One False Step Read online

  “Don’t worry, Joe,” Frank said. “I’m not getting the water. And I have my reasons for making nice.”

  “I’m disappointed,” Matt said. “Are all the acrobats like that?”

  “No, some of them are more like thugs,” Mario said. “They’re an interesting collection of humans.”

  Joe looked at Frank. “I suppose it’s normal for entertainers to have big egos,” he said. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “I guess not, but I’ve just about had it,” Mario said. “Our job is to make sure everyone in this stadium is safe, including the performers—but you’d think they didn’t care.” He looked at his watch. “We need to head to our seats,” he added. “There are some things I have to check out on the way, and it’ll take several minutes to make our way through the crowd.”

  “Hey, guys! Take a look at that girl over there!” Tony said. “She’s gorgeous.”

  Everyone looked.

  “Well, you just might get to meet her later,” Mario said. “That’s Elisabeth von Battenberg, the daughter of the man who owns Aérocirque. In fact, that’s the baron standing right behind her. They live here in Philadelphia, in one of the most expensive high-rise apartments downtown.” He paused, and a look of concern spread over his face. “I wonder if something’s wrong. The baron seems to be arguing with a couple of the acrobats.”

  “Why don’t you check it out?” Chet said. “That way, you could introduce us to his daughter.”

  Mario grinned. “Eh, it’s probably just some artistic disagreement. I think I’ll wait,” he said. “But we’re sitting close to them in the stadium. I’ll introduce you later.”

  Frank and Joe, with Matt, Chet, and Tony behind them, followed Mario out of the tent and onto the floor of the stadium. Some of the acrobats had already assembled at the opposite end, and there were two black helicopters hovering just a few feet above the ground.

  Just then the public address system crackled, and a voice said, “High-Wire Troupe B will not perform tonight because of illness.”

  “Which group is High-Wire Troupe B? Joe asked.

  “The group we saw practicing before we went into the tent,” Mario said. “I guess one of the acrobats got sick.”

  Frank didn’t think so, but he had no real proof, so he kept quiet. Given what he had seen earlier, though, he suspected there was something more sinister behind it.

  4 Another Robbery

  * * *

  Mario directed them toward the fifty-yard line on the north side of the stadium.

  “We’re sitting in the VIP section,” he said.

  “Wow!” Matt exclaimed. “In New York, I was in the nosebleed section. This is great!”

  “It sure is,” Joe agreed. “We’ll be right in the middle of all the action!”

  Just then four black helicopters, one coming from each direction of the compass—north, south, east, and west—flew into the stadium and met in the middle. There was a collective gasp from the crowd as the helicopters halted just inches from each other.

  “I thought they were going to collide!” Tony said. “They must have this timed perfectly.”

  “That’s what it’s all about,” Mario said. “Timing.”

  Suddenly, a trapeze was lowered from the bottom of each of the helicopters. The bars were just a few feet above the ground. Four acrobats, two at each end and two on each side, started running toward the trapezes. Four spotlights lit up their orange sequined costumes.

  When the acrobats reached the trapezes, they stood on the bars in unison. Slowly, the helicopters began to rise. As they did, the four acrobats began swinging back and forth.

  Joe was amazed at how the helicopters were able to stay the same distance from each other as they rose above the stadium floor.

  Soon the acrobats were swinging in almost a semicircle. Then all four fell backward, catching the bar with the backs of their knees. Again, everything was done in perfect unison.

  Just when Frank thought nothing else could be as spectacular, the acrobats on the north and west sides left their swings and grabbed hold of the hands of the acrobats on the south and east sides.

  Again, there was a loud gasp from the audience.

  “I can’t believe it,” Chet managed to say. “Those guys don’t have nets!”

  “This really is incredible,” Joe said.

  After swinging together for several minutes, each pair of acrobats flew through the air toward the empty trapezes, grabbed the bars, swung for several more minutes, then the two helicopters with empty trapezes flew closer to the stadium floor. The two bottom acrobats dove toward the empty trapezes and grabbed the bars with their hands.

  For the next several minutes, these movements were repeated in various order.

  When this troupe’s performance was finally over, Joe said, “You really have to know what you’re doing, or it’s all over. It makes me want to be up there.”

  “You can have it,” Chet said. “I’d probably break the trapeze.” He looked around. “Hey, is there a concession stand nearby? All of this tension has made me hungry.”

  “Well, I’m not hungry, but I am really thirsty,” Frank said. He turned to Mario. “Is it okay if we go get something to eat?”

  Mario nodded. “It’ll be a few minutes before the next troupe gets set up,” he said, “so I’ll show you where the nearest concession stand is. I can make my next rounds at the same time.”

  “Should somebody stay here and save our seats?” Tony asked.

  “Nobody will take them,” Mario said. “This section is for people with special passes only.”

  As Mario started up the concrete steps toward the exit to the next level, Frank said, “I’m still puzzled about High-Wire Troupe B, Joe. Something’s just not adding up.”

  “It could just be artistic temperament, Frank,” Joe said. “You saw how that guy acted about the cold water.”

  “You may be right,” Frank agreed. “It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the acrobats suddenly decided that he didn’t want to go on, so they all didn’t go.”

  “Well, from what I understand, it happens in the movies all the time,” Joe said. “One of the stars will just decide he or she doesn’t want to work that morning, and the whole film shuts down.”

  Frank shrugged. “That could be it,” he said.

  “Hey, check it out!” Matt said. He was pointing to a group of girls sitting in a row of VIP seats near the top of the section. “Wow! I’d say that Philadelphia has some real sights.”

  “There are some empty seats around them,” Tony said. “Maybe we could sit there for a while and see the circus from a different perspective.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Hey, Joe, Frank!” Chet said. “Ask Mario if we can . . .”

  Before Chet could finish, Mario stopped and turned back toward the boys. “I need to ask Baron von Battenberg a question,” he said. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to him and his daughter. They’re sitting in the VIP seats.”

  Frank turned back to Chet, Matt, and Tony. “You guys must be living a charmed life or something,” he told them.

  “That’s us,” Tony said.

  After Mario had introduced everyone, Baron von Battenberg said, “Elisabeth, would you introduce your friends to these young men?”

  “Certainly, Father,” Elisabeth said. She gave everyone a big smile. “This is Alice and Heather. We’re all in the same class at Wellington School.”

  The boys nodded.

  “Would you care to sit with us?” Elisabeth asked. “We’d love to have you.”

  “We were headed to the concession stand,” Chet said. “Could we bring something back for you?”

  Elisabeth surveyed the girls with a look. They shook their heads but offered their thanks.

  “Well, I’d love a soft drink,” Elisabeth said to Chet. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble. Whatever you’re getting.”

  “Well, maybe some popcorn,” Alice said.

  “You’re making me hungry,” Heat
her said. “Popcorn sounds good to me, too.”

  Chet blushed. “Okay, we can do this,” he said. He looked at Tony. “You want to help me?”

  “Sure,” Tony said.

  “Well, I’ll show you where the concession stand is, boys,” Mario said, “and then you can come back down here while I make my rounds.”

  As Chet and Tony started back up the steps behind Mario, Baron von Battenberg said, “Well, this is indeed a great pleasure and an honor to meet the sons of Fenton Hardy. Although your father and I have never met, I am quite familiar with his work. I have many contacts in police departments all over Europe, and his name is mentioned quite often there.”

  “Frank and Joe have also solved a lot of mysteries,” Matt chimed in. “They’re almost as famous as their father.”

  Baron von Battenberg arched an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Well, that’s something I’ll remember.” He looked around at the empty seats. “I apologize for keeping you standing. Have a seat. I’ll let you young people share your stories.” He looked at his watch. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a telephone call, and for some reason my cell phone won’t work in this area.”

  He gave them a big smile. “I’ll be back shortly.”

  Frank, Joe, and Matt sat down.

  “Tell us about Bayport,” Elisabeth said. “I’m not familiar with it.”

  Joe gave the girls a quick virtual tour of the city.

  “It’s a great place to live, really,” Matt added. “My mom and I just moved there after living all over the world, and I love it.”

  “If we need something that only a big city has, then we drive to New York,” Frank added.

  Matt nodded. “In fact, that’s where I saw Aérocirque the first time,” he said, “but I wasn’t this close to the action.”

  “Frank and I didn’t get to see it New York. We were helping our dad with a case in Montreal,” Joe said. “That’s why we drove down to Philadelphia.”

  “What do you think of it so far?” Alice asked.

  “It’s great,” Joe said.

  “But I’m disappointed that one of the troupes won’t be performing,” Frank said. “We just saw them practicing earlier, and everything seemed fine.”

  “Oh, yes, my father mentioned that one of the acrobats had a sudden attack of allergies or something,” Elisabeth said. “But the other troupes are just as exciting, and it’ll certainly be worth the trip here, I promise.”

  Just then the sound of trumpets filled the stadium, announcing that another act was about to begin. Spotlights started dancing around the spectators. Then everything went dark for a few seconds. More trumpets sounded, and four white spotlights slowly crept toward the center of the stadium floor.

  “Isn’t this choreography amazing?” Heather whispered. “That’s really why I’m here. I’m hoping to be a spectacle choreographer myself, and I just love to see how other choreographers work.”

  “I thought choreographers were dancers,” Joe said.

  “Well, that’s what people usually think of when they think of choreographers,” Heather said, “but they can also create acts for planes! I’d love to do something like this.”

  “Here come the choppers,” Frank said as two black helicopters flew into the stadium from each end zone.

  When they reached the middle, two acrobats dressed in blue sequined leotards raced toward them. As the helicopters hovered about four feet above the stadium floor, the acrobats attached a wire between them. When the acrobats were finished, one helicopter slowly began to climb until the high wire was stretched at an angle.

  Once again trumpets sounded, and one of the acrobats mounted the wire by the lowest helicopter.

  Slowly that helicopter began to rise. As it did, the acrobat began to slide along the wire toward the second helicopter.

  “This is called the ‘stair step,’” Elisabeth whispered. “As each helicopter rises, the acrobat slides down toward the other one.”

  “Hey, Frank! Joe! Where are you?” Chet called out in the darkness. “We’re back with the food!”

  Alice retrieved a small flashlight from her purse and shone it on the aisle so Chet and Tony could make their way to the box seats.

  After Chet had distributed everyone’s food and drinks, he said, “We were halfway down the steps when the lights went out, and I almost dropped everything.”

  “Can you believe the guy sliding down that high-wire?” Tony said between mouthfuls of popcorn. “What a show!”

  Now the helicopters seemed to be rising faster, causing the acrobat to slide rapidly along the wire. Suddenly, the acrobat seemed to lose his balance, and the crowd gasped, but the man reached the end of the wire and righted himself against the door of the helicopter.

  “That was probably just part of the act,” Chet said. “They want people to think they’re going to fall.”

  “I don’t know, Chet,” Frank said. “That didn’t look like part of any act to me.”

  The helicopters started back down toward the stadium floor with the acrobat sliding back and forth across the wire until both helicopters were just four feet off the ground. The acrobat jumped off to loud cheers from the spectators.

  The second acrobat jumped onto the wire, but this time the helicopters began making a circle as they alternated rising above the stadium floor.

  “That would make me dizzy,” Matt said.

  When the helicopters were finally level with the top of the stadium, they started back down. As the second acrobat jumped off, he bowed to the spectators and received another round of thunderous applause.

  Just as the stadium lights came back on, Frank saw Mario coming down the aisle toward them. He looked grim.

  “I think something’s up, Joe,” Frank whispered to his brother. He nodded his head toward Mario.

  “He doesn’t look really happy, does he?” Joe said.

  “Hey, guys, we need to go,” Mario said when he reached them. “I’ve got a problem that I need to deal with.”

  “What’s wrong?” Joe asked.

  “There’s been another robbery of a high-rise apartment downtown,” Mario said. He looked at Elisabeth. “Where’s the baron?”

  “I don’t know, Detective Zettarella,” Elisabeth said. “He said he had to take care of some business.”

  “Well, I need to find him,” Mario said. “It was your building that was robbed!”

  Elisabeth’s hand went to her mouth. “Was it our apartment?” she managed to asked.

  “No, but it was the apartment just below yours,” Mario said. He looked at his notebook. “It’s the Winston apartment. He owns several furniture stores in the greater Philadelphia area.”

  “Oh, I feel so bad for them, because they’re such nice people,” Elisabeth said.

  “How did that happen?” Alice asked. “Elisabeth’s building has the best security in the city.”

  “From what I understand, the thieves got in through a balcony door, just like the robbery last night,” Mario said. “There was nothing on the security tapes at all.”

  Elisabeth looked at the boys. “I don’t want to sound callous about this, but I was planning a party for a few of our friends after the performance,” she said, “and I’d love to have you there to meet everyone. What about it?”

  “That sounds great to me,” Tony said. “I love a good party,”

  “Me too,” Matt said.

  “Good. Since Detective Zettarella is headed to our apartment building anyway, you can ride with him, and when you get there, just come up to the penthouse,” Elisabeth said. “I’ll phone ahead and tell security that you’re coming.”

  “Well, let’s hurry before the lights go off for the next performance,” Mario said. “I gather you girls don’t need a ride,” he said.

  “No, we came in my car,” Elisabeth said. “My father came by himself.”

  As they all started toward the steps that would lead them out of the stadium, Frank pulled Joe aside and said, “I like a good party too, Joe, but I’m mo
re interested in this mystery. I say when we get to Elisabeth’s apartment building, we make our excuses and tag along with Mario.”

  “I’m with you,” Joe said. “We need to find out if these high-rise burglaries are connected in some way.”

  5 Clues on the Balcony

  * * *

  Through his cell phone, Mario had prearranged with Bill to have the police van meet them at Gate 42, so all they had to do was jump inside. With help from flashing lights and wailing sirens, they made it out of the stadium parking lot and were on the freeway leading to downtown Philadelphia in just a few minutes.

  “Have you talked to any of your officers on the scene yet?” Frank asked.

  Mario shook his head. “Bill got the call on the radio, and he let me know about it,” he said. “On the surface, it sounds like the robbery we had last night, but it could just be a coincidence.”

  Frank didn’t think so, but like all good detectives, he’d wait until he got to the scene of the crime to make a final judgment.

  Highway 611 changed from York Road to Broad Street when they entered Philadelphia County.

  “It’s a straight shoot downtown,” Mario said.

  Joe looked out the window. Once he thought he saw a sign for Temple University, but they were zooming past, so he wasn’t sure.

  Finally they reached downtown Philadelphia. Just past City Hall, Bill turned onto Chestnut Street and headed east.

  “That’s the building,” Mario said.

  Frank looked out and saw a gleaming new high-rise soaring into Philadelphia’s night sky. There were several police cruisers and vans parked in front. “Wow! It must cost a fortune to live here!” he said.

  Mario nodded. “Millions to move in and millions to maintain,” he said. “It’s way out of my league.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Chet said. “I can only dream about living in a place like this.”

  “I do dream about it,” Matt said. “I’d love to live up in the clouds like that.”

  “It’s a little too tall for me. I get dizzy just climbing a ladder,” Tony said. “I’m not quite sure I’m up to this party.”