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little stash of diamonds: in Paris, Amsterdam, New York . . . and London. In fact, London was the center of his operations, so that’s where he had the biggest stash. We can’t be sure, but we believe that perhaps only a mile from here, he’d managed to conceal diamonds to the value of five million dollars.”
    He paused for effect and he got it. I licked my lips. Herbert shook his head and whistled.
    “The Falcon was a great criminal,” Snape continued. “But a month ago his luck ran out. He could have been arrested. He could have been machine-gunned by a rival gang. But in the end he was run over by a bus. It was a crazy end to a crazy life. It happened just outside La Paz airport as he crossed the road to catch a plane to England. We believe he was carrying the key to the diamonds with him. And the man who just happened to be on the scene, who traveled with him in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, was Johnny Naples.
    “So the Falcon is lying on his back with the life running out of him and he—and only he—knows where a fortune in diamonds is hidden. Now, we can’t be certain, but people who are dying tend to blurt out secrets that they would otherwise keep to themselves, and we believe the Falcon told Johnny Naples where he could find those diamonds. Look at it this way. A few days later, Naples dumps his job and takes a first-class flight to London. There’s no reason why he should have come here unless you put two and two together and make—”
    “Five million,” I said.
    “Right.” Snape stood up and walked over to the blackboard. He had produced a piece of chalk from his pocket. “So Johnny Naples flies to the end of the rainbow—in this case, England. But he’s not alone. Because all sorts of people are interested in the diamonds now that the Falcon is dead.” He turned around and scrawled a name on the blackboard.

The Fat Man
    “He’s number one. The Fat Man had often done business with the Falcon. If anybody knew about the secret stash, it would be him. And he could use the money. Give the Fat Man five million dollars and maybe he could go international himself. He could become the next Falcon. He probably knew where the dwarf was staying before we did. Did he kill Johnny Naples? If so, he’ll be on his way to the diamonds . . . and that’s bad news for all of us.”
    Snape wrote a second name beneath it.

Beatrice von Falkenberg
    “She’s the dark horse,” Snape continued. “The Falcon’s wife—his widow—once Holland’s greatest actress. He fell in love with her when he saw her in Othello. She played the title role. From all accounts it wasn’t a happy marriage. She spent six months of the year in London and six months in La Paz. Did he ever tell her where the diamonds were hidden? If he didn’t, she’ll want to know . . .”
    Two more names followed.

William Gott and Eric Himmell
    “They were the Falcon’s right-hand men, his two lieutenants. If they could get their hands on the diamonds, they’d have enough money and enough power to take over the Falcon’s empire. Gott and Himmell are killers. Although they were born in Germany, they were both educated in England, at Eton. During that time, the vicar and the PE instructor went missing and the assistant headmaster was found hanged with his own old school tie. They arrived in London the day after Johnny Naples. They’re here now, and they’re deadly.”

The Professor
    “He’s another mystery. But if anybody knows where the diamonds are, it’s likely to be him. He was the Falcon’s technical adviser, his tame egghead. He was brilliant but crooked. For example, he invented computer fraud five years before someone invented the computer. If the diamonds are in some sort of safe, he’ll probably have built it. But about a year ago he went missing. He could be dead. Nobody’s heard of him since then.”
    Snape turned to the blackboard and wrote a final name.

Herbert Simp
    That was as far as he got. The chalk