The Magician's Secret (Nancy Drew Diaries #8)(2)

“They don’t know that for sure,” my dad cut in. “The prosecution is basing the whole case on assumptions. That’s why it’s so important that we open the box.”

“Did you ask Mr. Smallwood what’s in there?” A feeling bubbled inside me—that same feeling that always happens when a mystery presents itself.

“He doesn’t know, but he insists that the box isn’t his,” Ned replied.

“Where did it come from, then? Whose is it?” I asked. “Does he have an explanation for why it was in his hotel room?”

Ned gave a small laugh and smiled. “Nancy Drew, Girl Detective.”

I blushed but didn’t back down. I’d been solving mysteries my whole life. In fact, there was already a list forming in my head. CLUE: Unopened box. SUSPECT: John Smallwood. My nerve endings popped with excitement as I imagined the lists growing and then diminishing as I crossed off potential suspects and sorted through clues.

My father shook his head. “I wish I had more to tell you. Whatever is in that box might be the very thing to free my client.”

“But if the jewels are inside and it can be proven that the box belongs to Mr. Smallwood, then the box might be the very thing to put your client in jail,” I reminded him.

“At this point, we need to trust that Mr. Smallwood is telling the truth; he didn’t rob the store and the strange box isn’t his. So”—he looked at Ned and tapped his wristwatch—“pretrial hearings start Monday. There’s no time to waste. I found a locksmith who says he can open the box without damaging it; we just need access. Time to get back to it, Ned.”

Ned gave me an apologetic look and, gripping his cell phone, took a step back.

My dad reached into his coat pocket. “Oh, Nancy, I almost forgot. A past client gave me two tickets to this afternoon’s performance of that magic show everyone’s talking about,” he said, handing me an envelope. “I thought you might want to take either Bess or George.”

He said that as if I would be able to take one of my two best friends without taking the other. That would so never happen. Dad would have realized it himself if he hadn’t been so distracted.

Of course, now I had four tickets total, so I could invite them both and still have one left over for Ned. I took the envelope. “Thanks.”

“Great,” he said. “Have fun. I can’t wait to hear all about it at dinner.” He gave me a quick hug, then scooted Ned into his office.

I stood alone in the foyer. Somewhere in the bottom of my purse my cell phone buzzed. It was a text from Ned.

I’LL TRY TO MEET YOU, it said. SAVE ME A SEAT.

I smiled and quickly typed back, K. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

Then I phoned George and Bess in a three-way call.

“Give me five minutes,” George said after I explained what had happened. “I’ll grab my stuff.” I imagined her throwing a jacket and some loose cash into an old tote bag. “Just pull up out front. I’ll jump in the car and then we can go get Bess.”

“I need at least fifteen minutes!” Bess insisted. “And I call shotgun!”

“You had front seat last time,” George argued.

“I call it again,” Bess argued.

“Whatever,” George replied with a groan.

George Fayne and Bess Marvin were cousins, but no one would ever guess they came from the same genetic material. Where George would show up wearing whatever she found on the floor of her room, dark hair in a tangle, with a tote bag for a purse, Bess would get dressed to the nines, make sure her blond hair was perfectly styled, and change her bag to match whatever outfit she’d selected. Fifteen minutes to Bess meant we’d be waiting for thirty.

“Bess, try to hurry,” I pleaded. “I was hoping to get there a bit early. I want to look around before the show and see if I can figure out how his magic works.”

“Uh-oh. Is this another case for Detective Drew? The Case of the Disappearing Courthouse?” George asked with a giggle.

“Exactly.” I laughed and headed out the door.





CHAPTER TWO





The Magician


THE MAGIC SHOW WAS AT one p.m. Right outside the River Heights courthouse. As it turned out, the seats my dad gave me were located in the same row as the ones I had bought. Bess batted her eyes and convinced an older couple to trade tickets with me so we could all sit together. She was great at getting what she wanted; the couple even smiled at her as they scooted down.

“Here.” George held out Dad’s ticket envelope. “We should save the seat on the aisle for Ned. That way if he shows up, he won’t have to step over anyone.”

On the way over it had dawned on me that it was going to be extra difficult for Ned and my dad to get into the courthouse’s evidence locker today. Not only was it a Saturday, but the River Heights courthouse was the centerpiece of Drake Lonestar’s show. His grand trick was to make the big historic building disappear. Even if the lawyers got permission to enter the storage area, the investigation would probably have to wait until after the performance.

So maybe Ned would be able to attend the show after all. He wasn’t going to be able to do much on the case for the next few hours anyway.

I took the envelope. “Good idea. I’ll sit in seat B. We’ll save A for Ned.” I looked over my shoulder to see if there was any sign of him. I knew I was acting obsessive, but I really hoped he would come.