Gertrude Warner - Mystery in New York

“That must be the alarm company calling,” said Jessie.

Benny ran after Watch. Grandfather and Mrs. Teague tried to help him catch the excited barking dog. Violet kept her hands over her ears and backed away from the awful shrieking noise of the alarm.

Someone began pounding on the front door.

“Get the door!” Mr. Pound called.

Jessie and Henry raced to the front door and Jessie threw it open. Mr. Saunders stood there.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” he demanded. “The alarm went off!”

“Mr. Pound has been robbed,” Henry said.

Now Mr. Saunders’s bushy red eyebrows shot upward. Then he said, “Robbed? Not the … not the Elizabeth Star?”

“Yes,” said Jessie, loudly enough to be heard over all the noise.

“But—that’s impossible. No one has been in or out of this building all evening except the people who live here and their guests,” said Mr. Saunders.

Just then, the alarm stopped. Jessie and Henry turned and saw Mr. Pound emerge from the closet. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face again, then wadded it back into his jacket pocket. “The police are on their way,” he said. “I just turned off the alarm.”

Mr. Saunders crossed the room. “It was in the closet?” he asked.

“In a hidden room behind a secret door at the back of the closet,” said Violet, who had just stopped holding her hands over her ears.

Mr. Saunders went closer to the closet and leaned to peer inside, where Benny was kneeling by Watch, patting his head. “There is a hidden room!” he exclaimed.

“We’d better not touch anything,” Mr. Pound told them. “The police will want to check for clues.”

“Right,” said Mr. Saunders, straightening up. “Well, I’d better get back downstairs.”

Mr. Saunders hurried out. A moment later, two police officers pushed through the open door. More police officers followed, and soon it seemed as if there were police officers everywhere, taking photographs and asking questions.

As the officers talked to Mr. Pound, Jessie went to the secret door and looked inside. The glass case stood on a small table. A switch by the door turned on the light that shone directly on the empty blue velvet inside the case where the diamond had been. The top of the glass case was shattered and glass sparkled on the velvet and on the plain wood floor.

Henry and Violet came up to stand next to Jessie. “No windows,” Henry noted.

“No,” Violet agreed. “No way in or out except through this door.”

“Step aside, please,” a pleasant, calm voice said. They turned to see a police officer with a camera. “I have to take photographs of the crime scene,” she went on.

The Aldens moved away.

Out in the living room, Mr. Pound was sitting on the sofa, talking to two other police officers. “No,” he said as Jessie, Henry, and Violet approached. “No, I punched in the code and pushed open the door and the alarm went off. That’s when I saw the glass case had been broken.”

“Maybe the alarm isn’t working right,” suggested Jessie.

The two police officers and Mr. Pound looked over at her. Mr. Pound’s eyes darted back and forth and he clutched his handkerchief in his fist.

“Maybe,” said one of the officers. “That’s one explanation.” She looked at Mr. Pound. “And the last time you saw the diamond was when you opened the safe room earlier this evening?”

“Yes, Officer.” Mr. Pound nodded and motioned toward Jessie. “She was with me and saw the Elizabeth Star. So did her little brother.”

“Is this true?” the policewoman asked Jessie.

“Yes,” said Jessie. “It is … it was … a beautiful diamond.”

The policewoman made a note in her notebook and nodded at her fellow officer. He closed his notebook, too. “We don’t have any more questions right now,” he said. “But we need to dust for fingerprints and take more measurements and photographs and do a thorough search of the apartment and the common areas of the building.”

“Search?” Mr. Pound’s voice quavered.

“For evidence, clues. You never know what will turn up,” said the policeman.

Mrs. Teague, who had been standing to one side with Grandfather Alden, said, “Edgar, why don’t you come back to my apartment for a nice cup of hot tea.”

“And dessert,” Benny said suddenly. “We still haven’t had dessert.”

“Oh, Benny,” said Violet, putting her hand on her little brother’s shoulder.

“It might make you feel better,” Benny went on. “It’s chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.”

Mr. Pound mopped his forehead and managed a wan smile. “Maybe it will,” he said to Benny. To Mrs. Teague he said, “Thank you. Maybe it would be best if I got away from all this.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” said the policewoman. “We have Mrs. Teague’s apartment and phone numbers so we can reach you if we need you.”

The Aldens, Mrs. Teague, and Mr. Pound returned to the apartment. Mr. Pound sank down heavily onto the sofa.

“Just sit down and relax,” said Mrs. Teague.

Grandfather Alden and Violet sat down with him to keep him company, while Jessie, Benny, and Henry went with Mrs. Teague to help make tea.

“I don’t feel at all well,” said Mr. Pound. “This is terrible, just terrible.” He mopped his face and tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Maybe a glass of ice water …” His voice trailed off.

Violet stood up. “I’ll get it for you,” she said.

“Yes, thank you, Violet. That might help,” Mr. Pound said gratefully. He shivered and looked around.

“The door to the terrace is open,” said Grandfather Alden. “I’ll close it.” He got up and hurried out.

A moment later, Mrs. Teague returned with the tea tray. She found Mr. Pound standing in the dining room by the dinner table. He looked almost like he’d been walking in his sleep.

“Is there anything wrong, Edgar?”

“What?” he said, surprised to see her. “No … no, nothing’s wrong. Let me help you with the tea tray,” he added quickly.

They returned to the living room.

“Here’s your water,” said Violet.

“Thank you,” said Mr. Pound. “I feel better now.” He shook his head. “I just don’t understand how it happened. Why didn’t the alarm work before, when the thief took the diamond?”

“Maybe the thief didn’t use the door. Maybe there’s another secret door into the room,” said Benny. “Maybe someone sneaked in through that and took the diamond.”

“No. There are no secret doors or windows,” said Mr. Pound. “I had that room built especially for the Elizabeth Star. The only way in or out was through that door in the back of the closet.”

“Have you had the alarm long?” asked Henry.

“Two years,” said Mr. Pound. “I have it checked once a year. I just had it checked a few weeks ago. It was working fine.”

“Maybe someone sneaked into the room and hid, and then took the diamond,” suggested Benny.

But Jessie said, “No. There was nowhere to hide in that room. It was too small.”

“And how would anyone get out without setting off the alarm?” added Violet.

“They could if the alarm wasn’t working right,” said Henry. “And it wasn’t. It started ringing after Mr. Pound punched in the code.”

“That’s true,” said Mr. Pound. “Someone must have tampered with it.” He paused, then said, “The police will know.”

“We’ll find out,” Benny said. “Don’t worry. We’re very good at solving mysteries. We’ll solve this one for you.”