Ann Martin - Jessi And The Jewel Thieves

he picked it up, whoever was on the other end hung up. It happened twice!"

A shiver ran down my spine. "Do you think they were calling to check up on you?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Who knows? It could have been just a coincidence. Anyway, should we check up on them!" He gestured toward the window.

"I — I don't know. This is making me

nervous."

"I'm kind of nervous about it, too. In fact, I didn't sleep very well last night. But wouldn't we feel better if we were doing something?"

I guess this is why Quint and I are friends: we really are a lot alike.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," I said. So we walked over to the window and peeked through the blinds. Our window was open, and so were most of the ones across the way, including the one we were most interested in. But nobody was in sight. I started to turn away when suddenly I heard a familiar voice.

"Listen, numbskull," it said.

"That's him," hissed Quint. "They must be in another room."

We strained to hear the conversation.

"We're almost ready for this job," the voice went on. I recognized it as Frank's. "We could even do it tomorrow. But there are still a couple of details to take care of, and I need your help. So are you in? Or are you out?"

It was the same argument they'd been having the night before.

"I'm in, I'm in," said Red. "You talked me into it."

I guess "If you back out now, I'll kill you" is a pretty persuasive argument.

"All right then," said Frank. "Let's get going."

Quint and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Come on," he said. On our way out of the apartment, Quint called out to his mother. "We're going out for awhile. See you later!"

"Just be sure you're back from your lunch by two o'clock," she answered. Quint had a rehearsal that afternoon in preparation for the evening performance. His parents were going out with friends at the same time, so Stacey and I had volunteered to baby-sit for Morgan and Tyler.

We ran out of Quint's building just as Red and Frank were emerging from theirs. "Whoa, get back," whispered Quint. "Let's see where they're going." We watched intently as the men walked up the block and then crossed the street. "Looks like they're headed for the park," Quint said. "Let's go." I noticed that the police car had disappeared. Most likely, it had been there for some other reason. In any case, no police were following Red and Frank. It was up to us now. We headed up the block, sticking close to the buildings so that the thieves wouldn't see us if they turned around. Then we crossed into the park, as they had.

Central Park is a pretty amazing place. It's not just trees and grass. It's chock full of roller-skaters and joggers and bikers. Also kite-flyers, baby-stroller pushers, dog-walkers, and softball-players. Also — well, I could go on forever. Let's just say a lot of people are doing a lot of different things. Also, there are all these neat things to see, like the very place where we were entering the park. We walked beneath this big arbor, with trailing vines all over it. It was like walking into a fairy tale. And then there's Strawberry Fields. What is that? Well, it's a memorial for John Lennon. You know, the Beatle who died? People come from all over to see it. Part of it is this design in black-and-white stone that says "Imagine" in the middle of it. I was almost distracted by that, but Quint pulled on my arm. "Come on," he said. "We're going to lose them if we're not careful."

Luckily, Red's outstanding feature (his hair!) made him easy to spot. And since we were in the park, it wasn't hard to stay close behind

him and Frank and still stay hidden by trees and shrubs.

We were so close to them, in fact, that we could pick up bits of conversation now and then. We heard Red ask Frank if he had a cigarette. We heard Frank tell Red it was supposed to rain the next day. And we heard them talking about the Palm Court, which Quint told me is a restaurant at the Plaza Hotel.

They crossed the drive, where traffic goes through the park, and so did we. They kept walking, and soon we all emerged near a fountain. "Bethesda Terrace," said Quint. "This is a neat place to hang out on a sunny day."

I saw a lake nearby, with rowboats on it. Red and Frank, headed toward it. "I wonder if they're going to go for a row!" I said, giggling. I wasn't feeling so nervous anymore. In fact, I was kind of enjoying myself.

"Stay close," said Quint. "We don't want to lose them if they go into the boathouse." He pointed to a building. "That's where you can rent boats. They also have bikes you can rent. Plus a cafe."

Next, we followed Red and Frank past the little pond where people sail their model sailboats. I remembered it from other visits. "There's the Alice statue," I said, pointing. I gazed at the giant statue of Alice in Wonder-

land. Every time I've seen it kids have been climbing all over it. That day was no exception.

"Watch out!" cried Quint. "They're getting ready to leave the park, I think. Hmmm, Seventy-ninth Street. Wonder where they're headed."

I was a little sorry to leave the park. I think it's my favorite place in New York, next to Lincoln Center, that is.

"Aha!" said Quint, after a few minutes. "They're going into the museum."

We stood for a moment and watched as Red and Frank climbed the big stone steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. it’s a huge building, and it looks incredibly impressive, but also kind of friendly. Why friendly? Well, for one thing, these colorful banners hang from the front. They put them up to announce special shows. Also, the steps are full of people who are waiting for friends, eating pretzels they've bought from vendors on the sidewalk, or just sitting in the sun. It looks like a fair or something.

We raced up the stairs behind Frank and Red, and into the dark, cool entrance. "Wow!" I said, looking around. We were in a huge, cavernous hall.

"Darn," said Quint.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't have any extra money — not if we want to take a cab when we go to lunch. Do you have any?" He pointed to a sign that said, "Pay what you wish, but you must pay something."

"Nope," I said. "Nothing extra. I guess that’s the end of the line. We can't follow them any further." We watched as Red and Frank disappeared into the crowd. "I wonder what they came here for, anyway," I said, as we walked back outside.

'7essi, do you think — " Quint said, in an awed voice. He was pointing to a red and orange banner that said, "Coming Soon: Jewels of the Russian Empire."

I stared at it, open-mouthed. Could Red and Frank actually be planning to rob the Metropolitan Museum? Suddenly I realized I might be in over my head.

Chapter 8.

After Quint and I had gazed at the banner for a moment or two, we walked down the steps to the sidewalk. "Can we rest for a few minutes?" I asked. "I'm feeling a little overwhelmed."

"Sure," Quint said. He led me past the museum. "How about here, near the temple? We can sit on the grass."

I studied the huge glass structure that loomed over us. It looked like a giant greenhouse, but inside, instead of plants, was a temple! That's right, an entire Egyptian temple that was brought over and set up inside its own wing attached to the museum. It's made of big tan-colored stones, and looks incredibly old. It is the coolest thing I've ever seen. It took my mind off Frank and Red, for a few minutes at least.

"There's still nothing we can do," said Quint, as if he'd been thinking the situation

over. "I mean, we can't walk in and tell the guards that someone is planning to steal the Russian jewels. They wouldn't believe us, and why should they? We have no proof. it’s just a guess."

I shook my head. "I know. We're really stuck. We can't go to the police until we have more to tell them, but the longer we wait, the better the chances are that Frank and Red will steal the jewels."