The Caper of the Crown Jewels (7 page)

But who were these guys and where were the jewels? The men definitely didn't have them when they left.

Jack looked down at the Encryption Notebook. Father Type and Edward Pigeon had said they worked at Southwark Cathedral. Deciding that was as good a place to start as any, Jack pulled out his map of London. Southwark Cathedral wasn't far away.

Pressing the
ENCRYPT
button on his
Notebook, Jack said a quick goodbye to Tommy and Charles, making sure he had Tommy's contact details in case of an emergency. He hurried out of the Jewel House, past Traitors' Gate, down Water Lane, and under the spiky gate.

Once outside the Tower, he jumped on a massive red double-decker bus and found a seat on the upper deck. Jack figured the view from there was as good as any. As the bus lurched forward and began to move through the streets of London, he kept his eyes open for Father Type, Edward Pigeon, or any other clue that might help solve the crime.

The bus chugged across Tower Bridge and over to the other side of the River Thames, which was one of the biggest rivers in England. As they drove along Tooley Street, Jack could see Southwark Cathedral straight ahead. It was a beautiful church with a small garden at the front where visitors could stop and have a drink or an ice cream. Jack hopped off the bus and walked briskly towards it. He entered the church and looked around.

To his left was what Jack had been hoping for—a notice board. He walked over and scanned through the pictures of the clergy. Unfortunately—but unsurprisingly—there wasn't a picture of anyone resembling Father Type. He looked for one like Edward Pigeon. Nothing there either.

Jack exited the church and paused outside. He thought back to his conversation with the two men. Father Type had said that they worked “off Tooley Street” which Jack took to mean Southwark Cathedral. It was the closest church to that street that he could think of. A basic mistake, he thought. He had given the criminal an answer he could use; he should have let the man provide the information himself.

Although they obviously had nothing to
do with the church, maybe the two men really did work off Tooley Street. Making tracks, Jack left the church garden and headed for that road. Once on it, he could see a sign for one of London's most popular attractions, the London Dungeon.

He stopped and looked at the advertisement for the dungeon's latest exhibits: EXPERIENCE THE GREAT PLAGUE! WITNESS THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON! Although it was an unlikely place to find these men, Jack bought a ticket and went inside. He quickly looked around and when he was satisfied there was no sign of them, left the dungeon and carried on.

Soon he saw a poster advertising a show at the Magic Theater. He remembered this place from when he came to see Ivan the Incredible with his Uncle Richard. He approached a poster listing all the performances.

Ivan the Incredible! The greatest illusionist of all time … Witness him escape from a fiery pit! Watch an elephant disappear before your very eyes! Book now, or miss out. Last show, tonight 5:00
PM
.

In the lower right-hand corner of the poster was a picture of Ivan the Incredible and his assistant dressed in their costumes from the show. Jack leaned closer to have a look. Underneath the costumes, their wigs, and their beards, Jack noticed something familiar.

Now everything made sense. The lights going out, the sweet smell of berries, the chanting and the cleverly faked names—all these were tactics magicians used to distract their audiences. Yes, Jack thought, there was no doubt. Father Type was Ivan the Incredible and Edward Pigeon his loyal assistant, Jazz.

But why would Ivan and Jazz want to steal the Crown Jewels in the first place? Weren't they worried that someone like Jack would recognize them? Perhaps, Jack figured, for a showman like Ivan a crime wasn't worth committing if it wasn't done in front of an “audience.”

Jack looked at his watch. It was 4:00
PM
. He needed to think of a plan before Ivan the Incredible's last show started at 5:00
PM
. Jack knew that if he didn't catch him tonight, the jewels would probably be lost for ever.

He ducked into a nearby café and ordered a smoothie. He pulled out his Encryption Notebook, set it back to normal, and made a list of what he remembered of Ivan's last show. He marked an “X” beside the trick where he planned to spring his trap. If everything went according to plan, Jack would have an easy time bringing this magic madman to justice.

Double-checking the contents of his Book Bag, he took a sip of his drink and looked at his Watch Phone. It was 4:30
PM
. There was only half an hour to buy a ticket and get to his seat, ready for the show.

Jack hurried to the ticket office, bought a ticket near the stage, and went inside. By the time he'd found his seat, there were five minutes to go. The lights were starting to flicker—the show was about to begin.

A man's voice came over the loud speaker:

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Magic Theater. Tonight, you will be treated to a performance by one of the greatest magicians of all time—Ivan the Incredible! As tonight is his last performance, put your hands together to give him a warm welcome.”

The audience around Jack erupted with wild applause.

Yes, thought Jack, I've got a very warm welcome for you indeed.

Almost as soon as the curtains opened, an incredible flash of light burst from the center of the stage and turned into a towering wall of flames. Jack was startled. He didn't remember this part of the show. He put his right hand over his eyes to shield them from the heat.

Carefully, he peeked through his fingers and spied Ivan the Incredible walking through the fire. Ivan emerged from the flames and stepped unharmed to the front of the stage towards his screaming
fans. Although Ivan was a crook, Jack couldn't help but be impressed.