Diamonds Are a Thief's Best Friend Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Teaser

  Preview

  Copyright

  “I can’t wait to see what Lili made for the art show!” Jasmine Johnson said as she walked up the front steps of Martha Washington School. “She wouldn’t let me see what she was working on.”

  “Probably something fabulous!” guessed her friend Erin Fischer with a grin. “And if I know Lili, there will be gallons of glitter involved.”

  Willow Albern shivered into her parka. “Remember that Christmas card she gave us? I was pulling silver glitter out of my hair for weeks!”

  Willow smiled as she pushed open the school’s heavy front door and a blast of warm air hit them.

  “Aaaah,” Jasmine sighed. “I know it’s only one degree below freezing, but it feels like the South Pole out there. DC winters aren’t usually this cold.”

  “Cool air keeps your mind sharp,” Erin said. “They should hold quiz bowl outside. Then we’d get all the answers right!”

  “We wouldn’t be able to ring the buzzer if our fingers were frozen!” Jasmine argued.

  Erin, Jasmine, Willow, and their friend Lili were all members of the sixth-grade Martha Washington quiz bowl team, called the Jewels. They competed against other teams, answering tough, rapid-fire questions in all subjects, including science, math, history, and art. Even though it was only their first year competing together as a team, they were doing really well. In fact, they had won enough matches to qualify for the regional tournament. Next week, they were traveling to New York City to compete!

  The girls walked down the hallway to the school’s art room. The building was crowded with teachers, students, and family members who had come to see the show. But not all the kids were from Martha Washington.

  “It’s too bad Atkinson students were invited to be in the art show,” Erin said to her friends in a loud whisper. “Especially Isabel. But I’d face a room full of Isabels to show my support for Lili!”

  What had started out as an academic rivalry between the Jewels and a competing quiz bowl team, the Atkinson Preparatory School Rivals, became personal after a daring theft in the fall. The Rivals had stolen the ruby necklace that had once belonged to Martha Washington herself from the Jewels’ middle school library! As the Rivals’ history expert, Isabel Baudin was probably Erin’s least favorite person.

  “Well, don’t look now, but there she is,” Willow said, nodding down the hallway toward a girl with short blond hair.

  Jasmine grabbed Willow and Erin by the arms and pulled them into the nearest empty hallway.

  “Guys, I don’t think I can do this!” she said dramatically. “I mean, I knew the Rivals were going to be here. But actually seeing them … It’s so embarrassing!”

  “Yeah,” Erin agreed. “But so what if we had to make that ridiculous apology to the Rivals? We know the truth. They stole the Martha Washington ruby. And they are going to be sorry they ever tried to humiliate us!”

  Willow’s dark brown eyes flashed. “They should be the ones embarrassed to face us. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Jasmine sighed. “I know. It’s just tough, that’s all.”

  The whole incident had been harder on Jasmine than any of the other Jewels, because she had been a suspect when the ruby was first stolen. Then when the Jewels discovered that it was, in fact, the Rivals who had stolen the ruby, the tables were turned on them. The Rivals accused the Jewels of making up the story, and the girls had to write them a formal apology. Jasmine had been really embarrassed by the whole thing. But having friends like Willow, Erin, and Lili had helped her get through it.

  “Come on,” Willow said, motioning to Jasmine. “Lili’s waiting for us.”

  Erin and Jasmine followed Willow down the hall to the art room and hung up their jackets. Usually a messy space filled with tables and unfinished canvases, the art room had been transformed for the show. The tables had been moved out, making the room seem much bigger. And white lights had been strung around the ceiling to enhance the finished pieces that hung from the walls. Standing easels with paintings on display dotted the middle of the room. Student artists stood close to their work, ready to discuss it with anyone who came by. Friends and family members meandered through the crowded show, admiring the art.

  Willow did a quick scan of the room. “Rivals to the right,” she whispered to her friends, with a nod toward a group of sixth graders.

  “Oh, great. It’s the Not-So-Fantastic Four,” Erin muttered.

  Isabel Baudin’s stylish hair was held back with a sparkly headband. She was laughing as she spoke with Aaron Santiago, the team’s art specialist. He stood in front of his own self-portrait. Willow grudgingly admitted to herself that it was good. He had captured his own brown eyes, dark hair, and handsome face perfectly in the oil painting.

  Veronica Manasas, a science whiz, listened to their conversation. She had her long, dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail. A tall boy with wavy blond hair stood next to her. Ryan Atkinson was their team captain and math master. He was the only one of the Rivals to notice the Jewels’ entrance. His eyes met Willow’s and he gave that mocking little smile she had come to hate. It made her want to use her years of martial arts training to show Ryan what she was really made of.

  Beside her, Erin scowled and Jasmine visibly tensed up. Willow took a deep breath to calm down. If the Jewels were going to beat the Rivals at quiz bowl and foil whatever other jewel-heist plans they had, she couldn’t let them get under her skin.

  “Hey, there’s Lili!” Willow shook off the negative vibes and focused on her friend, who was standing next to a painting on the wall on the opposite side of the room.

  “Lili!” Erin yelled. She ran through the crowd and flung herself at her friend.

  Lili squealed with delight and hugged Erin close.

  “I’m so glad to see you guys!” she said happily as she looked up at Willow and Jasmine. “The show is going fantastic!”

  “Lili, this is so amazing!” Jasmine said as she gazed at her friend’s self-portrait. “I love it!”

  In the colorful painting, an animated version of Lili flew through the starry night sky. It was creative, funky, and fun, just like Lili herself.

  “It’s my take on Van Gogh’s Starry Night,” she explained. “We had to create two pieces for the show. One had to be a self-portrait; the second could be anything we’d like. Can you guess what my second piece is?” She took a step back from the girls and looked at them expectantly.

  Even though it was Lili’s first year at Martha Washington School, the Jewels knew her well. Their artistic friend loved to express herself through her clothes and hairstyles. Tonight, her glossy black hair was devoid of any of the strands of color or decoration that usually adorned it. She wore what appeared to be a simple black dress, but she had used silver ink and hand-stitched beads and stars to recreate Van Gogh’s Starry Night on the front.

  “Wow,” Willow said. “It’s beautiful.”

  Lili beamed. “Thanks! I worked really hard on it.” Then she nodded to Willow. “Ooh, I totally love your shirt!”

  Willow wore
a long-sleeved baseball tee. But instead of a team name written across the front, it said MATHLETE.

  “It’s true. She’s the Jewels’ math MVP!” Erin chimed in.

  Lili laughed. “I’m so thirsty! I’ve been talking about my art all night,” she said. “Not that I don’t love that! But I need a drink. Let’s go to the classroom next door. They’re serving refreshments in there. My mom and grandma volunteered to help out.”

  “Yum! I hope your mom made those chocolate fudge cupcakes I love so much.” Erin was practically drooling.

  “Where is Eli?” Willow asked about Lili’s brother, a high school student at Atkinson Prep.

  Lili rolled her eyes. “Computer Club meeting. They’re, like, building a supercomputer or something.”

  The girls were making their way through the crowded room toward the door when Isabel stepped in front of them, blocking their path.

  “Hello there,” she said in her lilting French accent. “I wanted to let you know I have decided to accept your little apology.” She smirked.

  Erin’s face turned redder than her auburn hair. Her freckles looked like they were going to jump right off her face. “You — you,” she stuttered, “you …”

  “Do you need to go outside and get some air?” Isabel asked Erin innocently. “You look very hot.”

  “I’m fine!” Erin managed. “They’ve just got the heat cranked way up in here, that’s all.”

  Isabel gave a high, tinkling laugh before walking away.

  “We better get a cupcake into her, and quick.” Jasmine gestured at Erin.

  Erin wasn’t even paying attention. “The nerve of her!”

  Lili grabbed Erin’s hand. “Cupcakes, think of cupcakes,” she said soothingly as she led her out of the room.

  Parents and students milled about, enjoying their refreshments, in the next classroom. Lili’s mom, Mrs. Higashida, and grandma, Mrs. Takahashi, stood behind a table loaded with cookies, cupcakes, drinks, and other treats.

  Lili dragged Erin over to the table. “One chocolate cupcake, stat, please!”

  Mrs. Higashida laughed. “Is Erin having another cupcake emergency?” She placed one of the fudgy cakes on a paper plate and handed it to Erin. “Here you go. Enjoy!”

  Erin took a huge bite. “Delicious,” she mumbled with her mouth full. Chocolate frosting was smeared across her lips.

  Lili reached for a soda, but her grandmother called out sharply, “Lili! Soda on top of a cupcake is way too much sugar.”

  Lili sighed. “Okay, Obaasan, I’ll have some water instead.”

  Mrs. Higashida smiled at the girls. “What do you think of the art show?” she asked.

  “We’ve only really seen Lili’s work so far, but we’re impressed,” Jasmine said. “It is so cool to have such a talented friend.”

  “Yes, I am very impressed as well,” Principal Frederickson joined in. She had walked over to the table while the girls were talking. “With all our students. And especially you, Lili. Great work.”

  Principal Frederickson was an older woman, and she always looked put-together and professional. Not a curled dark hair was ever out of place. Even though she could be pretty scary, the Jewels had turned to her for help when the Rivals had stolen the ruby.

  “Um, thanks!” Lili said. The principal usually made her a little nervous.

  “And good luck at the regional meet next weekend,” Principal Frederickson said. “I know that it’s been a stressful few months for you girls. But we are proud to have you representing Martha Washington in this competition.”

  “Thank you,” Willow replied. “We’ll do you — and the school — proud.”

  Principal Frederickson nodded slightly and looked like she was moving on when Erin spoke up.

  “Principal Frederickson, we were wondering something,” she said. “You used to go to this school, right?”

  “Well, yes, I did. A long time ago,” their principal replied with a quizzical look. “Why do you ask, Erin?”

  “Well, did you ever hear a rumor about the Martha Washington ruby being part of a group of gems? Like, four jewels together?”

  Their principal looked startled, but quickly regained her composure. “The ruby again? I thought you girls were done with that.” The tone of her voice clearly said that she thought they should be done with it. “Of course we miss having that beautiful necklace on campus, but the police did their best. It’s gone.”

  “We are done with it,” Jasmine said quickly. “Sorry to bother you.”

  Principal Frederickson nodded again and walked away without another word.

  “Why did you ask that?” Jasmine hissed at Erin.

  Erin shrugged. “I thought she might know something, since she went to Martha Washington herself. That letter I found from Martha Washington said there were three other jewels, and they’re all important somehow, remember?”

  “Yes, of course I remember, but we need to be thinking about the tournament right now, not jewels,” Willow reminded her. As team captain, she was always keeping them on track.

  “I’m definitely thinking about the tournament,” Erin promised. “That’s where I’ll wipe that smile off of Isabel’s face. We’ve got to beat the Rivals!”

  Willow nodded. “New York is our chance to rebuild our quiz bowl reputation.”

  “We know,” Jasmine reminded her. “That’s why we’ve been studying like crazy! I’ve been brushing up on everything and anything science.”

  “And I’ve been so into history, it’s like I built a time machine,” Erin said. “Even my dreams are historical! Last night, I dreamt I was riding alongside Paul Revere. But instead of yelling ‘The British are coming!’ I was crying ‘The Rivals are coming!’”

  Lili laughed at that before her face turned serious. “I need to get cracking,” she admitted. “I’ve been so busy getting ready for this show, I slacked off on studying art history.”

  “We’ve got a bunch of practices scheduled this week,” Willow assured her. “We’ll be ready.”

  “I hope so.” Lili nodded. “Oh, and thanks for agreeing to stay after the show and help clean up.”

  “No problem,” Jasmine said. “Speaking of the show, let’s see the rest of it.”

  The girls spent the remainder of the night looking at art and chatting with some of their other friends from school. Thankfully, there were no more run-ins with any of the Rivals.

  The crowds cleared out and the girls stayed behind to help Mrs. Higashida and Mrs. Takahashi clean up. Erin pushed a broom around the refreshments room.

  “I think most of those crumbs are yours.” Willow laughed.

  Erin grinned. “Pretty likely.”

  “Thanks again, girls,” Mrs. Higashida said after they were done. “Ready to go? I’ll bring the van around to the front.”

  While Lili’s mom and grandmother walked to the parking lot, the girls put on their jackets. Lili’s, as always, stood out. This time it was a bright teal sweater coat with crocheted multicolored sleeves she had sewn on.

  As she slipped her hands into the pockets, Lili felt something odd.

  “What’s this?” she said as she pulled out a folded piece of yellow lined notebook paper. Lili unfolded the paper and read it, then gasped.

  “What does it say?” Willow asked.

  Lili read the note out loud. “It says ‘Forget about the ruby. It’s the diamond you need to worry about now. Watch the Rivals in NYC. It’s up to you to keep the diamond safe and out of their hands.’”

  Jasmine’s green eyes narrowed. “It sounds like the Rivals are planning to strike again.”

  Willow nodded. “And this time, we’re going to stop them!”

  The next day the Jewels walked through the crowded food court of the Hallytown Mall. They had spent the morning shopping for their trip to New York, and now they were hungry.

  “Here’s an empty table!” Erin called.

  The girls hurried over, balancing shopping bags and food trays.

  “Whew!” Li
li said as she slid into a chair. “That feels good. My feet hurt.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to shop till you dropped,” Willow reminded her. “And I thought we were supposed to practice for quiz bowl today?”

  Jasmine nodded. “We’ll have to study when we get back to your house, Willow. But the mall was a good idea. I did need a few things for our trip to the Big Apple.”

  She reached into her bag and pulled out a fuzzy purple beret. Then she put it on top of her curly brown hair and struck a pose.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “It’s warm — and stylish,” Lili said. “Love it!”

  Willow dug her fork into her grilled chicken salad, while Lili started making her way through a huge plate of cheese fries.

  “So, about that note Lili got last night,” Willow said between bites. “Anyone have any ideas?”

  Erin nodded as she swallowed a forkful of spicy chicken gumbo. “I’m trying to connect the dots. First, the Rivals steal the Martha Washington ruby. Second, we find a letter from Martha Washington to someone named Abigail — probably Abigail Adams — about four jewels: a ruby, diamond, emerald, and sapphire. Martha tells Abigail she has hidden the jewels and is worried about someone finding them and putting them all together. Third, Lili gets a mysterious note telling her to keep the diamond out of the Rivals’ hands.”

  Erin leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her stomach. “Coincidence?” she asked as she arched her eyebrow. “I think not. The diamond the Rivals are after must be the one from Martha’s letter!”

  Jasmine frowned. “I’m not sure. It’s confusing. How do we know they’ve even seen the letter?”

  “We don’t,” Willow agreed. “But I think this note proves that they’ve found out about the four jewels somehow. Why else would they be after the diamond now?”

  “Right,” Erin agreed, nodding. “I mean, at first, I thought they stole the ruby for money. Or maybe just to hurt Martha Washington School in some way. But if they want the diamond, it means they must know about the four jewels. Martha said that the four jewels had to be together. I bet the Rivals are trying to get all four of them.”

  Jasmine looked thoughtful. “Okay. So maybe they have the sapphire and the emerald, or maybe they don’t. But if that note is right, then they definitely don’t have the diamond.”