Chapter 1 The Necklace
It all started when I got at Repsom museum. I was sixteen years old and a student. I was studying history at school,but it was the summer holiday.At first, eight week without having to study seemed wonderful. But I wanted to earn some money, so I got the job at the museum. It was only fir six weeks.
Repson is a large town, by the sea. It's where I live. there is a new part with tall white buildings and modern offices.Then there is the old part of the town, with narrow streets and tiny shops. The museum is en the old part.
I was pleased to get the job because I have always been interested in history. in fact, I wanted to work at the museum when i left school.
That holiday, I was going to work with Anna Wain, a young woman about five years older than me. That was another thing that pleased me about the job!
'We'll be working in the new part of the museum,Paul,' Anna told me.'It's not open yet .We'll be making display, showing things that happened in Repson in the past'.
I knew it was going ti be an interesting job, and I was certain I was going to like working with Anna. I thought she was very pretty and friendly.
'We have six weeks to finish the work..' she said.'Then the new part of the museum will be opened by a man called Patrick Yardley. He's an important businessman in Repson. You'll meet him before the opening day because he likes to came and see how we're getting on.'
The Gilbertson necklace arrived at the museum the same say that I started work. It was a very old necklace and belonged to the Gilbertson family. The Gilbertson were a well-known-Mrs Eve Gilbertson.
'It's belonged to my family for over a hundred years,' Mrs Gilbertson told Mr Balfour, the museum curator. 'That's almost as long as the Gilbertson family have lived in Repsom. I hope you'll look after it.'
Mrs Gilbertson was letting the museum borrow the necklace. It was going on display in the old part of the museum. Some people believed the necklace was made in French queen>It was made of diamonds and was very beautiful.
'Is it valuable?'I asked.
'Mr Balfour said it's insured for hundred thousand pounds,'Anna told me.
I was surprised.'That's a lot of money,' I said.
We went ti see the necklace after lunch that day. It was very beautiful and diamonds shone brilliantly under the display lights.
It was in locked display case with a glass front. Derek Halliday, one of the museum attendants, was looking at in through the glass.
'Hi, Derek,' said Anna. 'Keeping an eye on our most valuable display?'
He laughed. 'That's right,' he said,'but I can' t be here all the time.' HE was about two years older than me and had long fair hair. HE was always pushing at the ceiling in a corner of the room.'See that TV camera?' she asked.'It's Filming everything that happens in this room .'
'Al the rooms in the old part of the museum have TV cameras,'said Derek Halliday. 'They'll be fitted the new part, too. There are TV screens downstairs, and a security guard watches them. Each screen shows a different room.'
'So he can see if a thief takes the nechlace?' I said
'Yes,' said Anna. 'Don't worry, Paul, nobody can steal it.'
But she was wrong
*
Two weeks later, Anna and I were working on a display showing the old Repson prison and police station. WE were making it look a hundred years old. There were policemen in their uniforms, and a
criminal being taken into a prison cell. The cell had a real lock on the door with a big key. The policemen and the criminal were wax dummies, but they looked real.
There were more wax dummies on the display already done. On one, there were pirates with a treasure cheat full of jewels. The two wax pirates looked as if they were carrying the treasure cheat up the beach. Behind them was a small boat, with another pirate sitting in it. another display was made to look like an old shop. A wax woman was standing behind the counter.
It was my job to help build the display. It was Anna's job to draw pictures of each one, so knew how they were going to look. Anna also made the clothes and dressed the wax dummies, and I did most of the painting. I was enjoying the work.
The other people working in the museum were friendly. There were two museum attendants, Ian Maxton and Derek Halliday. They walked round the old part of the museum; one of them upstairs, the other downstairs. They answered questions when people wanted to kwon something about a display. A girl called Linda Jones worked in the museum office at the top of the building. She was only a year older than me. Then there was Cora Turner, the lady who toe money from people coming into the museum. And Roger Fox, The security guard.
That afternoon, Patrick Yardley came in to see Anna and me. He was a tall, important-looking man with a dark beard, and was dressed in a blue suit.
'Are you going to finish by the end of the month?'he wanted to know.
'We'll finish,,'Anna told him.'Paul is a good worker.'
He watched us working for a few minutes, then went into the next room and looked at the pirate display for a long time.'I didn't know there were real pirates in Repsom.' he called out.
'There were,two hundred years ago.' replied Anna. 'They used to hide their treasure in the caves near the beach. Than a storm wrecked their ships on the rocks.'
'I didn't know that,'said Mr Yardley, coming back into the room we were working in.
He stayed and watched us for half an hour, then left.
'He looked worried,'I said.
'Some people say his business is in trouble,' said Anna. 'They say he needs money.'
'what's his business?'I asked
'He owns jewellery shops in different towns,'said Anna. 'They're always called"Jane's jewellery"-his wife's name is Jane.'
I nodded.'I know the,' I said ,'but I didn't know they belonged to Mr Yardley.'
We went back to work on the prison display. Anna was putting a moustache on the wax criminal. I was painting the walls of the prison.
'Don't lock me in!' I joked
'Prison is for criminals,' she said,laughing. She pointed at the wax dummy.'And he's the only criminal in this museum'
Anna was wrong again.
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