One False Step Read online

  “There they are!” Joe said.

  Frank looked, expecting to see Matt and Tony, but instead he saw a couple of the Aérocirque acrobats. They were dancing with Alice and Heather.

  “I wonder what happened to Matt and Tony,” Chet said.

  “Nothing, we’re right here,” Tony said.

  Frank and Joe turned around to find Matt and Tony grinning at the three of them.

  “Is this a party or what?” Matt said. “Wow! I haven’t had this much fun in months!”

  “I see that Alice and Heather dumped you guys,” Chet said.

  “Yeah, right,” Tony said. “They introduced us to a couple of their friends, and we danced with them, and then they introduced us to a couple more of their friends, and now I think we’ve danced with every girl here.”

  “Some of the Aérocirque acrobats are here too,” Matt said. “We’ve talked to a couple of them. They acted pretty friendly, nothing like that guy in the tent—you know, the one who ordered us to get him ice water?”

  “Cool. Frank and I wanted to talk to them too,” Joe said. “What are you guys planning to do now?”

  “Go back to dancing,” Matt said. “We just happened to see you, so we thought we’d come over here and find out about the robbery.”

  Joe told them what they had learned in the Winstons’ apartment. “We saw the scratch marks on the balcony,” he said when he finished. “Mario said they were just like the ones on the balcony of the apartment that was robbed last night.”

  “I have a feeling they’re just like the ones on that apartment balcony in New York, too,” Frank added.

  “Well, you two must be thrilled that you’ve got a mystery to solve,” Chet said. “Feels just like home, huh? I know I’m happy that I’m completely surrounded by food and nobody is telling me not to eat so much! Unlike home—in the best way.”

  Frank looked at his watch. “Mario said he’d call me on my cell phone when he was ready to leave the Winstons’ apartment,” he said, “so you guys go on and do what you want to, and Joe and I’ll do some sleuthing. There are several things that we want to check out.”

  “That sounds like a plan,” Matt said. “Our cell phones are on too, so just give us a call when it’s time to leave.”

  Just as Frank and Joe started to leave their friends, they saw some of the Aérocirque acrobats.

  “Come on, Joe. They look like they’re heading for the balcony,” Frank said. “I really want to hear why High-Wire Troupe B didn’t perform tonight.”

  “I’m with you,” Joe said.

  As the acrobats started toward the rear of the penthouse, Frank saw Julia Baker and Gretchen Wall pass them. The two acrobats stopped and looked. One of them pointed. Frank was sure he mouthed the words “Julia Baker and Gretchen Wall.” The other acrobat said something which caused both girls to stop and look back. The acrobats walked up to them and said something that made both girls smile. After a few minutes, they started dancing to one of the few slow dance songs the Hardy boys had heard that evening.

  “That’s weird, Frank,” Joe said.

  “Yeah,” Frank said. “How would two guys in a circus that’s only been in town for a couple of days know the names of two of the richest girls in Philadelphia?”

  “I don’t know,” Joe said. “Maybe Elisabeth introduced them.”

  “Maybe,” Frank said.

  “I think we need to get closer, so we can hear what they’re talking about,” Joe said.

  The Hardy boys had only gone a few feet when once again they were intercepted by dance partners who didn’t seem to notice that Frank and Joe moved them through the room until they were dancing next to the two couples who were their intended destination.

  “Now, take Julia’s mother, for instance,” Gretchen was saying. “She’s really nice, but she’s also a little odd, because she keeps all of her diamonds under the mattress in their bedroom.”

  “Really?” the acrobat said.

  “Yes, really,” Gretchen said.

  “Why doesn’t she put them in some bank vault?” the acrobat asked.

  “She likes to look at them all the time,” Gretchen said.

  “Isn’t that dangerous?” the acrobat asked.

  “Why would it be dangerous? They live in the penthouse of another high-rise apartment here in the city,” Gretchen said. “Nobody could possibly get in to rob them!”

  “I guess you haven’t heard about all the high-rise apartment robberies,” the acrobat said. “What if one of the crooks happened to overhear you talking about this?”

  “Oh, all of Julia’s friends know about it, so it’s no big secret,” Gretchen said. “Anyway, my father said they were inside jobs. He’s sure the help is responsible for what happened, no matter what the police say.”

  “Really?” the acrobat said.

  Gretchen nodded. “I know it’s strange, but both the Winstons and the Fulsomes had just fired their limousine drivers,” she said. “Since the drivers were friends of each other, my father thinks they planned the robberies together.”

  Frank and Joe looked at each other.

  Frank moved his dance partner around so he could whisper in Joe’s ear. “Anyone smell a clue?” he joked.

  7 Can Elisabeth Be Trusted?

  * * *

  “But where does the New York robbery fit in?” Joe asked. “That’s a bit of a stretch, to think that two limo drivers in Philadelphia might know a limo driver in New York—if there even was a driver.”

  “Oh, I think anybody who lives in an apartment that expensive probably doesn’t drive himself or herself anywhere in the city,” Frank countered. “I have no doubt they have a driver.”

  “Yeah, Frank, but—” Joe started to say, but he was interrupted by Frank’s cell phone.

  Frank looked at the screen and said, “It’s Mario.” He pushed the receive button and said, “Hello! Okay. I’ll round up everyone, and we’ll be right down.”

  “Time to go?” Joe said.

  Frank nodded. “I can’t believe it’s almost two A.M. Let’s find the guys and head out,” he said. “I’m getting a headache, but I also want to tell Mario what we just overheard.”

  “Hey! Hey! We were wondering where you were!”

  Frank and Joe turned to see Alice and Heather.

  “Neither one of you has danced with me,” Alice said. She started moving to the music. “This is one of my favorites. Come on, Joe!”

  “Detective Zettarella just called, Alice, and we have to leave,” Joe said. “I promise I’ll dance with you next time.”

  “Call him back and tell him the party is just starting,” Alice said. “One of us can take you home.”

  “Well, that sounds great, but Detective Zettarella’s expecting our help in solving this robbery,” Frank said. “There are some things we need to talk to him about.”

  Alice and Heather both looked disappointed, but Heather said, “Okay, but on one condition!”

  “What’s that?” Joe asked.

  “You told me at the stadium that you’d like to see historic Philadelphia,” Heather said, “so tomorrow afternoon you have to let me and Alice take you on a tour.”

  “Well, I’m not sure that we—” Frank started to say.

  But Joe stopped him with “That’s a great idea!” He took out a piece of paper, wrote down the Zettarella’s address, and handed it to Heather.

  “This will be fun. I like showing friends our city’s history,” Heather said. “We’ll pick you up at noon, so we can have lunch at this little restaurant downtown that’s a favorite of ours, and then we’ll take a tour of the historic district.”

  “We’ll be ready,” Frank said, “but lunch is on us.”

  “Ah, you are the gentlemen,” Alice said, “but we invited, so we’re paying, and don’t argue because we’re very liberated women.”

  Joe grinned. “All right,” he said.

  Heather and Alice gave them big smiles and disappeared into the crowd.

  Frank and Jo
e headed back toward the refreshment table where they had last seen Chet.

  “Okay, Joe,” Frank said. “I’m sure you have a reason besides your interest in American history for being so quick to accept their invitation.”

  “You bet I do,” Joe said. “They’re friends of Elisabeth’s, and I think we need to find out more about her. Something just isn’t adding up.”

  “I don’t know, Joe. I’ve decided that she’s probably just a social climber,” Frank said. “I think if the police talk to those two drivers, the Philadelphia robberies might be solved.”

  “But that would make the New York robbery just a coincidence,” Joe said.

  Frank shrugged. “It happens,” he said. “We’ll see what Mario has to say.”

  When they reached the refreshment table, they were in luck. Chet, Tony, and Matt were standing there, eating and talking to three girls.

  Frank tapped Matt on the shoulder. “Mario called. He wants us to meet him in the lobby,” he said. “We have to leave.”

  Joe was astonished to see how fast the three of them got rid of their plates, said their good-byes, and led the way out of the apartment.

  When they got to the elevators, Frank said, “What was that all about? I’ve never seen any of you guys leave a party so fast.”

  “You weren’t there to listen to their songs!” Matt said.

  “Songs?” Joe said.

  “Yeah. All three of those girls want to be country-and-western singers,” Chet said. “They were trying out some of the songs they’d written.”

  “Totally awful!” Tony said. “I was getting a headache.”

  “We didn’t want to be rude and just leave in the middle of one of their songs,” Matt said, “so when you said it was time to go, it was like the answer to a prayer.”

  Just then the elevator arrived.

  “Well, I’m glad we arrived in time,” Frank said.

  Mario was waiting for them when the elevator doors opened. Bill had pulled the police van up to the front of the building, so they all got in, and Bill headed back the way they had originally come into the city.

  As they drove north on Broad Street, Mario said, “Well, we’re stumped, guys. We found nothing new to help with the investigation.”

  “Joe and I uncovered something,” Frank said. “Did you know that the limousine drivers of both of the victims’ families knew each other, and that both drivers were fired last week?”

  Frank heard Mario’s intake of breath. “What?” he said.

  “We overheard one of the girls at the party talking about it,” Joe said. “She said that her father was sure it had to be the drivers.”

  Mario got out his cell phone, punched in a number, and in a few seconds said, “Juana? Are you still at the Winstons’? Good. I want you to find out about their limousine driver. He and the Fulsomes’s driver may be friends. They were both also fired last week. There could be some connection. Okay. Yes. Call me when you get through. I don’t care what time it is.” He quickly hung up.

  For a while Mario seemed lost in his thoughts, so Frank and Joe didn’t disturb him. But when they left the Philadelphia city limits, Mario spoke up. “Well, how was the party?”

  Matt started telling him what an incredible apartment the von Battenbergs had, Chet followed with a detailed account of all the food that had been available, and Tony recited the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of close to fifty girls who were there. He’d written them all on scraps of paper.

  “They just kept giving them to me,” Tony said, stuffing the papers back in his pocket. “I told them I didn’t live in Philadelphia, but that didn’t seem to matter. They said that the next time I was in town, I should give them a call, and they’d tell me where the best parties were.”

  “Wow! I should have been dancing more,” Matt said. “I was too busy checking out the apartment design. I’m going to be an architect.”

  “Heather and Alice want to show us historic Philadelphia tomorrow,” Joe said. “They’re picking us up at noon.”

  “Not me. I’m not getting up until the middle of the afternoon,” Chet said. “I’ve already seen the Liberty Bell!”

  “Well, I haven’t, but I’ll catch it next time,” Tony said. “I don’t want to fall asleep at Aérocirque.”

  “I guess I won’t go either,” Matt said. “There’s nothing more embarrassing than being a fifth wheel.”

  “It’s not a date, Matt, it’s just a walking tour of downtown Philadelphia,” Joe said. “You’re more than welcome. I think Heather and Alice were expecting all of us to go.”

  “Well, I hope they won’t be disappointed, but I think I’ll pass,” Matt said.

  Frank didn’t press the issue. Joe made him realize that his initial suspicions about Elisabeth might have been on target. If it were just the four of them, Heather and Alice might open up with some details about her that would answer some of their questions.

  • • •

  The restaurant Heather and Alice took the Hardy boys to was so tiny that it only held about twenty people. It was down a narrow street, almost an alley, off Chestnut Street. It was called Betsy Ross’s Kitchen.

  “My parents have had a standing reservation for this day every month for years, but I told them I wanted to take the famous Hardy boys, so they agreed to wait until next month to eat here,” Alice said. “After you’ve eaten your meal, you’ll realize what a sacrifice my parents made for you.”

  “Even though it’s in the middle of all the things that tourists see, very few tourists know about it,” Heather added, “and even if they did, they’re usually not here long enough to get a reservation.”

  When the waiter came, Frank suggested that Alice and Heather order for them. When the meal came, both Frank and Joe pronounced it absolutely remarkable.

  When they had finished their desserts, Alice looked at her watch and said, “Well, we need to start the walking tour. I just remembered a doctor’s appointment I have later this afternoon.” She shrugged. “Sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” Joe said. He folded his napkin and laid it on the table. “Are you sure you won’t let us pay for this?”

  “I’m positive,” Heather said. “My father has an account here. It’s taken care of.”

  The four of them exited the restaurant and walked back up to Chestnut Street.

  Over the next hour they visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Old City Hall.

  At Carpenters’ Hall, Alice said, “This is where John Adams, Patrick Henry, George Washington, and the other delegates formed the First Continental Congress in 1774.”

  “You could say this is where America began,” Heather added. “It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.”

  • • •

  Last night at Aérocirque and later at Elisabeth’s party, Joe thought, Heather and Alice never once struck him as being interested in anything but having a good time. For the next hour, though, they gave Frank and Joe more information about American history, or at least Philadelphia’s part in it, than they often got in some of their classes at school. It was interesting.

  After stopping for a few minutes at the Philadelphia Visitors Center, they continued on to the Betsy Ross House. From there, they stopped at Benjamin Franklin’s grave site to pay tribute to him.

  “This is great,” Joe said. “Frank and I had never been to Philadelphia before.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” Heather said.

  “Me too,” Frank agreed. “We’ve been to almost every place else in the world.”

  “I’m also glad that Philadelphia has a mystery for you to solve,” Alice said. “How’s it going?”

  “Mario had already left for the office by the time we got up this morning,” Joe said, “so we don’t know if there have been any new developments.”

  Frank was amazed that neither he nor Joe had mentioned Elisabeth von Battenberg to Heather and Alice yet. They were having such a pleasant time that he had forgotten to do it, but just as he was
about to broach the subject, he stopped and looked down the street. “Is that Elisabeth?” he asked.

  Joe, Heather and Alice turned in the direction Frank was looking. “It looks like her to me,” Joe said. “Who’s that she’s with?”

  “Looks like some of the acrobats from Aérocirque Troupe D,” Alice said.

  When neither Alice nor Heather said anything else, Frank said, “Do you want to go say hello?”

  “No!” Heather said.

  Frank and Joe gave her a surprised look.

  “We’re having too much fun, and she’s with someone, anyway,” Alice said. “Do you mind if we don’t?”

  “No, not at all, but I thought the three of you were friends,” Frank said.

  Heather took in a deep breath and let it out. “We’ve never really been friends,” she said. “Elisabeth came to our school last year, and she was fun because she had lots of good stories about life among Europe’s lesser royalty.”

  “Europe’s lesser royalty?” Joe said.

  Alice nodded. “You know, the kings and queens and princes and princesses without a country to rule,” she said. “Elisabeth’s family hasn’t been in power for hundreds of years, and even when they were in power, they only ruled over a small part of Germany. But it’s still interesting to hear about.”

  “But lately she’s been acting kind of weird,” Heather said. “I think it started when her father put together Aérocirque and brought it over for its American tour.”

  “It did. That’s all she talked about,” Alice said. “After Aérocirque arrived in Philadelphia, all she wanted to do was hang around with the acrobats.”

  Heather shuddered. “I think they’re all kind of creepy.”

  “She told us last night at the party that she didn’t really know any of the acrobats that well,” Frank said.

  “That’s not true. In fact, that’s about all she wants to do anymore—hang around with them,” Alice said, “but Heather and I aren’t interested.”

  Frank looked down the street. Elisabeth and the acrobats were heading in the opposite direction. “Maybe she just wants to show them historical Philadelphia, like you’re doing for us,” he said.