that ran along that side of the hotel. âIf someone jumped out this window, theyâd land on that ledge.â
âBut we all thought he jumped out the other window,â said Charlie. âWhere there was a straight drop to the street.â
âIt was an amazing magic trick,â said Dotty.
âYes, it was,â said Charlie. âBut not a trick of levitation, or floating. It was a trick with mirrors.â
âJust like Brackâs trick in the elevator,â said Ty, nodding.
âBrack said the hotelâs walls were full of magic,â said Charlie. âAnd I believe it. If a magician built this place, why wouldnât he put in all kinds of tricks and illusions, for the fun of the guests? Over all the years, Iâm sure many of them were forgotten. But Mr. M. is a magician himself. Heâd know what to look for.â
Charlie led them back to the intersection of the two hallways. He carefully examined one of the corners. âLook!â he said triumphantly. âThis pulls out!â
Ty gripped a small handle hidden in the wooden molding of the cornerâs edge. Out came a panel as tall as the wall itself. Smoothly, it glided over to the opposite corner, forming an angle in the hallway. The secret panel was a single, huge mirror.
âAnother magic trick,â said Ty.
From where the two boys had stood at Miss Drakeâs apartment, it looked as if they were staring straight down the hall. But instead, the mirror was reflecting the side hall, the real hallway that Mr. Madagascar had run down. He had thrown himself out the side window and safely landed on the ledge. But the mirror had tricked his small audience into believing he had jumped out the other window and disappeared.
âItâs still a good trick,â said Dotty Drake, sadly.
âA magnificent trick!â boomed a voice behind them.
Mr. Madagascar stepped out from Miss Drakeâs apartment.
Mr. Madagascar walked up to Ty and Charlie. âA man jumps out a window and disappears fourteen floors above the ground. Good one, huh?â said the magician.
âUh, yeah,â Charlie said.
âThis was supposed to be the beginning of my comeback,â Mr. Madagascar said. âI wanted to perform one last show, one astounding trick that would go down in the history books.â
âSo you planned all of this?â asked Ty.
âOf course I did,â said Mr. Madagascar. âI waited for you to come up to my apartment, and I wanted you to follow me. I had everything all set up. And the lovely Miss Drake here helped by providing some misdirection.â He winked at Dotty, who blushed.
Misdirection like Brack performed earlier , thought Charlie. When he pointed toward the lobby and said, âNow you see him, now you donât.â He made us turn around so he could close the two fake mirror walls in the elevator.
âYour scream was the misdirection,â said Ty.
âI always had a good voice for that,â Miss Drake said proudly, putting her hand to her throat. âAnd while I screamed and fainted, the mirror wall slid back into the corner. Itâs on a timer.â
Ty laughed. âSo the guy who knocked me down was me!â he said. âMy own reflection.â He flexed his muscles and added, âI knew he looked tough.â
A low hum rumbled in the hall. The mirror glided back into the corner and snapped into place. And outside the building, a siren wailed.
âI didnât break any law,â said Mr. Madagascar.
âBut the police will want to know what â,â began Ty.
âDo they have to know tonight?â asked the magician. âGive me twenty-four hours. Give me time to have the headlines proclaim my trick to the world. Then I will reappear, and make a statement to the press.â
âAnd youâll have the best publicity in the world,â said Charlie, smiling.
âExactly,â said Mr. Madagascar.