The Black Circle - 39 Clues 05

by Patrick Carman

  "That sounds right," said Dan. Two seconds later, he bolted upright and turned to his sister with a big grin."Hey! You know what this means? You and I are on our way to the scene of a murder!"* * *

  Six rows back, Irina Spasky put down the newspaper she was hiding behind and frowned. She had walked past Dan and Amy's seat, shrouded in dark sunglasses and a low-brimmed hat, and planted a wireless mic. Every word, every stupid, dangerous idea Amy and Dan had discussed came through loud and clear.

  The young Kabras are maniacs and the young Cahills are suicidal, she thought. And now I must track them across Russia and protect old secrets instead of hunting down new clues. She clicked her tongue in disgust and reflected on how much she disliked children. But her chest tightened in automatic protest. There was a child, a long, long time ago, she had liked very much.

  CHAPTER 6

  Sleeping on the train gave Dan and Amy an electric energy when they hit the pavement in St. Petersburg. Why go to a hotel when there were palaces to be broken into?"We need to go that way," said Amy, the crisp evening air filling her with new excitement as she made her way down the bustling platform.

  They had arrived at Moskovsky Station, less than two miles from the palace, and decided to walk rather than risk another cab ride.

  "There's a whole cluster of palaces along the banks of the Moika River. Yusupov is one of them.""You should be a tour guide," said Dan.

  "Lead the way."Soon they were outside following Nevsky Prospekt, an eight-lane avenue. Seventeenth-century pastel buildings and newly constructed stores stood side by side, competing for space in thriving twenty-first-century Russia.

  "Dan," said Amy, jerking her brother's hand. "I think someone is tailing us."

  Dan glanced over his shoulder."The man in black," he whispered.It was unquestionably him. The dark coat and hat, the gliding way he moved, the craggy face full of shadows. He was unmistakable.Amy and Dan broke into a run, darting between pedestrians on the busy sidewalk.

  Their movements seemed to set the world in motion. A truck barreled across two lanes, heading directly for them. Dan sped up, but Amy froze in her tracks. The truck swerved near the curb and an envelope came hurtling out the passenger window, landing in the gutter at Amy's feet."Watch where you're going, you big jerk!" yelled Dan.

  A lot of people turned to stare at him as the truck sped back into traffic and disappeared around a corner."He's gone," said Amy, her voice trembling in the night air. Had the man in black made the truck move?

  Either way, just as mysteriously as he had appeared, the man in black had vanished."I think we should keep going," said Dan.

  "That dude could be anywhere."Amy nodded and they hurried down Nevsky Prospekt. Dan ripped open the envelope as they went."What's it say?" asked Amy.

  As Dan read the letter aloud, Amy could almost feel the night getting blacker around them." 'Time is running out.

  You need to move faster. You are being followed, and I don't mean the Madrigal.

  When your pursuers show themselves, give them this map to throw them off track and be on your way. You must enter the palace at night and find Rasputin. Follow the orange snake. NRR.The man in black is a Madrigal! Do you realize what this means? We're dead. Dead, dead, dead!" Dan yelped."At least we got another note from NRR," said

  Amy. "We're hot on the trail of something ... I just wish we knew what it was."She put her hand on Dan's shoulder as if to steady both of them."I think we should keep going, don't you? It's not like we have a lot of choices here. And besides, the man in black is gone," Amy said."Okay, let's assume he's actually hit the road, which I doubt. So what?

  Apparently, there's someone else tailing us, not just him. It could be anyone, but it's probably someone who wants to drop a piano on our heads!""Chances are it's another team, that's all I'm saying.

  And besides, NRR gave us something to keep them busy.""Maybe he wants to get us away from everyone else so we're an easier target," Dan argued. "Did you think of that? What if the picture of Mom and Dad is just a trick to get us totally off on our own?"Amy paused. "Dan, I hate to tell you this, but we've been on our own for awhile now."

  The truth of that silenced them both.

  Amy took the letter from Dan. Across the bottom there was an elaborate map of St. Petersburg with a dotted line winding through it. It ended across two canals in an entirely different part of the city. Amy tore the map free from the rest of the letter.

  "See? It looks like a trail leading somewhere important, but it's a wild goose chase. All we have to do is give it to whoever is tailing us when they show themselves, then they leave us alone for awhile.

  Maybe NRR is trying to isolate us, but the photo ... I want to know what it means."Amy could see Dan had run out of steam. He took a half-empty box of Skittles out of his back pocket and dumped about twenty of them in his mouth, chomping morosely.

  "If we can just get inside the palace, I know what NRR means about Rasputin. There's a reenactment exhibit inside. It's all about when they tried to kill him, the stuff I was telling you," Amy coaxed."Suppose I gotta see that," said Dan, getting reluctantly excited again at the thought of an unkillable monk.

  Amy smiled.

  "Okay! Now all we have to do is find a snake to follow."* * *

  It was nearly eleven o'clock by the time Dan and Amy approached Yusupov Palace. Things were starting to wind down along the quiet banks of the Moika, a river that ran along the front of the three-story palace of yellow and white. A few pedestrians strolled here and there along the embankment rail, and the occasional headlights came toward them, but other than that, the area was deserted.

  The Yusupov Palace stretched along the river with thirty darkened windows on each level staring out onto the Moika. There was a giant arched entryway at the very center of the building, and three tall white columns on each side of the door."Somehow I don't think the door is going to be open," said Dan. "Should we try a window?"Amy walked along the front of the palace, looking for anything that might resemble a snake."Amy," called Dan.

  He'd crossed the street to get a better look at the narrow river. It was only about sixty feet to the other side, where windowed buildings and houses lined a street similar to the one he stood on.

  Amy arrived next to Dan and stared out into the black water."Do you see it?" asked Dan."See what?"Dan pointed into the center of the waterway, where a glowing orange snake danced on the shimmering water. It was small, no more than a foot across. Dan followed a laser beam of light up and over the edge on the other side of the river. There, in one of the windows, he found what he was looking for: the shadow of someone in a room high above the water, pointing a laser out the window.

  "It's moving," said Amy. And sure enough, when Dan looked back down, the orange snake was slithering across the water toward them."This is creepy," said Amy. "But cool. It's the kind of hint no one else can get.

  When it's gone, it's gone. If we can just follow it and get inside, no one else will know what to look for."The orange snake had reached the embankment wall, and Dan and Amy had to lean over the rail to see it rising out of the water along the concrete slabs. As it came closer, they could tell it was no ordinary laser beam.

  It was moving a thousand times a second, creating a 2-D hologram of a snake as it slid along the stones.

  "NRR has some cool toys," said Dan as the snake cleared the rail and arrived on the palace wall behind them."It's jumped the street!" said Amy.

  "We're going to lose it!"The snake was moving faster now. It flew past the main door, along a row of windows, then crawled up the wall to the second story. When it hit the third window from the end, it slithered back and forth along the sill.Amy glanced back in the direction of the window across the river. It made her nervous to think that someone was probably watching them through binoculars.

  "Come on," Amy whispered, tearing her attention back to the palace. "I bet that window's our way inside.”

  Dan and Amy stood below the window, which was a good ten feet over their he
ads. The palace wall was as flat as a pancake."Even Spider-Man couldn't climb this thing," said Dan."Oh, yes he could," said Amy.

  The orange snake had moved up another level, where a third row of windows hung low over a decorative facade. When the snake stopped, they heard a pop from the other side of the river.

  A split second later, something hit the facade and a spark flew."That thing is attached to a gun!" said Amy."Not a gun," Dan corrected her.

  "A gun would have been way louder. Look!"A coil of rope was falling from where the snake had been.

  It rolled all the way down the side of the wall and dangled straight over the window they were to enter."Sweet!" said Dan."Dan, wait!" said Amy. She could hear a couple talking as they passed by, and a set of headlights was coming toward them."Just act casual," said Amy. "Pretend it's not there."Dan and Amy started walking away from the rope until they passed the couple, nodding hello as they went.

  The car moved on as well.

  "Um, Amy," said Dan. "Yeah?""I think NRR wants us to get up that rope right now."Dan was staring down at his own heart, where the orange snake had come to rest."The coast must be clear.

  He can see a lot better than we can from up there. Come on!"Amy went first, holding the rope as she walked up the wall to the wide windowsill."Hurry, Dan!"Amy pushed on the window, and it opened like a door on hinges. She darted through, leaning her head out to watch for cars as Dan pulled himself up.

  "Headlights!" she said, grabbing Dan by his hoodie and yanking him inside. Dan lost his balance and toppled inside onto the marble floor, bashing his knee and howling in pain."Shhhhh!" said Amy, closing the window behind them. "There might be a security guard in the palace."

  "I can't help it if you tried to break my neck getting in here!"Dan stood up and tried to put pressure on his knee. "I'm going to have a monster bruise, but everything's still working. Where to now?""The main floor in the east wing," said Amy. "This way."

  Amy had already scanned the guidebook and figured out the general location of the Rasputin exhibit. They passed through darkened rooms filled with expensive art and furniture."Looks like these royals liked nice stuff," said Dan.

  "The Yusupovs were known for their good taste. They spent millions on redecorating and rebuilding projects."As they made their way down a wide flight of purple-velvet-carpeted stairs, Amy heard a thump behind them."Did you hear that?" she asked."I think someone followed us in here. Hurry!"Amy and Dan bolted down the stairs and turned a hard right.

  They passed under a tall archway and hung a left, ending up in front of a roped-off hallway."This is it," said Amy. She ducked under the rope and Dan followed. Another turn to the left and they arrived in an open, dimly lit room.

  It was as if they'd stepped back in time to witness a murder. Everything from the night of Rasputin's death was meticulously re-created. There were sculptures and pictures, and best of all, two rooms with life-size wax figures.

  "There he is," said Amy. In a room behind a yellow rope, Rasputin was sitting down at a table, eating the poisoned cakes that had been set before him."Come on, Dan. The trail leads to Rasputin. I'll check his pockets."

  “I'll check under the table."Amy braced herself and then reached into the thick black robes, her face just inches from Rasputin's wax head with its bushy beard and fixed, staring eyes.A deep Russian voice behind her said,

  "You have made a grave error in coming here."* * *

  Dan tried to stand up from under the table and banged his head, sending saucers and cups clinking in the quiet room."Come away from there, both of you."Dan recognized the voice immediately.

  "Irina! What are you doing here?""Children do not outsmart me in my own country.

  "Dan looked at Amy and tried, without much luck, to read her frightened face. Did you get anything?"Come, show me what you have found," said Irina.

  "I do not plan to hurt you."Even in the shadowy light, Dan could see Irina was in her usual cheerless mood. He didn't trust her for one second."I think we'll stay right here if you don't mind," said Amy."Suit yourself. But you do not leave without answering a few questions. And you will give me what you have found."

  Dan didn't have the map NRR had given them, and he wondered when Amy was going to spring it on Irina.

  What's she waiting for?"Who is helping you?" asked Irina. She deliberately toyed with her fingernails, and Dan flinched at the reminder of the poison they contained."No one's helping us.

  We're just smarter than you are," said Dan, his eyes on his frozen sister."You think I didn't see the snake? You think I didn't hear everything you said on the train from Volgograd? You're not so smart, little man.

  "Dan started. She's tailed us since Volgograd?!"You believe someone is trying to help you? Ridiculous!" continued Irina. "It's a trap! If you persist with this game, it will only lead to disaster.

  This person you are following? They will kill you once you've done their bidding."Like you tried to kill us in Paris? thought Dan. He spotted a butter knife on the table and wondered if it would do any good to grab for it. If only he had real ninja moves."I ask you once more. Who is helping you?"

  "Here," said Amy, finally emerging from her trance. She held out the map. "This is what we just found. You can have it. I haven't even looked at it yet. But can we at least share the information?"Irina snatched the paper from Amy's hand and held it open in the soft light of the room. She let out a furious hiss.

  "It is worse than I thought," she warned, raising her arctic eyes to the children. "You two are in grave danger.

  You must believe me. Tell me! Who is helping you?!"For a second, Dan was almost taken in. He couldn't possibly trust her, and yet ... something in her face registered a different kind of distress.

  The moment passed in a flash, and Irina reverted to her typical grim resolve. She took a step toward Dan and Amy and curved one hand, her fingernail injectors gleaming menace."He didn't give us a name," said Dan.

  "We're following a lead, that's all. But if you don't share that piece of paper with us it's over. We'll lose the trail. Just tell us what it says and we'll go!"Irina seemed almost satisfied. "If this person contacts you again, don't listen to him.

  He will kill you in the end. You must leave Russia and never come back. If you do not believe me, it is not my fault. But it is your death."Irina backed off, shoving the map into her coat."Let's go, both of you. March!"

  Dan and Amy hustled out of the exhibit with Irina close behind. She barked out directions until they reached the main entrance. Irina tapped out a code on her phone, held it up to an electronic alarm on the wall, and the huge wooden door clicked. She ushered Dan and Amy out into the cool night.

  Once on the street, Irina hesitated, then seemed to make up her mind. "That map leads to secrets people would kill to protect," said Irina. She shut the door and started walking away.

  "Leave now, alive. Someday you'll thank me."Dan and Amy watched her leave with open mouths, feeling like two small fish that have watched a great white shark swim by. Then they came to their senses and hustled along the canal in the opposite direction.

  When Dan was sure they'd lost Irina, he put a hand on Amy's arm."Did you find what NRR wanted us to find?"He held his breath. If Amy hadn't discovered anything hidden on Rasputin, they were at a dead end."I got it," said Amy.

  "And that's not all. There was something about the exhibit that's got me very curious. I think we're one step closer to figuring out who NRR is."Amy reached into her pocket and pulled out the next piece of the puzzle.

  CHAPTER 7

  Amy was fine with a little bit of luxury if the opportunity presented itself, but the Russians took decadence to a whole new level.

  "How did I ever let you talk me into this?" she asked, staring at a grand piano in the middle of their hotel suite.

  They'd taken the risk of hailing a cab, after which Dan had held up his Visa gold card and said, "Take us to the best hotel in St. Pete's."They'd arrived at the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the fanciest hotels in all of Russia.


  But as they entered the $2,000-a-night suite, Dan decided it wasn't up to snuff."What a rip-off!" said Dan. "Sixty-eight thousand rubles and there's no pinball machine?"Dan raced from room to room, past all the expensive furniture and paintings.

  "They don't even have a big-screen TV or a Coke machine!"

  "It has two nice big beds and unlimited room service. Works for me," said Amy, rubbing a small item between her fingers.

  It was the object she'd discovered in Rasputin's pocket at the palace: an oblong wooden token painted with a coat of arms and a set of words:

  WHERE HE LOOKS NO MAN SHOULD FEARCRIMINALS BE NOT PUNISHED HERE

  She'd understood the words right away, a reference to one of her favorite books. Criminals be not punished here had to mean Dostoevsky's classic Crime and Punishment.

  Amy loved her books big and sprawling, and this thing was a doorstop.It was Dan, with his keen eye and incredible memory, who had recognized the coat of arms. The Russian guidebook had a whole section on heraldry.

  He'd correctly identified this one as belonging to Omsk, the very place the Holts were headed. Too bad they were being tailed by the Kabras.Amy pulled out Nellie's phone and charger and searched for an outlet.

  They'd been too busy to contact Nellie, and the growing guilt had been knotting Amy's stomach for hours."I can't believe we let her worry about us for the entire day and night. For all she knows, we're still out looking for doughnuts in Cairo."When she glanced over, she saw that Dan was on the hotel phone dialing room service. He had a giant68English-Russian menu spread across his lap.

  Amy shook her head as she plugged in the phone and watched the little screen do its start-up dance."You don't have PB and J on the menu, either? Rich people food is no fun!" said Dan. He'd also

  asked for orange soda, chocolate chip cookies, and onion rings."I'm calling Nellie," Amy interrupted. "Do you want to listen in?""Hang on," said Dan. He hung up, grabbed his laptop and the power cord, and joined Amy on the floor.

  The two of them sat next to each other, the wall outlet between them."All this beautiful furniture and we're sitting on the floor. What's wrong with us?" asked Amy."I guess we're not too good at living the high life.