on the track of the Morning Star. Pointz'
idiosyncrasy was well known in the trade. Maria
Amalfi played the part of his daughter (amazing
creature, twenty-seven at least, and nearly always
plays a part of sixteen)."
"Not Eve!" gasped Llewellyn.
"Exactly. The third member of the gang got
himself taken on as an extra waiter at the Royal
Georgewit was holiday time, remember, and they
would need extra staff. He may even have bribed a
regular man to stay away. The scene is set. Eve
challenges old Pointz and he takes on the bet. He
passes round the diamond as he had done the
night before. The waiters enter the room and
Leathern retains the stone until they have left the
room. When they do leave, the diamond lea¢s
also, neatly attached with a morsel of chewing
24
Agatha Christie
gum to the underside of the plate that Pietro bears
away. So simple!"
"But I saw it after that."
"No, no, you saw a paste replica, good enough
to deceive a casual glance. Stein, you told me,
hardly looked at it. Eve drops it, sweeps off a glass
too and steps firmly on stone and glass together.
Miraculous disappearance of diamond. Both Eve
and Leathern can submit to as much searching as
anyone pleases."
"Well--I'm--" Evan shook his head, at a loss