The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar (3 page)

DINNER was pink fish with green-speckled sauce. Mom was delayed—this happens a lot—and Granny had gone out. So it was Dad, Ms. Kootoor, Mr. Mormora, Aunt Jen, Nate, Tessa and me around the table. Tessa, Aunt Jen and Ms. Kootoor talked about fashion. Ms. Kootoor owns this big plaid purse with buckles that to me looks like a big plaid purse with buckles. But according to Tessa and Aunt Jen, it's a Blueberry Bag, and that makes it just about the coolest thing ever. Tessa's Fashionista Barbie even has a teeny tiny one of her own.

“I don't get it,” I said. “If it's a ‘Blueberry Bag,' why is it plaid?”

“Blueberry is the designer label,” said Ms. Kootoor.

“Oh,” I said. “And it's special because . . .?”

Ms. Kootoor gave me a look like I was crazy. “The
style!
”

Tessa leaned toward me and whispered, “Also, it cost a
ton
.”

For dessert we had strawberries with lemon ice.
That's what we were eating when Mom finally came in. She was dressed in her Madam President clothes—blue skirt and jacket, stockings and high heels. She looked tired. After kissing Dad on the cheek, she turned to Mr. Mormora. “A pleasure to meet you.” She gave him her hand. “I'm so sorry I couldn't be here earlier, but there's a senator behaving badly, and then that typhoon in Asia . . .”

Mr. Mormora shook his head. “Sometimes I am glad all I must worry about are dogs.”

“Helping people and pets live in harmony is important,” said Mom.

“We could use a little more harmony around here,” said Aunt Jen.

“My methods are very effective,” said Mr. Mormora. Then he told us about some dogs he had met, like a Rottweiler that dug up flowers but only red petunias, and a poodle that ate whole rolls of toilet paper.

Honestly? None of them sounded as bad . . . I mean as full of energy . . . as Hooligan.

“I, for one, like Hooligan the way he is,” said Ms. Kootoor.

“Oh, please do not mistake me,” said Mr. Mormora. “I like all dogs. That is . . . all dogs except one.”

“Which one?” Tessa asked.

Mr. Mormora frowned. “A certain Pekingese dog of my unlucky acquaintance.”

“I only ever heard of one Pekingese dog,” said Tessa, “the one who sent Hooligan his diamond dog collar, Empress Pu-Chi.”

Mr. Mormora dropped his spoon. “But this is the dog to whom I refer!”

“She's not like a close personal friend,” I said quickly. “We never even met her.”

“Still, the collar is cool,” said Tessa. “And guess what?” She paused dramatically. “
One of the diamonds is missing!
”

Tessa was hoping for a big reaction.

But she didn't get it.

Ms. Kootoor took a dainty bite of dessert. “They're only rhinestones, I believe?”

“A rhinestone is the same as a diamond fac-si-mi-le,” said Nate.

“But what if they're
not
?” said Tessa. “What if there's a diamond thief loose right here in the White House?”

For a second we all looked around, like, Which one's the thief?

Then Aunt Jen laughed. “I think someone's imagination is running away with her. But tell us, Mr. Mormora, how do you know this Empress Pu-Chi?”

“I have family in that nearby nation,” he said. “And a few years ago I was hired to train the animal. The training did not, shall we say, go well.”

“Are Pekingese generally difficult?” Dad asked.

Mr. Mormora shook his head. “It is not the breed but only this particular dog. She is very spoiled.” Mr. Mormora turned to Mom. “What do you think, Madam President, of Manfred Alfredo-Chin's leadership?”

Mom smiled at Mr. Mormora, took a sip of coffee,
then set down the cup. “I'm so sorry. I have a briefing that begins”—she looked at her watch—“five minutes ago. So if you'll excuse me. . . .”

“
Mo-o-o-om!?
” Tessa whined. “Don't go! What about Monopoly?”

Friday night Monopoly is a tradition in our family. But sometimes Mom's too busy. “You don't need me tonight,” Mom said. “You've got plenty of players! Later I'll be up to give you a kiss.”

MS. KOOTOOR took Mom's place at Monopoly, and you never saw anyone go bankrupt so fast! Only a half hour into the game, she landed on Boardwalk and couldn't pay the rent.

We were up in the Solarium, which is like our family room. It's on the third floor, and, at night when the monuments on the Mall are lit, the view is beautiful. Besides me and Ms. Kootoor, Tessa, Dad and Nate were playing. Mr. Mormora was preparing for his class in the morning. Aunt Jen doesn't like games.

When Nate won, he punched the air. “Loser puts the game away! Loser puts the game away!”

Ms. Kootoor raised her hand. “That would be me.”

Nate looked embarrassed. “Oh . . . but you don't count.”

“Because you're a guest,” Tessa said. “Anyway, Cammie doesn't mind.”

I said, “
Me?!
”

Ms. Kootoor shook her head. “No, no, Cameron. Let me. I lost fair and square.”

Granny came in while Ms. Kootoor was collecting the pieces.

“Past your bedtime, isn't it, Judge?” Dad said.

Granny laughed. “I'm wide awake! Must be that splash of coffee late in the day.”

“Maybe some news will lull you to sleep,” Dad said. He punched the remote . . . and you'll never guess what picture came on the screen: a big, fat diamond!

Tessa squealed.

“. . . missing from the National Museum of a certain nearby nation, Jan. Officials are calling the sixty-karat stone known as El Brillante an ‘irreplaceable national treasure.' ” It was Larry who was talking. He and pretty, blonde Jan do the local news we always watch.

Now there was a close-up of Jan, who looked concerned. “And the gem was kept in a sealed vault, Larry?”

“Locked up tight, Jan.” Larry looked concerned, too. “The theft was discovered this morning, but authorities say it's possible the diamond had been missing for as long as a month.”

Tessa said, “
See!
I told you a diamond was missing!”

Nate said, “Earth to Tessa. Different diamond.”

Tessa shook her head. “But it's the exact same nearby nation! There's gotta be a connection.”

“I don't see how,” Dad said. “El Brillante is one of the largest diamonds in the world. Even if Hooligan's was real—by comparison, it's puny.”

Tessa was offended. “
Puny
?”

“And besides,” Dad said. “That diamond was missing from a vault a thousand miles away. The fake stone is missing from Hooligan's collar.”

Behind me, Granny cleared her throat. “If anyone is interested,” she said, “I think Tessa has a point.”

Before she was a judge, Granny was a police officer, so she is the only one in the family with actual crime-fighting experience. Dad, Nate and Ms. Kootoor tried to argue with her, but she wouldn't budge.

“It's like I told the girls last time they were detecting,” she said. “Something illogical just might be a clue. This time, the incidents may seem unrelated, but happening together like that? An unlikely coincidence.”

WHEN Mom came in to say good night, she was wearing an old gray Stanford hoodie and pink plaid pajama bottoms.

Tessa groaned. “
Mo-o-o-om!
I don't get how you and Ms. Kootoor ever even got to be friends. She is so stylish! Like that Blueberry Bag—”

“What's a Blueberry Bag?” Mom asked.

I put my hands over my ears. “If I hear ‘Blueberry Bag' one more time, I will scream.”

Tessa shrugged. “We can talk about diamonds instead. Did you hear one is missing from a certain nearby nation, Mom? It's called El Brillante! And you wanna know what I think?”

Mom nodded and yawned. “Uh-huh, muffin. What do you think?”

“It's got something to do with the diamond missing from Hooligan's collar!”

“Uh-huh,” said Mom. “Interesting.”

“You should tell the FBI that, Mom. They will want to know,” said Tessa.

“Uh . . . okay. But first, let's see what develops,” Mom said.

Tessa crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, if
that's
your attitude, then me and Cammie will investigate ourselves.”

“Cammie and
I
,” said Mom.

“Great!” said Tessa. “We could definitely use your help.”

“Oh, dear, muffin, I didn't mean . . .” Mom tried to tell Tessa she was only correcting her English.

But Tessa wasn't listening. She was too busy planning our investigation. “First, we interview witnesses,” she said. “I know—how about President Manfred Alfredo-Chin? One thing I want to know is who really wrote the letter from Empress Pu-Chi. Is he sure those diamonds on the collar aren't real? After that—”

“Muffin?” Mom interrupted. “It really wouldn't do for you to phone the president of another country and ask questions. The secretary of state would have a fit. But I do have an idea. If you're interested in diamonds, one of the most famous in the world is right here at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. It's called the Hope Diamond. What if you and your sister and Nate go see it this week? It's not a trip to California, but at least it's a project.”

“Can you come with us?” Tessa asked.

Mom hesitated. When she used to be a plain old senator from California, we could do regular things like go
to the mall or the zoo. Now that she's president, there has to be loads of security anytime anyone in the family goes anyplace—even school. For Mom, if she even takes a walk, they shut down streets and surround her with officers and motorcycles.

I bet she wanted to come with us, but the hassle would never be worth it. “I'm sorry, girls,” she said. “But Granny would love to go.”

Tessa rubbed her eyes and sniffed like she was going to cry, but really she was just being dramatic. I know because as soon as Mom kissed us, said good night and closed the door, she was totally fine again. “Cammie?” she whispered. “You agree with me about the missing diamond, right?”

“Wrong,” I said.

“Oh,” said Tessa. “Well, okay. But you'll still help me investigate?”

“I guess,” I said.

“Because you don't have anything better to do?”

“Right,” I said. And I closed my eyes. And I know this sounds weird, but I think I heard my little sister smiling.

THE next morning arrived with Granny at seven a.m. “Rise and shine, girls! Canine Class today!”

Tessa pulled up the covers and grumbled, “I already know ‘sit' and ‘stay.' ”

“Me, too. I can even roll over.” I demonstrated.

Granny laughed but there's never any point in arguing with her. Ten minutes later we were dressed and brushed and ready to name the canary. He lives in a cage in our family's kitchen and belongs to Granny, but she won't tell us where he came from.