Ch9-The Real Story

CHAPTER NINE The Real Story After the curtain closed, Jack could hear the joyful crowd leaving the theater. Mr. Dewey, Mr. Wilson, Butch, and Hank rushed from the wings to congratulate the Houdinis. Mr. Dewey actually went down on his knees to thank them. "You have made my audience very

happy!" he exclaimed. "And when my audience is happy, I am happy, too! Great show! Great show!" "Man, he's really lost it," Jack said. Annie laughed. "Come on, I want to tell them 'Great show,' too," she said. But as Jack and Annie started toward the Houdinis, some teenage boys rushed onstage ahead of them. "Sorry, boys," said Mr. Wilson, stepping between the boys and the Houdinis. "Mr. Houdini is exhausted from his magnificent performance. You'll have to buy a ticket and come back again!" "Come on, Harry, let's get you two out of here!" Mr. Dewey said. As Mr. Dewey whisked Harry and Bess backstage, Jack and Annie followed them. Mr. Dewey ushered the couple into their dressing room. He hurried in after them and closed the door. Annie was about to knock, but Jack stopped her. "Don't bother them yet," he said. "Let them relax a minute first. We'll see them when they come out." "Good idea," said Annie.

Jack and Annie waited outside the Houdinis' dressing room door as the crew cleared all the hooligan fans off the stage. They waited as Hank and Butch took away Houdini's cabinet, his milk can, and his steamer trunk. They waited as Mrs. Crenshaw collected the bird and rabbit cages and carried them away. They waited as Mr. Wilson swept the floor and turned off the stage lights. "They should be relaxed by now," said Annie. "No kidding," said Jack. He tapped softly on the door. There was no answer. Annie knocked louder. "Bess? Harry?" she called. Still, no one answered. Annie tried the handle, but the door was locked. "They're gone," said Mr. Wilson, passing by Jack and Annie in the hall. "Gone?" said Annie. "Yes, both the Houdinis left a while ago," the stage manager said. "Left? How?" asked Jack. He and Annie had been watching the door every minute!

"Mr. Dewey took them through the secret exit out of the stars' dressing room," said Mr. Wilson. "It goes through the basement and out of the theater. Otherwise, they'd be mobbed by all the crazy fans." "So they're really gone?" said Jack. "They don't call Harry the Master of Escape for nothing," Mr. Wilson said. "You'd better change out of your costumes and get going, too. We'll be locking up the building soon." Jack and Annie walked down the hall and into their dressing room. "I can't believe it!" Annie wailed. "We didn't even get to tell them 'Great show.'" "Worse than that, we didn't get to find out a secret of greatness," said Jack. He held up his finger with the Ring of Truth. "The ring didn't glow all night." "Well, I guess all we can do is get dressed and go look for them," said Annie. Jack and Annie quickly changed out of the tuxedos and back into their street clothes. Jack grabbed his bag and put his watch in the pocket of his pants.

"Come on, hurry!" said Annie. She and Jack rushed out the back door of the theater. They ran down the dark alley, past the row of garbage cans, and out to the street. Surf Avenue was still bright with lights and just as busy as before. The sidewalks were still crowded with lots of people. The old-timey cars and horses and buggies filled the cobbled street. "They could be anywhere," said Jack. "They could even have gone home." "Let's try Luna Park," said Annie. "Why would they go back there?" asked Jack. "Especially after getting trapped on their Trip to the Moon?" "I don't know. There's lots they might want to do there," said Annie. She gasped. "Ice cream!" Jack and Annie said together. At the same moment, they'd each remembered Bess saying "Ice cream always comes after the show." "To the ice cream stand!" said Annie. "And fast!" said Jack. Jack and Annie took off up the street, dodging people along the way. They ran to the tall arches,

where ticket sellers in chariots were still welcoming people into Luna Park. "Admission, ten cents each," one said. Jack and Annie dumped the rest of their pennies into the ticket seller's hands. Then they took off, dashing up the broad avenue, weaving around couples and children and barkers on stilts and unicycles. When they came to the ice cream stand, they found a line of people waiting to buy cones. Panting, Jack looked up and down the line. The two Houdinis were nowhere to be seen. Jack's spirits fell. But Annie poked him. "What?" Jack said. Annie pointed at the terrace.