39 Clues - 05 - The Black Circle Read Online Free PDF Page A

twenty-five feet. He turned at the other side
    and sped up even more. The switchback routine gave Dan an advantage
    over37Hamilton: It was much easier going up this way than climbing straight up the
    middle. As Dan crossed the center of the statue for the fourth time, he overtook his
    larger competitor, who was gasping for air after having climbed over a hundred vertical
    feet."Nice day for a stroll, wouldn't you say?" called Dan. He was also totally out of
    breath, but his path to the top was way easier than Hamilton's.The two-way radio was
    going off like a dinner bell, Eisenhower Holt screaming about the Kabras and
    demanding to know why Hamilton had disappeared.Dan was only three switchbacks
    from the head of The Motherland Calls when he looked back. He couldn't see
    Amy."Amy! Are you down there?"Dan's voice echoed through the open air. No
    reply."Amy! Answer me! How far behind are you?""You don't have to yell. I'm right
    here.""No way!" said Dan, a huge smile lighting up his face. Amy had quietly caught up!
    She was only two switchbacks behind Dan and quickly coming even with Hamilton Holt,
    who had stopped moving."Double no way!" Dan heard Hamilton mutter. Hamilton had
    clearly had enough of climbing up the center beam. Thin support rods ran twenty feet

    away from the beam and connected to the catwalks, and Hamilton grabbed one as Amy
    walked past. The radio was turning to static, and the calls for updates were garbled at
    best.38"Hurry, Dan!" said Amy.Hamilton swung along the steel support rod, his feet
    dangling over a hundred and fifty feet of open air. It didn't take long for him to reach
    the catwalk and swing his massive frame up and over. The first thing he did when he
    got there was turn off the two-way radio.Dan knew he had to hustle. He raced to the
    end of the final beam, where the cable ran straight into a ladder leading into the head
    of The Motherland Calls."I'm heading into the brain!" yelled Dan. "Wish me luck!"At the top of the ladder, Dan found a platform big enough for several people to stand on. Two
    thick streams of light poured into the head from outside. It was eerie, as if Dan really
    were inside someone's head, digging around in the dust for a hidden memory."There!"
    whispered Dan. A small cylinder wrapped in paper and tied with twine was tucked into
    the corner of one of the eyes. On quick examination, Dan saw that the top of the rough
    paper was stenciled with three letters: ST. P.St. Petersburg!Dan jammed the object into
    his pocket for safekeeping."I'm coming up," said Amy, reaching the bottom of the
    ladder."How far back is he?" asked Dan, pulling his gasping sister onto the
    platform.39Amy looked down at the catwalks below. "He's moving pretty slowly. I'd say
    three or four minutes." "Perfect. I've got an idea."* * *It was a ful five minutes later
    before Hamilton arrived in the head of The Motherland Calls and flopped down in the
    center of the platform. His chest heaved in and out, and a giant ring of sweat
    surrounded his neck."Dude, you look like a fish out of water," said Dan. "Speaking of
    which ..."Dan dug around in the backpack. Among the smashed candy bars and bags of
    chips were a few cans of Coke. He pulled one out, popped the top, and fizz shot all over
    Hamilton."Oops," said Dan, but Hamilton didn't seem to care. He sat up and guzzled the
    whole can, then tossed the empty over the edge. They all listened as the can pinged
    and echoed all the way to the bottom."We're way, way up here," said Amy, her face
    draining of color as it seemed to dawn on her for the first time that they'd have to get
    back down."I found a lead," said Dan, putting his plan into action. "And not only that, I
    solved it."Hamilton perked up."Lemme see," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow
    with a swipe of his arm.40Dan pulled out the piece of parchment they'd gotten from the
    locker, the one with the scrambled words of all the places they were to visit. Dan had
    figured out, all on his own, that