The Artemis Fowl Files - Eoin Colfer [30]
Artemis rose. Butler instantly stood behind him to block any possible attack from the rear. “Come, Mister Diggums, we need to plan for tonight.”
Mulch swallowed the last of the popcorn. “Tonight? What’s tonight?”
“Why, the late-evening performance,” replied Artemis with a grin. “And you, my friend, are the star performer.”
Fowl Manor, North County Dublin; Ireland
It was a two-hour drive back to Fowl Manor from Wexford. Artemis’s mother was waiting for them at the front doors.
“And how was the circus, Arty?” she said, smiling for her boy, in spite of the pain in her eyes. That pain was never far away, not even since the fairy Holly Short had cured her of her depression following the disappearance of her husband, Artemis’s father.
“It was fine, Mother. Wonderful, in fact. I asked Mister Diggums here for dinner. He is one of the performers and a fascinating fellow. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. Mister Diggums, make the house your own.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” muttered Butler under his breath. He escorted Mulch through to the kitchen while Artemis lingered to talk with his mother.
“How are you, Arty, really?”
Artemis did not know how to respond. What was he to say? I am determined to follow in my father’s criminal footsteps, because that is what I do best. Because that is the only way to raise enough money to pay the numerous private detective agencies and Internet search companies that I have employed to find him. But the crimes don’t make me happy. Victory is never as sweet as I think it will be.
“I am fine, Mother, really,” he said eventually, without conviction.
Angeline hugged him close. Artemis could smell her perfume and feel her warmth.
“You’re a good boy,” she sighed. “A good son.”
The elegant lady straightened. “Now, why don’t you go and talk to your new friend. You must have a lot to discuss.”
“Yes, Mother,” said Artemis, his resolve overcoming the sadness in his heart. “We have a lot to discuss before tonight’s show.”
The Circus Maximus
Mulch Diggums had cleared himself a hole just below the dwarfs’ tent and was waiting to spring into action. They had returned to Wexford for the late-night performance. Early enough for him to dig his way under the tent from an adjacent field. Artemis was inside the main tent right now keeping a close eye on Sergei the Significant and his team. Butler was hanging back by the rendezvous point, waiting for Mulch’s return.
Artemis’s scheme had seemed plausible back in Fowl Manor. It had even seemed likely that they could get away with it. But now, with the circus vibrations beating down on his head, Mulch could see a slight problem. The problem being that he was putting his neck on the line, while Mud Boy was sitting in a comfy ringside seat eating cotton candy.
Artemis had explained his scheme in Fowl Manor’s drawing room.
“I have been keeping close tabs on Sergei and his troupe ever since I discovered their little outfit. They are a canny group. Perhaps it would be easier to steal the gem from whoever they sell the stone on to, but soon the school holidays will be over, and I will be forced to suspend my operations, so I need the blue diamond now.”
“For your laser thing?”
Artemis coughed into his hand. “Laser. Yes, that’s correct.”
“And it has to be this diamond?”
“Absolutely. The Fei Fei blue diamond is unique. Its precise hue makes it one of a kind.”
“And that’s important, is it?”
“Vital, for light diffraction. It’s technical. You wouldn’t understand it.”
“Hmm,” droned Mulch, suspecting that something was being held back. “So how do you propose we get this vital blue diamond?”
Artemis pulled down a projection screen. There was a diagram of the Circus Maximus taped to the surface.
“Here is the circus ring,” he said, pointing with a telescopic pointer.
“What? That round thing, with the word ring in the middle? You don’t say.”
Artemis closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He was unaccustomed to interruptions. Butler tapped Mulch on the shoulder. “Listen, little man,” he advised