Yes, a Selection of Mini-Mysteries has been going for one whole year! As a celebration, here's a nice mini-mystery for you.
The scream pierced the air, shattering the silence like glass. Then Lady Moira de Souza fell down in a dead faint.
For a moment, all were frozen in silent shock. One of the footmen quickly came to his senses and helped Lady de Souza back into her chair.
A grey-haired gentleman replaced the candle in the thick silver candlestick and strode quickly up from the other end of the table to take her pulse. "Fetch a glass of brandy, quickly," barked Dr. Layman. He raised the cut glass to the lady's lips, and as her eyes fluttered open she began to sip the amber liquid. A little colour began to return to her cheeks.
"The jewels..." Lady Moira murmured. "The Heart of Dreams. It's gone."
It was the evening of 26th March, and the night on which each year, every year, the de Souza's would display the national treasure, the Heart of Dreams Diamond. The guest list was specific, and there were never more than four guests present; the most coveted invitation in the country. Some claimed the Heart of Dreams was the size of a man's fist, others that it was over two thousand years old. Everyone knew that it was worth at least £21 million, and was the rarest jewel in the world.
But it was gone.
"What?" an athletic young gentleman leaned over the pretty girl next to him and flipped the jewel case towards him.
The whole table gasped in shock.
The blue velvet jewel case was empty.
"I don't understand." Mr Fairview walked up to the head of the table, his gait sedate but his face creased with worry. "They can't be gone. I saw them this morning. That case hasn't left my sight."
"Oh, you were watching carefully, were you?" The young gentleman rose to meet his gaze accusingly.
"For god's sake, that's my job, Johnson!"
"They say never trust a lawyer," Johnson snarled across the table.
"Or an con," Mr Fairview spat back.
"Ex-con!"
"Boys!" The girl sitting next to Mr Johnson broke into their argument. "Stop hurling accusations until we know what's going on. Mr Fairview, you said you saw it this morning? How?"
"Sure. Aunt Moira gave me a private viewing this morning, and then put it back in the pouch and hung it around her neck. I saw it there all evening. So if that little creep stole it -"
"Go ahead! Search me!" Mr Johnson jumped back. "I didn't steal anything!"
"And you expect us to believe that? Lucy! You don't believe this conman, do you?"
The girl sighed. "Look, both of you - and Doctor Layman - danced with Lady Moira before dinner, so you all had a chance to take it."
"And it just so happens that one of us has a criminal record. Convenient, isn't it?" snapped Mr Fairview.
"Lucy, I must confess," Dr. Layman glanced up from his patient, "The evidence against Mr Johnson is pretty compelling. And we understand why you're defending him, but -"
Lucy sighed. "It's got nothing to do with us. It's to do with justice! I would have thought that you'd appreciate that, Mr Fairview."
"Maybe." Mr Fairview narrowed his eyes. "But why would I steal the diamond? It belongs to my aunt, I'm next in line to own it. I may as well wait until she dies."
"We've only got your word that she didn't bequeath it so someone else."
There was another silence. "So you're accusing me?"
"No. I'm just telling it like it is."
Lady Moira gave another moan, and Lucy was at her side in an instant. "Lady Moira, can you remember if anyone took anything from the jewellery box? Did anyone touch it whilst you were dancing? Anyone at all?"
"No... I don't remember. Wait. Dr Layman touched it once... and Mr Fairview tugged it by mistake."
"What?" Mr Fairview grabbed at his aunt's arm. "Not Mr Johnson?"
Lady Moira turned to her nephew briskly. "No! I'm not an imbecile, my dear. I barely danced with Mr Johnson, he certainly didn't touch the jewel case. I remember Dr. Layman admiring it, and you tugging on it once."
"An accident! I tripped!"
"Let's solve this calmly!" interrupted Mr Johnson. "Let's all of us turn out our pockets."
All the men emptied their pockets and tipped out the contents onto the table. The diamond was nowhere to be seen.
Who stole the diamond and where did he hide it? Dr. Layman hid it in the candlestick he was fidgeting with at the beginning.
