by Alex Siegel
"Most criminals are pretty stupid. All it takes is a little slight-of-hand and a few clever gadgets to make them incriminate themselves. It's amazing what the right lighting can do. Of course, you could use the same tricks to perform robberies." She put her face in her hands. "Now I don't know what to believe."
He squeezed her shoulders. "We'll get the truth tonight."
She nodded. "And Tonya isn't a crook! I'm sure of it." A tear dripped down her cheek.
"I hope you're right." I still need that scholarship, he thought, but the whole thing could be some kind of scam.
Charley pushed him off and stood up. "I'm going to stop worrying about this and get to class. I'll see you at the show tonight."
As Andrew watched her walk off, he felt a storm of emotions. He thought about calling his parents for advice even though the FBI had told him not to. His father would know how to handle the situation, but Andrew already knew his dad would say, "cooperate with the authorities and hope for the best." Complaining wouldn't help.
He suddenly remembered he also had a class, and he ran in another direction.
Chapter Two
Andrew held the door for Charley, and both of them walked out of the Fine Arts Building. It was a dark night, but plenty of lights illuminated the campus. A breeze blew fallen leaves across the grass.
He was trying to forget his performance in Death of a Salesman. For the second night in a row, he had stumbled over his lines, had lost his place, and had made himself look like an incompetent amateur. He didn't know which night had been worse. He had never been gladder to see a curtain come down at the end of a show. At least he had a good excuse.
"Where does the professor live?" Andrew said.
Charley pointed across the street. "In the red brick house."
Tonya's home was right on the edge of the campus, almost as close as she could get to the Fine Arts Building without being in a parking lot. Its proximity startled him. Her commute was three minutes by foot.
It was also a very nice house. The walls were made of clean red bricks, and white paint covered the frames around the doors and windows. It had two stories above ground, and windows below suggested a large basement. It was big enough for a whole family. Tall trees with golden leaves surrounded the home. A flower garden in front looked well maintained.
Andrew spotted a brown van parked a few houses down the street.
He pointed. "The FBI."
Charley nodded but stood in place. She was wearing a light blue coat over her red sweater, and the zipper was open. Black plastic clips held back her long hair.
"Ready?" Andrew said.
She grimaced. "Not really. I'm still not sure what they expect us to do in there. We can't just wander around like tourists and look for evidence."
"I'll ask to use the bathroom at some point. Keep Tonya and her husband busy while I try to do a quick search."
"Keep them busy how?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Talk to them. But we have to meet with the FBI first. Come on."
Andrew started towards the brown van. He was scared, but he wanted to look brave in front of Charley. He kept his head up, and he walked with a vigorous stride. He hoped his acting skills were good enough to convince her. She wasn't even trying to hide her fear.
The side door of the van opened as the students approached. Agent Lees leaned out and waved for them to come closer.
He had changed into a bulletproof vest and camouflaged clothes. He was equipped with a gun, handcuffs, a flashlight, a radio, and several other items. Everything was dark blue. He came to play, Andrew thought.
Lees gave a handful of little plastic bags to Andrew. "Here are the bugs. Just peel off the adhesive backing and stick them where they won't be seen. They activate automatically."
Each bag held a small gadget, and Andrew examined one closely. It had a tiny circuit board with several components soldered to it. Soft adhesive covered one side.
"What are we looking for?" Charley asked.
"Criminal evidence," Lees said. "Hopefully, you'll know it when you see it. Check the office and the bedrooms."
"What should we do if we find any evidence?"
"Leave it. It's not admissible without a search warrant. All I want from you is a detailed report."
Andrew furrowed his brow. "Hey, is this legal?"
"Just do what you're told," Lees said sharply. "Let me worry about the regulations. Get moving. If you're late, the suspects will be suspicious." He quietly closed the door of the van.
Andrew sighed and looked towards the red brick house.
"Let's get this over with," Charley said.
They walked to the front door, and Andrew knocked. He quickly stuffed the bags of bugs in his pocket when he realized he was still holding them.
Tonya opened the door and smiled at the two students. The professor had changed into a white gown which was simple and elegant. Her graceful body didn't fit the academic stereotype.
"Come in," she said. "Was it a good show?"
Andrew glanced at Charley. "Uh, sort of."
"Oh." Tonya lost her smile. "Then maybe it was a good thing I was cooking dinner instead of seeing it."
Andrew and Charley followed her inside.
The art on the walls immediately grabbed Andrew's attention. There was a painting of an alien with snakes coming out of its mouth. A centipede had the head of a human baby. A print of a chess board had squares that receded into infinity. Tonya owned sculptures, too, including a human skull covered in gold paint.
"Strange art," Andrew said.
"Thank you." She smiled. "Let's go into the dining room."
The group went into a room with a large, wooden dining table. There were hundreds of clocks on shelves and on the floor, and they spanned the range from pocket watches to antique grandfather clocks. Most were running, and the ticking noises filled the air. As far as Andrew could tell, none of them had the right time.
"What are all the clocks for?"
"To provide regularity," Tonya said.
"You should set them so they're right."
"That would be pointless."
He stared at her in dismay.
A nice meal was already laid out on the table. There were roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli, fresh baked bread, and a big bowl of salad. The simple foods looked and smelled a lot better than the bland garbage the school cafeteria fed him every day.
The food occupied one end of the table, and props for magic tricks covered the other end. There were balls, cups, ropes, rings, wands, and top hats. Andrew couldn't help but think about the Black Magus Society. Maybe Agent Lees was right.
A man in a nice brown suit walked into the room, and Andrew guessed he was Frank Akin. He had short, straight, brown hair. His gaunt, creased face didn't reveal a flicker of emotion. Andrew was tall, but Frank was even taller and beefy besides. He obviously worked out on a regular basis. He walked with a straight back and a puffed-out chest like a soldier.
"Hi," he said without smiling. "I'm Frank. You must be Andrew. Nice to meet you."
Andrew shook Frank's hand. "You have a beautiful home."
"Thanks."
"It's big. Do you have kids?"
"No." Frank shook his head. "My darling wife likes to be close to her work, and there was nothing closer."
He put his arm around Tonya and pulled her close, but the gesture struck Andrew as uncomfortable, and she tensed slightly. She kissed Frank lightly on the cheek.
"I noticed," Andrew said. "My dorm is further away."
"Why don't we get started on dinner? Tonya spent the afternoon cooking, and I had to smell it. Now I'm starving."
Frank didn't strike Andrew as any kind of criminal mastermind. His mood was somewhat friendly. Maybe this won't be so bad, Andrew thought.
They sat at the table and started eating. He discovered the food tasted as good as it looked. He was well into his second helping before anybody else finished their first. He slowed down when he realized he was go
rging like a pig.
"What do you do for a living, Mr. Akin?" Andrew said.
"I'm a magician," Frank said. "I perform all over the country. I'll be in Las Vegas next week."
"That's great! Could you do a few tricks for me?"
"Sorry. I'm off-duty, but I'm sure Tonya won't mind. She loves to entertain."
Tonya smiled. "Of course, but I'm surprised you haven't asked about the scholarship, Andrew. Don't you want to know my decision?"
Andrew had so much else on his mind, he had almost forgotten about the scholarship. He realized he needed to play his role better.
"Yes," he said eagerly.
"To be honest, I'm still gathering information."
"Oh." Then why did you bring it up?
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure I'll have an answer for you very soon. In the meantime, maybe I will do a trick or two."
Tonya retrieved a rope and a pair of scissors from the far end of the table. She let Andrew examine the rope, and it seemed ordinary enough. He gave it a few tugs to prove it wasn't broken.
"Now watch closely," she said.
She wrapped the rope around her hand several times. Then she used the scissors to cut the rope. She opened her hand, and he expected it to fall to pieces, but instead, it was still whole. She held a single rope between her fingers.
Andrew clapped. "Wow! That was good!" He didn't have to pretend to be impressed.
"It was nothing." Tonya waved her hand dismissively. "An amateur could do it. I'll perform one more trick, and then we'll finish eating."
She grabbed four metal cups and a wooden ball. She moved the cups around rapidly, passing the ball back and forth. Her quick, sure movements were hypnotic.
"Are you familiar with quantum mechanics?" she said.
The question surprised Andrew. "No," he said. "I'm still in Physics 101."
"It's an absolutely fascinating subject. Most people think it's just a lot of hard math, but it's really about the nature of reality. The philosophical implications are profound."
Tonya placed a cup over the ball and stacked the other cups on top. She tapped the stack with her finger. When she lifted the top cup, the ball was there. It had somehow jumped up through all the cups.
"For example," she said, "quantum mechanics tells us there is no fixed truth. Observations define reality. We change things just by looking at them. Where is the ball?"
She spread out the cups and put the ball under the one on the left. Andrew pointed at that cup. She lifted the cup and showed him it was empty inside.
"Consider the humble electron. It can be in two places at once." Tonya lifted two cups on the right and revealed two identical balls. "When we measure its location, it has to choose." She put down the two cups and picked them up again, but now the ball was under just one. "But it can change later." She put the cups down and lifted the one on the left, and the ball was there now.
Andrew stared. She was very good.
"Which begs the question. What is real? Is it all in our minds? Is everything just a magic trick?" She knocked over all four cups, and the ball was gone. It seemed to have disappeared. "What's in your water glass?"
He looked down at his glass and saw the ball floating on the water. His jaw dropped.
Frank clapped politely. "Well done, dear."
"Thank you, darling." Tonya curtsied.
Andrew shook himself. He remembered he was here for reasons besides entertainment.
"Mind if I use the bathroom?" He gave Charley a meaningful look.
She nodded slightly.
"Go ahead." Tonya pointed to a doorway.
He hurried out of the dining room. He immediately spotted the bathroom at the end of the hall, but he was more interested in a flight of stairs. After making sure nobody was watching, he padded up to the second story.
The lights were off, but Andrew didn't dare turn them on. He took a moment to let his eyes adjust while his heart raced.
There were several rooms, and he started with the closest one. He silently went in, closed the door, and turned on the lights. He found himself in a bedroom. The walls were painted a shocking pink, and stuffed animals formed a pile on the bed. It was definitely a bedroom just for a woman, and he wondered if Frank slept separately.
The words "GET THROUGH THE DAY" were painted on the ceiling in block letters. Andrew stared at them curiously for a moment.
He didn't want to go through the drawers because that was an invasion of privacy. He stuck a bug under the bed to appease the FBI. He turned off the lights and left.
The next room was an office. He smiled, expecting to find evidence here if it was anywhere.
There were a lot of textbooks on the shelves. He saw a weird mix of titles from physics, psychology, philosophy, chemistry, and stage magic. The strange art theme continued in the office, but the selection was even more disturbing. There was a painting of a man pointing a gun at his own head. Another showed playful elves feasting on something pink, but he didn't take a closer look.
These people are sick, Andrew thought.
He went to the desk. It was a big, old, wooden monstrosity with lots of drawers. He quickly rifled through them, but he only found ordinary paperwork. There were tax returns, receipts, bank statements, and so on.
Andrew paused. He's a magician. The good stuff will be in a secret compartment.
He went through the desk again, but he looked in all the nooks and crannies this time. He used his hands as well as his eyes. He found a switch hidden underneath where it couldn't be seen. He pressed it, and a panel on the side of the desk popped open.
"What are you doing?" a woman said.
Andrew almost jumped out of his skin. He turned and saw Tonya standing at the doorway.
"Uh... uh..."
"You were taking forever in the bathroom," she said. "I was starting to wonder if you had fallen in."
"I guess I got lost on the way."
"I'd say so. What's that?"
Tonya walked over and stood near the secret compartment. She pulled out papers that looked like blueprints.
"What are those?" Andrew said in a forcibly calm voice. His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.
She furrowed her brow. "Plans for the main safe in the Luxor Hotel in Vegas. Why the hell does Frank have these?" She looked at him. "Who sent you? What's going on?"
He didn't know if he could tell her the truth. She was acting innocent, but that wasn't proof he could trust her. More than once, she had demonstrated an ability to trick him. He remained silent.
Tonya narrowed her eyes. "Talk to me, or I'll tell the police you tried to rob me."
"I'll tell them about the plans for the safe."
"Is that a threat?"
"I just think you should be worrying about your husband instead of me," Andrew said. "Those are his blueprints."
She thought for a moment. Then she snorted angrily, turned, and walked off. He followed cautiously, curious about what she would do.
They went back downstairs.
Tonya threw the blueprints onto the table in front of Frank. "What is this?"
He picked up the papers, and his eyes widened. "How did you find these?"
"Mr. Nosy-pants discovered the compartment." She pointed at Andrew.
Frank glared at Andrew. "Clever boy."
"Answer the question!" Tonya yelled.
Andrew glanced at Charley. She was standing stiffly with wide eyes and her hands held up defensively.
"I'm afraid I have only one answer for you," Frank said.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. He aimed at Tonya's head.
Andrew reacted instinctively. He tackled Frank, knocking the gun out of his hand. Andrew tried to wrestle with Frank, but the man was bigger and stronger. Andrew was losing his grip when another pair of hands came to his aid. Charley had a fierce expression on her face as she tried to hold Frank down. With her and Andrew working together, they had the advantage.
"Tonya, go o
utside!" Andrew yelled. "Call for help! The FBI is waiting out there!"
"I don't think so," Tonya said calmly.
He looked over at her. She was holding a small gun aimed at his head.
He and Charley slowly disengaged from Frank.
"So the FBI sent you," Tonya said. "I should've guessed."
Frank retrieved his gun, straightened his jacket, and joined his wife.
Panic was clawing at the back of Andrew's mind. There was a good chance he was about to die.
"What about the White Magus Society?" Charley said in a hysterical tone. "You told me you were heroes!"
Tonya rolled her eyes. "Grow up, girl. That story was just meant to keep you quiet while I taught you tricks. I was going to tell you the truth when you were mature enough to hear it."
"But..."
"Seriously, only an idiot would fight crime with magic tricks. That's why they invented guns! Now, no harm has been done. If you want to keep your plush scholarship, you won't tell the FBI a damn thing. Pretend nothing happened tonight. I'll even throw in some extra spending money. Will fifty grand satisfy you?"
Charley bit her lip. "That's a lot of money."
"Yes," Tonya said, "and it's just the first paycheck of a long career."
Charley appeared to be considering the proposal, and Andrew felt crushing disappointment. He had thought much better of her.
"What about you?" Tonya asked Andrew. "You want the same deal? A free education and lots of cash. Let's make it an even hundred grand. The hotel robbery will be a big payday for everybody. All you have to do is play ball. Otherwise..." She pulled back the trigger on the gun.
He didn't know what to do. She appeared ready and willing to shoot him. Frank had an ugly sneer on his face.
Andrew remembered something the FBI had told him yesterday. Never trust appearances. Understanding dawned.
"This is another test," he said slowly. "None of this is real."
Tonya cocked her head. "Why do you say that?"
"The FBI would never use a couple of untrained, unarmed amateurs to take down a criminal mastermind. They would never have me look for evidence without a search warrant. The Black and White Magus stuff is obviously a load of crap. Magicians don't form secret societies to commit elaborate crimes. You fooled me before, but you won't fool me again."