a good girl, smart as a whip . "
Willy paused for a moment , as if he were thinking that Dabruzzi might be accusing her of the crime.
" Inspector! " he exclaimed. " Don ' t tell me you think Abby had something to do with this ?"
" I have not heard any evidence to suggest she is involved. However, I must take everything into consideration. "
" I don ' t like you accusing her of anything, Inspector. She is one of the brightest young ladies you will ever meet. Everyone should wish they had a daughter like her. I love that girl like my own, and I know her well enough to know she is not in any way involved in this theft. "
" I certainly hope not . It would be an awful shame for such a bright young lady to risk her promising future. "
" I should say so. It would be a terrible, terrible shame, " Willy agreed .
" Do you know anyone else on the train , Willy? Can you vouch for anyone else ' s character? "
" Gee, I don ' t think so, " he said after considering the question for a moment. " We have so many people travelling these lines. Not as many as before, mind you, but enough that I can ' t keep track of them. Some people look familiar, but I don ' t know anyone else by name. "
" At what time, " Dabruzzi began his next question, " did you start your day? "
" Six thirty . I get up at six and start setting out placemats for the breakfast. It used to be a job for two of us, once upon a time. Now, it ' s just me. So I get up a little earlier and prepare things. I s et out the tablecloths , the cutlery , and start cooking things. You know. "
" I see. And was there anything out of the ordinary this morning? Did anything strike you as odd? "
" Nothing. In fact, it was quite a boring morning. Nothing unusual happened at all. Made the juice, started to brew the coffee. Same as every other day. "
" And who was the first person to enter the d ining car this morning? "
" That ' s easy, " replied Willy. " Mr. MacEvoy. He was in the car even before eight o ' clock. "
" How is that possible? "
" I usually unlock the door a few minutes early, around ten to eight. I know some people like their coffee as soon as they wake up, so I try to accommodate them. And it ' s nice to sit and have coffee a few minutes before the stampede begins, you know? " Willy gave a little a laugh. " So I opened the door a few minutes before, and then left to get some of the croissants out of the fridge . I forgot to take them out earlier. When I returned , Mr. MacEvoy was already in the room. Just sitting there, all by himself. "
" And did he ask for anything? "
" He did. And now that I think of it, this is a bit strange. He asked for some sunflower seeds. "
" I see . Bird food. "
" Yeah. Bird food. I thought that was an awfully strange thing to request for breakfast, but ‘T o each his own, ’ my d ad used to always say. "
" Did you have it? "
" Oh my, no, certainly not. He took an herbal tea instead. And some toast with jam. Is that important? "
" Probably not, no, " said Dabruzzi . " Was he alone for just a few minutes , then? "
" Yes, I suppose so. No more than five. I returned shortly after he sat down, and then he was soon joined by Abigail, I believe. "
" Willy, do you have a key to each of the compartments? "
" No, I do not. They lock from the inside. The only person with a key is the conductor, way up in the engine car. He is the only person other than the assigned passenger who can unlock the rooms, and even then , only if it ’ s an emergency. "
I made
" I see . I have been thinking about this morning over and over, but I can ' t think of anything that would help your investigation. I wish I had seen something. "
The inspector asked, " How well do you know Abigail? "
" Abby? Oh, I ' ve known her since she was born. I worked with her father for years and years, before that terrible accident. I still keep in touch with her father; in fact we are going to have dinner the day after tomorrow, at Topaz Mountain . She ' s a good girl, smart as a whip . "
Willy paused for a moment , as if he were thinking that Dabruzzi might be accusing her of the crime.
" Inspector! " he exclaimed. " Don ' t tell me you think Abby had something to do with this ?"
" I have not heard any evidence to suggest she is involved. However, I must take everything into consideration. "
" I don ' t like you accusing her of anything, Inspector. She is one of the brightest young ladies you will ever meet. Everyone should wish they had a daughter like her. I love that girl like my own, and I know her well enough to know she is not in any way involved in this theft. "
" I certainly hope not . It would be an awful shame for such a bright young lady to risk her promising future. "
" I should say so. It would be a terrible, terrible shame, " Willy agreed .
" Do you know anyone else on the train , Willy? Can you vouch for anyone else ' s character? "
" Gee, I don ' t think so, " he said after considering the question for a moment. " We have so many people travelling these lines. Not as many as before, mind you, but enough that I can ' t keep track of them. Some people look familiar, but I don ' t know anyone else by name. "
" At what time, " Dabruzzi began his next question, " did you start your day? "
" Six thirty . I get up at six and start setting out placemats for the breakfast. It used to be a job for two of us, once upon a time. Now, it ' s just me. So I get up a little earlier and prepare things. I s et out the tablecloths , the cutlery , and start cooking things. You know. "
" I see. And was there anything out of the ordinary this morning? Did anything strike you as odd? "
" Nothing. In fact, it was quite a boring morning. Nothing unusual happened at all. Made the juice, started to brew the coffee. Same as every other day. "
" And who was the first person to enter the d ining car this morning? "
" That ' s easy, " replied Willy. " Mr. MacEvoy. He was in the car even before eight o ' clock. "
" How is that possible? "
" I usually unlock the door a few minutes early, around ten to eight. I know some people like their coffee as soon as they wake up, so I try to accommodate them. And it ' s nice to sit and have coffee a few minutes before the stampede begins, you know? " Willy gave a little a laugh. " So I opened the door a few minutes before, and then left to get some of the croissants out of the fridge . I forgot to take them out earlier. When I returned , Mr. MacEvoy was already in the room. Just sitting there, all by himself. "
" And did he ask for anything? "
" He did. And now that I think of it, this is a bit strange. He asked for some sunflower seeds. "
" I see . Bird food. "
" Yeah. Bird food. I thought that was an awfully strange thing to request for breakfast, but ‘T o each his own, ’ my d ad used to always say. "
" Did you have it? "
" Oh my, no, certainly not. He took an herbal tea instead. And some toast with jam. Is that important? "
" Probably not, no, " said Dabruzzi . " Was he alone for just a few minutes , then? "
" Yes, I suppose so. No more than five. I returned shortly after he sat down, and then he was soon joined by Abigail, I believe. "
" Willy, do you have a key to each of the compartments? "
" No, I do not. They lock from the inside. The only person with a key is the conductor, way up in the engine car. He is the only person other than the assigned passenger who can unlock the rooms, and even then , only if it ’ s an emergency. "
I made
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