by Thea Stilton
CHALLENGE
The mouselets were hanging on Paulina’s
every word.
“See if you can guess the
name
of the
inspector who devoted his whole life to
catching
the thief Rattamouche and
recovering the stolen gown,” she continued
in a
mysterious
tone. “Just
guess! That’s right, it was none
other than Malik Ratt!”
“What?” gasped Colette.
“Malik Ratt the First, that is!”
Paulina explained. “He
was the grandfather
of the inspector who
found the Veil of Light.
The same inspector
41
who is now traveling on this very train
with us . . . right now — Malik Ratt III!”
“Holey cheese!” Nicky cried.
“That can’t be a coincidence,” Violet said.
“It sounds like the plot of a movie,” Colette
commented. “The grandson returns the
precious artifact that was stolen from right
under his own
grandfather’s
snout!”
“He has not necessarily succeeded in
returning it, though. . . . ,” Paulina pointed
out.
“This
Cat Burglar
must be very
cunning, if even Inspector Ratt is nervous!”
Pam observed.
Paulina tapped on her keyboard. “Oh, he’s
more cunning than a cat, all right!” she
said as she scrolled through another website.
“And more agile. That’s how he got his name.
Most rodents believe the Cat Burglar is the
one who stole the
crown right off
the snout of the
king of Belgium . . .
during his coronation
ceremony!”
“I heard about
that!” Violet recalled.
“The
Cat Burglar
is the same thief who
stole the great violinist
Yo-Yo Mouse’s Stradivarius* —
right in the middle of a concert!”
“And he stole the hands off the face of Big
Ben in London!” Paulina added.
“So he’s an acrobat, and a
specialist
in impossible thefts!” Pam concluded.
Paulina nodded. “And now he’s set his
sights on the Veil of Light. Just watch!”
* A Stradivarius is a violin made by the renowned
craftsman Antonio Stradivari.
43
“‘The Cat Burglar sent an open letter to all
the major newspapers in Europe declaring a
challenge,’” Nicky read over Paulina’s
shoulder. “‘He wants to become more
famouse than Rattamouche, and
will prove his skill by stealing the Veil of
Light from on board a moving train’!”
The
mouselets
drew closer to
Paulina to read the letter.
“What if the Cat Burglar is already hidden
on the train?” Violet wondered.
“Sizzling spark plugs!” Pam burst
out. “Don’t you realize, sisters? We’re in the
driver’s seat on this one! The Cat Burglar
could
strike
at any moment!”
“Let’s keep our eyes peeled,” Paulina
recommended. “It says here that the Cat
Burglar is a master of
disguise
, so he
could be any of the passengers.”
44
Colette clutched her purse, straightened
her hair, and grabbed the doorknob, ready to
head out.
“Well, let’s get going, mouselets!” she
exclaimed. “We have an entire train
to search, dozens of rodents to meet, valuable
information to learn, and, let’s not forget . . .”
Her squeak trailed off.
Her friends STARED curiously at her.
“Forget what, Colette?” Nicky asked at last.
“We’ve got gorgeous clothes to show off!”
she finished with a wink.
The Thea Sisters burst out laughing:
Colette was truly hopeless!
45
TO CATCH A THIEF
The Thea Sisters decided to begin their
search with the staff. They put their snouts
together and divided up their assignments.
Pam slipped into the kitchen, where the
world-renowned chef Charles Fromage was
the undisputed king of appetizers and
soufflés. As she
crept
between the steaming
pots and pans, Pam couldn’t resist sneaking
a taste of a delicious batch of cheese puffs.
Colette got to know Roxanne, who worked
in the boutique on the train. While
chatting, the two mouselets discovered that
they both collected tiny bottles of perfume.
They became fast
friends
in no time!
Meanwhile, Paulina and Nicky did some
reconnaissance in the café car.
There they got to know Flora, a very lively
46
Italian mouselet, and a real professional
when it came to making mozzarella
smoothies.
As for Violet, she was dying to get a closer
look at the piano in the café’s balcony. She
walked up to the instrument nervously.
She’d just sat down when Klaus, the pianist,
surprised her by inviting her to play a
duet!
47
The Thea Sisters met FRIENDLY rodents
everywhere. The staff seemed ready to grant
every wish and answer every nosy
question — until the mouselets got to the last
train car, where they came snout-to-snout
with a
burly
mouse.
According to the name tag on his jacket,
his name was Yusuf. He EYED the five
mouselets suspiciously. “You can’t go through
48
here!” he said sternly.
“This car is for staff only.”
The
mouselets
couldn’t think of a way
around him, so they had to
retrace their steps.
“What a mean mouse,” Pam
spluttered with annoyance.
“Who knew this train came
with its own guard
rodent!”
Pam is right: Yusuf seems to be guarding something! But
what?
49
That evening, the Thea Sisters sat down to
an unforgettable first dinner aboard the
Orient Express. Chef Fromage cooked his
finest recipes, and the elegance of the
passengers was worthy of the red carpet
in Mouseywood!
The Thea Sisters settled into their seats
and took advantage of the occasion to
observe their fellow travelers.
In spite of — or perhaps because of — her
snooty, standoffish manner, Zelda Mitoff
was the most fascinating. Violet couldn’t take
her eyes off her. “She’s truly a grande dame!”
Colette was more interested in
Jack
Nickm
ouse
and Raty Perry. “How
romantic! They seem so in love. . . .”
A HOT MESS
50
Meanwhile, the journalists were trying to
worm their way
CLOSER
to the famouse
guests. They were determined to get good
quotes to put in their columns. They weren’t
on the hunt for the thief — they were on the
hunt for a scoop!
After dinner, everyone moved on to the
café car. Everyone, that is, except Zelda, who
preferred to retire to her cabin. A few minutes
later, her assistant, Dimitri, returned to
order a cup of hot tea for the ballerina.
Violet hesitated. She desperately wanted to
interview Zelda, but she didn’t have the
courage
to ask her assistant for an
appointment.
Colette knew her friend well, and she could
see that she was struggling. Unlike Violet,
Colette didn’t have a shy bone in her
body, so she didn’t waste a second. She
scurried up to the bar to squeak with Dimitri
when . . .
BAM!
The two collided, and they both
went flying. Madame Mitoff’s cup fell and
shattered. Boiling tea spilled all over
Dimitri, soaking his shirt and
BURNING
the back of his right paw. Dimitri frowned
and rubbed his paw, which was red and
swollen.
Colette apologized immediately. “I’m so
52
sorry!” she cried. “Let’s find a
doctor for that.”
“It’s nothing,” Dimitri said
hastily. Then he
hurried from the room.
The accident ruined the
evening for poor Colette, who couldn’t help
feeling guilty. She certainly hadn’t done it on
purpose, but what a cat-astrophe!
Not only had she injured an innocent rodent,
but she’d also ruined Violet’s chances of an
interview with the famouse ballerina.
“Well, that brings new meaning to the
phrase ‘
HOT MESS
,’” she said with a
sigh to Nicky when she returned to their
table.
Nicky just laughed. “You get an A for effort,
Colette! Don’t get your tail in a twist. It was
an
accident
.”
53
The next morning, the Orient Express
reached Budapest. The train stopped so its
passengers could make a quick visit to
the city.
The first to get off the train were
Jack Nickmouse and Raty
Perry. A flaming-
red sports car was
waiting for them at the
station.
“Crusty carburetors,
what a gorgeous car!”
Pam sighed. She loved all
AUTOMOBILES, especially
race cars.
Raty and Jack didn’t
SO MANY
SUSPECTS . . .
54
seem to share her enthusiasm. The
singer
whispered
something to her
companion. The expression on her snout was
unreadable. She pointed to the train
as if she wanted to go back on board, but
Jack shook his snout nervously.
When Inspector Ratt glanced out his
window, the two instantly fell silent. They
got into the car and took off at full speed,
disappearing from view.
The Thea Sisters exchanged looks: what
strange behavior!
Violet waited a long time for Zelda to
appear on the platform, but with no luck.
“Waiting for Zelda? Oh, my dear, you’re as
naive as a newborn mouseling,” a voice
sang out behind her.
It was Rhonda Ratwell, a well-known
gossip columnist. She stroked her
55
whiskers and continued, “The
great Madame Mitoff hasn’t
let
anyone
get close to
her since she retired from
the stage.”
“That’s because she
doesn’t want anyone to
see her wrinkles!
Ha,
ha, ha!
” snickered
Priscilla Pawson, who had
joined the little group.
Violet blushed. She was about to
squeak up in defense of her favorite ballerina
when an older journalist beat her to it.
“Don’t mind those busymice!” he
said, looking sideways at Rhonda and
Priscilla. “Zelda isn’t here because she never
misses her morning workout, no
matter where she is. Why, she’s in such great
56
shape, she could return to the stage
tonight if she chose to.”
“So why doesn’t she?” Violet asked eagerly.
“It would be amazing to see her dance!”
The journalist sighed with regret. “Zelda
would still be a great ballerina, but she
would just be a
shadow
of the
Zelda of long ago! She can’t
help comparing herself to
what she used to be.”
Violet and the journalist
chatted during the trip
to Budapest. The mouselet
was very surprised
to learn that she was
squeaking with none other
than Eliot Albamouse, the
eminent critic from the
Mouseford Courier.
57
At dusk, the Thea Sisters returned to the
train and discovered that two more
VIRs had joined the party. They were the
wealthy
heiress
Peggy Rattfeller
and the Spanish painter Pablo Picamouse.
They were a truly
strange-looking
couple: She was
quite large, and
he was quite
skinny
. But
these were the least
of the differences
between them.
Peggy was very shy
and seemed to shun
PABLO AND PEGGY
58
the spotlight, which was exactly the opposite
of the arrogant,
ornery
Pablo! The two
were rumored to be just friends, but many
suspected that their feelings ran deeper . . .
or at least that was what the Orient Express’s
gossip columnists, Rhonda Ratwell and
Priscilla Pawson, believed.
The Thea Sisters found the famouse
painter
squeaking heatedly with
the police inspector. “My painting is a
masterpiece! It must arrive
at the Topkapi Palace Museum without a
scratch,” Pablo barked. “I demand to know
what kind of security measures you are
using!”
“On the Orient Express, there is a very
secure safe,” Ratt replied in a tone that was
cooler than cottage cheese. “Why don’t
you paw your painting over to the conductor?
He’ll take care of you. There’s no
reason to
worry.”
“A simple safe won’t be enough to stop the
Cat Burglar!” Pablo scoffed. “I know all
about his threat to steal the Veil of Light!”
“That won’t happen,” Chief Inspector Ratt
replied, his expression darkening. “If the
Cat Burglar
dares climb on board this
train, he’ll be getting off in pawcuffs!”
60
The Thea Sisters weren’t the only ones to
witness this angry exchange between
the painter and the police inspector. A small
crowd of journalists and staff had gathered
to watch the fireworks.
Colette noticed Dimitri and quickly
checked to see how his right paw was
faring. The burn was very bright. Colette’s
ears drooped with embarrassment. She felt
guiltier
than a gopher in a gerbil
burrow.
Meanwhile, the conductor had intervened
in the discussion between Inspector Ratt and
the famouse painter. “Come with me. I’ll
show you our safe,” he suggested to Pablo.
“You’ll see that it’s very secure. Your
painting will not be at risk, I promise!”
61
A SQUEAK
IN THE NIGHT
The train sped through the night, rushing
through the Romanian MOUNTAINS.
The Thea Sisters were exhausted from
their busy day. They climbed into bed and
fell asleep as soon as their snouts hit their
pillows.
A little past midnight, they heard a shout
in the corridor.
“You cheddarface!”
The Thea Sisters leaped
up. They immediately
recognized the screech
of Pablo Picamouse.
“What was that?”
Pam asked.
62
The mouselets peeked out into the corridor.
The painter was right outside their door, and
he was extremely angry at Dimitri. The
young rodent seemed to be apologizing
for something, but Pablo’s shouts drowned
out his squeaks of protest.
The doors to other cabins had opened, and
the passengers were trying to shush the
furious painter.
“What’s all the fuss about? We’re trying to
sleep!” Rhonda protested.
“This rude rodent pushed me!”