The twelve priceless statues of Enrico Endriago had been locked in Room 1308 for fifty years. They had been prisoners of the thirteenth floor. And if Charlie was right about who attacked Tyler and why, it all made sense. It explained why, after fifty years, the statues would now be the target of a shadowy figure.

But how could Charlie get the evidence he needed? And how could he tell Annie who he suspected? She’d never believe him.

Annie shook her head at her friend. “Oh, Cozette,” she said. “I just don’t think it’s a good — Tyler!” Annie screamed.

Charlie looked up just as Tyler Yu walked through the door. He wore the same clothes he did when he was carried out on the stretcher four hours earlier. The only thing new about him was a bandage over one eye. Some of his hair was missing at the back of his head. “What are you wimps doing here?” he asked.

“Charlie found the guy who attacked you,” said Annie.

The taller boy smacked his hands together. “Yeah? Well, just give me the dude’s name. I’ll show him. That freak gave me six stitches.”

Charlie showed Ty the tape. But Ty was not happy. His spiky hair seemed to grow angrier and spikier. “You can’t see who it is!”

“But, uh, I think I might, uh —” said Charlie.

“Hitchcock!” said Ty. “You solved it again?”

“I think so,” Charlie said. “But I don’t have proof yet.”

“Do you have evidence?” asked Cozette. She looked worried.

“Forget proof,” said Ty. “Let’s go catch this guy!”

“You need evidence,” said Cozette. “Otherwise it’s just your word against his.”

“Or hers,” added Annie.

“It’s probably a guy,” said Cozette. “It usually is.”

“Maybe you’re right, Ty,” said Charlie. “Maybe we do catch him. Or her. But first, we need a trap!”

When Charlie explained his idea, Ty thought it was genius. The two girls were more skeptical, but it was the only way to get the evidence that Brack needed.

Then they started to put the plan into action. First they printed out a special message on the computer. The message read:

The second step in the trap was to give copies of the message to several people in the hotel. They waited until dinnertime, when they knew people would be busy. Charlie didn’t want to meet anyone face to face. Also, preparations for that Saturday night’s performance would be in full swing. So they slid the copies under the doors of Dottie Drake, Mr. Madagascar, and Mr. Thursday. A copy was dropped off in the dressing room backstage. They even left one at the front desk so that Rocky would see it. Then Charlie made a few phone calls from the hotel office, spent a few minutes Googling on the computer, and made sure his flashlight batteries were working.

“I think that’s everything,” said Charlie, when they all met back in the lobby.

“Now’s the fun part,” said Ty, smacking his fist into his palm.

“Do we have to do this?” asked Cozette, a nervous look on her face.

Annie patted her friend’s shoulder. “We’ll all be together,” she said. “Besides, it will be fun!”

Cozette lifted an eyebrow. “Really? Fun?”

“Thrilling?” suggested Annie.

“How about ‘terrifying’?” said Cozette.

Charlie agreed. He wasn’t looking forward to this part of the plan. And less than twenty minutes later, as he stood in Room 1308 in pitch darkness, he had to force down panic. It bubbled up inside his chest and into his throat. I am not going to scream, he told himself.

Charlie was standing behind the statue of Hades, lord of the dead. The other three kids were hidden behind various statues.

Charlie felt dizzy. He leaned against the statue.

“I hear something,” whispered Annie.

They all froze. “I think that’s my heart pounding,” said Cozette. “I have something I need to confess.”

Charlie’s mind rapidly pieced new clues together. Had he been wrong all this time? Was the criminal Cozette? She carried keys to the old rooms of the thirteenth floor. She had recently started working at the hotel, right before Brack disappeared. When she came out of Room 1308 when Tyler was hurt, she could easily had locked the room behind her. After she had knocked him out!

And when Charlie tried to unlock it, and the key wouldn’t work, there was only one explanation. She had given him the wrong key on purpose.

Cozette could have moved that statue by herself, too. She could have used the trolley. And when the thief was caught on videotape, where was she?

But why would she do it?

Charlie heard Cozette gasp. A flashlight beam, from outside the room, was traveling along the bottom edge of the door. Someone was standing just outside.

Someone gripped the doorknob. Charlie heard a scrape, then a rustle. The lock was being fiddled with. Then — click!

Charlie took a deep breath. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickling up like ant feelers. “Lights!” Charlie shouted. The four of them switched on their flashlights as one, aiming at the intruder.

The figure lifted its arms. It tried to hide, but they could see exactly who it was.