THE MYSTERY OF THE DIAMOND ROBBERY
Photo credit: imelenchon from morguefile.com
Chapter 1
The diamonds are robbed!
It was 11:30 pm when Nicole and Rahul’s neighbor, Mrs. White, came home from the jewelers.
With her she had a set of diamonds!
Her husband had given her the money to buy them from goodness knows where. He hardly went to work but had almost all the riches in the world!
“Look at these beautiful glittering diamonds.” said Mrs. White.
“Really lovely.” said Mr. White. Suddenly the lights went off!
“Nobody is to touch me.” cried Mrs. White.
When the lights came on she found that the diamonds were gone!
Chapter 2
What a mystery!
The next morning Nicole woke up with a happy feeling. It was the first day of the summer holidays and all their cousins were staying with them for three months!
Nicole jumped out of bed and then woke Rahul up. He too cried with delight.
“1st March. Three, long sunny months ahead of us. Why we might even get a chance to be the five cousins and dog again.”
“I was thinking the same thing before I woke you up. Won’t it be lovely?” said his sister laughing.
Ethan, Sophia and Sean were cousins from their dad’s side. They had more on their mother’s side but they were now out-of-station.
An hour later they went to their grandparents’ house which was connected to theirs.
The others were already there and were having their breakfast. Their aunt Yasmine had a parcel for Nicole’s next door neighbors-Mr. and Mrs. White.
After breakfast Nicole and her brother went to ask their parents if they could go and deliver the parcel with the others. The answer was ‘yes’ and the five children were soon walking down the road to their neighbor’s house.
They were surprised to see Mrs. White in tear-stained cheeks and red eyes looking cautiously out of the window before opening the brightly polished door.
“Oh! It’s you kids. Come on in.”She said in a choked voice from which one could make out she had been crying for a long time.
“Mum’s sent this parcel for you” said Ethan in an alarmed voice.
“Thanks. I’ve been robbed of the best diamonds in the world, that’s why I’m so worried.”She said. “Now, out you all go. It’s been nice to see you all again.”
Chapter 3
A meeting is called.
“Let us have a meeting.” said Nicole as soon as they were out of Mrs. White’s hearing.
“Oh do let’s” said everyone.
“It’s a matter for the five cousins and dog to look into. The mystery of the diamond robbery.” Said Rahul so solemnly that they all had to laugh.
As soon as they reached home they went to the old shed, which had now become their meeting place.
“Now let’s start on something before that Mr. Columbus, the police man gets to even hear of the robbery.” said Nicole, decidedly.
“What should we do?” asked Sean.
“Let’s get back and get some more Info……Info…..” said Sophia.
“Information” completed Ethan.
“Yes let’s go” said Rahul.
Chapter 4
Collecting Information.
So they went to Mrs. Whites’ house and knocked at the door. Mrs. White opened it.
“Oh it’s you again. Come on in. What do you want?” She said.
“Mrs. White, you know that we like solving mysteries and have solved one before.” began Sean.
“And we wondered whether you could give us some information about the robbery that took place last night.” completed Ethan.
“Well, the robbery took place at around 11:35 pm last night and the lights went out as they were being robbed.” said Mrs. White.
Chapter 5
Sophia’s fall
As she was talking, somebody knocked or rather rapped at the door.
Mrs. White went to open it. It was Mr. Columbus the village policeman! What a shock for him when he saw the children standing just behind Mrs. White and grinning at him.
“What are you kids doing here?” roared Mr. Columbus, quite forgetting that Mrs. White was in front of him. “Get out of here at once I say. What are you a-doing?”
“All we’re a-doing at the moment is we’re getting out” said Rahul grinning. It would not be surprising if the policeman clapped them into jail for a day or two without even bread or water, he disliked them so much.
They trooped out and suddenly Mr. Columbus took it to his head to chase them to their house.
He roared and chased them . Sophia ran so fast that she didn’t look where she was going, tripped on a stone and fell face down on the road.
This made the boys go flaming red with anger and Rahul opened the gate leading to their house. Out shot duke their Labrador. He gave Sophia a quick lick on the face and chased Mr. Columbus round and round in circles!
“Mr. Columbus how does it feel to be chased?” asked Nicole laughing till tears came to her eyes. The other including Sophia shouted-“Yes how does it feel?”
Chapter 6
Under the coconut trees.
The children and their dog went inside all helping the limping Sophia. Then while Sean and Ethan went to explain the fall to Sally, Sophia and Sean’s mother, Nicole and Rahul helped their mother, Betty, who was a doctor, to bathe Sophia’s wound.
As Sophia didn’t want to do anything and begged her cousins and brother not to do anything without her they all went to Mrs. White’s house and asked her whether they could sit under the coconut trees near the river they owned.
Mrs. White said that they could.
“I will come with you, and call a coconut plucker to pluck coconuts for you all”, she said.
So the children went first leaving Mrs. White to telephone the coconut plucker. After fifteen minutes she came with the coconut plucker. He started to climb one tree. The children watched fascinated. Rahul was the most fascinated. He had always had a liking for trees.
Chapter 7
A key to the mystery.
That very moment Mr. White appeared. He saw the man climbing the tree and he yelled:
“Hey you! What are you doing climbing trees in my garden! Plucking fruit in my property without my permission! And you children get out! Rachel, how dare you give them permission without asking me first?!”
Rachel was Mrs. White’s first name.
The coconut plucker disappeared and Mrs. White went with the children looking sad and hurt.
Suddenly Nicole asked “Mrs. White, has Mr. White ever behaved like that before? I mean did he ever shout at you for plucking fruit from his trees?”
“No” said Mrs. White “Many a time I have given my nieces and nephews coconuts and mangoes and different types of fruit from our trees and he has never objected.”
“When was the last time he never objected?” asked Nicole.
“Before last night” answered Mrs. White at once.
“Before last night-the night of the robbery –oh bother that’s our dinner call.” said Nicole, “See you tomorrow Mrs. White.”
Chapter 8
A call to the Inspector.
The next morning the children had a hurried breakfast. They were all very excited as Nicole had told them that she had solved the mystery.
They went to Mrs. White’s house and were relieved to find that Mr. White had already left to work.
“Mrs. White” said Nicole urgently “you’ll have to call the police Inspector with a group of police and some of the police dogs! Rahul you go and fetch Duke. Mind that you bring him on his longest and strongest lead.”
The police Inspector lost no time in coming with his troop and soon they were all sitting in Mr. White’s big study. Nicole told them the whole story swiftly missing out no detail. The robbery, Mr. Columbus, the two chases, the fall everything.
“And now one of us must climb the coconut trees and see what’s inside the coconuts” she said.
Light was beginning to dawn on everyone. Of course Mr. White had stolen the diamonds and hidden them in the coconuts!
Chapter 9
On the track.
One of the police officers climbed the coconut trees and plucked a coconut. It was empty.
“That means that Mr. White has taken the diamonds” said Nicole to the Inspector.
“Mrs. White call up your husband’s office and see if he is there” said Nicole
Mrs. White who had been very quiet during the whole while nodded.
After 5 minutes she came back looking worried.
“No” she said “My husband is not at his office!”
Chapter 10
An exciting end to an exciting mystery.
“Just as I suspected!” said Nicole. “We must use the dogs to track him and his gang out.”
“Good old Nicole” yelled all the children together, except Nicole of course.
So Mrs. White gave all the dogs a sniff of one of Mr. White’s shirts.
Soon they were on the trail. After walking for a mile or so they heard Mr. White’s voice. Then a volley of laughter and somebody else’s voice saying-“Well! White you’ve done well.”
Then Mr. White spoke-“Thank you boss!”
Suddenly the Inspector drew his gun took a step forward and said-“Hands up! The cobra gang?!”
“Whew. Congratulations to the five cousins and their dog. You’ve helped to catch the cleverest gang in the world!!! They’re going to jail and there they are going to stay for a long long time.”
“What about Mrs. White?” asked Ethan.
“Don’t worry about me dear I am going to stay with my parents once I get my diamonds back.”
Then they all (except the robbers of course) laughed a hearty laugh.
__END__
By: Nicole Irene Travasso
Margao Goa
