The Mystery of the Blinking Eye

shook hands with extreme politeness with Trixie and all her friends.
    The police promptly busied themselves with searching the sweepings. The Peruvians helped, pawing over every inch of the gigantic accumulation while Trixie ran from one searcher to another, dying to get her own hands on the debris.
    After minutes went by, then half an hour, Miss Trask and Mr. Wheeler arrived. Fortunately, Mr. Wheeler was good-natured about the early morning exodus from the apartment. Miss Trask stood quietly aside, watching.
    The search continued. Cigarette and cigar stubs, cleansing tissue, burned matches, ashes, crumpled papers, abandoned matchbooks, gum wrappers, old newspapers, magazines—every sort of remnant of a day’s activity was examined and pushed aside.
    Trixie eyed carefully the ash and dirt residue as the bulkier trash was lifted from it, hoping against hope to catch a glint of the jewel. Her hope was in vain. As careful as Trixie’s search was, the Peruvian police were more thorough. Finally, even they gave up. As the last container was carried to a waiting truck, the men shrugged their shoulders and admitted defeat.
    “It is gone,” the spokesman of the group sighed. “It is perhaps Blinky. Or perhaps someone else picked the stone up from the floor. There were many down on their knees searching, no?”
    Trixie nodded her head.
    “Don’t feel so bad, Trix,” Mart said. “You did all you could to hold on to it. It looks now like good-bye diamond!”
    “Yes, as you say, good-bye diamond,” the Peruvian echoed. “At least, Miss Trixie, if we do not find this jewel, we find the other idols and other stolen jewels— maybe. The man who sell this one to you, the police have him, and he has given us what you call a lead, si?”
    “That’s right, Mr. Wheeler,” the New York policeman said. “It looks as though we may round up the rest of the loot. I wish I felt confident that we’d round up Blinky, Big Tony, and Pedro. We know they used a black Cadillac while they were in the city, and we’ve put up roadblocks at all the exits from Manhattan. I feel sorry for the kid who’s been mixed up in all this. She might have been in on a sizable reward if she’d had the stone. I guess she’ll get something out of it if those two men are caught, for she sure has been on the ball trying to hunt them down!”
    “She’s a real detective. You didn’t know that, did you?” Barbara asked the policeman.
    “No, I didn’t.” He winked at Mr. Wheeler.
    “My daughter, Honey, and Trixie work together,” Mr. Wheeler said seriously. “They’ve turned in some pretty hardened criminals. No, I mean it,” he insisted as the men standing around him laughed. “I’ve learned to respect Trixie’s ambition. I’ve an idea you will, too, before this thing is ended.”
    “Now I’ve heard everything.” The head policeman took off his hat to Trixie. “Well, Miss Detective, you’ll have to work a miracle to come up with that diamond now. There’s not a clue left. We’ll have a full report later,” he added, nodding to Mr. Wheeler.

The “Obvious” Answer ● 18

    A VERY WOEBEGONE group walked single file around the building to the coffee shop.
    Inside, they lined up at the long counter. They were studying the menus when Miss Trask, counting noses, asked, “Where’s Trixie? Where’s Honey?”
    “And Jim?” Mr. Wheeler added.
    “I thought they went to wash their hands,” Diana said, looking around the coffee shop. “They’ll probably be here in a minute. We might as well order.”
    “If anyone is interested in what I think,” Ned said, “I’m pretty darned sure that Trixie is off on another scent.”
    “That’s impossible!” Mr. Wheeler exclaimed and slid off the stool. His face was stern. “What could she do now? I’m going to be extremely upset with Jim and Honey, too. That Trixie is indefatigable!”
    “Yeah,” Mart agreed, “and persistent, persevering, aggressive, resolute—”
    “Tenacious, enduring, unfaltering—” Bob added, laughing.
    “Unswerving, indomitable—” Mart went on.
    “Unflagging,” Bob continued without pause, “unflinching, obdurate—”
    “And unfailing!” a voice called out triumphantly behind him. They whirled around to see Trixie, who stood grinning, her closed fist above Mr. Wheeler’s head.
    “Trixie!” They crowded around her.
    She opened her hand. There lay the dazzling white diamond, sparkling in the reflected gleam of the ceiling lights.
    “Gosh!”