The Triple Hoax (2 page)
Authors: Carolyn G. Keene
“Yes, I did,” Mrs. Richards said sadly. She turned to Nancy. “Please help me find that man! I contacted the police, but nothing came of it. Maybe your friends Bess and George can help you. Your Aunt Eloise tells me you’re wonderful young sleuths.”
The girls smiled and accepted the challenge at once.
“What was the travel agent’s name and where was he located?” Nancy asked.
“He gave his name as Henry Clark and his address as 14 Canalee Road in Queens. The police checked it and found both to be phony.”
“What did he look like?”
“Oh, he was tall, handsome, and had a dark beard. He was a smooth talker and very pleasant.”
“Did you pay him by check or in cash?”
“Cash. He said the airline would not take a personal check.”
George spoke up. “He probably skipped town with your money.”
“That’s what the police think. They doubt they’ll ever find him. Perhaps you girls can unravel this mystery for me.”
“We’ll do our best,” Nancy promised. “Unfortunately we have very little to go on.”
“I understand that,” Mrs. Richards said. “And now I’d better get home.” She turned to Miss Drew. “Eloise, may I call my apartment and see if Roscoe had the car fixed?”
“Of course.”
Mrs. Richards dialed the number and spoke to her housekeeper, Trudie. Suddenly the girls saw her turn ashen white.
“That’s terrible!” Mrs. Richards cried out. “I’ll be right over. I hope nothing has happened to Roscoe!”
She put down the receiver. “Trudie told me a man called the apartment. He said I would never see my car again. Before she could ask about Roscoe, the stranger hung up. Oh, dear! I hope my chauffeur hasn’t met with foul play!”
“So do I,” Aunt Eloise said sympathetically. “I’ll get a taxi for you. Let us know what happened, and if we can be of any help.”
After the distressed woman had left, Aunt Eloise said she would start dinner. The girls followed her to the kitchen and helped prepare the meal.
While they were eating, Miss Drew announced, “With all this excitement, I almost forgot that I have four tickets to a magic show tonight. It’s given by a group called the Hoaxters.”
“That sounds interesting,” Bess remarked.
Aunt Eloise nodded. “Annabella saw it and said it was fascinating. Incidentally, there is a big surprise in the show. She wouldn’t tell me what it is.”
The girls were eager to see the performance, which proved, indeed, to be most unusual. A dark-haired sleight of hand man with a perky mustache, listed on the program as Ronaldo Jensen, started with an amazing card trick. He asked people in the audience to name a card, then time after time he pulled the correct one out of his pack.
“How in the world does he do that?” Bess whispered to Nancy.
“I wish I knew,” the girl replied.
Next, a young woman was brought onto the stage in a gilt chair with red plush upholstery. Her eyes were blindfolded. Another performer held a black cloth in front of her legs for a moment. When he pulled it away, her legs were gone!
The audience gasped, while the girl held her arms up high. The magician put the black cloth in front of them. Seconds later, the arms had disappeared!
“Oh, this is dreadful!” Bess cried out. “That poor girl!”
George grinned. “Don’t be silly. You know it’s only a trick!”
Her cousin settled back. “But it seems so real!”
Now the man held the cloth in front of the girl’s body. When he removed it, the chair was empty!
“Oh!” Bess exclaimed.
Even Nancy was perplexed. She had seen many magic shows and knew how several of the tricks were done. But she could not figure out how this disappearing act was possible.
As the performer gradually restored the girl, section by section, Bess heaved a great, audible sigh of relief.
“Feel better now?” George teased her.
“Much.”
Next, another member of the troupe stepped from the wings to the edge of the stage. He announced, “We are now inviting a few people from the audience to come forward and see how we do our tricks!”
At once Bess jumped out of her seat and started up the aisle, handbag swinging over her arm. She was one of the first to reach the stage.
The sleight of hand man accepted ten people, including Bess, then repeated his card trick. It was just as puzzling to the onlookers as it had been before, even though they were now standing very close to him.
Suddenly the magician pulled a watch out of a young man’s ear. He compared it with his own watch. “Seems to be an hour ahead. Get it? Ahead,” he quipped, grinning.
As everyone laughed, the magician put the watch into his own pocket, telling the visitor he would return it later.
“See this!” he said, and produced a wallet from inside another man’s collar.
“Hey, that was in my hip pocket which was buttoned!” the amazed fellow shouted. “How’d you do that?”
The magician chuckled. “We invited you to watch. You tell me! And don’t worry about your wallet. It will be returned to you right after the show.”
Bess was fascinated. Suddenly it occurred to her: Would these people really receive their property back?
She felt for her own handbag. It was gone! She stared intently at the sleight of hand man. He did not have the bag, and it was nowhere in sight!
2
Bess’s Strange Caller
Bess startled everyone on stage by crying out, “Someone has taken my handbag!”
A woman standing near her exclaimed, “And my expense account notebook is gone!”
George jumped up and announced to Nancy that she was going on stage to help her cousin. Nancy held her friend’s arm. “Please stay here. I’m sure all this is a hoax. Don’t you remember that Mrs. Richards said there was a big surprise during the performance?”
George sat down again. “I guess you’re right, Nancy.”
By this time the magician was clapping his hands loudly to restore order on the stage. Over a microphone he announced, “This is all a hoax. Every missing article will be returned to its rightful owner at the end of the show. Please come back here afterward to get your property.”
Members of the audience who had gathered around him acknowledged that they had come on stage out of curiosity and would wait to claim their property. They filed back to their seats.
“For a few minutes I was scared,” Bess told Nancy, George, and Aunt Eloise. “Do you think they really mean what they say and will return our things?”
Nancy nodded. “I’m sure they will. If they hadn’t been doing it in other shows, people would have notified the police.”
Aunt Eloise added, “There has been no bad publicity or I would have heard about it.”
Bess agreed, and her flushed face returned to the attractive pink and white it usually was.
When the show was over, George said to her, “Be sure to check your handbag and see that everything is still in it.”
Bess caught her breath. “It’s jammed with stuff. I hope I can remember what was there. Let me see: my wallet, credit cards, a little jewel bag with a bracelet and earrings. Perfume. My savings book. A letter from Dorothy Cross, the girl I met during my vacation in Maine. And, oh ... yes.”
“What?” George asked.
Bess lowered her eyes. “A picture of Dave.”
Nancy smiled. “You wouldn’t want to lose that for a million dollars, would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Bess replied.
Dave Evans was a special friend of hers, and she knew that both Nancy and George carried photographs of their boyfriends, too. Nancy’s purse contained a snapshot of Ned Nickerson in his football uniform, and George had Burt Eddleton’s picture tucked in her wallet.
Bess hurried up to the stage with other members of the audience to claim her property. They were ushered into a back room. As people retrieved their possessions, they were asked to sign releases that read,
I relieve the Hoaxters of any wrongdoing in playing a hoax on me.
“This is just a protection for us. We don’t want to be accused later of not returning everything to you,” the magician explained.
Bess found that the contents of her handbag were intact and signed the paper. Then she joined her friends and they left the theater with Aunt Eloise.
“That was quite an experience,” Miss Drew remarked. “Annabella was right about a big surprise in the performance.”
Nancy said nothing, but her mind was working fast. Why was it necessary for the Hoaxters to keep people’s property for such a long time? They could have returned it at once. She began to feel suspicious about the troupe, but had nothing definite to go on.
As the girls prepared for bed, George yawned. “If the rest of the mystery is going to be filled with days like this one, we’ll have plenty of excitement.” The others agreed and said good night.
Directly after breakfast the following morning Bess received a phone call. A man who introduced himself as Howie Barker said, “I contacted your home in River Heights. Your mother told me where you were staying. I’d like very much to come and see you.”
“I don’t understand,” Bess replied. “I’ve never met you.”
“No, you haven’t,” Mr. Barker admitted. “But your mother felt that you might be interested in an offer I have for you. The company I represent is building a wonderful new seaside hotel. If you avail yourself of this opportunity, you will have perpetual low rates for yourself, your family and friends, and will get reservations anytime you choose to come.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Bess told him. “My friends and I have plans for the day. Maybe some other time—”
Nancy and George stood close to Bess and had overheard the conversation. Nancy whispered, “Let him come!”
Bess looked surprised, but said to the stranger, “Well, all right. Can you make it right away?”
“I’ll be there in half an hour,” Mr. Barker said.
After Bess had hung up, she turned to Nancy. “Why did you want him to see us?”
Nancy told her that the scheme sounded like another swindle. “This Mr. Barker could be the man who sold Mrs. Richards the ticket for the fake world trip!”
“If that is so, then he might know we’re on the case—” George began.
“And means to kidnap us?” Bess panicked.
“C’mon, Bess,” Nancy said. “How could he possibly know of our connection with Mrs. Richards? I’d say he picked your name from some mailing list. You get more junk mail than anybody else I know. It’s all coincidental, I’m sure.”
George spoke up. “Why don’t we ask Mrs. Richards to come over? If she can identify Barker as Henry Clark, we’ll call the police and have him arrested!”
Aunt Eloise phoned her friend. The housekeeper answered and said Mrs. Richards was out and would not return until evening.
“That’s too bad,” Bess remarked.
Nancy said, “I have an idea how we might find out if Mr. Barker is the travel agent. Take his picture. Aunt Eloise, you have a camera, don’t you?”
Miss Drew said, “Yes, and I happen to have fast film in it so we won’t need a flash. Besides, the camera makes no noise when the shutter clicks. It’ll be perfect for this purpose.”
“Does it develop the picture instantly?” George asked.
“Yes. As soon as Annabella arrives home, you can show it to her.”
As the time neared for Howie Barker’s arrival, Bess became nervous. “I don’t want to get mixed up in any kind of racket,” she declared. “What am I supposed to tell him?”
“I’ll stay in the room with you,” George offered. “We’ll figure out something.”
It was decided that Nancy would hide and take the caller’s picture while Bess and George kept him in animated conversation. Aunt Eloise could not wait for the stranger to arrive because she had classes at school. Before leaving, she warned the girls to be careful of any tricks the caller might play.
“I’m not going to let him hoax me!” Bess spoke up belligerently.
George added, “If you start to fall for any scheme, I’ll take over.”
Soon the house phone rang. Bess answered. The doorman announced that Mr. Howie Barker was there to see Miss Bess Marvin.
“Let him come up,” Bess said, her voice betraying her slight nervousness.
Barker proved to be a good-looking, blond-haired man with gray at the temples, and a full blond-gray beard. The description was not like that of Henry Clark. The man was a glib talker. Bess ushered him into the living room, where Nancy was concealed behind a wall screen. She took several pictures when he walked in and others when he sat down on the couch.
“You girls will love this place,” Howie Barker said, taking a large architect’s drawing out of his briefcase. He spread it on the coffee table and with his pen pointed to the fine features of the place.
“Notice the little verandas off each bedroom. If you don’t feel like going to the beach, you can sun yourself right there. If you don’t want to go to the dining room, you can eat your meals out there, too.”
George spoke up. “It’s certainly a huge place. Where is it being built?”
Mr. Barker produced a brochure from his briefcase. It described the location as a secluded area of oceanfront in Maine.
“It has luxury as well as seclusion,” he went on. “I’m telling you, this is really an opportunity of a lifetime.”
“Why did you pick my cousin for this offer?” George inquired.
“We have been approaching all the people who vacationed at the Silverline Hotel in Maine last season,” Barker explained. “You see, the Silverline is owned by the same company, and we know their clientele would enjoy this kind of setup.”
“What does it cost?” Bess asked.
“Only a thousand dollars. For that, you have guaranteed discount rates forever, much less than the regular price for a room.”
“For a thousand dollars, you can spend a long time in a hotel,” George pointed out.
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