Ann Martin - Jessi And The Jewel Thieves

"We'll just have to stay on our toes," said Quint. "And we can't forget that they know our names. They could be watching out for us, just like we're watching out for them."

I hadn't forgotten, not for one minute. The only reason I'd been able to enjoy following those crooks through the park was because we had been behind them. For once, I didn't have to worry about them being behind me.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to meet Stacey and her dad for lunch?" asked Quint, looking at his watch. "It's almost noon. We should call them."

We stood up and headed for a phone booth. I dialed Mr. McGill's number, and Stacey answered right away. "Hi!" I said. "Are we still meeting you for lunch?"

"Definitely," replied Stacey. "We've been shopping all morning, and I'm starved."

"Where should we meet you?" I asked.

"It's up to you and Quint. Wherever you guys would like to go is fine with us."

I covered the mouthpiece with my hand for a second and looked at Quint. "It's up to us where we go," I told him.

His eyes lit up and I knew what he was thinking. "The Palm Court," he said.

I nodded. "Could we go to the Palm Court?" I asked Stacey.

"Sure," she said, sounding a little surprised.

"I always wanted to see the Plaza," I went on, hoping to explain my choice.

"Sounds like fun. Can you meet us there at twelve-thirty?"

I checked with Quint, and he nodded. "We'll be there," I said. I hung up.

Quint checked his watch again. "If we take a cab, we'll be there in no time," he said. "We can hang out here for a little longer and see if the men come out of the museum."

We picked out a place on the steps in front of the museum and settled in. All around us, people were eating lunch, talking, playing patty-cake with their babies, and reading. I've noticed that New Yorkers have an ability to make themselves comfortable wherever they are. One woman was even holding up a reflective tanning mirror to her face. I was so involved in my people-watching that I forgot to Frank-and-Red-watch, but luckily Quint

wasn't as distractable as me. He kept an eagle eye on the entrance.

"Is that them?" he asked, at one point. He jumped up and shaded his eyes, trying to get a better look. I jumped up, too, but all I saw was a skinny girl with short red hair. We sat down again. The sun felt good on my shoulders, and it had warmed the stone steps. I leaned back and closed my eyes, feeling very sleepy all of a sudden.

"Jessi, wake up!" cried Quint, shaking me. "We better get going or we'll be late for lunch."

"I wasn't asleep," I protested. But I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Maybe I had drifted off for a few seconds. After all, I'd barely slept the night before. It wasn't surprising that I was tired. "Did they come out?" I asked.

Quint shook his head, looking disgusted. "No," he replied. "It looks like we've lost them for the day. Unless they turn up at the Palm Court."

"Let's go," I said. "Maybe they're there already."

We walked down to the street, and Quint stepped forward to look for a cab. I pulled his arm. "I can do it," I said. "Check this out." I looked up the street until I saw a cab coming, and then I threw up my arm. The cab pulled over, and I opened the door for a surprised-

looking Quint. I slid in behind him. "The Plaza, please," I said to the driver. I was tempted to add, "And make it snappy," like they do in the movies, but I was afraid it might sound rude. Besides, we weren't in that much of a hurry.

Quint gave me a grin and held up his hand for a high-five. "All right, Jessi," he said. "Very cool."

We arrived at the Plaza right on time. Quint led the way through the hotel's lobby, which was full of very rich-looking ladies with fancy luggage. Just seconds ago, in the cab, I'd been feeling very sophisticated. But now, suddenly, I felt like a hick. I gazed around, noticing the beautiful furniture, the heavy drapes, the thick carpets. Then I looked down at myself and realized that I was most definitely not dressed for the Plaza. I hadn't seen too many other people in jeans. I felt kind of shy and embarrassed. Then Quint tugged on my arm.

"Look," he said. "Does she look familiar?" He pointed to a portrait of a spunky-looking little girl.

"Eloise!" I said. "That was my favorite book when I was little." I walked closer to the picture. It was signed by the artist, Hilary Knight. "This is great," I said. "It's like Eloise was real." The book is about this little girl who

lives at the Plaza and gets into all kinds of mischief. It's really funny.

"There's the Palm Court," said Quint, pointing. I pulled myself away from Eloise and followed him toward the restaurant. When we reached the entrance, this man in a tuxedo stopped us.

"Can I help you?" he asked, sounding rather snooty. He obviously couldn't figure out what two kids like us were doing at such a fancy restaurant.

Quint impressed me by acting extremely cool and mature. "We're meeting some friends," he said. "They may have already arrived. it’s the McGill party."

"Ah, the McGill party," said the man. "Right this way, sir." He led us through the restaurant to a table where Stacey and her father were waiting. Then he pulled out a chair for me and gave Quint a slight bow.

"Thank you," said Quint and I at the same time.

"Hi, Jessi," said Stacey. "Isn't this place elegant?" She smoothed the pink tablecloth in front of her.

I looked around. I hadn't even been paying attention to the decor. When we walked through the restaurant, I'd been looking around at the people, checking to see if Frank

and Red were there. I had a feeling Quint had done the same thing. In the cab, we'd discussed what we would do if we saw them. Our plan was to a) alert the police immediately if the two of them did anything at all suspicious, or b) make a run for it if they seemed to recognize us.

I had noticed that most of the people eating at the Palm Court looked very wealthy. In fact, many of the women were wearing jewels! I'd never seen so many diamond rings, pearl necklaces, and emerald earrings in my life. I wondered if Frank and Red might be planning a daring midday hold-up in the middle of the Palm Court. Now that would be exciting.

"Jessi!" Stacey was giving me a funny look. "What are you thinking about? You're acting like you're lost in space."

"More like 'out to lunch,' " cracked Quint. Everybody laughed, even Mr. McGill.

Just then, a waiter came by. He was wearing forest-green pants, a starched white jacket, and a mustard-colored sash. I made sure to take note of his outfit, so I could tell Claudia about it. It was a pretty cool uniform. "Would you care to order?" he asked.

"We need just a few minutes," said Mr. McGill. The waiter nodded and disappeared.

I looked at the menu in front of me, wondering what kind of exotic food might be

served at a place like this. It turned out to be a pretty regular menu. There were things like club sandwiches, chicken salad, and seafood salad.

"Let's get the tea sandwiches," said Stacey. "They're always fun."

"Fine," I said. I was still thinking about Frank and Red, and I was a little too nervous to concentrate on the menu.

Quint and I kept glancing around surreptitiously, but Frank and Red did not appear. Finally, when the sandwiches arrived, I decided to forget about the jewel thieves and pay attention to my lunch at the fabulous Palm Court. Just as I was biting into a cucumber-and-watercress sandwich (with the crusts cut off — very fancy), I heard a lovely sound. "What's that?" I asked.

"Harp music," said Stacey. "A harpist plays here every day at lunch."

I looked around and saw the harpist. "Wow," I said. "Awesome." And finally I forgot about Frank and Red and just enjoyed the feeling of "dining out in style." Quint seemed to enjoy himself, too, although I'm not sure he was crazy about the tea sandwiches. The tiny squares of banana bread with pink cream cheese did not exactly make a hearty lunch, and he looked a little silly trying to eat them delicately. I had a feeling he'd much rather