File 1: The Mazarin Stone

The Mazarin Stone is the first case and story arc in the Christie High Tension manga series. This case introduces most of the main cast and setting. It details the events following the theft of a highly prized gemstone.

Chapter 1
The story begins as Lady Crystal Margaret Hope and Nelson, her faithful dog, pay a visit to 221b Baker Street, home of her uncle Sherlock Holmes and his detective agency. She is greeted by Cathy, the maid, and Mrs. Hudson, the landlady. Mrs. Hudson warns Christie that her uncle is seeing to a "frightfully lively" client, and the yelling from the men can be heard even from where Christie and Mrs. Hudson are standing, rooms away.

The scene transitions to the conversation between Lord Cantlemere, the agency's current client, and Sherlock Holmes. Cantlemere demands a progress report from Holmes, as it has been three days since a famous jewel was stolen from Whitehall and forty hours since Holmes was hired to help recover it. Holmes reveals that he has indeed discovered who the thief is, but he has not yet made a move on him because he has not found where the diamond is hidden. Cantlemere leaves soon after hearing this piece of news.

Christie walks into the room, revealing that she had overheard most of the conversation. He chides her for eavesdropping, but she replies that anyone could have overheard them, with how loud Lord Cantlemere had been. John Watson then enters the room, announcing that the diamond has not yet been moved. Holmes asks him for clarification on whether or not he means that the stone had been brought to one of the four jewelers they were watching. Watson confirms that is what he meant, which leads Christie to the conclusion that the unnamed stone is a famous yellow diamond known as the Mazarin Crown Diamond. Watson questions whether or not Holmes told her anything about the case, but Christie quickly reveals what led her to the conclusion.

“The newspapers gave very few details about the theft… All that was mentioned was that some unknown person snuck into Whitehall and stole a very valuable piece of jewelry. I thought it was odd that they said nothing about what sort of jewelry was stolen, nor what the thief’s modus operandi might be.

Now, we have Lord Cantlemere coming here for a visit… His Excellency holds a position of some note within the Ministry of State. Of all the jewels in display in Whitehall, only one presently has any direct connection with the Ministry of State… a 100 carat yellow diamond. That particular stone is known as the Mazarin Crown Diamond. Well-regarded jewelers put its worth at over 10,000 pounds. There is no other stone that it could be.”

She goes on to conclude that the gem was stolen for money, not prestige, and that the jewelers are the only ones who could break the gem into small enough pieces to be unrecognizable enough for sale overseas. She knows Watson was sent to confirm they had no yet done so, but also in order to let the thief know they were already close to catching him, in order to ensure he cannot threaten or otherwise force the jewelers into tampering with the stone. In order to take it overseas to be broken down, he will have to take it with him personally, thus ensuring the safety of the stone and making it easier to catch him by focusing on ports. Finally, she concludes that Holmes already knows who stole it, and the final step will be to lure him into custody, so that they may take the stone back.

The scene transitions to Christie's home, which is in a state of chaos as the maids of the household search for the young lady of the house. Annmarie Hopkins and Nora, two of Christie's most loyal maids, confer and come to the conclusion that Christie has run off to her uncle's Baker Street detective agency again, just before her tutor was set to arrive. Annmarie sends Nora off to retrieve her and then informs Madam Connery, Christie's guardian while her parents are away, of what has happened. They agree to try and distract Christie's tutor until the girl gets back.

As Nora walks through London, she passes a few shops on the way and complains out loud that she'll never really be able to afford such expensive things. This attracts a man to her side, who offers her a job that will pay quickly and easily. Nora agrees to follow him to this job, and he leads her into a back-alley filled with strong-looking men. They tell her no one will her her scream from there, and Nora feigns worry for a moment before smirking, calling the men "easy marks". She brings out her whip, quickly dispatching the men in the alley before stealing their money and heading back out to find Christie.

Characters Featured (In Order of Appearance)

 * Lady Crystal Margaret Hope
 * Nelson
 * Cathy
 * Mrs. Hudson
 * Lord Cantlemere
 * William Sherlock Scott Holmes
 * John Hamish Watson
 * Nora
 * Annmarie Hopkins
 * Madam Connery
 * Count Negretto Sylvius