Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar (A Cora Flash Children's Mystery, Book 1) Read Free

Sheila. " We have always loved the mountains . W e met on a ski trip, and so we figured , what better place to go than to Topaz Mountain ? "
    " I hear it ' s absolutely beautiful, " he added.
    " Yes, I hear it is. I ’ ve never been either. I ' m going to visit my u ncle for the first time. "
    " That ' s nice, " Sheila said.
    The three of us sat and talked pleasantly for quite some time, during which time I learned Sheila worked as an event coordinator for a large (and rather expensive) hotel downtown. Ted, on the other hand, was a self-employed appraiser for real estate. At the time, I wasn ' t sure what that meant, but made a mental note to look it up on the Internet as soon as I got to my u ncle's house.
    I told them about my younger brother, Ethan, and how he was too young to travel to the m ountains with me this time. " Maybe next time, " I said.
    Just at that moment, the sliding door from the d ining car opened with a loud crash, and in came Mrs. Bronwyn, led by Calvin. " My goodness! " she exclaimed. " I ' m sorry to make such a racket; the door was a little bit stuck. "
    Calvin ran right over to me and jumped into my lap.
    " You see, my dear ! I told you he was quite fond of you! "
    " Yes, he is! " I laughed as the tiny dog lapped at my cheek.
    " Hello, there, " Mrs. Bronwyn said to Sheila and Ted. " My name is Josephine Bronwyn. This is my dog, Calvin. "
    " Hello, " Ted said. " I ' m Ted Houseman, and this is my wife , Sheila. "
    " Pleased to meet you, " Sheila said.
    " They ' re on their honeymoon, " I offered.
    " Oh, my! " chirped Mrs. Bronwyn. " That is terribly exciting, isn ' t it? Congratulations! "
    " Thank you, " both Ted and Sheila said.
    " Have you noticed, " Mrs. Bronwyn said , " t hat strange man in the d ining car? He is never without that silver briefcase of his. It ' s as if he ’ s guarding it with his life. "
    " Yes, " Ted said. " We did notice that. I have yet to see him without that case in his hand. "
    " Willy offered to store it for him, " I added . " But Mr. Sloane snapped right back at him, told him to stay away from it. "
    " Sloane? Is that his name? " asked Mrs. Bronwyn. " Very strange, if you ask me. Very strange , indeed. I wonder — no, that couldn ' t be him. "
    " What? " asked Sheila. " What were you going to say? "
    " Well , t his is almost too much to believe, but I was just reading in the paper last week of a spectacular diamond that was sold at an auction for an unbelievable sum of money. It was called the Diamond of Madagascar, and it ’ s said to be worth millions of dollars. The person who bought it has remained anonymous, but is believed to live somewhere in the mountains. Since it was only sold a few days ago, it would make sense if that man, Mr. Sloane , as you called him, is transporting the diamond from the city to the mountains. "
    " You mean he ’ s delivering the diamond to its new owner? " asked Ted.
    " Precisely, yes, " she said. " Of course, I ’ m only speculating. I don ' t know anything about the man, but it does seem to be at least possible , doesn ' t it? "
    " It certainly sounds like it, " I said. " Could he really be carrying the Diamond of Madagascar on this train? "
    " Why not? " she asked . " The train is the most direct route to Topaz Mountain . "
    " My goodness, " Sheila said. " To think that such an expensive diamond is right here with us on this train. It ' s almost too much to believe. "
    " Well , now, " Ted said. " Let ' s not get out of hand. We ' re just guessing. We don ' t know anything about that man or what ’ s in his case. For all we know, that case is empty. "
    " Yes . " Mrs. Bronwyn laughed . " I suppose you ' re right, we mustn ' t get carried away. "
    " Still, " I said . " It sure is fun to think about! "
    Just at that moment, Mr. Sloane came into the car , followed a few seconds later by the large man with dark glasses.
    " Oh, " Mrs. Bronwyn murmured . " We shan ' t speak of this any longer. "
    The man with dark glasses came close to