Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar (A Cora Flash Children's Mystery, Book 1) by Tommy Davey Page B
Authors: Tommy Davey
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a mental note of this trivial detail , thinking it might come in handy later in my investigation.
" Willy, the night before the diamond disappeared, did anyone make any unusual requests? "
" Let me think a minute, now . " Willy paused for a bit . " Nothing comes to mind, Inspector. Mr. and Mrs. Houseman forgot to pack toothpaste, so they asked for a tube. We always keep a few extras aboard the train. People always forget something. And Mrs. Bronwyn asked for some ice cubes for Calvin to chew on . S he said it help s him to fall asleep. Oh, and Mr. Sloane asked for some peppermint tea. He said his stomach was unsettled. "
" It aids digestion, " offered the i nspector .
" His nerves were probably frazzled from carrying that diamond around with him. "
" You are probably right . Thank you , Willy. You have been most helpful. I ' ll probably have more questions for you later, if you don ' t mind. "
" Not at all , Inspector, " he said. " Not at all. "
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
" This is absolutely dreadful. This whole affair, simply dreadful, " exclaimed Mrs. Bronwyn as she took her seat across from Dabruzzi .
" I quite agree with you, Mrs. Bronwyn . It is all highly unfortunate. "
" Well, you must realize by now that nearly everyone had a chance to take that silly diamond. That corridor was on the way to the d ining car. Everyone would have passed it at one point. "
" You are quite right, Mrs. Bronwyn . "
" But, there is one thing that is bothering me. One thing I can ' t figure out, " she said with a puzzled expression . " What would one do with the diamond after they stole it? It is so incredibly famous that there is no way anyone could sell it without revealing they ’ re the thief. "
The i nspector took a deep breath before formulating his response. " You are right on some levels, assuming the thief is an amateur. However, there are many networks all over the world that are designed for distributing stolen goods. Surely you have heard of fences? "
" Yes, of course, but the Diamond of Madagascar is notoriously famous . "
" It is , yes, but for someone with access to a sophisticated network, it would not be difficult to find a buyer. Someone with a great sum of money and even more discretion. It was probably already sold to someone even before it was stolen. "
" You mean, " Mrs. Bronwyn interjected with great alarm , " t he diamond was custom ordered? "
" In a ma n n er of speaking, yes, you could say that. "
" My word . Simply unbelievable. The things people do. "
" Tell me about your morning , please . "
" My morning? Oh goodness, it ' s quite unremarkable , in fact. Let ' s see. I woke up around seven , and poor Calvin needed his breakfast, so I immediately fed him to keep him from nagging me. He is so persistent when it comes to food! "
The i nspector gazed down at the sleeping Norfolk Terrier. It was hard to imagine an overly active appetite from such a small dog.
" After I fed him, " she continued , " I took him with me to the washroom cubicle. I don ' t generally take very long to get myself together in the morning, but the way the train rocks back and forth plays havoc with my makeup application. Not that I wear much, you understand, but I like to keep some secrets to myself. "
" I understand . "
" Are you married , Inspector? "
" No , I am not. I was almost married, a long time ago, but that story is for another day . "
" Such a shame. Perhaps it ’ s your occupation. It ' s a dangerous profession, and many women would be put off by someone who puts himself in peril every day. "
" That could have been a contributing factor . "
" Oh , most certainly . I think it would have been. "
Looking through the hole in the tablecloth , I saw Mrs. Bronwyn take a sip from the glass of ice water she had in front of her. The clinking of the ice cubes alerted Calvin, whose head popped up. " Go back to sleep , my dear . I t ' s nothing. "
Calvin took her word for it and lowered his head back to the floor.
"
" Willy, the night before the diamond disappeared, did anyone make any unusual requests? "
" Let me think a minute, now . " Willy paused for a bit . " Nothing comes to mind, Inspector. Mr. and Mrs. Houseman forgot to pack toothpaste, so they asked for a tube. We always keep a few extras aboard the train. People always forget something. And Mrs. Bronwyn asked for some ice cubes for Calvin to chew on . S he said it help s him to fall asleep. Oh, and Mr. Sloane asked for some peppermint tea. He said his stomach was unsettled. "
" It aids digestion, " offered the i nspector .
" His nerves were probably frazzled from carrying that diamond around with him. "
" You are probably right . Thank you , Willy. You have been most helpful. I ' ll probably have more questions for you later, if you don ' t mind. "
" Not at all , Inspector, " he said. " Not at all. "
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
" This is absolutely dreadful. This whole affair, simply dreadful, " exclaimed Mrs. Bronwyn as she took her seat across from Dabruzzi .
" I quite agree with you, Mrs. Bronwyn . It is all highly unfortunate. "
" Well, you must realize by now that nearly everyone had a chance to take that silly diamond. That corridor was on the way to the d ining car. Everyone would have passed it at one point. "
" You are quite right, Mrs. Bronwyn . "
" But, there is one thing that is bothering me. One thing I can ' t figure out, " she said with a puzzled expression . " What would one do with the diamond after they stole it? It is so incredibly famous that there is no way anyone could sell it without revealing they ’ re the thief. "
The i nspector took a deep breath before formulating his response. " You are right on some levels, assuming the thief is an amateur. However, there are many networks all over the world that are designed for distributing stolen goods. Surely you have heard of fences? "
" Yes, of course, but the Diamond of Madagascar is notoriously famous . "
" It is , yes, but for someone with access to a sophisticated network, it would not be difficult to find a buyer. Someone with a great sum of money and even more discretion. It was probably already sold to someone even before it was stolen. "
" You mean, " Mrs. Bronwyn interjected with great alarm , " t he diamond was custom ordered? "
" In a ma n n er of speaking, yes, you could say that. "
" My word . Simply unbelievable. The things people do. "
" Tell me about your morning , please . "
" My morning? Oh goodness, it ' s quite unremarkable , in fact. Let ' s see. I woke up around seven , and poor Calvin needed his breakfast, so I immediately fed him to keep him from nagging me. He is so persistent when it comes to food! "
The i nspector gazed down at the sleeping Norfolk Terrier. It was hard to imagine an overly active appetite from such a small dog.
" After I fed him, " she continued , " I took him with me to the washroom cubicle. I don ' t generally take very long to get myself together in the morning, but the way the train rocks back and forth plays havoc with my makeup application. Not that I wear much, you understand, but I like to keep some secrets to myself. "
" I understand . "
" Are you married , Inspector? "
" No , I am not. I was almost married, a long time ago, but that story is for another day . "
" Such a shame. Perhaps it ’ s your occupation. It ' s a dangerous profession, and many women would be put off by someone who puts himself in peril every day. "
" That could have been a contributing factor . "
" Oh , most certainly . I think it would have been. "
Looking through the hole in the tablecloth , I saw Mrs. Bronwyn take a sip from the glass of ice water she had in front of her. The clinking of the ice cubes alerted Calvin, whose head popped up. " Go back to sleep , my dear . I t ' s nothing. "
Calvin took her word for it and lowered his head back to the floor.
"
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