“Is that the headmaster?” Nancy whispered to George, gesturing toward the man beside the cart.
George nodded. “Russell Garrison.”
“He looks as if he hasn’t smiled in a month,” Bess commented in a low voice.
“Sssh,” George hissed. “Someone will hear you.” She looked around. “So far, I think he likes me.”
When the crowd had settled down, Russell Garrison took a microphone from the cart and cleared his throat. He was very well dressed, and seemed at ease among the wealthy people who surrounded him. “You all know why we’re here,” he told the audience. “But many of you may not know who gave us the lovely jewelry we’re about to auction. I’d like to introduce the donor, Mrs. Ellen Sedgewick.”
“Janine’s mother,” George murmured as a prim, middle-aged woman in a simple white gown smiled and waved. Mrs. Sedgewick’s smile was lovely, and her eyes shone with excitement. The onlookers applauded.
“The money from Mrs. Sedgewick’s gift will go to two very worthy causes,” Mr. Garrison continued. “It should nearly double Pineview’s scholarship fund, and it will also benefit our soon-to-be-champion soccer team, the Pineview Giants. Let’s hear it for the Canadian Cup!” The crowd applauded and cheered.
“Now.” Mr. Garrison cleared his throat dramatically. “Let me introduce Mr. Gideon Ray, a jeweler with the Chicago firm of Holder and Canfield. He examined the jewelry just this morning and will now write down the worth of the brooches and seal the figure in this envelope. After the auction we’ll hand the envelope over to the highest bidder. Mr. Ray?”
Mr. Garrison held out a white envelope for the stocky, balding man at his side. Mr. Ray took it and stepped briskly to the cart. He lifted the velvet cloth off the jewelry.
The crowd gasped in admiration as they gazed at the pair of antique brooches. Their colored gemstones sparkled in the bright light. Their intricate settings were made of gold. “Janine says they’ve been in her family for generations,” George whispered to her friends.
When everyone had gotten a good look, Mr. Ray picked up one of the brooches. He placed a jeweler’s magnifying glass in his eye and began examining the beautiful gem at the center of the brooch.
The air was thick with excitement. Nancy watched as the man held the brooch up higher to get the full benefit of the strong lights.
Suddenly Mr. Ray’s face registered surprise. He turned the brooch over, then lowered it and flipped it over a second time, then a third. Finally he stepped back and removed the glass from his eye. He looked very upset.
Instinctively, Nancy edged closer to the cart to hear what the jeweler had to say.
Mr. Garrison moved closer, too. “They certainly are beautiful, aren’t they?” he said. “Now, Mr. Ray, if you’ll write down what they’re worth and seal the envelope, we’ll proceed with the auction.”
Mr. Ray stood for a moment without moving.
“I—I can’t,” the stocky man stammered.
“Can’t?” repeated the bewildered Mr. Garrison. “What do you mean, you can’t?”
“I can’t appraise these. They aren’t real. They’re . . . they’re worthless fakes!”
2
Stolen Jewels
The audience gasped as Gideon Ray put down his magnifying glass. Then everyone fell silent. Ellen Sedgewick ran to the cart and snatched up the glittering brooches.
“That’s impossible!” she said in a panicky voice. “These are my brooches. They’ve been in my family for more than seventy years!”
“Mr. Ray, there must be some mistake,” Russell Garrison said. “You officially examined these pieces this morning. Now, just hours later, you’re telling us they’re fakes. Please examine them again.”
“Mr. Garrison,” Mr. Ray said, “I’ve been looking at jewelry for a long time. These are not the brooches I saw earlier today. Those were genuine. These are fakes. They’re good copies, but they’re made of paste.”
By this time Nancy had worked her way to the front of the crowd. She was joined by her father and Bess. George stayed behind with a shy-looking girl with long blond hair. The girl looked very upset. Nancy recognized her from soccer practice. She was Mrs. Sedgewick’s daughter, Janine.
Mrs. Sedgewick examined the jewels herself through the magnifying glass while Gideon Ray pointed something out to her. The woman turned pale. Her hand trembled as she held the brooch and nodded. Finally, she turned to Russell Garrison.
“Russell, I think we’d better call the police. Mr. Ray is right. These brooches are copies.”
Garrison nodded and then picked up the microphone. “My apologies, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, obviously embarrassed. “We have a problem that must be cleared up before the auction. Please go back to your dancing, and enjoy yourselves.”
But the mood of the party had been spoiled. Many people left. Others stood talking in small groups about what had taken place.
Nancy saw her father approach Ellen Sedgewick, whom he apparently knew quite well. Nancy and Bess joined George, Coach Boggs, and Janine.
“Don’t worry, Janine,” George was saying. “Nancy will help your mother solve this mystery.”
“Not so fast,” Nancy protested. She smiled uncomfortably at the pretty but worried-looking girl. “This looks like a very clever jewel theft, but the police should be able to solve it.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Janine objected. “I’m worried about my mother.”
Nancy’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Why?” she asked. “Is she in trouble?”
“What if the police think she was involved in the theft of the real jewels?” Janine asked worriedly.
“Why would they suspect your mother of stealing her own jewels?” Bess sounded bewildered. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s been done before,” Nancy said. “Sometimes dishonest people pretend their precious jewels have been stolen so they can collect the insurance money. That way they have both the jewels and the money.”
She turned to Janine. “But there’s no reason to think the police would suspect your mother of insurance fraud. Is there?”
Janine shook her head. She wiped tears from her eyes and pushed her hair away from her face.
