nodded and smiled. At school, he was the brain. Tyler was the bully. Everyone had their separate place at school. No one would ever suspect them of working together. But in the magiciansâ hotel, it was as if they became new people.
When Tyler had disappeared into his familyâs living quarters, Charlie hurried over to the row of elevators. He pushed the button.
Just as he had hoped, the car on the far left opened.
âGoing up, Master Hitchcock?â asked Brack.
Charlie stepped briskly into the elevator. He watched his reflection in the shiny golden doors as they slid closed.
âThis is where you saw the phantom of old Abracadabra, right?â asked Charlie.
âWhatâs on your mind, young man?â asked the operator. The elevator car began to rise.
âPuzzles,â said Charlie.
âMore puzzles?â asked Brack.
Charlie nodded. âSomeone stole the shower curtains from the other rooms on the ninth floor,â he said.
âSo I hear,â said Brack.
âBut it wasnât Mr. Thursday,â Charlie said. âWhy would he? He only needed a dozen metal rings for practice. Besides, how would he get inside those rooms?â
âIâm not sure,â Brack said.
âSomeone who knew how to get the passkey could do it,â Charlie said. âSomeone who knew how to palm things. Someone who could hang around the front desk and not be suspected. Like an old and trusted employee, maybe?â
âMaybe,â said Brack.
âAnd why would those other shower curtains be taken?â asked Charlie.
âHmm,â said Brack.
âMaybe to throw off suspicion from Mr. Thursday,â Charlie said. âBecause if his shower curtain was the only one that disappeared, people might investigate him. They might find him in the basement, practicing. And that would spoil the surprise of the show.â
âPerhaps,â said Brack.
âAlso, how would Thursday know where to practice his juggling?â Charlie went on. âThis was his first time in the hotel. Only someone who knew the hotel like the back of his hand could tell him where to find a great rehearsal space.â
âCould be,â said Brack.
âAnd finally,â said Charlie. âWhoâs the mysterious cleaner?â
âWhat do you mean?â asked Brack.
âThe old theater,â Charlie said. âThe floor of the stage has been recently swept. Maybe mopped. It was shiny. That doesnât make any sense at all! It should have been dull and covered with dust.â
âWhy do you think that?â asked Brack.
Charlie shrugged. âTyler said no one had been in the theater for years,â he said. âSo it shouldnât have been clean. If anyone had been in there, he certainly would have heard about it. Since he hears about everything. I even rubbed my hand along the back of one of the seats. It was clean too. Someone was getting the theater ready for a show.â
âIncredible,â said Brack.
âAnd of course, I remembered certain things you said to me when Ty and I got off the elevator,â said Charlie. âYou said I had juggled the clues together. Mr. Thursday turned out to be a juggler.â
âIsnât that interesting,â said Brack.
Charlie nodded. âThen you said you hoped my solution to the ghost mystery would turn tragedy into comedy,â he went on. âThe faces carved into the doors of the theater are the famous faces of Tragedy and Comedy. Iâve seen them before. You can find them in lots of theaters. Theyâre an old tradition.â
âYou know a lot of things, Master Hitchcock,â said Brack.
âI read a lot,â said Charlie. âAnd I have ââ
âAn acute visual memory,â finished Brack. âI know.â
âYou know a lot, too, Mr. Brack,â said Charlie. âYour words to me in the elevator proved it. You knew what was going on all the
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