Case of the Great Cranberry Caper

by Jeffrey M. Poole

  See? Not so bad. But, I digress. The reason I mention this is to establish context.

  A group of students had been studying one of the largest asteroids in the belt, which, believe it or not, had a name: Ceres. Now, every so often, as any astronomer will tell you, asteroids will come into contact with other asteroids, and the resulting collisions will oftentimes knock them out of their trajectory, much like one croquet ball striking another. Some of those asteroids are then capable of reaching the Earth. On an average day, there are usually about 17 meteors which earn the right to upgrade themselves to ‘meteorite’, meaning they manage to strike the surface of the Earth. Water, land, it didn’t matter. Thankfully, most burn completely up before they make contact, which means the resulting meteorite is typically the size of a pebble, and no larger than a fist. That may sound like a lot, but when there’s an estimated 25 million objects entering our atmosphere on a daily basis, ranging in size from a grain of rice to the size of a car, and of those, fewer than two dozen manage to make it all the way down, there really is no need to panic.

  Now, let’s take a moment and talk about those select few which are large enough, or durable enough, to withstand entry and make contact with the Earth. One such meteor strike resulted in a leftover specimen that weighed nearly ten pounds. Buried inside was something that most people would never expect to find inside a meteorite, and that was a diamond.

  Diamonds in meteors are not as uncommon as you may think. Some scientists believe that diamonds are found within stars and may very well be one of the first minerals ever created. However, most specimens are on the microscopic side, being no more than a couple of nanometers long.

  Somehow, and it wasn’t revealed how, this particular meteorite contained an extraterrestrial diamond that weighed in at 10 carats. To say it was remarkable, and extremely rare, would be an understatement. Then, much to the school’s horror, some as-yet-unnamed member of the faculty took ‘ET’, as it was being called, to a fellow staff-member, who happened to be an amateur lapidarist, and according to the news report, had given it an ‘old mine’ cut, whatever that was. ET’s final size? A very respectable 9 carats.

  That was what had been stolen at the observatory. Someone had walked off with ET! How that ties in with Pomme Valley, I really don’t know. Not yet, anyway. But, this was something Vance needed to know about.

  I looked down at Sherlock and saw that he was watching me with a smug expression on his face. Sighing, I retrieved the box of doggie biscuits I kept in the kitchen and handed several to each corgi.

  “Here. Vance will give me hell if I don’t do this. Good job, guys. I’m pretty sure you’ve identified the motivation behind these robberies. Now we need to let him know what we’ve found. Want to go for a ride?”

  Thirty minutes later, the dogs and I were strolling through the Pomme Valley police department. I say strolling, ’cause I’ve been here numerous times now and I am fairly well known. However, after being stopped for the fifth time, so the corgis could be greeted, I will reluctantly amend that statement to say, Sherlock and Watson were very well known. So well, in fact, that they were considered celebrities. I honestly think that it might have something to do with the simple fact those two dogs have solved more cases than the entire PV police force combined.

  And before you ask, no, it’s not something I typically bring up.

  Walking past the information desk, where Julie, my friend Harry’s wife, was sitting, we headed down the hall, toward the heart of the station. It was where all the officers had their desks, Captain Nelson had his office, and Vance had his tiny office. Through that doorway there was the large holding cell, and through that big, heavy door were the cells. The station also had a basement, where off-duty officers could make use of a small gym.

  The farther we walked into the station, the more amazed I became. Was it any wonder? My first visit to this particular building wasn’t a pleasant one. And now? Every single person we passed, whether they were an officer or a simple clerk, stopped to give the dogs a pat on the head, or a scratch behind the ear. As for me? I got a smile and a nod.

  Oh, well.

  Sherlock and Watson wove around the many people standing about and were on a direct course to Vance’s office. Visible through the door, my friend was on the phone and was pacing around the tiny confines of his office. He saw the three of us and immediately returned to his desk, sat down, and pulled out a box of doggie biscuits from one of the drawers. Vance held up two biscuits, which resulted in me getting physically dragged over to the small office. Letting go of the leashes, I watched both corgis circle Vance’s desk, timidly approach, and automatically drop into a sitting position.

  Those little boogers never behaved like that for me, I can tell you. All that was needed to make this a picture-perfect Kodak moment was the appearance of two halos, over Sherlock and Watson’s heads. Brown-nosers.

  While Vance continued his conversation on his phone, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I saw Captain Nelson standing behind me. His mouth opened, and was about to ask a question, when he noticed two leashes trailing behind Vance’s desk. The captain’s face lit up as his eyes landed on the two dogs, who had both turned at the appearance of Vance’s boss.

  “Mr. Anderson? Are you here about the grocery store break-ins?”

  I nodded and stepped outside Vance’s office. “Yep. There are three that I’m aware of: Grants Pass, Medford, and unfortunately, PV. Are you looking for an update?”

  “Have there been some new developments?” the captain wanted to know.

  I shrugged. “For all I know, Vance might already be aware of this, but I was watching the news this morning and saw something that might explain what the perp is after.”

  “We already know,” the captain told me, using a quiet tone. He had noticed Vance was now gesturing at something behind his desk, and saw that he was in the midst of a phone call.

  The captain knew about ET? Rats. Deflated, I sighed.

  “I don’t suppose you could tell me why,” Captain Nelson continued.

  “Er, why what?” I asked.

  “Why would this perp want to steal cranberries? I’ve been a police captain for over 20 years, but this is a new one on me. This case? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  Ah! He didn’t know after all. Captain Nelson, who had been studying my face, saw that I had something to add, and promptly leaned against the closest wall. He motioned for me to continue. However, before I could, Vance finished his call and strode out his office.

  “Zack! What … Captain Nelson? I didn’t see you there. Can I do something for you, sir?”

  “Make any progress with MDC?” the captain asked. I watched Captain Nelson throw me a sidelong look, which told me he wasn’t about to let the matter with me drop. “What did they say about the three stores that were hit?”

  Vance held up his notebook. “I’ve got a complete list of everyone they’ve done business with in the area. Granted, it’s not much of a list, but there are five other stores we didn’t know about. I’m going to put in calls to each of them to see if there’s been any unusual activity.”

  “Good. Mr. Anderson? Is there something you’d like to add to the discussion?”

  Vance suddenly focused his attention on me. “Zack? Why are you here? Do you have something for me?”

  I shrugged. “Possibly. I have a theory. Well, they have a working theory,” I amended as I pointed down at the dogs, “about what might be going on. I think I may have an idea about what our perp might be looking for.”

  This got both the captain and Vance’s attention. Vance gave the dogs a brief glance before looking back at me.

  “I’m all ears. Whatcha got, buddy?”

  “What do you know about the Jacobsen Observatory?”

  Vance blinked a few times as he stared at me. “The what?”

  “It’s the second-oldest structure on the University of Washington’s campus,” Captain Nelson answered. “It’s for their astronomy students.
There’s a large, automated telescope in there, if memory serves. What about it?”

  “How do you know so much about it, sir?” Vance curiously asked.

  “U-Dub alumni, Class of ’76. Go Huskies.”

  “Anyway,” I continued, as I grinned at the captain, “there was a blurb about the observatory on the news this morning.”

  Captain Nelson perked up. “Oh? What about it?”

  “I didn’t catch all of the report,” I admitted, “but I did look it up online after it was over. Turns out there’s been a theft.”

  It was Vance’s turn to look interested. “At an observatory? What was stolen?”

  “ET.”

  Vance cocked his head. “Huh?”

  “What was that?” Captain Nelson asked, at the same time.

  “ET,” I repeated, as I grinned at my friend.

  “Ha ha, Zack,” Vance groaned. “Couldn’t you have come up with a better …”

  “Hear me out,” I interrupted. “I’m not talking about Steven Spielberg’s 1981 movie. ET is the name the astronomy department gave to an extraterrestrial diamond.”

  “What the hell is an extraterrestrial diamond?” Vance scoffed.

  Captain Nelson stared at me for a few moments before he shrugged. “Meteors.”

  I nodded. “You got it. I guess it’s not unheard of to find diamonds in meteorites, only they’re usually super small. This one, though, was 9 carats. That’s what was stolen.”

  “When?” Captain Nelson wanted to know.

  “The article I pulled up didn’t say,” I confessed. “I tried to find out more about it, but couldn’t find anything. Maybe the university is trying to keep that piece of info out of the media?”

  Captain Nelson strode over to the closest desk, which happened to be Vance’s, and reached for the phone.

  “I’ll find out with one phone call. Give me a sec. Let’s see if I still remember the number. Hello? Professor Roger Newman, please. Yes, I’ll hold.” The captain looked over at us. “Newman was in my graduating class, and he … Roger? It’s Dale Nelson, down in Pomme Valley. I … yes, that Dale. How’re you doing, buddy? Listen, we saw reports of a theft at Jacobsen earlier today. They’re saying something about a fancy diamond being stolen. Is there any truth to that? There is? Can I ask what’s so special about this diamond? Uh huh. Gotcha. Okay, thanks, partner. I appreciate it. Yes, we should catch up. I’ll call you this weekend. Thanks, Roger.”

  “There was a theft,” I said, as I looked at Vance.

  “Mr. Anderson was correct,” Captain Nelson stated, as he straightened and rejoined us outside Vance’s office. “We’re talking about a priceless scientific discovery which cannot be replaced. Not to mention the fact that this ET thing? It’s a large diamond. Apparently, it posed too tempting of a target for someone there at the observatory.”

  “Do we know who?” Vance asked. “Do they have any suspects?”

  Captain Nelson shook his head. “Roger didn’t say. The only thing he could confirm was the theft, which they had tried to keep quiet, only their luck finally ran out.”

  “Why?” I asked. “If they’re looking for someone, then wouldn’t it be more prudent to alert the media and, therefore, get this perp’s information out in the open?”

  “You’d think, and I would think,” Vance retorted. “Listen, why don’t we …”

  “There’s something else you need to hear,” I quickly interrupted. “It’s the reason the dogs and I came down here.”

  “Was it on the news?” Captain Nelson asked.

  “Well, yes and no,” I answered, as I shrugged. “It wasn’t specifically mentioned, but it was what I saw in the background: a semi-truck.”

  “What about it?” Vance wanted to know.

  “It was hauling a load of cranberries,” I smugly reported. “It was headed to a big processing plant right next door to the observatory.”

  Captain Nelson looked straight at Vance and pointed at his office. “Back on the phone. Call MDC. Find out if the cranberries that were stolen were supplied by that processing plant.”

  Vance nodded. “I’m on it.”

  “Good work, Mr. Anderson,” the captain praised.

  “I’d really like to take the credit, but it wasn’t me.”

  “It was the dogs, wasn’t it?” Captain Nelson asked, as he grinned down at the corgis.

  “Yep. I had the TV muted, and Sherlock unmuted it, just in time for me to hear the tail end of the news story. Then, as I was watching it, I noticed the truck in the background.”

  The captain squatted next to the corgis, which had the unfortunate effect of both of his knees cracking so loudly that I thought he had stepped on some bubble-wrap. He looked up at me, smiled sheepishly, and returned his attention to the dogs. After a few moments, he straightened.

  “Sooner or later, I’m gonna do that and not be able to make it back up.”

  “Please,” I scoffed. “I’m already there.”

  The captain laughed, just as Vance exited his office. He was nodding and grinning like a kid at Christmas.

  “You called it, sir. That plant handles everything in Washington and Oregon.”

  “That’s how they smuggled the diamond out of the observatory,” Captain Nelson guessed. “I’m thinking whoever the perp is, he slipped next door and stashed the stone in one of the bags of cranberries.”

  “That’s why the stores were hit,” Vance confirmed. “The perp was looking for the bag which has his diamond in it.”

  “The university’s diamond,” the captain corrected.

  “Right. Plus, get this, MDC confirmed three more clients of theirs had been burglarized.”

  “Where?” the captain wanted to know.

  “Gold Beach, Port Orford, and Klamath Falls.”

  “All in the southern part of the state,” the captain quietly mused.

  “How long ago?” I asked.

  The captain turned to Vance, who immediately pulled out his notebook. “Late last week.”

  “Over how many days?” I curiously asked.

  Vance scratched the side of his head. “Does it matter, Zack?”

  I shrugged. “Kinda. I thought it might be relevant.”

  “Well, let’s see. Looks like it happened over the weekend. Two happened Saturday night, while the third was Sunday night.”

  “So, those three were the first stores to be hit?” Captain Nelson asked.

  “Yes,” Vance confirmed. “Does that help us?”

  “Why weren’t they reported?” Captain Nelson demanded.

  “The only thing MDC could tell me was each of the stores had minimal damage and only a box or two of the cranberries were stolen.”

  “And, yet, the perp tried to make it appear as if someone else robbed the next three stores,” I recalled. “I wonder why?”

  “It’s like they were deliberately trying to pin the blame on someone else,” Vance decided.

  Captain Nelson snapped his fingers. “Oh. Oh, that’s good. So, that is what they were doing? Very clever. Very clever, indeed.”

  Vance and I helplessly looked at each other.

  “Umm, could you explain that, sir?” my detective friend hesitantly asked.

  “This perp,” Captain Nelson began, “clearly thought the diamond would be at one of the first three stores that were targeted. When it became apparent it wasn’t, and he knew he’d have to keep searching other stores, he tried to deflect the attention off of himself. How? By making it look as though something besides cranberries were being taken. He didn’t want to draw any more attention to the cranberries. The last thing he would want was a spree of panic-buying.”

  “Which already happened,” I said.

  “True,” Captain Nelson admitted. “Whoever this guy is, he’s smart enough to know he had to act fast. The longer he waited, the more chances there’d be that Joe Q. Public would buy the exact bag he was looking for.”

  “Six burglaries,” I breathed. I squatted next to the dogs and was rewarded
with my own knees cracking. “I wonder where the seventh will be? Who else is there?”

  “It’s been a couple of days,” Vance said, as he glanced over at a wall calendar above one of the cubicle desks. “We haven’t heard of any other break-ins since ours.”

  “Meaning what, exactly?” Captain Nelson asked. “I’m not gonna like the answer, am I?”

  Vance shook his head. “I can think of two possibilities. First, he might have just given up.”

  “Unlikely,” I said. “He’s gone to so much effort to try and find that diamond that I doubt very much he’d simply throw in the towel now.”

  Captain Nelson nodded. “Agreed. We’re going to ignore that suggestion and move to your second.”

  “The second option,” Vance continued, “is, if there are no more robberies, then that would mean that the perp has found what he’s looking for--the diamond. He must’ve found it in PV!”

  EIGHT

  “You’re kidding. You want to go out there and traipse along the countryside, while looking for the one? I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s snow on the ground out there!”

  “I know. Isn’t it perfect?”

  All right, it’s time for some context. Since Vance was going to spend the day researching MDC, the plant which supplied the cranberries, and review the facts on all six burglaries in this case so far, my skills were not needed. Or, more specifically, Sherlock and Watson’s. What did that mean for us? Well, we now had a day off. How were we spending it? My lovely fiancée took care of making the plans, and what she came up with absolutely floored me. She programmed my Jeep’s navigational system, told me to dress warmly, and announced we were going on a road trip. I should have known something was up, because typically whenever we take a road trip, we use her SUV and not my gas-guzzling, off-roading Jeep.