The Jewel Thief

The Reveal

There's a pause. I can see that Maddie has her hands clasped behind her back, and she's fidgeting in anticipation, presumably wondering what Marissa will say. The anxiety is rising, and then finally I hear Marissa again.

"Well, it's not here, so get out of my house."

Maddie's eyes widen, and I can tell she's trying to figure out how to save me. "But..."

"NOW," Marissa shouts. And her finger appears in the doorway, pointing for Maddie to leave. She hangs her head and starts down the hall in the opposite direction. The door to Marissa's room slams behind her, and the deafening music resumes. She stops and turns to face me, motioning for me to go to the bathroom, to climb back down the tree. "What about you?" I whisper as quietly as I can so that it is barely audible.

"I'll go out the front and see you down there. We'll have to get them another time."

"Okay. Oh, and... thank you for saving me." I give her a quick smile before turning towards the bathroom.

As I walk down towards the bathroom, I become disappointed. And there I was thinking we were going to find the jewels! I gently push open the bathroom door and start slowly lifting the window. I grasp the tree just as I see Maddie come out the door. I wave, and then I crawl out along the tree branch again. But just as I turn around to close the window, I notice something different about one of the floorboards in the bathroom. It is slightly crooked, almost as if it has been moved. I could just be imagining it, of course, but I decide to go back and see. It is the last chance I have to find something out about the mystery before Marissa discovers me.

So I climb back up the branch and noiselessly hoist myself back down into the bathroom. I creep over to the floorboard. Yes, it is indeed crooked. I use all my strengths to pull it up, which is quite a task, and it makes rather a loud noise, but luckily the loud music coming from the bedroom is noisier. And when I finally dismantle the floorboard, I am met with a relieving sight: the chest of jewels!

I can barely contain my excitement. Eventually, I attempt to lift the top of the chest, and I am surprised to see that it is unlocked. But, to my great dismay, I find it is empty! Except for a single jewel, which I recognize to be a garnet, one of my favorite jewels. And the letter from Phillip to Margaret Rose is still there, just torn in two. Good. We need that as proof.

I rush over to the window and look down for Maddie. But she's already climbing up the tree. "Elizabeth! What are you doing? We need to leave! I saw you go back in there, but why?"

"It's the chest! It's hidden under the floorboards!"

"Really? I'm coming!"

She hurries excitedly up the tree and climbs down into the room, rushing over to me. I lift up the chest and show her. She starts jumping up and down like a little girl. "Gosh! Fabulous! We've solved the mystery!!! We're going to be famous!!!! Are the jewels all in there?"

"Well... that's the thing. It's empty! Well, except for the note, and a garnet..."

"Oh no! That must mean they're hidden in the house. You know what? I think we should keep looking. We have motivation." She grins. "Come on! They have to be somewhere."

But I am not so excited. "Are you sure? Marissa's really cross with you, and I'm sure if she found us, especially me after you told her I wasn't here, she would be very, very cross... you don't want to get on the bad side of a criminal like her..."

Maddie rolls her eyes. "Come on, Elizabeth! We can find them! Just think, we can be like George... and solve mysteries..."

"Oh, all right... but if we get caught, it's your fault."