The Highland Falcon Thief Page 10

  The prince hugged his wife to his side and cleared his throat. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid this evening’s festivities must end abruptly.’ His expression was stony. ‘Hadrian, collect what is left of this necklace for the police.’

  The princess’s eyes were full of tears.

  ‘Don’t be upset, darling. This is not the necklace I gave you.’ He lifted what was left of the chain from her neck, passing it to Hadrian. ‘This is a fake.’ He frowned. ‘The question is – where is the real one?’

  Hal found himself being pushed towards the exit by his uncle. Somehow, Milo had done it! He looked back, scanning the room as if he were doing a super-fast sketch, trying to absorb every detail he could see.

  Had the necklace been switched for a fake, right in front of him, without him noticing? He looked ahead through the crowd in the corridor, searching for Milo, but there was no sign of the scowling man.

  ‘I’ve said all along there was a thief on this train!’ Mr Pickle declared. ‘No one can deny it now.’

  ‘Let’s go to our compartment,’ Uncle Nat said calmly.

  Hal’s heart jumped. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he was in trouble.

  Uncle Nat lowered the window blind and sat in his chair. Hal sat on the sofa.

  ‘I need you to tell me the truth, Hal.’ Uncle Nat took off his glasses, wiping them on the corner of his jacket. ‘Mr Pickle mentioned that he’d seen you going into the royal carriage earlier this afternoon. Is that true?’

  Hal nodded.

  ‘You were staring at that necklace the whole time we were in Aberdeen.’ He put his glasses back on and blinked. ‘You even asked loudly if the princess was worried about it being stolen. It would be quite easy to think you knew it was going to happen.’

  ‘I didn’t steal the necklace!’

  ‘Of course you didn’t.’ Uncle Nat leaned forward looking directly into Hal’s eyes. ‘But don’t you think it’s about time that you told me what you’ve getting up to with Marlene Singh?’

  ‘What?’ Hal’s mouth dropped open. ‘But … how did you know?’

  Uncle Nat’s laugh was soft. ‘I’m a journalist, Hal. It’s my job to notice things. I saw Marlene peep at you through the window of the royal carriage in King’s Cross. The last time I saw her, she was six. She loved trains even then. I knew you must have seen her, because you kept asking if there was another child on board.’ His eyebrows lifted. ‘When you stopped asking questions, I guessed you’d found her.’

  ‘I wanted to tell you,’ Hal said, relieved to be able to tell the truth, ‘but Lenny said her dad would get in trouble if anyone knew she was on board.’

  ‘That’s why I haven’t said anything.’ Uncle Nat leaned back. ‘But she’s not as discreet as she thinks she is.’ He chuckled. ‘You’ve been on the trail of the jewel thief, haven’t you?’

  ‘The Magpie,’ Hal said, nodding. ‘We guessed the necklace was the target – well, Lenny did. I was meant to be keeping a watch out for any attempt to take it, but no one came anywhere near it.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t understand how it could have been stolen.’

  ‘The Magpie? Is that what you’re calling the thief? Good name.’ Uncle Nat brought the tips of his fingers together. ‘Who’s your prime suspect?’

  ‘Milo Essenbach.’

  ‘The baron’s son?’

  ‘He’s from a rich family, but he won’t inherit any money because he’s the youngest son … and he seems angry all the time,’ Hal explained. ‘He doesn’t like trains, so why did he come on the Highland Falcon unless he’s here for the jewels?’

  ‘Do you have any proof?’

  ‘Yes,’ Hal said. ‘We –’ He stopped. ‘No … We have evidence, but no proof. We do know that Milo has an accomplice.’

  ‘An accomplice?’ Uncle Nat blinked. ‘Tell you what, why don’t I order dinner in the compartment tonight? I don’t think anyone will want to eat in the dining car, and food is wonderfully helpful when puzzling through a mystery.’

  Hal nodded, pulling out his sketchbook. ‘Do you mind if I do a quick sketch? I need to get down what I saw in the observation car when the diamond smashed, before my brain messes with the picture.’

  Hal dropped to the floor, wriggling on to his belly, and began to draw.

  Uncle Nat buzzed the intercom to order dinner, then sat quietly as Hal drew.

  When Amy arrived with the food, Hal closed his sketchbook, and the two of them sat on Uncle Nat’s bunk to eat the flaky white cod in a buttery sauce. Hal told his uncle how he’d set out to catch a thief but instead had found Lenny. They’d both come to the conclusion the Magpie was Milo, but weren’t sure who the accomplice was, although they suspected Sierra.

  ‘I’m impressed.’ Uncle Nat dabbed sauce from his chin with a napkin. ‘And I didn’t know about the secret lavatory in the library. The Tudor Beard Tax, you say? I must take a look.’

  ‘What do you think about Milo? He seems suspicious, right?’

  ‘Yes – but the sparkling object he put in his pocket could have been something innocent. The note you found is a puzzle, but it doesn’t explicitly mention stealing.’

  ‘What else could it mean?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Uncle Nat shook his head.

  ‘And what about when we found him acting strangely in the library?’

  ‘He was rather jumpy,’ Uncle Nat admitted. ‘Doesn’t make the man a thief though.’

  ‘We were going to try to get proof before accusing him. We wanted to catch him in the act of stealing.’ Hal shrugged. ‘But the necklace has been stolen, and we’ve missed our chance.’ He sighed. ‘The police will probably solve it now.’

  ‘Can I see your drawings?’

  Hal passed his book over. ‘They’re just scribbles.’

  ‘These aren’t scribbles, Hal. You’ve got a good eye.’ Uncle Nat looked impressed. ‘You’ve captured Lady Lansbury’s hand gestures perfectly.’ He turned a page and snorted with laughter. ‘Steven Pickle, the sausage man! Ha! You’ve even got his flared nostrils.’

  Hal grinned. ‘He’s a bit meaty.’

  ‘You’re very observant.’ Uncle Nat tapped a finger to his lips. ‘The theft of the Atlas Diamond is a serious crime. The police will be investigating it, but you have a head start. You may be able to help them. You may have seen something important, and with supervision from a responsible grownup –’ he pointed at himself – ‘I don’t see why you shouldn’t keep investigating. You never know, we might even solve the case first.’

  ‘Really?’ Hal felt his body tingle with excitement.

  ‘It can’t hurt to try.’ Uncle Nat’s eyes were dancing. ‘You know, in all my adventures on trains, I’ve never had the opportunity to be a detective.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘What should we do first?’

  ‘I could draw the route of the Highland Falcon and plot the points where we think crimes happened,’ Hal said, ‘and places we’ve stopped for water and coal.’

  ‘Let’s do it.’ Uncle Nat unpinned his map from the wall above his desk.

  Sitting side by side on Uncle Nat’s bed, the pair worked back through the journey, marking every moment of significance they could think of in Hal’s book until, before they knew it, it was time for bed.

  ‘You won’t tell, will you?’ Hal said, as he pulled his pyjamas on. ‘About Lenny, I mean … being on the train.’

  ‘I’ve not seen any child on board this train but you.’ His uncle winked.

  Hal lay in his bunk, certain he’d never sleep. He held his St Christopher between his thumb and forefinger as his mind whirled. He wished he could talk to Lenny about the necklace shattering. He wondered if she knew about it yet. He thought about her dad driving, and Joey shovelling coal into the furnace in the dark, and the Falcon’s boiler huffing smoke and steam into the night. He pictured the train arcing in a grand curve across Scotland, sweeping into Banffshire, slipping through Elgin and the curved platform at Forres, rushing over the grand length of the Cullen Viaduct
…

  And sleep arrived.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  A GRILLING FOR BREAKFAST

  Hal slept fitfully, dreaming of robbers in stripy jumpers and black masks, as the Highland Falcon crossed the River Findhorn and skirted the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. He woke as the train halted in a siding at Dunblane. Sliding out of his bunk, he peeped round the blind. A police officer was stood outside his window.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Uncle Nat, groggy with sleep.

  ‘The police are outside,’ Hal whispered. ‘A whole line of them.’

  Uncle Nat got up, joining Hal at the window. ‘Interesting,’ he said. ‘They must think the thief is still on the train.’ Putting a finger to his lips, Uncle Nat left the blind in place and silently slid the window down.

  The sound of rustling trees, dogs barking, and a pair of low voices came through the open window. Hal could see Rowan in pyjamas and a dressing gown, supervising the dogs on their toilet break. Bailey sat quietly by his feet, looking sluggish, while Shannon and Fitzroy sniffed their way along the grass verge. Trafalgar and Shannon barked excitedly at two officers walking alongside the carriages, each flanked by an obedient Alsatian.

  ‘They’ve got sniffer dogs,’ Hal whispered.

  ‘Bad news for the thief,’ said Uncle Nat, yawning. ‘Hello – what’s this?’ He bent down to pick up a piece of card that had been slid under their door. He waved the card. ‘We’re summoned to the dining car at seven.’

  When Hal and his uncle entered the dining car, everyone was talking in hushed tones.

  ‘A detective joined the train last night,’ Lucy Meadows said to Uncle Nat in a low voice. ‘Gordon’s talking to her now – in the private dining room.’

  Steven Pickle folded his arms. ‘Finally, someone who’ll do something about the thief.’ He glared at Hal.

  Gordon Goulde came out of the private dining room, and the carriage fell silent. He was followed by a woman with cropped grey hair, dressed in a grey polo neck and a blue trouser suit. She stood in front of the guests and cleared her throat.

  ‘Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Sorry for the early start. I’m Detective Chief Inspector Bridget Clyde from the force in Inverness. His Royal Highness has asked me to investigate the theft of the Atlas Diamond.’ She took a gulp of coffee. ‘It’s the prince’s wish that we be discreet, which is why I’m talking to you in a siding at this ungodly hour. His Highness wishes that the press discover nothing of this incident until the Highland Falcon’s tour is over.’

  She looked directly at Uncle Nat, who nodded.

  ‘He doesn’t want the scandal to, ah, derail –’ she arched an eyebrow – ‘the planned festivities on the royal tour. Everything must continue as if nothing has happened. The prince and princess would be grateful for your support.’

  The guests murmured their approval.

  ‘And hopefully, with your cooperation, we will find the criminal responsible for this ugly crime and return the necklace to the princess before we reach London.’ She surveyed the guests’ faces. ‘This is a very serious crime. The Atlas Diamond is priceless, and we have good reason to suspect the thief is still among us. Everyone on the train is a suspect.’

  There were gasps.

  ‘But how can you think that?’ asked the baron, perplexed. ‘None of us has any idea when the necklace was taken.’

  ‘The princess was already wearing it when we met her at Balmoral!’ Sierra insisted. ‘You should be talking to the castle staff.’

  ‘I will be interviewing each of you while my colleagues make a thorough search of the train,’ Inspector Clyde continued, ignoring the outcry. ‘None of you are to leave until I say so. But rest assured, we will find that necklace – and the thief.’ She took a moment to fix each of them with an icy stare. ‘Enjoy your breakfast.’ A smile twitched at the side of her mouth, and she returned to the private dining room.

  The moment the door closed behind her, everyone in the dining car started talking.

  ‘How ghastly,’ said Lady Lansbury. ‘What an ordeal for the poor princess.’

  ‘If I owned a diamond as big as the Atlas,’ Sierra said to Lucy, ‘no one would ever be able to steal it, because I’d never take it off. I’d even wear it in the shower.’

  Halfway through the breakfast service, the train pulled out of the siding and continued its journey south towards Glasgow.

  ‘Excuse me, sir.’ Gordon Goulde stopped at their table to address Uncle Nat. ‘The Inspector would like to see you, followed by Master Beck.’

  ‘Thank you, Gordon. We’ll go in together,’ Uncle Nat said, pulling his serviette from his collar and wiping his hands. ‘Come on, Hal.’ He dropped the napkin on the table and got to his feet.

  In the private dining room, the brocade curtains were closed, so no one on the train could see in. Four armchairs were arranged around a table, one of which was occupied by Inspector Clyde. She signalled for Uncle Nat and Hal to sit down. A black-haired policeman with pimples slid the door shut behind them. ‘This is Detective Sergeant Prattle,’ said Inspector Clyde. ‘He’ll be taking notes.’

  ‘I’m Nathaniel Bradshaw, and this is my nephew Harrison Beck,’ Uncle Nat said, taking a seat. ‘I thought you might interview us together, seeing as I’m Hal’s guardian.’

  Inspector Clyde nodded, and Sergeant Prattle took a record of their names.

  ‘The first thing I need to know,’ said Inspector Clyde, ‘is whether either of you have visited the royal couple’s compartment during your journey?’

  ‘Is that where you suspect the necklace was taken from?’ asked Uncle Nat.

  ‘Yes,’ said Sergeant Prattle. ‘We think—’

  ‘Sergeant Prattle,’ snapped Inspector Clyde. ‘Let him answer my question.’

  ‘No, I haven’t visited the royal compartment,’ Uncle Nat replied.

  Hal squirmed in his chair. If he told the truth, then he’d have to tell the detective about Lenny.

  ‘And neither has Hal,’ Uncle Nat continued.

  Hal shook his head, relieved that his uncle had answered for him.

  ‘Have either of you seen or come into possession of a key to the royal compartment?’

  ‘No,’ said Hal.

  ‘I’ve not seen a key,’ said Uncle Nat. ‘Is one missing?’

  Inspector Clyde didn’t reply. ‘Please could you tell me your movements yesterday afternoon, from the moment you boarded the train at Ballater until the moment the necklace smashed.’

  ‘I ate a bit too much at Balmoral,’ admitted Uncle Nat. ‘I watched a little of the ceremony at Ballater, but ducked out early, returning to my room for a nap. Hal can confirm that.’

  Hal nodded.

  ‘And, Harrison, what were you doing while your uncle slept?’

  ‘I went to the observation car to do some drawing.’ He put his sketchbook on the table and slid it towards the Inspector. ‘You can take this as evidence, if you like.’

  ‘Evidence?’ Inspector Clyde smiled.

  ‘Yes. My pictures might help you solve the crime.’

  Sergeant Prattle snorted with laughter, and Inspector Clyde pushed the book back towards Hal. ‘I think you can keep it,’ she said. ‘We’re not interested in children’s pictures.’

  Hal felt his face go red. He took the book off the table and hugged it to his chest.

  ‘How long did you stay in the observation car?’

  ‘I drew for about half an hour. Isaac was on the veranda taking pictures, and Milo Essenbach was there for a little bit, but he complained about the cold and left. Then, I had scones in the gentlemen’s lounge. Lady Lansbury was in there with Rowan …’ Hal paused. ‘I couldn’t eat one of the scones because of the big lunch, and I’d heard the train crew say it was Graham the train guard’s birthday. So, I decided to give him a scone as a birthday cake. I took it to the service cars, but I couldn’t find him.’ He shrugged. ‘So, I left it.’

  ‘So, you have been into the royal carriage?’ Inspector Clyde stare
d at him. Her eyes were steely blue.

  ‘I went through the carriage, but not into the compartment,’ Hal replied. ‘The security man said I could go through, and Hadrian – the guard – was standing outside the door.’

  ‘I see,’ said Inspector Clyde, making a note. ‘Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary?’

  Hal shook his head.

  ‘And what did you do after that?’

  ‘I went to the observation car to see the celebrations as we came into Aberdeen, and then the necklace smashed.’

  ‘This case is quite a puzzler,’ Uncle Nat said. ‘I presume you’re asking us about our movements between Ballater and Aberdeen because that’s when you think the necklace was taken and switched for the fake?’

  ‘The only thing we know for certain is that the necklace the princess took out of the safe and put on yesterday morning in Balmoral was the real one,’ Inspector Clyde replied.

  ‘She’s only taken it off once,’ Sergeant Prattle added.

  ‘Really?’ Uncle Nat leaned forward.

  Sergeant Prattle nodded. ‘At all other times, the diamond has been in the view of five or more people.’

  Inspector Clyde cleared her throat, looking sternly at Sergeant Prattle. ‘What Sergeant Prattle means to say is that the interview is over for now. We’re grateful for your cooperation.’

  ‘Glad to be of service,’ Uncle Nat said politely. ‘Although you really shouldn’t dismiss my nephew’s sketches so quickly.’

  ‘Mr Bradshaw –’ Inspector Clyde sighed – ‘I’m not a babysitter.’

  Hal stared at the wall above the Inspector’s head, trying not to get angry. He’d only been trying to help.

  ‘I’ve got a job to do,’ Inspector Clyde continued, pointing a finger at Uncle Nat. ‘And if a whisper about this theft makes its way into any newspaper, I’ll be coming to you for an explanation. I’m not a fan of journalists.’

  ‘Understood.’ Uncle Nat bowed his head.

  ‘Good,’ she said. ‘In that case, you’re free to go.’ She paused. ‘For now.’