8:30 p.m that same evening...

The museum curaror walks through all of the museum exhibits and finds

the police still trying to stall for time in hope that Poirot will show

up.

"The museum closes at 9 p.m.. I suggest you call it a night. Poirot

won't come here this late in the day. He is trying to help us find the

Ruby of the Spanish Princess and save the museum from closing down.

There isn't anything you can do to right now. "

The police officers give him a defiant stare and keep searching.

"I said the museum closes at 9 p.m. . Do I have to be blunt? I suggest

you come back tomorrow morning if you have any searching to do. I have

to close up the museum!"

"No problem. ", the police officer replies. He turns on his

radio and calls Police Headquarters.

"Officer Madison, signing off duty. ", he says into the radio.

He listens for a reply. and then he and the other officers exit the

museum.

The telephone rings soon after.

"Are you alone?", Hercule Poirot says.

"Yes", says the museum curator.

"Can you leave without being seen?"

"Yes", says the museum curator. "I'll go now."

The museum curator quickly closes the museum and locks

the door for the night. and turn on the new alarm system he had

installed.

He gets in his car and heads for the park in the center of town.

Parking his car, he gets out quickly and waits by a park bench. He

does not sit down. Soon enough Hercule Poirot and Janet

show up.

"Do you have the ruby? Let me see it?"

Janet shows it to him quickly. He put it up to the street light

to check to see if it is the real ruby.

"Now this is the real Ruby of the Spanish Princess. Let me tell

you , Poirot, this situation is delicate. The police think you are after

it yourself  because they got a tip from an anonymous source

saying that you were seen trying to open the safe of Mr. Phillips

at the high school. "

"Well, I was set up. And a clever set up it was! Listen, I know you

believe me. I would not steal the ruby myself. I was trying to save

your museum from being closed. What good would it do for me

to take the ruby? "

"None, I suppose. I know your intentions are good. It is just that

this town is small and people like to talk. "

Janet laughs..."Oh they sure do like to talk! I should have known

Jimmy and his Dad were mixed up in this! "

"What we should do is contact the museum curator in Spain

and have him come here personally to retrieve the ruby. We

will save alot of time that way. If we set a trap at the museum

maybe the real thieves will come back to try to take it again. But

this time we will be ready for them.

"What do you think Poirot?"

"Is it a plan?"

"There hasn't been a case I could not solve. We have the ruby

but the real thieves are still eluding us! Hercule Poirot won't

rest until they are caught! Yes, I will get Miss Lemon to contact

the museum in Spain for you. Don't worry, your museum will

not close. ...

to be continued....