Ann Martin - Jessi And The Jewel Thieves

We were sitting on a ledge outside Quint's building. We'd just gotten out of the cab, but instead of going upstairs we'd sat outside to talk for awhile.

"I know," I said. "It's not fair."

"Do you think it was because we're African-American?" Quint asked. "I mean, maybe that's why they didn't trust us."

"Well, I might think that," I said, "except that the guard was black, too." I know prejudice exists, of course. But this time I didn't think it had anything to do with what had happened. "It's probably just because we're kids. They thought we'd start running around

and bump into one of those cases filled with crystal glasses or something."

"Right," said Quint, with a grin. "That would have been quite a sight, to see thousands of dollars worth of glass breaking all over the place."

I laughed. "Or maybe they thought we'd put our faces against the jewel displays and fog up the glass."

"Pretty dumb," said Quint, shaking his head. "I mean, we're not five years old, you know?"

"They sure treated us like we were."

We sat silently for a moment.

"So what about Frank and Red?" asked Quint. "Do you think they were just casing the joint, or do you think they actually might have been about to rob the store?"

I gasped. "That's right," I said. "The robbery could be going on at this very moment. And it would be that guard's fault, for making us leave. We could have figured out a way to stop the thieves." I pictured Frank and Red stuffing handfuls of jewels into a bag while employees sat helplessly in the background, tied up with ropes. I imagined Quint and me sneaking up behind the thieves and pretending we were the cops.

Then I visualized the headlines in the next morning's paper. HEROIC TEENS FOIL DBS-

PERADOES, one would say. JEWEL HEIST JINXED BY JUVENILES, another would shout. Maybe we'd get medals from the mayor, or maybe the store owners would let each of us pick out a reward from the jewelry cases. I pictured myself surprising my mother with a beautiful pair of diamond-and-sapphire earrings.

I was so busy with my daydreams that I nearly jumped out of my skin when a car horn blasted nearby. I looked over at Quint. Our conversation had died, and he was just sitting, staring moodily at the sidewalk. Suddenly I realized this was as good a time as any for our Talk. After all, I'd be leaving soon. I had to get it over with. As I thought about how to start, I remembered a Talk I'd had with this boy Daniel I'd met at Shadow Lake, when the BSC was on a vacation together. Daniel and I had become friendly, and I was beginning to worry that he wanted to be more than friends. I guess I was also feeling guilty about Quint, just like I had when I'd gone to that dance with Curtis Shaller. I Anyway, when I had this Talk with Daniel, I was completely embarrassed because it turned out he was only interested in me as a friend. He had a girlfriend in Boston, where he came from. Still, it had been a good talk, and we did end up agreeing to be friends. I

hoped my Talk with Quint would go as well.

I took a deep breath. "Quint?" I said. "We need to talk. About us." I had this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach, and my hands suddenly got sweaty.

"About us?" repeated Quint. "What do you mean?"

Uh-oh. Now I had to follow through. "Well," I said. "I've really had a good time with you this weekend. I fact, I have a great time with you whenever we get together. But I'm not sure — I mean, I don't know if — "

"If you want to be committed to being my girlfriend?" Quint asked.

"Yes!" I said, relieved. "That’s it, exactly. I mean, I think we're kind of young for a long distance relationship."

"I've been thinking the same thing," replied Quint, "but I didn't know how to talk to you about it. I never know what to do when there's a dance at school, for instance. Is it okay for me to ask another girl, or should I just not go?"

I thought of Curtis. "I went to a dance with another boy," I confessed. "But I felt guilty about it."

"Oh, Jessi," said Quint. He gave me a sympathetic look.

Quint is the nicest boy. I hope he'll still be around when I decide I'm ready for a real

relationship. "I hope we'll always be friends," I said.

"Me too," said Quint. He took my hand. "Jessi, could I kiss you just once more, for old time's sake?"

I blushed and nodded. Then Quint leaned over, but just as I was closing my eyes, I heard a car door slam. My eyes popped open, and over Quint's shoulder I saw Frank and Red walking away from a cab. I clutched Quint’s shoulder. "If s them," I hissed, and he turned around.

The two men didn't look like they'd just pulled off a big jewel heist. They weren't carrying bulging bags over their shoulders, and they didn't seem to be nervously watching for the cops. They walked into the building next to Quint’s, as calmly as you please.

Quint and I exchanged a look, then jumped up and ran into his building, not calmly at all. We burst into his apartment and headed straight for the TV room.

"Jessi! Jessi!" called Morgan, as we ran past her. "Come look at my Barbie!"

"Not now, Morgan," I said.

"Quint!" yelled Tyler. "Will you play Monopoly with us?"

"Maybe later!" Quint replied.

He herded me into the TV room and closed the door behind us. We ran to the window

and looked across the way. We could see into the room where we'd first seen Frank and Red, but it was empty. "Darn!" said Quint. "Do you think they went out again already?"

"Let's wait a minute," I answered. "Maybe they're in another room."

We sat quietly for a few minutes, but Frank and Red didn't show up. Then Quint said, "I have an idea. What if we went to their door, pretending we have to make a delivery or something? We could get a look around the apartment, and maybe figure something out."

"I don't know. That sounds dangerous. After all, they know what we look like, don't they? They might let us in just to trap us."

"Hmm," Quint said. "Maybe you're right. We could wear disguises, though. Then they wouldn't know who we are. I could wear my dad's glasses, and you could borrow this Halloween wig of Morgan's."

"But what would we be looking for in there?" I asked. "I mean, there probably aren't going to be piles of jewels just lying out in plain sight."

"No, but maybe we'd see a map of one of the stores, or a plan or something. Or maybe we could trap them into saying something incriminating."

"You mean, talk about diamonds and see how they react?" I asked.

"I guess," Quint answered. "Oh, I don't know. All I know is that I want to solve this mystery and make sure they don't get away with anything."

"I just wish we could go to the police," I said. "If only we had more evidence."

"That's exactly what I'm saying," agreed Quint. "Maybe the only way to get more evidence is to get into their apartment."

By this time we were both seated on the floor, stretching. Ballet students and dancers do that any time they have a free moment. It's second nature. I had stretched my legs as far apart as they could go, and my head was nearly on the floor between them. Quint was doing this complicated pretzellike stretch that’s supposed to be good for your back. We'd both forgotten — for a moment — to watch out the window.

Suddenly I heard Frank's voice, loud and clear. "You double-crossing weasel!" he said.

Quint and I sat up fast and looked out the window. There, across the way, were Frank and Red standing in the middle of that living room.

"I'm not double-crossing you, Frank," said Red. "It's just that I'm not so sure about this plan of yours."

"What are you talking about?" said Frank.

"We've worked on this plan for three months. It's foolproof."

Quint and I exchanged looks. He raised one eyebrow, and I raised both. Something weird was going on here. This fight sounded very familiar.