08 The Magician's Secret by Carolyn Keene Page B

River Run Coffee Shop.”
    When they both nodded, I went on. “And Candy said she went there on her regular work breaks.”
    â€œTen, noon, and three,” Bess recalled.
    â€œShe was predictable. And he was a magician. I bet he pickpocketed her while she stood in line and made wax molds of her keys like Houdini.”
    â€œBut she said she’d never seen him when we showed her his picture,” George said.
    â€œAll that means is that she didn’t notice him,” I answered. “Hugo was a savvy magician—he was a master at going undetected.”
    â€œI’m done,” George suddenly announced. “Come see!”
    We all gathered around the computer. George was about to push the play button when Ned arrived. “Hello, ladies. What’s going on?”
    â€œI’m showing Nancy and Bess a magic trick,” George explained. “And I think I figured out thesecret to Drake’s disappearing courthouse show. All I’ll say is that I believe it involves clever use of video.”
    â€œOh, I want to see!” Ned moved in closer to the small screen.
    On the screen was an image of River Heights High School. The music George had chosen was the school band. Suddenly the music stopped and the screen went black.
    â€œNow you see it,” George said, “now you don’t.” The screen came back and now, where the high school was stood an amusement park. There was a Ferris wheel where the cafeteria used to be and a carousel in the open area where the gym stood.
    â€œOkay, so the magic needs some work . . . ,” George said. “But I think I’m onto something. I just need to figure out how to make it a little less obvious.”
    â€œKeep working on it,” I said. At this point, I was fine with not completely understanding how the courthouse had disappeared.
    Ned chuckled.
    â€œI’m glad you’re here,” I said, turning to him. Ithought he’d be busy all day finishing reports for my dad and then escorting Smallwood to the airport.
    â€œIt turns out that Smallwood is going to hang around for a few more days to get to know Candy better,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “So I got the rest of the afternoon off. Turns out I can go to my cousin’s fifth birthday party tonight after all.” He grinned. “Cake, balloon animals, face painting . . . want to come?”
    â€œHow can I say no?” I said with a big laugh as I grabbed my purse and followed Ned out the door.

    There was a magician at the party.
    Not just any magician, but Sawyer. Turns out that this was the Stupendous Sawyer’s first professional gig.
    Standing in front of a group of captivated kids, Sawyer performed card tricks and pulled a bunny out of a hat. For his grand finale, he asked for an assistant and chose me out of the crowd.
    I boldly climbed into a long box and let my newest friend saw me in half.
    The kids cheered when Sawyer said, “Abracadabra” and I stepped out of the box whole again.
    â€œSo, Nancy Drew, how’s it all done?” Ned asked me as we sat in a back corner of the yard, eating the most delicious lemon cake I’d ever tasted. “Tell me the secret.”
    I laughed, then shrugged. “Who knows? Magic is a mystery that doesn’t need solving.”

Dear Diary,
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    I GUESS HUGO WAS A BETTER MAGICIAN than anyone could have seen . . . even Lonestar! I can’t help feeling bad that Lonestar’s most trusted adviser ended up betraying him. It can’t be easy to be a celebrity in the spotlight like that. There’s one thing I know for sure, though: True-blue friends like Bess and George are even more precious than the flawless jewels Hugo tried to steal.
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READ WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT MYSTERY IN THE NANCY DREW DIARIES,
The Clue at Black Creek Farm
    â€œI’M JUST SAYING,” MY FRIEND BESS Marvin said as we pushed open the door