Book Read Free

Thea Stilton and the Mystery on the Orient Express (Thea Stilton Graphic Novels Book 13)

Page 4

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

 

‹ Prev