Delhi and he’s not in the best of humor.”
“So I see,” Gerald said.
“Once all this is sorted, I’d like to have a chat with you. I knew Geraldine very well and I think it most appropriate that we become acquainted.” He reached into his suit pocket and took out a business card. “Give me a call and let’s have lunch, shall we?”
Gerald looked at the card in his hand. It said simply: Sir Mason Green GCMG, with a London telephone number.
“Um, sure,” Gerald said. “Thanks very much.”
“Not at all, Gerald. The pleasure is all mine. Now, I best get inside and make sure those two remain gentlemen.”
He swung the door closed behind him.
“Watch out for the turtle!” Sam called out as the door pulled to.
C HAPTER N INE
“W ell, you’re mixing with the muckety-mucks, aren’t you?”
Gerald, Sam, and Ruby made their way down the broad marble staircase to the museum ground floor, leaving Professor McElderry and Mr. Gupta to argue in peace.
“You know who just invited you to lunch?” Ruby said.
“Nope,” Gerald replied. “Some bloke from the Museum Trust?”
Ruby laughed. “That’s Sir Mason Green, dopey. He’s one of the richest men in Britain. He’s in the papers all the time, doing charity stuff. He’s worth squillions.”
“Yeah,” Sam said. “He’s almost as rich as you.”
Gerald blushed and tried to change the subject. “So, were you looking through the professor’s stuff?” he asked Sam.
“Course I was,” Sam said. “Couldn’t help it, could I? Half of his office landed in my lap.”
“While you and Mackleberry were outside we managed to find one thing of interest,” Ruby said. “Look.”
She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Gerald. He flattened it out to reveal a rough pencil sketch of a rectangular box, decorated on the sides with a pattern of suns and moons. In a barely legible scrawl under the drawing was written: Sketch of Noor Jehan casket copied from papyrus believed originally from Library of Alexandria (c200 AD).
Gerald studied the drawing, trying to divine some meaning from the pencil lines on the paper.
“It was on top of his desk,” Ruby said. “Seems it might be top of mind for the professor, as well as for your skinny mate.”
Gerald ran a hand across his forehead. “Why would the professor say he didn’t know anything about a diamond casket when this was sitting on his desk?”
“Dunno,” Sam said. “But I don’t fancy going back and asking him.”
They reached the Great Court and stepped into the vast space under the glass roof.
“Now what?” Ruby asked.
“Beats me,” Gerald said. “We’re no closer to finding out anything about Geraldine or the diamond. Professor McElderry was no use at all.”
“Look,” Sam piped up. “They’re taking down the police tape.”
Across the Great Court they saw Constable Lethbridge rolling up the tape outside the Reading Room.
“Wanna take a look inside?” Ruby asked. She didn’t have to wait for a response. In no time, they were across the floor and through the open doorway. Just inside, Gerald pulled up short and the others bustled into the back of him.
“Far out,” Gerald exhaled.
The sheer expanse of the Reading Room took their breath away. It opened up in an enormous circle around them, three stories lined with volume upon volume of books of all sizes—hundreds of thousands of them. Two sets of narrow balconies ringed the insides like ribs, providing access to the upper levels. Above them, light streamed through a bank of arched windows that lined the base of a huge pale blue and gold dome.
Fifty yards away, on the opposite side of the hall, was the Dumpster that Gerald had seen earlier.
“Come on,” Gerald said. “Let’s have a look.”
They crossed the room and found that the Dumpster was filled with broken bits of plaster, including a long section that looked like an elephant’s trunk.
“I guess this was where the thief was
“So I see,” Gerald said.
“Once all this is sorted, I’d like to have a chat with you. I knew Geraldine very well and I think it most appropriate that we become acquainted.” He reached into his suit pocket and took out a business card. “Give me a call and let’s have lunch, shall we?”
Gerald looked at the card in his hand. It said simply: Sir Mason Green GCMG, with a London telephone number.
“Um, sure,” Gerald said. “Thanks very much.”
“Not at all, Gerald. The pleasure is all mine. Now, I best get inside and make sure those two remain gentlemen.”
He swung the door closed behind him.
“Watch out for the turtle!” Sam called out as the door pulled to.
C HAPTER N INE
“W ell, you’re mixing with the muckety-mucks, aren’t you?”
Gerald, Sam, and Ruby made their way down the broad marble staircase to the museum ground floor, leaving Professor McElderry and Mr. Gupta to argue in peace.
“You know who just invited you to lunch?” Ruby said.
“Nope,” Gerald replied. “Some bloke from the Museum Trust?”
Ruby laughed. “That’s Sir Mason Green, dopey. He’s one of the richest men in Britain. He’s in the papers all the time, doing charity stuff. He’s worth squillions.”
“Yeah,” Sam said. “He’s almost as rich as you.”
Gerald blushed and tried to change the subject. “So, were you looking through the professor’s stuff?” he asked Sam.
“Course I was,” Sam said. “Couldn’t help it, could I? Half of his office landed in my lap.”
“While you and Mackleberry were outside we managed to find one thing of interest,” Ruby said. “Look.”
She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Gerald. He flattened it out to reveal a rough pencil sketch of a rectangular box, decorated on the sides with a pattern of suns and moons. In a barely legible scrawl under the drawing was written: Sketch of Noor Jehan casket copied from papyrus believed originally from Library of Alexandria (c200 AD).
Gerald studied the drawing, trying to divine some meaning from the pencil lines on the paper.
“It was on top of his desk,” Ruby said. “Seems it might be top of mind for the professor, as well as for your skinny mate.”
Gerald ran a hand across his forehead. “Why would the professor say he didn’t know anything about a diamond casket when this was sitting on his desk?”
“Dunno,” Sam said. “But I don’t fancy going back and asking him.”
They reached the Great Court and stepped into the vast space under the glass roof.
“Now what?” Ruby asked.
“Beats me,” Gerald said. “We’re no closer to finding out anything about Geraldine or the diamond. Professor McElderry was no use at all.”
“Look,” Sam piped up. “They’re taking down the police tape.”
Across the Great Court they saw Constable Lethbridge rolling up the tape outside the Reading Room.
“Wanna take a look inside?” Ruby asked. She didn’t have to wait for a response. In no time, they were across the floor and through the open doorway. Just inside, Gerald pulled up short and the others bustled into the back of him.
“Far out,” Gerald exhaled.
The sheer expanse of the Reading Room took their breath away. It opened up in an enormous circle around them, three stories lined with volume upon volume of books of all sizes—hundreds of thousands of them. Two sets of narrow balconies ringed the insides like ribs, providing access to the upper levels. Above them, light streamed through a bank of arched windows that lined the base of a huge pale blue and gold dome.
Fifty yards away, on the opposite side of the hall, was the Dumpster that Gerald had seen earlier.
“Come on,” Gerald said. “Let’s have a look.”
They crossed the room and found that the Dumpster was filled with broken bits of plaster, including a long section that looked like an elephant’s trunk.
“I guess this was where the thief was
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