me.”
The professor appeared surprised.
“Help you? From what I read it doesn’t look like you need much help from anyone. A tick over twenty billion quid, wasn’t it?”
Gerald flushed. He was still getting used to the idea of being a billionaire.
“Look, Professor Mackelberry,” Sam piped in, shoving the last of the shoe boxes from his lap onto the floor, “Gerald’s great-aunt reckons she was murdered because of the diamond that was on display here at the museum. And she said you might know something about it.”
The professor swung away from Gerald and locked his gaze onto Sam like a gun turret turning on a battleship.
“Geraldine reckons she was murdered, does she?” McElderry said.
“That’s right,” Sam said.
“And how does a dead woman—God rest her soul—tell you she’s been murdered? Pop by for a chat, did she?”
“Um, no. She wrote a letter, actually.”
“A letter! And how was it delivered, may I ask? Through the ghost post?”
“Well, I—”
“I expect she has a bit of spare time to be writing nice little notes now, her being dead and all.”
Sam shifted in is chair. “No, no. You misunderstood. She wrote it before she was killed.”
“Yes, that would be more traditional. And predicting her own demise, was she?”
“Well, yes.”
“At the hands of the same person who nicked my diamond?”
“Um…I guess.”
“From my recollection the diamond was stolen the day before Geraldine Archer passed away. Are you suggesting that a master criminal who has just flogged the world’s most valuable gem from under the nose of a policeman, rather than fleeing the country, wakes up the next day and pops down the road to snuff out an old lady for no personal gain and every risk of capture by the police? Is that what you’re saying?”
Sam paused. “Um, yes. That is what I’m saying.”
Professor McElderry motioned for Sam to lean in closer.
“You know something, son?” he asked.
“What?” Sam said.
“I think you might possibly be the stupidest boy in the world.”
The tortoise sitting on top of the stack of books poked its head out.
McElderry stood up and pushed his way around to Gerald.
“Listen, Gerald, I admired your great-aunt. She was a very generous supporter of our work and she had a genuine love for science and discovery. About a year ago the opportunity came up to bring the Noor Jehan diamond out here to be the centerpiece of an India exhibition. It was a coup for the museum to get it. But the insurance cost was ruinous. Your great-aunt offered to pay for the lot. A remarkable woman.”
“What’s so great about this diamond?” Gerald said.
McElderry let out a ripe snort.
“Noor Jehan—it means ‘the light of the world.’ It’s the largest flawless diamond ever discovered. It’s the big sister to the Koh-i-Noor diamond in the British crown jewels. That one-hundred-million–pound value everyone’s talking about? It’s meaningless—there are collectors out there who would write a check for that without blinking. It hadn’t left India for seventeen hundred years and now it’s been stolen. I’ve got the insurance company breathing down my neck, the prime minister’s worried about relations with India, and the gem’s owner is due to arrive any moment. He’s not going to be blowing me kisses.”
McElderry placed an arm around Gerald and led him toward the reception area.
“It is a great tragedy that Geraldine passed away. But she was old. And I hate to say it, the last few times I spoke with her she didn’t seem altogether there. You know, a bit batty. Maybe she was imagining things. It can happen. But linking her death to the theft of the diamond? Nonsense.”
Gerald stopped as they reached the door.
“One more thing, professor,” he said. “This diamond, is there some sort of casket that goes with it?”
McElderry looked at Gerald.
“There have been tales over the centuries that Noor Jehan was once stored in a fancy box, but
The professor appeared surprised.
“Help you? From what I read it doesn’t look like you need much help from anyone. A tick over twenty billion quid, wasn’t it?”
Gerald flushed. He was still getting used to the idea of being a billionaire.
“Look, Professor Mackelberry,” Sam piped in, shoving the last of the shoe boxes from his lap onto the floor, “Gerald’s great-aunt reckons she was murdered because of the diamond that was on display here at the museum. And she said you might know something about it.”
The professor swung away from Gerald and locked his gaze onto Sam like a gun turret turning on a battleship.
“Geraldine reckons she was murdered, does she?” McElderry said.
“That’s right,” Sam said.
“And how does a dead woman—God rest her soul—tell you she’s been murdered? Pop by for a chat, did she?”
“Um, no. She wrote a letter, actually.”
“A letter! And how was it delivered, may I ask? Through the ghost post?”
“Well, I—”
“I expect she has a bit of spare time to be writing nice little notes now, her being dead and all.”
Sam shifted in is chair. “No, no. You misunderstood. She wrote it before she was killed.”
“Yes, that would be more traditional. And predicting her own demise, was she?”
“Well, yes.”
“At the hands of the same person who nicked my diamond?”
“Um…I guess.”
“From my recollection the diamond was stolen the day before Geraldine Archer passed away. Are you suggesting that a master criminal who has just flogged the world’s most valuable gem from under the nose of a policeman, rather than fleeing the country, wakes up the next day and pops down the road to snuff out an old lady for no personal gain and every risk of capture by the police? Is that what you’re saying?”
Sam paused. “Um, yes. That is what I’m saying.”
Professor McElderry motioned for Sam to lean in closer.
“You know something, son?” he asked.
“What?” Sam said.
“I think you might possibly be the stupidest boy in the world.”
The tortoise sitting on top of the stack of books poked its head out.
McElderry stood up and pushed his way around to Gerald.
“Listen, Gerald, I admired your great-aunt. She was a very generous supporter of our work and she had a genuine love for science and discovery. About a year ago the opportunity came up to bring the Noor Jehan diamond out here to be the centerpiece of an India exhibition. It was a coup for the museum to get it. But the insurance cost was ruinous. Your great-aunt offered to pay for the lot. A remarkable woman.”
“What’s so great about this diamond?” Gerald said.
McElderry let out a ripe snort.
“Noor Jehan—it means ‘the light of the world.’ It’s the largest flawless diamond ever discovered. It’s the big sister to the Koh-i-Noor diamond in the British crown jewels. That one-hundred-million–pound value everyone’s talking about? It’s meaningless—there are collectors out there who would write a check for that without blinking. It hadn’t left India for seventeen hundred years and now it’s been stolen. I’ve got the insurance company breathing down my neck, the prime minister’s worried about relations with India, and the gem’s owner is due to arrive any moment. He’s not going to be blowing me kisses.”
McElderry placed an arm around Gerald and led him toward the reception area.
“It is a great tragedy that Geraldine passed away. But she was old. And I hate to say it, the last few times I spoke with her she didn’t seem altogether there. You know, a bit batty. Maybe she was imagining things. It can happen. But linking her death to the theft of the diamond? Nonsense.”
Gerald stopped as they reached the door.
“One more thing, professor,” he said. “This diamond, is there some sort of casket that goes with it?”
McElderry looked at Gerald.
“There have been tales over the centuries that Noor Jehan was once stored in a fancy box, but
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