“Let’s sort these so we can make some sense of them,” said Logan, shuffling through the papers. “I’ve put them in chronological order. Norm, do the same with the maps. Okay, the first mention of a green diamond was in the year 900 according to Reif’s research.”
“Does it mention the name of the green diamond?” asked Zane.
“No,” Logan replied, scanning the document again.
“How did you know it was referring to the green diamond you’re looking for, Reif?” asked Ian.
“The man gave that to me and told me to find the green diamond described in it,” Reif answered.
“Is there a location of where the diamond was?” asked Dakota.
“Greece,” Logan replied.
“Did you look for it there, Reif?” Kieran asked.
“I couldn’t find any trace of it except a brief mention in an old manuscript about it being stolen and later turning up in Rome,” Reif answered.
“Right,” Logan said, picking up the next document. “This one is dated 1014.”
“After learning it turned up in Rome, I went there, and searched the museums, but again, there wasn’t a trace of it ever being there so I spent several months in differentlibraries doing research. When I drew a blank, I was about to give up and tell the man the green diamond was lost until I found it mentioned in a diary,” Reif explained.
“Was this usual?” asked Brian. “Ye know, having to find what they wanted ye to steal?”
“Sometimes. Other times the man told me where the object was,” Reif replied.
“Who did the diary belong to?” asked Logan.
“A noblewoman. She wrote that her husband bought it for her as a gift but later she sold it,” Reif said.
“Why?” Theo asked Reif. “Didn’t she love her husband anymore?”
“According to the diary, she did it to pay a ransom to get him back after he was kidnapped,” Reif explained.
“Oh, pooh bear, that’s so romantic.” Theo leaned over and kissed Norman.
“Who did she sell it to?” asked Colton.
“I don’t know,” Reif said, “she only said that it was sold.”
“The trail ended,” said Logan, holding up the next document. “This has a date of 1249. How did you get this one?”
“Once again I was about to tell the man I’d run into a dead end but before I could he appeared and gave me that one…a bill of sale for the green diamond to a general in the Roman Army. It was sold just before the fall of the Roman Empire and I was able to track the general into Switzerland where his troops were stationed,” Reif explained.
“The Roman Empire ended around 1450, right?” asked Ian.
“1453,” Slate replied.
“What happened to the general? Did he go back to Rome?” asked Logan.
“No, he married a woman and stayed in Switzerland. I believe he gave it to her,” Reif answered.
“Youbelieve?” asked Colton.
“Yes, I can’t say with certainty, but the next reference I found was in 1560 where it was listed as part of the estate that belonged to descendants of the woman’s brother,” Reif replied.
“Do you know if the woman and general had any children?” asked Kieran.
“None that I could find. I think the general gave it to her before she died which meant it was in her possession. She either gave it to her brother before her death or willed it to him afterwards,” Reif answered. “However, willing it to him would be a remote possibility.”
