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Ruby Revenge

It was a new day on the small island of Kauai. To the east the sun was already high in the sky. Peter, Samuel, and Dick had decided to spend the day snorkeling. They were on the beach getting on their snorkels when a lould commotion in Andrew's house next door. They heard a crash and then the door opened and Andrew, followed by a chair, came tearing out.
   "Our ruby," he gasped, "The one we excavated in Egypt. The one that's in the museum in Washington D.C. I just got word that it's been stolen!" There was a silence.
    "I can be packed in 15 minutes," said Dick.
    "Right," exclaimed Andrew, "I'll notify Hiawatha and Kajihara." They lived on a cliff near the island. A couple seconds later there was a violent ringing in the Hogan. Kajihara sighed. He and Hiawatha had been working on their boat all morning and didn't want to be interrupted. The phone fell off the table. Kajihara picked it up.
    "Hello?" he said. Andrew's voice on the other end yelled,
    "Pack enough supplies for three weeks and be here in half an hour." Then he hung up. Kajihara hurried back to Hiawatha and told him the message. Together they packed two carpet bags and dived in the boat. Samuel saw them coming. They jumped into the homemade cars which could drive into the water. They ran to meet them.

Chapter 2

Boarding a direct flight from Lihue to Washington D.C., they continued on their mission. After a long uneventful flight they arrived. Hiawatha wanted to rent horses, but Peter knew better. Hailing a taxi they proceeded to the nearest rental car place and rented two cars. Andrew and Dick speeded them to the museum. They asked to see the director and were showed to his office.
After identifying themselves, Andrew said, "We would like to try to track down our ruby. Could we ask a few questions and see were the ruby was kept?"
    "Certainly," said the director, "Follow me." He led them to a glass case.
    "This glass is bullet-proof, fire-proof and water-proof. I don't see how a villain could have taken it." Andrew said,
    "This case is surrounded by glass on all sides, right?" Everyone said,
   "Right!"
    "Wrong. The bottom isn't." They went into the basement of the museum.
    "Where is directly under the ruby display?" asked Andrew. After much searching they found a closet under it. Forcing their way in through the junk they found a chain. Pulling proved to drop the whole display down into the closet.
    "Well," said Dick, "We know how he stole it. What we don't know is who 'he' is."

Chapter 3
They told the director their find. He was very excited. Andrew asked if there were any suspicious guards. The director said that he had noticed only one, Niggidy Spencer. Andrew thanked him and they left to the police station to see if Niggidy Spencer had a criminal record. Andrew and Peter went in and came out only a few minutes later.
    "He has one!" Peter shouted, "We have copies of the information here. According to them Niggidy is known for museum robberies. Years ago he took a dinosaur bone. They solved the case, but didn't catch him. He lives at 46 West Street and that's where we're going." They piled into the rental cars and arrived just in time to see a suitcase marked "Paris, France." A short man with a thick beard came running out of the house clutching a small package.
     "No time for visitors," he growled. Hiawatha was certain this had to be Niggidy. The man stuffed the package under his coat and sped off in a red convertible. Andrew gritted his teeth and turned the car sharply around and began to shadow Niggidy. When it was clear he was headed for the airport they passed him and got there first. Asking the first airline official they met Samuel found out that Niggidy Spencer was indeed going on flight 451 to Paris. Kajihara quickly bought six tickets, and before long they were on their way.

Chapter 4
Once on the plane Kajihara began to look around for Niggidy. He walked up and down the aisle looking at the passengers. Finally, he saw him sitting by the window. Kajihara saw the small package next to him. He thought, "That package could have the ruby in it! But, it would have to be X-ray proof. I must tell the others that Niggidy is here!" A vain hope. He was walking down the aisle to his seat when the lights went out. A voice said,
    "Please do not be alarmed. There is a power shortage. We can't figure out how it happened because the battery was completely full when we left." Kajihara found his way back to his seat and told the others of his find.
    "Well," said Andrew, "At least we took the right plane. When we get to Paris we'll follow him and get more information." The lights went back on. The group got up and Kajihara showed them the seat where Niggidy was sitting. But, when they got there he was gone!
     "Are you sure of your facts?" asked Samuel.
     "Yes, of course," said Kajihara, "I saw him right here."
    "Well," said Hiawatha, "He's given us the slip." The rest of the flight was uneventful and when they got to their hotel room Andrew said,
    "I need to go to Bon Marché to buy groceries. Anyone coming?"
    "I am," said Peter. They left at 11:05.
    "We'll be back around 12:15," said Andrew. They shopped until 11:56. Then Peter grabbed Andrew's arm.
   "Look," he whispered. Andrew looked. Who should he see, but Niggidy Spencer!
    "I don't think he's seen us," whispered Peter. They quickly turned the cart and began to shadow him.
    "If he looks at us turn your head to look at a can of peas or something," whispered Andrew, "He can't be allowed to see our faces!" They shadowed him until 12:12. Then he walked out. Andrew paid for their three cartloads of groceries, while Peter followed Niggidy out. Soon Andrew joined Peter. They climbed in their rental car and began to follow him. The time was 12:28.
     "We ought to tell the others we won't be back for a while," said Peter as Andrew followed Niggidy's sedan through a red light, "I can't think how." It was apparent that they were not going to notify their friends since Niggidy was driving at about 55 miles per hour and showed no sign of stopping. Luck was against them at 12:57 because Niggidy turned sharply onto an exit without using a turn signal. They missed him and spent 10 minutes trying to turn around on the highway. They lost him and returned to the hotel.
     "Where were you?" exclaimed Dick, "You were supposed to be back an hour ago!" Peter explained what happened.
     "Oh I suppose we've lost him for good now," sighed Kajihara dejectedly. No one ate very much at supper and everyone went gloomily to bed.

Chapter 5
It was the middle of the night when there was a scuffling under their hotel room. Niggidy was tiptoeing under the window with several other gangsters. The smallest one climbed up and looked in the window.

"All clear," he whispered. Niggidy climbed up and through the window. It just so happened that Hiawatha's brain chose that moment to manufacture a nightmare. He sat up quickly. His throat was dry. The only cure he knew for that was to get a drink of water. Getting out of bed he proceeded to their bathroom. Just then THUMP. He jumped.

"Quiet you moron!" he heard someone whisper. Hiawatha made his way back to his suitcase and dug around

"Aha," he thought, "Here it is," he said brandishing a pistol. Dick woke up just in time to have some light flashed in his face, and Hiawatha's voice saying, "Hands up you gangsters!" Everyone else woke up. Andrew ran for the phone and called the police. They were there in a few minutes. Finally when all the crooks were gone, they all settled down for a restful night. The next morning Andrew got a call from the police station.

"Hello," said the Chief of Police, "Are you Andrew Ehrlich?"

"Yes"

"Where are those policemen I sent last night? Are you keeping them there for a celebration?"

"No. Didn't they get back to the station?"

"We will search the route from here to the hotel. I will call you back about noon."

"All right. Goodbye." Andrew told the others. They waited. About noon the phone rang. Samuel answered it.

"Mind your own business if you value your life!" said a voice on the other end.

"I'm not interested in your threats. Buzz off." Samuel hung up. He didn't need tell his friends. They knew. A few minutes later the phone rang again.

"Hello?" said Andrew.

"Hi," said the Chief of Police. "We looked all over and found the squad car parked in the woods with the two policemen tied up next to it. We have come to the conclusion that the crooks' buddies stopped the police car, posed as policemen and came to rescue them. That's Plan A. Plan B is that on the way home, they overpowered the policemen, and escaped. That's unlikely because, as you remember, the car was still there."

"How many policemen did you send?"

"Two."

"Four came here."

"!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Can we come to the police station to see the policemen?" "OK" Andrew told the others, and in a few minutes they were on their way. When they got there Kajihara instantly agreed that these were not some of the policemen of the preceding night. Andrew concluded that the crooks must have done Plan A. Then Samuel had an idea.

"Could we see the place where you found the car?" he asked.

"Sure, but I don't see how it could help," said the chief. He took them there.

"See," said Samuel, "There are tire tracks here that don't match the tires of the police car. And here on this tree there are specks of red paint. The tire marks look as if they are only 15 minutes old! We have time to catch them!" They followed the tire tracks to the highway where they were baffled again. The highway was pavement, and tire tracks wouldn't show. Samuel saved them again.

"Look," he said, "It has rained recently. The road is partly mud. You can see which way they went." They were off. In 10 minutes they saw Niggidy and several other men ahead. Suddenly a police car stopped them. The chief talked to them and then explained that he was needed back at the station. They drove on without him. Niggidy led them into the country. Following at a safe distance Andrew drove on. Finally they stopped at an old run-down cabin.

Chapter 6
"Quick!" Dick shoved them out of the car and the group ran to the cabin. Andrew pulled a gun out of his pocket. Kajihara opened the door. Empty. A loud yell got their attention. Peter ran around to the other side of the cabin. Hiawatha stood, pouinting to some fresh tracks. Dick grabbed the keys and shoved everyone back in the car. The engine roared to life, the gas pedal touched the floor, and with the engine screaming Dick drove them at 96 mph after the tracks. Samuel held on to his hat. Mud spattered as Dick turned the car.

"Look!" Kajihara screamed over the engine. A red car sat by the side of the road with people running from it. There was Niggidy Spencer among them! Dick jammed on the brakes and slammed the door open.

"Out!" he yelled and tore up the hill into the woods after the crooks. The others were soon to follow, pistols drawn.

Chapter 7
They all tore up the hill. Gunshots were fired at them. Dick ducked as a bullet almost grazed his head. Near the top of the hill, Samuel decided to cut around. He was running up and around when he tripped over a small package. "A package?" He asked himself. Then it hit him. "The ruby!" But them something else hit him too...a bullet. Kajihara heard Samuel's scream.

"Oh no!" he shouted and tore in that direction. When he got there he saw blood pouring from a wound in Samuel's arm. He pulled out his handkerchief and tried to stop the flow. Then he called the others. But they were gone. Andrew ran up the hill with the others.

"Look, a road." Dick yelled. Niggidy Spencer ran into a car that had stopped. He dived in it and started the motor. His other friends jumped on the roof. The car screeched and zoomed down the road. Peter lowered his gun and fired. There was a bang and a hiss, as Niggidy's car swerved into the ditch. Hiwatha grabbed Niggidy by the collar and lifted him out, taking his gun. Everyone else took care of Niggidy's thugs.

Chapter 8
The wheels left the runway as the 787 shrieked into the sky. In a first class row, Samuel was talking to Andrew.

"I hope this flight isn't bumpy. I might break another bone."

"Oh quit your complaining," said Peter behind them, "Be glad it wasn't a head wound."

"How is the director?" Andrew asked Kajihara, across the aisle. Kajihara was talking to the museum director through the wireless videophone he bought in a Paris shop.

"Oh he's fine," said Kajihara, "he wants to see the ruby again."

"Oh he will," said Dick, "He will."

The End

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