Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 When the elevator door rolled open, both Cahills were running so hard that they almost blasted straight past it. Amy put the brakes on first, grabbed her brother, and hauled him aboard. She pressed L. They stood, chests heaving, as the car descended. Their anxious eyes followed the readout as the numbers counted down from sixteen. Suddenly, Dan's hand snaked out and pressed 2. "They could be waiting for us in the lobby," he explained tensely. "But that's where the exit is!" Amy shrilled. "You can't leave from the second floor!" "Sure you can." The doors opened, and Dan pulled her out onto 2, amid ballrooms and meeting facilities. She was nearly hysterical. "How?"

"By jumping." Amy stared at him. "Have you lost your—" They snaked around a bend in the corridor, and the hotel's front drive appeared before them through floor-to-ceiling glass. Dan pushed open the French doors, and the two stepped out onto a narrow stone balcony. "No way, Dan! I'm not jumping! We'll break our legs!" "Look down!" he commanded. Six feet below stretched a canvas awning that ran across the front entrance. He swung a leg over the stone railing. "Piece of cake," he said, trying to sound more certain than he felt. "A shorter drop than the high diving board." "But no water!" He dropped. Amy watched in horror, expecting him to tear through the fabric and be dashed to pieces on the concrete. Instead, the awning held. Grinning up at her, he crawled to the edge of the canvas, found a steel support, and shinnied to

the sidewalk. He waved at her with Nannerl's diary. Never had Amy experienced fear on so many different levels all at the same time — fear of capture; fear for Nellie; fear for her crazy brother, who was too stupid to know what couldn't be done; and a very real fear of stepping off a second- story balcony onto a fragile piece of cloth. "Hurry up!" came an impatient call from below. I can't do it … I just can't … The flood of shame was almost as overwhelming as her terror. Some Cahill she turned out to be! The future of the entire world was at stake, and she couldn't cajole herself into a six-foot drop — not even after seeing her eleven-year-old brother do it. She might as well let Jonah have the diary. Or the Holts or the Kabras. Her grandmother had been wrong about her. She didn't have what it took. Sorry, Grace … It was this thought that jolted Amy into sudden explosive action. She was already falling through the air before she'd actually come to the decision

to do it. She hit the fabric like an errant trapeze artist into a safety net. Seconds later, Dan was hauling her down to the street. They were in a taxi and blocks away before either of them dared to speak. "Nellie—" Dan began. "I know …" Their little room at the Hotel Franz Josef seemed dingy and even smaller after the accommodations at the Royal Hapsburg. The greeting they received from Saladin didn't help their general mood. The Egyptian Mau still refused cat food, and, in fact, had spread his dinner all over the carpet. A fishy smell hung in the air. In addition, the scratching had gotten worse than ever and was beginning to wear away the fur around his collar. Both Cahills were exhausted, but neither thought of sleep. Nellie was all that was important now. They'd been so focused on the 39 Clues that they hadn't considered how much their au pair was giving up to stick with them and their quest. She had put her life on hold, traveled thousands of

miles from home, and even charged many of their expenses on her personal credit card. Sure, they planned to pay her back. Amy and Dan had jewelry from Grace that was probably worth a lot of money. But jewelry could be lost or stolen, and there was no guarantee that they would win the contest. There was no guarantee that they would even survive it. Now Nellie was missing — caught, probably under arrest. And there was nothing Amy and Dan could do about it. Nothing but wait. At two A.M., they were still sitting, staring at the TV, which featured a Gilligan's Island episode dubbed in German. The sudden knocking was such a jolt to their frayed nerves that they almost tackled each other running to answer the door. "Nellie!" Amy cried. "Thank—" There in the hall stood Irina Spasky, a Russian Cahill cousin. Another competitor in the search for the 39 Clues, and no joke. Irina was rumored to be an ex-KGB agent, ruthless, efficient, and potentially deadly.

She got right to the point. "Your nanny has been detained by Viennese authorities." Dan bristled. "How do you know that?" Irina's face contorted into the closest she ever came to a smile. "I have accompanied weapons- grade plutonium through a secret tunnel under the Berlin Wall. I believe I am capable of looking through the window of a police car. But if you do not need my help—" Amy seized on this. "You can help Nellie? How?" Irina looked annoyed. "What is it your business, so long as she is returned to you?" "It's not our business at all!" Amy agreed swiftly. "Just get her out! Thank you!" "I require better thanks than just words. Shall we say the item you removed from the hotel room of our obnoxious cousin Jonah Wizard?" "No deal!" Dan barked. "A word of advice," Irina told Amy. "You should not let this impetuous little boy speak for you. Perhaps you should not let him speak at all. In the KGB, we found duct tape to be both effective and