by Thea Stilton
Pablo shrieked.
“I asked your pardon,” Dimitri murmured
unhappily.
“Oh, now you apologize?” the painter
cried. “That’s not what you said before. It
was more like ‘Get out of my way,
shortytail!’”
63
Suddenly, a scream much sharper than
Picamouse’s rang out.
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”
“What’s going on?” Pablo cried. “Who’s
making all that racket?”
Colette rolled her EYES.
Rhonda pointed to the next compartment.
“The
scream
came from in there!”
“But that’s where the Veil of Light is
being kept!” Priscilla said.
Everyone scurried to look, but in their
hurry they tripped over one another’s tails.
When they finally managed to enter the
compartment, it was completely dark.
A steward was sitting on the floor with a
bump
on his head!
“What happened?” asked Eliot Albamouse.
“Are you hurt?” Paulina asked, kneeling
down to help the poor aching steward.
The steward didn’t answer. He just pointed
at the open door to the exhibition room.
The Thea Sisters peeked inside. Even in
the dim light, they could see the display case.
It was shut, but . . .
empty!
The crystal display case was
empty
! How could the
thief steal the Veil of Light without breaking the
case?
65
THE EMPTY CASE!
The passengers stood in the doorway, frozen
with shock and
fear
. No one dared
enter the compartment until Inspector Ratt
arrived. He immediately took charge of the
situation, turning on a
flashlight
and
shining it around.
There was someone lying on the ground. It
was Peggy, and she had fainted!
“Peggy, my little Brie lump, what
happened to you?” Pablo Picamouse cried.
The inspector motioned to him not to get
closer. “She needs air!” he explained, gently
slapping the heiress’s snout to revive her.
Peggy opened her eyes and looked around
in confusion. “The thief! He’s here!”
“Don’t worry, the thief has gone,” the
66
inspector reassured her. “But tell me, did you
get a good look at him?”
Peggy glumly shook her snout.
Eliot and Pablo helped Peggy get
up
.
Meanwhile, the inspector was gazing at the
empty display case. “Tell me what
happened,” he said to Peggy.
She took a deep breath. “I . . . I was coming
back here to get my fan. I had forgotten it!
When I came in, it was completely dark, so I
looked for a light switch, and then —”
67
“What did you see exactly?” the inspector
pressed her.
Peggy gulped. “I saw a
thief
all
dressed in black. He was meddling with the
display case. I
screamed
, and then I
must’ve fainted!”
“I’m sure it was your scream that made him
run away, madam,” the inspector declared.
“The
Cat Burglar
!” Pablo exclaimed.
“He stole the Veil of Light!” Rhonda and
Priscilla said at the same time.
“Calm down,” the inspector said. “There’s no
need to be alarmed. Nothing has been stolen.”
Everyone STARED at him, their snouts
hanging open in surprise. They looked like a
pack of hungry cats whose food had run
away.
68
PLAN B
Violet was the first to regain her squeak.
“What do you mean, the thief hasn’t
STOLEN anything, Inspector?” she
asked. “The case is empty!”
Chief Inspector Ratt placed his paw on the
glass case and nodded. “It’s always been
empty. This exhibit is just a holographic
image.”
“H-holo-what?!” Peggy stuttered, confused.
But Paulina understood immediately.
“What a clever way to protect the Veil of
Light!” she cried. “Holographic images
are very sophisticated projections that
appear to be real objects.” She approached
the case and peered in. “Inside the base
there’s probably a hidden laser projector that
Thanks to hologram technology, it’s possible
to create a photographic image that gives the
impression of depth without using a lens.
Using a laser beam (A), a special plate on
which an image of the object has been imprinted
(B) is illuminated. As the light passes through the
plate, it projects a three-dimensional image (C).
Observers can even walk around and look at the
back of the image, as if it were a real object!
A
b
c
HOLOGRAMS
makes it look like the
gown
is really there.”
The inspector
LOOKED
at Paulina in
surprise and then smiled. “Exactly.
Knowing that the Cat Burglar would
try to steal the Veil, I decided to
trick him with a holographic image.
That way, I could capture him
without putting the real gown at risk. But it
seems that my plan has failed!” he said
worriedly. “And now the thief knows
that the Veil of Light was never in this
compartment.”
The Veil of Light must be in the last train
car! thought Colette. Under the watch of the
charming Yusuf! She shot her friends a look.
They all had the same idea.
Meanwhile, it was late, and everyone was
tired. Most of the passengers RETURNED
The Veil of Light isn’t really in the exhibition room —
Inspector Ratt’s plan has protected it from the attempted
theft. So where is the real Veil?
C
L
U
E
!
71
to their compartments without asking any
more questions.
The Thea Sisters were the last to leave the
exhibition room. Violet managed to catch a
whispered EXCHANGE between the
conductor and Inspector Ratt.
“Now what do we do, Inspector?” the
conductor asked, worried.
Ratt looked at him and declared, “It’s
obvious. We go to PLAN B. . . .”
CHANGE OF PLANS
The next morning, the train ascended the
towering mountains that surround Sinaia,
Romania.
After the tumultuous events of the previous
night, no one wanted to have breakfast in
their own cabin. No one except for Zelda
Mitoff, that is. Everyone else gathered in the
restaurant car. They
were eager to learn the
latest news about the investigation.
Dimitri was among the first to arrive,
and Colette noticed with relief that
the burn on the back of the assistant’s
paw had healed. Actually, it seemed to
have completely disappeared!
The mouselet was about to ask him how it
The burn on the back of Dimitri’s paw has disappeared very
quickly. But how?
C
L
U
E
!
73
had healed so
QUICKLY
, but Paulina
held her back, pointing to something outside
the window. “Look how beautiful it is!”
Not too far in the distance they spotted the
enchanting Peleş Castle.
The train conductor entered the restaurant
car. “There has been a change of plans,”
he announced. “We’re having trouble
with the air-conditioning, and it will take a
TRANSYLVANIA
In the heart of Romania lies the region of Transylvania. The
Carpathian Mountains create an extraordinarily beautiful landscape,
with many snow-covered peaks, tree-covered plateaus, and
mysterious caves at the base of the mountains. The Transylvanian
Plateau extends into the middle of this ancient mountain range.
Transylvania is famous for its castles, some of which belonged
to Vlad III, whom many believe to be the basis for the legendary
fictional character Count Dracula.
Bran Castle is often associated with
Vlad III. But it is not known for certain
whether Vlad III ever lived there.
Peles Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in
Romania. It rises up out of the woods, surrounded by
mountains.
The castle was built by King Carol I, the first king of
Romania. Construction began in 1873, and the castle
was finally completed in 1914. It functioned as the
royal residence from then until 1947.
Today the castle serves as a museum that holds
paintings, tapestries, drawings, sculptures, and fine
furniture. Peles Castle has 160 rooms, which still
contain their original furnishings.
76
few hours to repair it. To avoid unnecessary
discomfort to our passengers, we’re extending
the visit to Pele
ş
Castle. You will dine there
and spend the night in the castle.”
The passengers exchanged puzzled
looks as the conductor continued. “Our staff
has organized a twenties-style ball for the
occasion!”
The Thea Sisters were delighted about the
change of plans, but the conductor’s story
didn’t convince them.
“I can’t help being suspicious about this
BREAKDOWN,” Violet commented as they
returned to their cabins. “I’ll bet the inspector
doesn’t want the passengers on board while
he puts ‘PLAN B’ into action!”
Pamela
nodded
. “I agree. But what do
you think PLAN B could be?”
“I’m sure we’ll find out tonight,” Colette
said. “In the meantime, I’m so excited! I’ve
always dreamed of going to a ball in a real
castle. Plus, it’ll be a great opportunity to
observe the other passengers up close. . . .”
Colette headed straight for Julie’s trunk.
“Let’s choose our most glamorous dresses,
mouselets
! Tonight’s going to be
special, I can feel it!”
78
That afternoon, the mouselets and their
fellow passengers boarded
elegant
carriages
for the trip to Peleş Castle. Violet and
Paulina climbed into a carriage with Colette
and Pamela, while Rhonda and Priscilla
fought to win the only seat left next to Raty
DINNER FIT
FOR A KING!
79
Perry. They were hoping to
extract
a few good
quotes
during the
journey. Unfortunately, Jack Nickmouse wasn’t
traveling with Raty, and that made the singer
crankier
than a wet cat in a rainstorm.
She didn’t utter a
single
word during
the trip.
So just where was Jack Nickmouse? He
was with Nicky! They had both decided to
ride up to the castle on horseback. The
air was
brisk
, and both were eager
for a good ride.
Jack launched his horse into a gallop,
and only Nicky’s talent as a rider allowed her
to keep up.
“I love the peacefulness of golf,” Jack
said when he finally stopped to let his horse
rest. “But I couldn’t live without a bit of
adventure! The
thrill
of the unexpected,
the risk of the unknown . . . these are the
things I crave most when I travel.”
Hmm, thought Nicky. Jack is the most
athletic rodent aboard the Orient Express.
And he’s constantly traveling, often to the
most exotic and exclusive places. If he is the
thief, he certainly wouldn’t pass up this
chance for adventure!
But a second later, she shook her
suspicion from her snout. “I agree, Jack! That
is, I mean, um, Mr. Nickmouse!”
81
The golfer
burst
into a deep laugh and
invited her to call him by his first name.
The pair took off at a trot, chatting.
So Nicky got much more than an interview:
It turned into a long conversation between
friends.
When they reached the castle, they found
Raty Perry waiting for Jack in the
GARDEN
.
By now, she was grouchier than a rodent
with a trap on her tail.
“Come on, Jack,
move
those paws!”
she urged him. “We’re going to be late!”
Nicky was surprised by the singer’s grumpy
tone. Was Raty Perry jealous of her?
That seemed absurd! Perhaps she was
afraid
that the golf champion had
revealed too much. . . .
Something smells funnier than feta cheese,
Nicky thought.
83
Then she scurried off to freshen
up and change her clothes: Dinner would be
served soon.
In the luxurious dining room, the chef
and the staff from the Orient Express had
created a
banquet
fit for kings. The
mood at the table was so cheerful that Zelda
even started to squeak to Violet, who was
seated next to her. When the famouse
ballerina discovered that the
mouselet
was the daughter of Chen Lu, a great
orchestra conductor, the ballerina promised
to give her an exclusive interview!
At the end of the dinner
, the atmosphere
was so relaxed and jolly that everyone decided
to start dancing right away.
LET’S HOOF IT!
The orchestra broke into a lively Charleston,
a popular dance from the Roaring Twenties.
As soon as she heard the music, Colette
exclaimed, “Let’s hoof it, mouselets!” She
winked at her friends, who were looking at
her quizzically. “That’s how they used to say
‘let’s dance’ back in the 1920s,” she explained.
85
The Thea Sisters were among the first on
the dance floor. They couldn’t wait to kick
up their paws.
“We’re lucky, mouselets,” Paulina
observed. “This party came at just the right
moment! Let’s check out the guests and try
to figure out who could be the
Cat
Burglar
.”
“Don’t forget, the thief could also be one
of the staff,” Pam said.
“Oh, don’t worry, I haven’t,” Paulina
replied. “But the staff have a lot of work to
do, and not very much free time on their
paws. The
thief
needs to be able to do
whatever he’d like whenever he’d like.”
“Be ALERT, sisters!” said Colette.
The five young investigators mixed with
the dancers, ready to snatch any useful details
in between steps.
Pablo Picamouse and Raty Perry launched
into a wild fox-trot: They were perfect
partners! To Pamela, it seemed like these
two were old friends.
Just friends? What if they’re accomplices?
the mouselet thought. They’ve both been to
the fashionable places where the Cat Burglar
has struck most often. . . .
While Pablo
danced
, poor Peggy was
87
left on her own. The wealthy heiress was
dressed in an outfit that wasn’t very flattering,
and she was covered in flashy, mismatched
jewelry.
“I don’t like to be catty, but I’ve never seen
someone with so little taste
in clothing!” Colette
whispered to