The Jewel Thief

The Fateful Monday

At home, I tell Maddie everything. She's sad again, and fumbles with the woven bracelet. "Why do you have all the luck? I wish I had been kidnapped too, so that I already knew that it was Marissa."

"Let's not argue. I promise, we'll do it together on Monday."

Monday. It could only come so fast.

But eventually, it did. After an extraordinarily slow Sunday, the day came, minute by minute. I wake up in the morning very early. Today is the day we find the jewels, I told myself. At last.

I wake up Maddie. Her eyes flicker open. "What are you doing?" Maddie rubs her eyes and stretches. "Why are you waking me up at seven o'clock in the morning?"

"It's Monday, Madeleine Murgatroyd. Monday." I grin.

"Oh!" She sits up. "What are we waiting for?" She gets out of bed with new energy. "What are we going to tell Uncle?"

"He's at work, remember? He's coming home later. Never mind that. What's our plan for action?"

"I don't know. I thought you had the plan."

"Well, I did have some ideas..." I grin. She rolls her eyes. "Go on."

"So, of course Marissa managed to get back out of the house. I'm going to assume they had a spare key, because you were able to get through the front door, yes? So I'll bring along this magnet tied to a string"- I hold up a contraption that I had created last night-"and dangle it down the drain to fish out the keys. Then we'll be in. I suggest we start by searching Marissa's bedroom..." Maddie cuts me off. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, after we're in."

"Okay. Let's get dressed."

I turn to the cupboard and pull out practical clothes. I put on a pair of shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. I don't often wear trousers. But it isn't the day for skirts or dresses.

I go into the kitchen and open the pantry door. Hmm... beans, soup... I see some biscuits in the back. Reaching in, I pull them out and take one out. Mm. Chocolate. I walk to the stairs.

"Maddie!" I shout. "I found a packet of chocolate biscuits! They're really tasty!"

Maddie rockets downstairs. "I'm sure Uncle won't notice if we take them along." She giggles. "Can I have one?" I pull one out of the packet and hold it out to her. She takes it and swallows it eagerly, crumbs spraying out of her mouth. "Those are good," she says through chews. I roll my eyes good-naturedly. Oh Maddie.

After we're all set and we've eaten more biscuits, we set off. On the way, I try to remember the way to Oscar and Marissa's house. I look about but I don't see any other people, let alone children, walking along. There are a few cars, but as it's about 9, most people are at work. Uncle's still going to work today, he trusts us to take care of ourselves. Maddie is sixteen, after all. Seventeen in July.

We keep going, and then I spy the house up ahead.

"There it is!" I shout, and start to run. I hear Maddie close behind me. When I am right in front of it, I skid to a halt and eye it with pure hatred. This is the house, and inside it somewhere is the chest of jewels, for the new Queen Elizabeth.

I look down the drain that I had thrown the keys down. Sure enough, they're still floating in the murky water. I slide my magnet down the drain and swish them about, trying to get the keys to stick. Then I hear a 'clink!' and the keys are attached. I smile and carefully start lifting the keys out of the drain. Slowly, slowly, I pull the magnet through the crack... without the keys. They must have fallen off! I try again, but the keys fall off. Again. And again. And again.