Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 Dan went white to the ears. He turned to his sister and mouthed, "Jonah!" Amy dragged him behind the Mozart family's harpsichord. There they cowered, barely daring to breathe. "It is impressive," agreed another voice, this one with an Italian accent. "Clearly, the Janus name made a greater contribution to the arts than any family in human history." "We got it going on," Jonah drawled. "Here's a piece that will be of special interest to an American," the man told Jonah. "Perhaps the most widely copied picture of all time — the portrait of your first president, George Washington, printed on every US dollar bill for more than a century. Painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796. His great-grandmother was born Gertrude

Cahill." "Tight," said Jonah. "But I thought that picture was in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston." The host's voice radiated deep distaste. "That is just the rough draft. Most of the canvas is left blank. This piece is — what do you Americans call it?" "The real deal?" Jonah suggested. "Esattamente. Most Janus artists reserve their very best for us. Remind me to show you Van Gogh's finished 'Starry Night.' The lunar eclipse is spectacular. Now if you'll follow me …" Amy peeked around the side of the harpsichord. She could see Jonah and his father escorted by a tall, thin man with jet-black hair tied in a ponytail. They stopped at the glass case with the missing diary pages. "This is, I believe, what you came for," Ponytail announced. "From the journal of Maria Anna Mozart." Amy and Dan exchanged a stricken look. Had they come so far only to watch Jonah Wizard snatch their prize from right under their noses?

Jonah regarded the retinal scanner. "Serious security. These papers must be all that." The host was apologetic. "In truth, we are not certain why these particular pages are so valuable. But over the centuries, they have been the object of much warring between the branches. It was only prudent to take precautions." Jonah's father spoke up. "Jonah doesn't do retinal scans. His eyes are insured with Lloyd's of London for eleven million dollars." He tapped his BlackBerry in annoyance. "No signal down here." "Chill, Pops. One time won't hurt." Jonah placed his chin in the holder and stared into the light. There was a beep, and a computerized voice announced, "Confirmation complete — Wizard, Jonah; mother: Cora Wizard, member, Janus high council; father: Broderick T. Wizard, non-Cahill, limited Janus authorization." Mr. Wizard scowled. He was obviously not pleased to be a second-class citizen in Janus-land. Ponytail put on latex gloves and handed a pair to Jonah. Then he slid open a door in the bulletproof glass, removed the Nannerl pages, and

presented them to the young celebrity. "You'll review them in our office, of course. Naturally, we can't allow them to leave the stronghold." "I'm sure my wife will be interested to know how you run this place like an armed camp," Mr. Wizard grumbled, "even for her own son." "Your wife," the guide sniffed haughtily, "designed our security protocols personally." "It's fine, Dad," Jonah soothed. "Mom's down with it, and so am I." The trio left the Mozart room. Amy leaped up to follow, but Dan put an iron grip on her arm. "What are you going to do?" he hissed. "Mug Jonah Wizard in the middle of Janus headquarters?" "We can't let him go!" she retorted. "We might as well just hand him the whole contest!" "Getting yourself caught isn't going to change that!" her brother insisted. "This is his turf! We'd have to fight a gang of crazy artists who'd rip our heads off for those three pages because they love these dumb museum pieces more than life itself!" She looked startled and then determined.

"You're right! They'll do anything to protect their artwork! Come on!" She ran into the hall. Dan followed, confused, but ready for action. Ahead of them, the Wizards and their host stepped into the atrium, pausing to observe the squirt painters and their spinning wheel. In another moment, they'd be lost in the crowd. It was now or never. Amy dashed past Jonah, leaped onto the stage, and snatched a tube of liquid red from a bewildered artist. Jonah pointed. "Hey, isn't that —?" Before he could finish the question, Amy jumped down again. In a few seconds she'd be the center of attention, but her fear of crowds was the last thing on her mind. Every fiber of her being was focused on what she had to do. Ponytail turned on her. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" Amy ran to the legendary portrait of George Washington. "Freeze!" she ordered, pointing the paint at the picture on the wall. "One more step

and George gets it!" Ponytail's eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't dare!" "Are you kidding?" piped up Dan. "That's my sister! She's on the edge!" Jonah slipped the diary pages inside his jacket. "What do you Cahills want?" "Those papers you're trying to hide," Amy told him. "Hand them over." "They're nothing!" Jonah babbled, unable to believe that Amy and Dan had outmaneuvered him here, in his own branch's stronghold. "Just garbage, yo. I was looking for a trash can—" "Cough them up, Wizard," Dan snarled. "Forget it." Amy brandished the paint tube an inch from the first president's face. "I'm not afraid to use this!" "You're bluffing!" Jonah accused. But behind his bravado, his confidence was weakening, cracks forming in the legendary Wizard attitude. "Slime him, sis," Dan urged. "Make him a