I’VE NEVER BEEN ONE FOR ICED TEA. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN a water girl. However, this iced tea is made with some amazing ingredients, including mint and raspberries. I grab a pitcher and make sure to refill the glasses at our table.
“Would you like some more?” I ask.
“Thanks, Goldie,” Diane says.
Diane. I had to explain a lot. I did abandon her at the Great Bradinski’s show. She understood why. Still, no one likes to be stood up, especially for work. She responded with the sweetest thing. She said, “It’s not work if you love doing it. And you love it, don’t you? I would never get in the way of something you like.”
Isn’t she peachy?
I pour a glass of iced tea for Rob and then another for Cheryl.
“These are the best seats in the house!” Rob declares. “How were you able to score them? The show has been sold out for months.”
We are seated at the closest table to the stage. In a few minutes, Dr. Von Thurston will be closing out this year’s League of Magical Arts Convention. The ballroom is packed. Not an empty seat to be had.
“I happen to know the right people,” I say.
The fancy front-row table is courtesy of Dr. Von Thurston and Derek. I received a card with the invitation. The card had my name embossed in gold, and it said I could invite four people to the table. It was a total no-brainer to ask Diane, Cheryl, and Rob.
“No more for me or Clementine,” Miss Dupart says. She pats Clementine, who seems just as excited as we are for the show to begin. Miss Dupart is the fifth person at our table. I’m so glad everyone said yes when I asked if they would like to join me! It was the least I could do.
When Derek and I climbed up the trapdoor and into Chef François’s kitchen, we caused quite the uproar. It’s not very sanitary to have live animals in the kitchen. Chef François started screaming in French. Sadly, I knew the words he said all too well.
That was our first hurdle. The next came soon after we located Walt. We needed to make sure Evan was taken into custody. I was confident in my rope-tying skills, but you never know. Evan may have read a chapter or two on escapology. I didn’t want to take any chances, so we rushed off. He was standing in the back of the ballroom, surveying the situation while the Great Bradinski performed.
“Walt! Evan is our man. We caught him!” I screamed right into the ballroom, which was probably not the best way to convey information. The whole audience turned around and gasped in unison. Poor Bradinski. His show was destined to be interrupted no matter what.
“What are you talking about?” Walt asked as he eyed the rabbits.
“It was Evan the bartender all along,” I said.
Derek concurred. “He used to be Dr. Von Thurston’s assistant. He didn’t leave with a job recommendation, I will tell you that.”
I showed Walt the gold coin and all the other pieces of evidence we found. He couldn’t believe it. Neither could Dr. Von Thurston, who just so happened to be in the audience for the Great Bradinski’s performance. Derek was wrong about his father ditching the show. I guess it never hurts to always be watching what your competition is doing.
“What is the meaning of all this?” Dr. Von Thurston demanded. He approached us, directing a stern look of disappointment to Derek. “And what happened to your suit?”
“Dad—I mean, Dr. Von Thurston. I can explain.” Derek stumbled over his words. Lucky for him, he still had Freedom Bunny snuggled in his arms, and I think that calmed him.
I took a step right up to his father.
“Dr. Von Thurston, Derek and I have just cracked open the Case of the Missing Props. We’ve located the culprit and apprehended him,” I said. “If it weren’t for Derek and his mutual desire for justice, we would not have been able to secure the release of Esme, Snowball, and Coco.”
Dr. Von Thurston never raised his voice. Instead, he spoke even quieter. I could barely make out what he said to his son.
“Is this true?”
Derek hesitated but eventually nodded. “Yes, Dr. Von Thurston. What Goldie said is all true.”
Dr. Von Thurston bowed his head slightly and turned to Walt. “Of course my son would solve this mystery,” he said. “The Von Thurstons are always on the case.”
I’m almost sure my eyebrows flew straight up to my scalp after listening to his declaration. I was just about to explain what happened when Derek stepped up to the plate.
“Actually, Dr. Von Thurston, it was all Goldie. I was just assisting her.”
Dr. Von Thurston’s face was a wall of confusion. I guess he wasn’t used to a Von Thurston playing second fiddle to anyone. Ha!
“This is a treat from table two.” I flash back to the present as Arnold, our server, places a large vanilla cake in the center of the table and starts cutting pieces. I look over at table two and see Serge, aka Sir Thomas Browne, who waves at us. When we finally reunited him with his bunnies, he couldn’t stop crying, which made me cry with happiness. Those bunnies were so happy to see Serge. They kept hopping about and landing on his lap. Chef François sent up a crate full of fresh vegetables from his garden for them. Now the rabbits are resting and eating like the Crossed Palms Resort guests they were meant to be.
“Chocolate cake!” exclaims Cheryl.
I’m so glad Cheryl and Rob didn’t have to work today. We were all given another day off. And now we can enjoy the show.
I get up and take a large slice of the cake. “Hey, Arnold. Do you mind sending this piece over to table five?”
“Not a problem, Goldie.”
“Who’s at table five?” Diane asks.
“The Great Bradinski and his talented assistant, Penelope. I figured they might like something sweet before the show.”
Because of yesterday’s turmoil, Mr. Maple came up with a solution that made sense. The Great Bradinski was asked to perform today during a special lunch catered by the Crossed Palms Resort for all the convention attendees to enjoy for free. I finally got to see the Great Bradinski escape from a locked straitjacket. The funny thing is that although I know exactly how the trick is performed, I was still shocked when he escaped before time ran out.
That’s the beauty of magic. If you just suspend disbelief for a moment, you can really enjoy yourself. Not quite an easy task for a detective like me, but I’m willing to give magic another try. Instead of trying to figure out how they do the trick, I’ll just take in the enchantment.
A boy dressed in a bright-red suit is making his way across the Sugar Maple Ballroom. Red is definitely Derek’s color. The dramatic hue complements his dark-brown hair. He turns to our table, gives a polite wave, and sits down in the best seat in the house.
After returning the rescued bunnies and stolen props to their rightful owners, Derek and I were eager to rest. We were both exhausted and didn’t have much to say, which is rare for me and even rarer for him.
Just when he was about to head toward the elevator, Derek stopped and extended his hand for a shake.