David Dragonstone bowed to the camera. “Thank you, Monsieur DeVille,” he said, smiling, “for rescuing me from the Beyond. And thank you, everyone, for coming to this afternoon’s premiere.”

DeVille reached over and snapped off the camera. “Magnificent,” said DeVille, clapping the other magician on the back.

“What’s going on?” came a voice.

Tyler ran up to the glass door from the other side. His eyes grew wide as he saw Dragonstone. “Hey, how did he get over there?”

“Through a wormhole,” said Joey.

Charlie noticed a worried look on the redheaded man’s face. But DeVille gave him a reassuring look. “Don’t worry,” said DeVille. “That young man in the elegant T-shirt and jeans is another volunteer. He was making sure no one could enter from the far end.”

“Ah, thank you for your assistance,” Dragonstone said to Tyler. Turning to DeVille, he added, “We should return to the stage.”

“But how did you get here?” asked Joey. “You weren’t inside that flimsy frame. You couldn’t hide inside a curtain.”

“There was no one in the hallway when I got to the other side,” said Tyler.

“Wizardry,” said DeVille with a wave of his hand.

The magicians walked off, followed by a chattering Joey, trying to get a scoop for his paper.

“I can see the headline now,” said Joey. “The Hair-Raising Houdini of the Hocus Pocus Hotel!”

“Young man!” came the dwindling voice of the retreating wizard. “It’s the Abracadabra, if you don’t mind.”

Tyler and Charlie stared at one another through the solid glass door.

“How’d he do it, Hitch?” asked Tyler. Both boys felt the smooth glass. It was solid. And the keyhole was clearly too small for anyone to pass through.

“You didn’t see anything over there?” asked Charlie.

“Nothing,” said Ty. “And that hall is long. I could barely see the black curtain come down over the door. But I did hear a funny noise.”

“Funny?”

“Like a thump. Or someone jumping.”

Tyler shook his head as if to clear it. “I’m just glad this stupid show is over. Meet me at the elevators and we’ll head up to Brack’s.”

Charlie ran back to the elevators. On the way he glanced at the wallpaper in the hall. It was covered with prints of fancy-looking flowers. Tiger lilies? No, they looked more like roses.

The hall with the elevators was quiet. The two magicians and Joey must have already gone back to the theater.

As Charlie stood and waited for Ty, he thought back to the amazing illusion he had just witnessed. How did Dragonstone appear? Had he been hiding somewhere in that hallway? Even if he was, how did he pass through the solid glass door? Joey had been right; no one could have hidden in that frame or curtains. Dragonstone must have come from the other side of the glass. But how?

And what was taking Tyler so long?

“Ty,” shouted Charlie. He felt as if he were standing inside Brack’s empty house again.

No answer. Charlie listened but didn’t hear any approaching footsteps. “Ty!” he called.

Charlie ran down several halls, hoping he was going in the direction of the blocked hallway.

He could just make out the curtains that had been left on the other side of the glass door. This was the place.

So where was Tyler? They should have run into each other.

Charlie called a few more times, but heard nothing. He started to sweat. Something was wrong.

Charlie ran back to the elevators. Still no Ty.

He waited a few more minutes. He shouted one last time. Then he pushed the button to call an elevator and descended to the main floor, alone.