The Girl in the Box
May. 20th, 2026 05:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mynextchapterA young man in khakis and a brightly-colored shirt stood in the large meeting room of the library. "Hello everyone. I'm Michael, and Ms. Rose invited me to tell you about the Magic of Reading." A table with some props stood over to one side, while a table of library books was positioned behind him. "When I was about your age, a magician came to my school and performed a magic show. I was amazed, and I wanted to learn how to do it, too. Now where would you go if you wanted to learn how to do something?"
He called on several children: "Your parents!" "School!" "YouTube!"
"YouTube?!" He laughed. "Believe it or not, I was born before YouTube existed! I know, that makes me a dinosaur!" They laughed. "But no, I went to my local library!" He looked over at the librarian. "Ms. Rose, can you help me out with something? I'll pretend to be a magician, and you pretend to be a librarian." The crowd chuckled. "I went up to my librarian and asked, 'Can you help me?' And she said ..."
"Of course!" Ms. Rose replied. "How can I help?"
"Wow. You're good," Mike replied. "Have you been practicing? I told her, 'I want to learn about magic.' And she asked me what kind I was interested in."
"What kind of magic do you like?" Ms. Rose replied. "Card tricks? Coins? Stage magic?"
"Wow. If this librarian gig doesn't work out, you should get into acting! So ... so, Mrs. Librarian ... lady. I like all kinds of magic, but I especially like cards. W- would you like to see my favorite card trick?"
"Of course."
"OK." He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket and fanned them. "Pick a card ... And show it around so they can help you remember, but don't let me see it!" He shielded his eyes, then he held out half of the deck. "OK. Put your card face-down on top of this pile and I'll see if I can find it." She did. He slapped the other half of the deck on top then froze. He turned the cards face-up, thumbed through them a bit. "Uh .... would you like to see my second favorite card trick?!"
Everybody laughed.
"No, I can get it I think." He looked at Ms. Rose. "Just concentrate real hard and I'll see if I can read your mind." He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. "I'm seeing ... a red card."
He opened his eyes and looked at her. She shook her head no.
"What do you mean? They're all red!" He held up the backs of the cards and everyone laughed.
"OK, no. So .... I'm getting it now. Black Card ... Either a three-leafed-clover thingy or .... SPADE. It's a spade." She nodded. "OK. Concentrate just a little longer." He held out his hand toward her. "I'm not gonna touch your head, that would be weird." Suddenly he snapped 3 times. "Was that it? The 3 of Spades?" She nodded and the crowd cheered.
"Thank you! Let's have a big hand for Ms. Rose!" The audience continued to cheer as she took her seat. "After I showed her my favorite card trick, she told me about her favorite card. And it wasn't the 3 of Spades or Queen of Hearts. It was this." He fanned the cards and pulled out a flat square of plastic from the middle. "A library card. And she told me, 'With this card, you can be riding on a unicorn one minute and swimming with dolphins the next. You can go to ancient castles or planets on the other side of the galaxy! And that's just fiction books. Over in this section," he gestured toward biographies, "you can read the life stories of famous people. Over there, you can read about historic events that happened even before your grandparents were born. And in this section, you can learn how to cook, how to draw, or even how to do magic tricks." He brought out several magic books from behind him. "And that's where it really took off. I checked out as many books as she'd let me, took them all home, and read them over and over. I found some tricks I wanted to learn, and I practiced them over and over. Since then, I've met some magicians who have helped me learn things or sold me some things you couldn't find in libraries, but it all started here. And for the next few minutes, I'm going to show you some of the tricks I learned -- and that you yourselves can learn -- from books in this library or from other branches in this county.
"We'll start here." He picked up a book on rope magic. A red ribbon bookmark was hanging out of it. He picked up one end of the ribbon and pulled on it until he had about 5 or 6 feet of it hanging from his hand. He performed a couple of 'rope' tricks with the ribbon before switching to coins, cards, and other things.
At the end, he said, "Thank you for letting me come and entertain you for a bit. If you want to get a library card, or check out a book, or want help finding a book, talk to Ms. Rose. If you have questions about magic, you can ask her, or come find me. I'll be around for a little while. And I believe they're ready --" He glanced at Ms. Rose who nodded. "Outside on the front patio you'll find cupcakes. Thank you again and enjoy your summer reading!"
Several people thanked him for the show and for coming, then one little girl stopped by. He knelt down beside her. "Hello," he smiled. "I'm glad you came. Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah." She gazed down at the floor.
He looked up at her mom who nodded. "You look sad. May I ask what's wrong?"
"You said anybody can do magic."
"Of course! It takes some practice, but anybody can if they work at it."
"Well my friends say girls aren't supposed to."
"Oh, that's not true at all. In fact, my friend Jamie ..." A young lady across the room perked up when she heard her name, and she came over. "My friend Jamie not only does magic, she does it professionally like I do -- except she's much better than me."
"Really?"
"I really do," Jamie replied, kneeling down beside her. "What's your name?"
" 'lizabeth."
"Well 'lizabeth, my name is Ms. Jamie. And what kind of magic do you like to do?"
"Card tricks ... like the one Mr. Mike did. 'cept I use a mind-reading bunny!" She slammed a plush bunny on top of Jamie's head.
------
On their way out, Mike asked, "Aren't you glad you came?"
"I guess so."
" 'lizabeth was certainly glad you did."
"She was a plant, wasn't she?"
"A pl-- no, I had no idea she was going to be there. I have another show Wednesday and one Friday, if you want to come."
"I don't know."
"And you're welcome to perform for part of the set, if you want to. I'd just like to practice a bit to get our timing right."
"I'll think about it."
"I'll even give you half of what I earn."
"Half?"
"Heck, I'll give you all of it ... I don't charge the library for my shows." She shoved him and laughed.
Wednesday, he performed at another branch, and Jamie showed up to watch. That afternoon and the following day, they worked on a joint show and presented it Friday.
Jamie held up a multi-colored toy. "Anybody recognize what this is?" Jamie asked. Multiple people in the crowd shouted back. "That's right, it's a toy older than you! Also known as a Rubik's Cube." She tossed it out into the audience. "Now check it out, mix it up, pass it around, just don't take it apart. Back when I was younger, there were no YouTube videos or online websites that taught you how to solve it, so I just peeled the stickers off and reapplied them. But don't do that either! Just mix it up a bit and toss it around.
"Now Mr. Mike here has learned how to solve a cube, so if you could hand it back to him when you're done ... Thank you. Does it look sufficiently mixed?" He nodded. "Good." She looked at him. "OK, someone start a stopwatch."
"Since we're in a library, I will tell you there are books here all about the history of the Rubik's cube with methods on how to solve them. So if you want to learn how to solve it like Mr. Mike, you can find it in that section over there. There are speed-cubing ways to solve them, or more intuitive methods, like the one he's using now. Before the show, Mike said he can normally solve a cube in under three minutes." She looked over at him. "How are we doing?"
He shuffled the last few pieces in place. "Done."
Someone in the audience shouted back, "Two minutes and forty seven seconds." The crowd cheered.
"So his was solved in just under 3 minutes." She picked up another cube and casually showed the scrambled sides while talking. "The world record right now is just under three SECONDS. I can't beat either of those, but with magic, you could do it ..." she tossed the cube in the air and caught it. "In under a second." The crowd cheered.
"With a little bit of magic, and a little imagination, anything is possible!"
------
On their way out, Mike said, "Thank you again for being a part today."
"Yeah, I had fun."
"And my other offer still stands."
She unlocked her car and sat down. "I ..." she let out a sigh. "I don't know."
"And that's OK." He leaned over and gave her a one-arm hug. "Take care, and I'll see you around."
------
A week later, Jamie was wrapping up a show at her favorite venue.
"... And remember that photo I showed you at the beginning, me heading to my first ever performance?" She flashed a photo up on the screen. "Did anybody notice the license plate?" She zoomed in. "And check out the white board of random letters and numbers you as an audience came up with throughout the show ... 131 GJP" The crowd cheered. "Thank you, Columbus!" She took a bow.
She looked around the audience, looked up at the lights, then glanced around the stage. Then she whispered to herself, "Gosh, I'm gonna miss this."
She took a deep breath then continued. "And now things have come full-circle for this little Georgia girl. That was in fact a picture from my first magic show, and ... yes, the rumors are true, this is my last show. At least, my last performing as 'Jamie Presto!' I have accepted ..." she looked around the room and found Mike sitting in the audience "... am accepting, right now as we speak, an offer a friend made me. He and I will be joining forces, as partners. What that looks like, I'm not 100% sure, but keep an eye out in town and on Social Media. Until then, remember the real magic is inside each of us!" The crowd cheered, she took another bow, then quickly stepped off the stage into the shadows.
She and Mike met up backstage. "You did wonderful as always," he said. She tried to smile, her eyes welling up a little. "Oh, and this is for you." He handed her an envelope.
"What's this?"
"It's from the library."
"But you said they don't pay you."
"I said I don't charge them. The librarians at the various branches decided to take up a collection, and I'm giving it to you."
"Mike, I can't ..."
"Please." He handed it to her. "I don't know how much it is, but it's all yours."
"Thank you," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around him, finally allowing her tears to flow.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"I say, we pack up your stuff, lock up the place, and go out for dessert."
"OK, but it's my treat," she insisted.
------------------
A couple of summers later, they found themselves sitting on a brightly-lit platform with a pair of news anchors. Some jazzy music played and one of the anchors started off, "Good morning, Kingsport! I'm Craig ..."
"And I'm Judy," the other anchor replied.
Craig continued. "They've performed across the southeast, and now they're in our town for the grand opening of the Lady Street Theatre. Welcome Michael Prentice and Jamie Preston of MJ Magic!"
"Thank you," Mike replied.
"Glad to be here," Jamie added.
"When most people hear 'magician'," Craig said, "they either think of an old guy in a suit pulling a rabbit out of a top hat, or some big flashy stage illusions like David Copperfield, or around here, the slightly 'darker' magic of our own Vincent Crowe. Where do you two fit on the spectrum?"
"Somewhere in the middle," Mike replied. "Vince does 'Grand Illusions' that play better for large arenas or big stages. We perform what the industry calls 'Parlor Magic'. It's smaller stage, things like cards, ropes, coins, some smaller props." He laughed. "You're more likely to see me cut a rope in half than saw a lady in half."
Speaking of that," he turned to Jamie, "where do you fit into this duo?"
"Well," Jamie replied, "I like to say I'm not just the lady in the box. In fact, we don't even have boxes that I go in for our shows. I do my own magic. Some tricks we do together, but sometimes we trade off -- Mike will do a couple, then I'll come in and do a few. It depends on the story we're trying to convey with our show."
"What kind of stories do you tell with your magic?" Judy asked.
"It depends on the event," Mike replied. "We do a library show that's about the Magic of Reading."
"Corporate Events," Jamie added, "are either about empowering the individual or a more comedy-filled routine if the event is just a fun break from a tough work-week."
"And of course for our soldiers," Mike finished, "it's both 'enjoy your time state-side' and 'thank you for all you do'."
"And what sort of 'story' can we expect from your show this weekend?"
"The Lady Street Theatre has a long history," Jamie replied. "Vaudeville, movies, even being used for church services for a part of its life. So our show will be paying tribute to the old but it'll end with a look forward to the future."
"I hear Clark Davis hand-picked you two for the opening."
"Yes. Clark and I go way back," Mike replied. "He and his team have done a wonderful job restoring this old theater back to its former glory. And when he thought of the Grand Opening, he didn't want some large, modern stage show, he wanted a smaller, more intimate show that would fit the venue's size and style. And I believe Jamie and I have put together a show that will do it justice and make him proud."
"So what's the agenda for the week?"
"We'll be around town all week," Mike replied. "There's a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at 6:00. They've shut down the whole block. There's going to be a jazz band, photo albums and scrapbooks, snacks and treats, and a speech by the mayor."
"Then Friday," Jamie added, "is the Grand Opening. Doors open at 6:00, show starts at 7:00. And Saturday night we'll have an encore performance, same show, same time."
"Can you show us a little something from your performance?"
"While renovating the theatre, Clark found an old window poster for Dante the Magician." Mike reached beside his chair and brought out a large plastic sleeve with something inside. "Now of course he's going to either display the poster on-site or donate it to the museum, but he did have a copy made that I could show off here." He pulled the poster out of the sleeve and held it up.
"Mike," Jamie asked, "Are you sure that's the copy and not the original?"
"Of course," Mike replied, looking it over. "Although it does look a little yellow around the edges. I guess he duplicated that as well?" Mike offered it to Craig. "Here, would you like to take a ..." As Craig reached for it, a piece of it ripped off in Mike's hands and Craig caught the rest of it.
"I'm sorry," Craig said. "I didn't ..."
"No, it's my fault." Mike gently took it back. "Dante was famous for his magic shows around the world, but he did stop here in Kingsport ..." Mike pointed to the poster and a chunk fell off the bottom. "Well, that's a little too realistic. Here," he handed what was left to Judy. "Do you want to take a look?"
"I ... guess?" she replied.
Jamie bent down and picked up a little yellow piece of paper. "Um, Mike ..."
"I'm trying to tell them about Dante ..."
"Mike? Did this sticky note come off of the sleeve you were holding?"
"I mean, maybe. What's it say?" She handed it to him. "For Kingsport Museum. Tell Mike the replica is ... on ... my ... desk." Judy dropped the paper she was holding and it fell into more pieces. "Um ..." Mike gathered up all of the pieces and wadded them into a ball. "Maybe we can hide the evidence and display the replica instead?"
"Mike," Jamie replied. "Clark's out there in the audience." The camera panned across the crowd and Clark waved nervously.
"Oh. We need to do something about that then." Mike waved his hand over the paper and called out, "Sim Sala Bim!" Jamie gave him a quizzical look. "What? It always worked for Dante." He slowly unfolded the paper showing that it was whole again. "There you go!"
The studio audience applauded.
Craig and Judy looked at it. "Well, it's back together, but it's awfully wrinkled."
Jamie smiled. "I got this!" She slowly slid her hands over the paper, little wisps of smoke coming out from under her palm. But as she moved her palms around it, the wrinkles slowly disappeared. She held up the restored poster, everyone cheered, and she slipped it back into the clear sleeve.
"Wow. That was amazing!" Craig said.
"Are your hands OK?" Judy asked.
Jamie showed her palms to Judy and the camera. "I promise, no hands …"
"and no priceless artifacts!" Mike chimed in.
"... were actually harmed in the making of this segment!"
"Well, thank you both for coming on the show!"
"Thank you for having us," Mike said.
"And don't forget," Craig reminded everyone. "Ribbon Cutting Thursday at 6, shows Friday and Saturday at 7! We'll be back right after this."
------
As Mike and Jamie exited the studio, they heard loud music and chanting coming from the nearby plaza. A crane was parked on the grass, with a burning rope hanging from it. At the end of the rope was a guy dressed in black, hanging by his feet, tied up in a straightjacket. Beneath him was a pool of water, with two young ladies in sparkling bikinis standing beside it. A crowd of several dozen people surrounded the pool chanting, "Crowe! Crowe! Crowe! Crowe!"
Jamie looked over. "Is that ...?!"
Mike sighed. "Yeah."
They watched as Vince freed himself from the straightjacket, tossing it to the ground. Then he reached up, unhooked his foot from the harness, and swung out over the water, dropping in with a large "splash". Moments later, the fire burned through the rope and what was left of it fell to the hard ground beside it. The fans cheered as the two assistants helped Vince out of the water, but instead of looking down at them, Vince stared directly across the street at Mike and sneered. Mike just pursed his lips and shook his head. "Wanna go grab some lunch?"
But Jamie was studying the blonde assistant. Suddenly, the assistant noticed. The girl let out an audible gasp and her eyes got really wide. Jamie looked away. "Yeah, let's get out of here."
------
That evening as they were doing a walkthrough of the theatre, they heard a gentle knock at the stage door. Mike cracked the door open to see who was there. A girl with smudged eye makeup and slightly disheveled blonde hair stood there trembling. "May I help you?" he asked.
"I'm sorry. Is Jamie ...?"
Jamie peeked around Mike. "Lily?!" They hugged each other. "Wow, I haven't seen you since improv! What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was looking for work, and Vince needed another assistant, someone with 'stage experience'. And since I did some theater with you in college, he thought that was good enough, even if I'd never escaped from a box of flaming swords before."
"Lily, this is Mike."
Mike shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. Sounds like you two are old friends?"
"Old friends who kinda lost touch," Jamie replied.
"But you?!" Lily looked at Jamie. "You're that Jamie -- I mean, I couldn't remember your last name, but I knew you were dabbling in magic. So you're the ones coming to town to do the magic show?"
"Yeah," Jamie said. "If we can pull it off."
"It's a pretty big deal," Mike said. "But we got this."
"I can get you a couple of tickets to the show," Jamie replied, "if you want to come."
"Vince would kill me if he knew I was going to your show. In fact, please don't tell him I came by here tonight."
"What?" Mike said sarcastically. "He's not happy about us?"
Lily laughed. "He's livid. And a little jealous."
"Why?" Jamie asked.
"He wanted the theater," Lily replied. "Wanted to buy it and convert it into his own venue -- Ravenwood Castle or something like that. And when the town went with that other guy's bid, he at least wanted to be the opening act, not some no-name kids from out of state."
"Oh."
"So his little stunt this morning," Jamie said. "It wasn't just crying out, 'Me too! Me too!'"
"Oh no," Lily replied. "It was a warning." She lowered her voice. "I don't know what he's planning, but I know what he's capable of. Just please," tears welled up in her eyes. "Be careful."
Jamie hugged her tightly and rubbed her back. "I'm gonna be OK. After all this blows over, you and I should go out for coffee or something."
"Yeah," Lily said. "After ..." She glanced around. "I really gotta go. It was good to see you, though."
"You, too."
"It was nice to meet you," Mike added. "And you're always welcome here. Any friend of Jamie's ..."
"Thanks." She slipped out the door and disappeared into the alley.
"Mike, are you sure we're doing the right thing?"
"You mean accepting the invitation to perform here, which would give both our careers and this old theatre a boost?"
"I mean popping into this guy's backyard, telling him, 'Hey man! Got the gig you wanted! Sucks to be you!' Maybe if I would've quit ..."
"Please don't say that." Mike put his arm around her. "Pairing up with you is the best thing that's ever happened to me -- and I don't just mean career-wise. These have been the best years of my life, and I really think we're on the edge of something big."
"Yeah, I just don't know if it's Mount Everest or the Grand Canyon."
------
The next morning, Mike woke up, rolled over, and cut on the hotel TV. Suddenly he jumped out of bed, went to the next room over, and knocked on the door. The voice inside said, "Unless this is room service, go away."
"Jamie?" he said. "It's Mike. If you're up, turn on Channel 10."
Mike went back into his room. "... we're talking with Vincent Crowe," came the voice from the TV, "one of the magicians here in town."
"THE magician in town," he corrected.
"Of course," came a female voice. It was Judy from the morning show. "And you said you had a big announcement to make?"
"Yes. My next scheduled show was going to be next week -- Friday the 13th -- but something ... came up, so I moved my show up to this weekend."
"Up to this Friday?" Craig asked. "The 6th?"
"No," he sighed. "The Civic Center said they couldn't do that. But this Saturday, the ... the seventh, I guess it is, I'll be there."
"This 'thing that came up'," Craig asked. "That wouldn't be the Grand Opening of the Lady Street Theatre, would it?"
"Oh, is that this weekend?" He laughed derisively. "I'm not worried about some kid's magician coming to town for a couple of days."
Mike's phone buzzed. Just a single word from Jamie. "Jerk."
"For all I know," Vince continued, "he'll be handing out balloon animals after the show."
Mike typed back, "Hey. That's not a bad idea."
"Shut up," Jamie replied.
"So what will people see if they come to your show Saturday?" Craig asked.
"Real magic. Fire. Rock music. Good-looking assistants ..."
Mike jumped up and screamed, "I'M GONNA KILL 'EM!"
"Calm down." Jamie texted back. "I'm sure he was talking about your looks, not mine."
"Oh, that's OK then -- HEY!" He could hear Jamie laughing through the wall.
After a little while, Jamie came over, wearing plaid pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy bun. Mike gave her a hug. "Sorry to wake you up for that," he said. "You sleep OK?"
"Yeah, but after the long drive Monday and the early morning yesterday, I'm in no hurry to get going today."
"I understand. They're doing some last-minute inspections and touch-ups today, so the theatre won't even be available until this afternoon. We can kinda take it easy today."
She sighed and pointed at the TV, which Mike had turned off. "What do we do about him?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean nothing. I'm not going to play his game. I'm not going to stoop to his level. I think we should just give this town the best show we can, and let the chips fall where they may."
"I wish it was that easy for me." He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.
After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door. "Who's that now?" she exclaimed.
"I don't know. Why don't you go see?"
"Hope it's not an axe murderer!" She cracked the door open and saw two trays of food by the door.
He slipped past her, picked them up, and carried them in. "Hungry?"
------
Mike stood on the stage, a blindfold covering his eyes. Jamie stood in the empty auditorium, pantomiming picking up an item from a spectator. "Here, please," she said. "What's this?"
"It looks like something most people don't carry anymore -- and some might not recognize. maybe .. a nickel?"
"And this?" she said.
"I … I'm not getting a clear picture. Are you looking at it?"
"I'm sorry," she turned her head.
"Oh. No wonder. That feels like something that didn't even exist when the Zancigs were doing their Second Sight routine. Perhaps … a cell phone?"
"I think somebody's watching us," Jamie said, her voice trembling slightly.
"I guess ... you're holding a watch?!" he said. "But that's not one of our ..." He heard a muffled scream then a door slam. "Jamie?" As he started lifting off the blindfold, someone rushed at him and pinned him to the wall.
"I hear you had a little visit from Blondie yesterday?" the voice said.
"First of all, it's none of your business what your assistants do after-hours. Secondly, she has a name."
"Whatever," he said. "But if you didn't get the hint, let me be crystal clear. If you know what's good for you, you'll cancel your shows and go back home, Mike Pretender."
"If you know who I am," he replied, "then you know I'm no threat to you."
He slammed Mike into the wall again. "If you don't cancel your show," he snarled, "you and everyone in this town will regret it."
"Everyone in this town ..." Mike laughed. "You do realize, this is your town. Those are your people. If you hurt any of them, you won't be able to perform anywhere within a hundred miles of here!"
Vince pulled Mike off the wall and shoved him to the floor before running out down the aisle. Jamie slipped in a moment later. "Mike, what just happened?"
"Vince paid a visit." He looked at Jamie. "Did he hurt you?"
"He pushed me out the fire exit and slammed the door. I wasn't hurt, but I had to run all the way back around to the entrance. My gosh, your head's bleeding."
"It'll be OK."
"No. I'm locking up. You're getting in the car. We're going to the hospital."
------------------
------------------
"Well, I have good news and bad news."
"What's the good news, Doctor Davis?"
"You're not going to need stitches."
"What's the bad news?"
"It's going to hurt for a while, and your back and arms may be sore for a bit. so I'll prescribe some pain meds for you, in case you need them."
"Thank you."
"If you change your mind about filing a police report, I can write up a note about your injuries."
"OK, thank you. But I don't think he wants to hurt anybody, just intimidate me."
"Your head would indicate otherwise," Jamie replied.
"But I don't think calling the cops on him or sending him to jail would help him."
"By the way," the doctor asked, "you're the magician who's in town for the weekend, aren't you?"
"Yes," he looked at Jamie. "We are."
"My wife and kids will be coming. They're looking forward to it."
"You won't be there?"
"Nah. Magic isn't my thing."
"OK. May I ask you one more favor before you discharge me?"
"Of course."
"Can you check my lungs one more time?"
"I mean, if you want but ..." he reached around his neck. "Now what happened to my stethoscope?"
Mike lifted up the apparatus now hanging around his own neck. "Oh, you mean this?"
"How?!" the doctor smiled. "OK." Mike handed it to the doctor.
After the doctor checked his lungs, Mike asked, "Can you check my heart, too? Of course, I think this nametag might be in the way." Clipped to Mike's hospital gown was the doctor's ID. He smiled and handed it back. The doctor grinned as well. "You know, Jamie," Mike began. "If he's this impressed with my playful pickpocketing, he's really going to be blown away when he finds out his wallet's gone."
The doctor stood up straight and patted his back pocket. "Oh, wait. It still seems to be there."
"Yes," Jamie replied, "but now I know exactly which pocket it's in!"
The doctor chuckled a little, then laughed out loud. "OK, OK. Maybe I'll come after all."
As Mike and Jamie were about to leave, the nurse asked -- "I'm probably not supposed to do this, and of course you can say 'no', but do you think you could make a slight detour to visit one of our kids?"
"Of course!" Jamie replied.
------
"Hey Ryan," Nurse Judy greeted him. "Do you feel like any company?"
"I mean, I guess. Who is it?" She pulled back the curtain around the foot of his bed. Next to the door was a window to the hallway, and Mike and Jamie stood out there waving at him. "OK? Who are they?"
"Some new friends who want to cheer you up a bit."
"They can try, I guess."
As they came in, Nurse Judy pulled the curtain back around the foot of the bed. Mike put his wrist up against Ryan's, comparing their hospital bracelets. "Hey kid. What you in here for?"
"Chemo. Don't worry, I'm not contagious or anything."
"Well, I got cracked in the head by a thug, but ... uh, I think you win. Or loose."
"Yeah, I mean, I'm only here every three or four weeks, and it'll get less frequent the better I get, but it kinda stinks. And to top it off, I heard there's a new magician coming to town, and I'm going to miss his show."
"You like magic?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah. Especially card tricks. But none of the nurses know any, and I've borrowed the cards from the game room a few times, but I get bored entertaining myself."
"Do you have a favorite card?" Mike asked, removing a blue-backed deck of cards from his pocket.
"What, you're going to 'read my mind' using one of those Invisible Deck things? Lame."
"You know how those work?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. I got one for my birthday, but I was really disappointed."
"Well then you can take a look at those cards and see that they're as normal and boring as you can get." Jamie stepped back a bit, letting Mike get closer.
"All the cards should be there, though most people say I'm not playing with a full deck."
"Ha, ha," Ryan said flatly.
"So, do you have a favorite?"
"I kinda like the 4 of Clubs."
"Oh," Mike asked. "Why's that?"
"Well, girls seem to like Hearts and Diamonds, and lots of people like Spades cuz they're 'magical'. Poor Clubs gets left out most of the time."
"And any reason for the four?" Jamie asked, stepping back up beside the bed.
"Four's a cool number," Ryan said. "It's the only number anywhere -- not just in the deck -- where adding and multiplying give you the same answer: 2 + 2 and 2 x 2. I think that's pretty cool."
"I agree," Mike said. He thumbed through the cards a moment. "Did you notice your card in the deck?"
"I mean, not really, but I wasn't looking for it."
Mike handed the cards back to him. "Do you remember seeing any jokers?"
"No, I don't think so."
"OK. If it's not too much trouble, can you count the cards in that deck you're holding? Or thumb through it and look for your card?"
"I mean, I guess, but you probably palmed it off or something ..." After a moment. "Yeah, only 51, and I didn't see it."
"If I did palm it, where do you think I'd pull it from? My pocket? Your bedside table? On the floor?"
"Nurse Judy," Jamie asked. "Could you pull back the curtain a little, let some light from the hallway in so we can see a little better."
"I guess, but ... Oh mercy!" she exclaimed.
Ryan looked over. "No way!" A card was stuck on the glass window.
"Ms. Judy, can we ask you one more favor? Can you get that card, so Ryan knows neither of us touched it?"
"Sure it's ... hang on, it's on the outside!" She opened the door, grabbed the card, and brought it to Ryan. He flipped it over and saw it was the 4 of clubs.
"That's way cool! Can you teach me how to do that?"
"Not this time," Mike replied, "but maybe next time we see you."
"Next time?"
"You told me you're here every 3 or 4 weeks. I'll leave a card for your mom, and if she lets me know when you're here -- and if you're feeling up to it -- maybe we could stop in again." He pulled out a business card, wrote a note on the back, and put it on the nightstand.
"I'd like that." He handed Mike the four of clubs. "Can I have your autograph? Both of you?"
"Of course." They signed the card and handed it back to him. "And you can keep the deck too, if you want, so you don't have to keep borrowing one from the game room."
He hugged them both then gave Mike a fist bump. "See you soon, Ryan," Mike smiled.
"Take care, my friend," Jamie added.
On the way out, Nurse Judy thanked them both.
As they headed down the hall toward the exit, Mike said, "Jamie, you're amazing."
"I'm just glad I had my spare blue deck with me. I wasn't about to sacrifice my favorite purple deck, and it wouldn't have matched anyway." Mike smiled and handed her a single card, which she pocketed.
------
The night of the ribbon cutting, they closed off several blocks of Lady Street around the theatre. There were food trucks, tables with photo albums and scrapbooks, and music provided by the local community band. The local arts club and the high school's theater department were having a bake sale to raise money for the theatre, and a snow cone truck was offering free treats to the kids. Several police officers were around, both stopping traffic on side roads so pedestrians could pass and keeping an eye on the festivities.
A makeshift platform had been erected just in front of the theatre, and when the band finished their final song, the mayor stepped up to the podium. "Thank you all for coming out this evening and showing your support for this theatre and all of the work that has been put into it. We believe it's going to be an asset to the city, and from the looks of the crowd, many of you believe that as well." The crowd cheered. "We're going to have a ribbon cutting in a few minutes – but knowing Michael and Jamie, they'll probably repair it and we'll have to cut it again …" Everyone laughed. "But before we get started, I wanted to say a few words …"
Suddenly, the mayor's mic cut off and a different voice began blasting over the speakers. "Citizens of Kingsport!" The mayor tapped the microphone and looked across at the young lady running sound. She pressed a few buttons and shrugged. "Do not support this magician! You already have a superior magician in town!"
As he continued, the people began to murmur. "Wait, is this that Vince guy?" "Who's he think he is?" "Hey! Leave us alone!"
He finished with, "... anyone who continues to support him or this theatre project will be punished!" Suddenly the tables of photo albums erupted in flames. People started screaming – some running in terror, others yelling, "Hey! Those were my granddad's photos!" or "No, my scrapbook!"
Mike looked around with a single thought on his mind. "Where's Jamie?"
------------
------------
"Get in the car." Vince opened the back door of a shiny black SUV with one hand while pinning Jamie's arm behind her with the other.
"Yeah, I think I'd rather not." He twisted her arm. "Oh! OK, just let me go." He gave her a shove and shut the door.
Seated in the backseat with her was a familiar blonde girl. "Lily?" Jamie asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, he had me swap all of the photo albums for flash-paper decoys," she pointed to a box in the back, "but then he said he may have 'another use for me' too."
"Blondie," he called out.
"It's Lily!" Jamie yelled back.
"Shut up!" he yelled. "Blondie. Take her phone, throw it up here. And put these on her." He tossed Lily a pair of handcuffs.
"Yes sir," she whimpered.
Jamie tried the door.
"Don't bother," Lily replied. "He leaves the Child Safety Locks on."
"That's not concerning at all."
As Lily snapped the handcuffs around Jamie's wrists, she said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Jamie whispered to her.
Lily tossed the phone up to the front seat. When she looked back, Jamie had one hand free, with a finger on her lips. Lily's jaw dropped. Jamie winked and slipped her hand back in the cuffs.
"Oh, Mr. Vince ... sir," Jamie said.
"What do you want?"
"I don't think you shut my door all the way. Can you come check it?"
He swore under his breath. "Fine, but we've got to get going." He walked over to her door. Seems OK to me, but I can't have you getting out ..." He started to open it, and Jamie kicked it as hard as she could. It hit him in the chest, but he very quickly grabbed her legs, pushed her back in, and slammed the door as hard as he could.
"That was kinda stupid," Lily whispered.
"It accomplished what I wanted," she whispered back.
"You try that again," Vince snarled, getting back in the driver's seat, "and I'll ..."
"You'll what? Throw me out?"
He stomped the gas and took off down the street.
Before long, they arrived at a large warehouse. Vince pressed a button and a garage door slid open. He pulled the SUV inside and the door came down behind him. He hopped out, cut on the overhead lights, and let the ladies out of the car. All around them were magic props. The back wall was lined with bookshelves, and a small stage was in the front corner. "Welcome to my bat cave, or my 'Crowe's Nest'." He chuckled, but neither of the ladies did.
"Blon--I mean ... Lily, was it? You know how to operate a phone, right?"
"Of course."
He handed her Jamie's phone. "Log in to this ..."
"I don't know her PIN ..."
"Use her face!" he barked.
Jamie stuck out her tongue, but then cooperated.
"OK, now what?" Lily asked.
"Is she sharing her location with her lover boy?"
"He's not my ..."
Lily scanned through her messages. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It's OK," Jamie assured her.
"Yes, she is. Want me to stop it?"
"No," Vince grinned. "Drop a pin where we are."
"But then they'll come here looking for her."
"That's precisely what I'm hoping for." He snatched the phone out of Lily's hand, took it over to a large trunk near the stage, and dropped it in. "Lock that up like we're doing Metamorphosis."
"Meta- oh, your trunk escape thing. Okay." As she locked it up, she asked, "So, we're not staying here then?"
"She and I aren't," Vince replied. He stuck a small key in the top of the box and turned it.
"Then where am I ...?"
"No, I'm not locking you in there with her phone. You're going in the back." He opened a secret passage and dragged Lily and Jamie to a small room behind it. "A/C's on, so you won't melt. There's a toilet if you need it. And if you're thirsty or starving, you know where the mini-fridge is. But you'll owe me back."
"Yes, sir." Lily gave Jamie a big hug then slipped something in Jamie's back pocket. Lily smiled, and Jamie winked back.
Vince threw her in the room and secured the door from the outside. "Come on, Sweetie." He grabbed Jamie's arm. "We're going for a little ride."
------
As most of the police tried to calm the crowd, Mike looked across the courtyard then ran over near the side of the road. He bent down and picked something up off the ground. He approached a nearby officer and glanced at his name. "Officer Miller," he said. "Vince has Jamie."
"Okay, but do we know where they are?"
"She left clues." Mike held up a card.
"A playing card?"
"These are from her special deck. Purple-backed, custom-made cards. She wouldn't leave them laying around accidentally." They followed a trail of cards over to the edge of the road, where Mike found three more. There was the Ace of Spades, Ace of Clubs, and Queen of Hearts, all bent lengthwise. The heart in the top corner had some black lines around it, making it look like an apple. Mike smiled.
"What?"
"Three-Card Monte. Find the Lady."
"I've heard of that scam."
"She drew an apple to remind me." He pulled out his iPhone and showed the officer. "I have her location."
Mike handed his phone over.
"But there's a reason she didn't just text me, 'I have my phone, you moron!' Vince isn't a crazed madman, but he's a master of deception and misdirection. There's no way it's as simple as, 'Find the phone, find the girl'. You may come across some tricks or traps that'll slow you down at best, or throw you off the trail at worst." Mike took a deep breath. "I'd like to help, if I may."
Officer Miller radioed his colleagues then sighed. "Come with me."
------
A few minutes later, the police showed up at a warehouse. Officer Miller told Mike, "Stay put. We'll secure the location, then we'll come back for you when it's safe."
"Yes, sir." They glanced at Mike's phone, which now had the warehouse as a "pinned" location.
Officer Miller and the others banged on the large door. "Police! Open up!" To their surprise, the garage door opened. They jumped over to one side then cautiously stepped in. Mike snuck out of the car but waited just outside the warehouse. Suddenly, they heard Vince's voice echoing through the building. "You'll never find your girl in the box!" Vince laughed derisively.
The officers split up and started searching the room. Mike slipped in and found another purple card on the ground. It was the Queen of Diamonds. One of the corner diamonds had a book drawn on it. The other had a flower drawn on it. He started walking along the bookshelf on the back wall.
Suddenly, Officer Miller radioed, "Miller to squad. Possible location of victim. Southeast corner, wooden crate, next to stage. Bring tools for extraction, and bring Mr. Prentice for his expertise." An officer gently put a hand on Mike's shoulder. "Follow me."
They quickly arrived at a large wooden crate with a sparkling curtain laying on the floor around it. Two officers stood with their weapons drawn.
"Recommendation, captain?" Officer Barnes asked.
"I'd recommend the Halligan bar," Officer Miller said, "but I'll defer to our friend for now."
Mike looked at it. "She's not in there."
"Maybe not, but GPS shows her phone in this exact spot. We can't take chances."
"OK. There's usually a false panel along the ..." Mike ran his hand along the edge and spotted the small keyhole. "Crap." He tried to trigger the mechanism, but it wouldn't budge. "Panel's locked, and I don't have a key." He sighed. "Go for the padlocks, but don't destroy the crate unless absolutely necessary."
They grabbed the bolt cutters and within moments, the box was open. Inside was a cell phone and a short note sitting atop the velvet bag. "Haha! Fooled you, losers! Bet you can't catch me now!" Several of the officers swore or stomped off in frustration.
Officer Miller got on the radio. "Dispatch. Put out an APB on ..."
Mike looked at the card in his hand again. "Book, I get, but flower?! ..." After a few moments, he whispered, "Lily!" He called out, "Officer Miller, possible other victim ... um, back there. Look for a red book on the bookshelves on the north wall."
The men spread out along the wall. Then Officer Miller spotted something. "Prentice? This it?" He tugged on a book and part of the shelf swung open. Officer Miller and Officer Barnes drew their weapons and stepped into the gap. There was a long corridor with a room at the back. They made their way down the hall, the rest of the officers following them.
When they reached the door, they saw a heavy chain and padlock holding it shut. They grabbed the bolt cutters and within moments were in. "Police. Put your hands where I can see them!"
Mike heard a familiar voice. "Please don't shoot me! Please don't hurt me!"
"Lily?" Mike called out, poking his head in the door. He looked at Officer Miller. "She's on our side."
They lowered their weapons. "Vince has her," she said, her voice trembling. "And I think I know where they're going." Mike put his arm around her, and she collapsed, sobbing.
------
"You know," Jamie said, "I'm new here, but back where I'm from, this would be considered kidnapping."
"No," Vince smiled. "We're just going on a little drive to have a little chat."
"And these handcuffs? Doesn't that make it Unlawful Restraint?"
"They're just ... insurance."
"Well, make sure you don't cross the state line, or our 'little chat' will have the FBI on your case."
Vince gripped the wheel a little harder.
"So, what's the next move?" Jamie asked. "Telling Mike, 'Cancel your show or you'll never see your assistant again'? That's extortion." Vince didn't respond. "Or now that you've ditched Lily, you're hoping that I'll join your little show, I guess as an ugly-looking assistant to contrast your good-looking ones." He winced when she said that. "Then you can throw me around the stage and I can be your little girl in the box every night, and really shove it in Michael's face? That's pathetic."
"What do you see in him anyway? He's not famous. He's not rich. I'm sure your cut of the proceeds are tiny. And the tricks he does you could pick up from any novelty store. What can he offer you?"
She paused for a moment. "Friendship. And a chance to be my own person."
He laughed. "Now that's pathetic."
After a while, she asked, "Vince, can you pull over? I gotta pee."
"Sorry."
"Please? Maybe at the next exit."
"We have a long way to go and don't have time to stop."
"Do you have enough gas to get there?"
He glanced at the dashboard and swore. "OK. Next gas station. But don't try anything funny."
"Don't worry," she smiled. "Mike tells the jokes. I'm the Straight Man ... er, woman."
While Vince watched the road, Jamie slipped another card and a tiny grease pencil out of her pocket. She secretly wrote "Hiding in Bathroom" on the card then pocketed both.
As they pulled off the highway, Jamie looked around. "Can we go to the Truck Stop over there? I'm afraid I'll get some sort of disease if we go to that little station."
"Fine."
He turned into the truck stop and parked next to a pump. "Um ... can you take off my handcuffs? If you walk me to the potty with me locked up, it's gonna raise some eyebrows."
"When I come around to your side of the car, I'll take care of it."
"Or I could do it for you." She slapped one end of the handcuffs around his wrist and connected the other to the steering wheel. She blew the car horn loudly and took off running, dropping her card on the way.
He swore, got the handcuffs off, then took off running after her. As he burst through the gas station doors, he saw her ducking into the bathroom. He went after her, nearly knocking an elderly lady over in the process. "Excuse you!" she yelled, hitting him with her purse.
"But she ... That girl, she ... um ..." People started gathering around. "She's ... my dau- SISTER. And she tagged me and ran off, and ... now she's ... It's just a family thing." He tried to chuckle. Eventually the crowd died down while he leaned up against the wall and sighed.
Several ladies came and went over the next few minutes, most giving him strange looks or shielding their kids from him as they walked past. Eventually, someone walked up beside him. "Excuse me. Are you Vincent Crowe, the magician?"
"Yes," he smiled. "Would you like an autogr-" he turned to see a policeman standing there. "Oh."
"Come with me, please."
Jamie stayed huddled in her stall, hugging her knees and running her fingers over the AirTag. Suddenly, she heard a female voice. "Excuse me. Is there a Jamie Preston in the bathroom?" She held her breath. "I'm officer Courtney Jameson. Your message said 'Hiding in the bathroom.' You can come out. You're safe now."
She stood up, legs wobbling beneath her, opened the door, and collapsed into the officers arms, finally allowing the tears to flow.
------
Later that evening, Mike and Jamie sat on a park bench, watching the final embers of the sunset reflecting off the river. He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. For a while, neither spoke.
Eventually, Mike broke the silence. "I'm so sorry. Are you OK?"
"I am now."
"You were so brave."
"I was terrified."
He held her tightly as the glow on the horizon faded and the stars began to appear.
------------
------------
The following night, hundreds of people showed up for the opening of the Lady Street Theatre. The lobby was permeated with the smells of popcorn, polished wood, and old velvet. Photos and posters lined the lobby walls. Mounted behind glass, just beside the concession stand, was a poster for Dante the Magician. Attached to the glass was a sticky note that said, "The Real One."
A table over to one side contained photo albums and scrapbooks. Clark and the mayor greeted guests just inside the door while Mike and Jamie stood off to the side, taking photos and giving autographs when asked. Suddenly, a blonde young lady came running in. "Lily!" Jamie cried out. "I was hoping you could make it tonight." Jamie hugged her tightly. "I never really got to thank you for saving my life."
"Oh, you had it under control," Lily said. "I just helped the cops get there quicker. And thank you Mike for rescuing me." She hugged him as well.
"Thank Jamie for that," he said. "If I hadn't found her note, I wouldn't have even known you were there. But she led me right to you."
"Hey," Jamie said. "I know you're kinda out of a job for now, but if you ever want to get back into the business, we could maybe use an assistant. We'd have to change the name, though." Jamie moved her hands through the air spelling out the name. "Lily and Jamie ... and occasionally this fellow."
"Hey!" Mike retorted.
"No thanks," she said. "I'm done with that for now. But Mr. Clark said they could use some help with concessions, the box office, accounting. If I want a job, he'll find me one."
"That's awesome!"
She hugged them again then ran off to find a seat. A few minutes later, a security guard came over to them. "Sorry to bother you, but someone outside wants to see you."
"OK, sure," Mike said. As they were heading out the door, Jamie grinned, patted Mike on the shoulder, and said, "Be right there!"
As Mike and the security guard approached the vehicle, the passenger door opened and a young boy stepped out. He was in shorts and t-shirt and wearing a thin mask, but Mike recognized him right away. "Ryan!" He ran over. "You feel like a hug?" Ryan nodded and Mike hugged him. "On your way home, I guess?"
"Just got paroled," he held up his arm, showing off his hospital bracelet. Mike fished his own bracelet out of his pocket and smiled.
Ryan took a deep breath. "Sorry I can't stay for the festivities."
"No, man. Get home and rest up. In fact, go ahead and sit down if you need to." Ryan nodded and sat back in the passenger seat. "By the way, this is Mom."
"Hello, Ryan's mom!" Mike said, looking across the car. "Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you," she said. "My name's Sally. And thank you so much. You made his day."
"He certainly brightened ours," Mike replied.
"I saw your note," she said, "but don't you live out of town?"
"I'm just in Columbus," Mike replied.
"Ohio?" Ryan asked.
"Georgia."
"Where's that?"
"About eigh- um, not really all that far, and absolutely worth the drive, if I know my biggest fan is going to be in town. In fact -- don't do it tonight, you both need to get home and rest -- but when you have the time, look and see if you have a weekend between treatments, and maybe I can come up here and do a full show for you and everybody else. I mean, I've heard there's this pretty cool theatre that might host such an event."
Jamie came up behind them with her arms full. "Ryan! Hey buddy! And is this your mom?" He nodded. "Nice to meet you. I thought I'd pick up a few things for you, in case you wanted them."
"Oh, you really shouldn't have," his mom said.
"I'm sorry, but they have a no-return policy. In this bag are two Souvenir Programs from tonight, an autographed photo of us, a magic wand, and some stickers you can stick anywhere you want!" His mom cleared her throat. "I mean, anywhere your mom says you can." She handed him the bag. "And here are two bags of the butteriest, yummiest popcorn you've ever tasted! ... Uh, again, whenever your mom says you can have it."
He put them in the cup holders of the car then reached to hug her. "Thank you."
"Oh, and I almost forgot." She pulled a deck of blue cards out of her pocket. "Here's another deck to match the one you got at the hospital."
"Why would I need two?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just in case you need … a duplicate for some reason." She winked. His eyes got really big. She wrapped her arms around him. "Love you, buddy. Stay strong." He nodded.
Mike hugged him again. "See you soon."
He closed the door then rolled down the window. "Break a leg! Or ... don't ... break your props! ... Or ... knock 'em dead!"
They waved as he drove off. "You know, I could leave right now and be happy," Jamie said.
"I agree," Mike smiled. "But I know some two hundred or more people who wouldn't be."
They walked back into the theater arm in arm.
--------------
At 7:00, Clark took the stage. "I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This has been a dream of mine ever since I snuck into this abandoned theater and told knock-knock jokes from the rotting stage ... wait, that's outside the statute of limitations, right?" The audience laughed. He took a deep breath. He looked around the auditorium, tears in the corner of his eyes. "It's been a labor of love," his voice caught momentarily, "and a long time coming. I know the last few days have been difficult for a lot of us, but I want to let everyone know a few things. First, you're safe here. The person who was causing trouble is locked up and getting help. Hopefully he'll perform again one day. Also, if any of you were here yesterday and saw the photo albums on fire -- that was just a trick. A very nasty trick, but a trick nonetheless. The real photos are safe and are back on display in the lobby. Be sure to check them out afterwards if you haven't yet.
"Also, Mike and Jamie are donating all of the proceeds of tonight and tomorrow's shows toward the final repairs and upkeep of this building. I tried to talk them out of it, but they're as stubborn as I am." The audience clapped, and several people chuckled. "And finally, while they do live out of state, I've offered an open invitation to Mike and Jamie to come and perform here whenever their schedule, and the schedule of events here, permits. Hopefully this will become a regular show for us and them." The crowd cheered.
"So without any further ado, let them take you away on a magical journey, from the old days of Vaudeville into the 21st century!" The lights dimmed, Mike and Jamie stepped out onto the stage, and the crowd erupted with applause.
[The End]
He called on several children: "Your parents!" "School!" "YouTube!"
"YouTube?!" He laughed. "Believe it or not, I was born before YouTube existed! I know, that makes me a dinosaur!" They laughed. "But no, I went to my local library!" He looked over at the librarian. "Ms. Rose, can you help me out with something? I'll pretend to be a magician, and you pretend to be a librarian." The crowd chuckled. "I went up to my librarian and asked, 'Can you help me?' And she said ..."
"Of course!" Ms. Rose replied. "How can I help?"
"Wow. You're good," Mike replied. "Have you been practicing? I told her, 'I want to learn about magic.' And she asked me what kind I was interested in."
"What kind of magic do you like?" Ms. Rose replied. "Card tricks? Coins? Stage magic?"
"Wow. If this librarian gig doesn't work out, you should get into acting! So ... so, Mrs. Librarian ... lady. I like all kinds of magic, but I especially like cards. W- would you like to see my favorite card trick?"
"Of course."
"OK." He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket and fanned them. "Pick a card ... And show it around so they can help you remember, but don't let me see it!" He shielded his eyes, then he held out half of the deck. "OK. Put your card face-down on top of this pile and I'll see if I can find it." She did. He slapped the other half of the deck on top then froze. He turned the cards face-up, thumbed through them a bit. "Uh .... would you like to see my second favorite card trick?!"
Everybody laughed.
"No, I can get it I think." He looked at Ms. Rose. "Just concentrate real hard and I'll see if I can read your mind." He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. "I'm seeing ... a red card."
He opened his eyes and looked at her. She shook her head no.
"What do you mean? They're all red!" He held up the backs of the cards and everyone laughed.
"OK, no. So .... I'm getting it now. Black Card ... Either a three-leafed-clover thingy or .... SPADE. It's a spade." She nodded. "OK. Concentrate just a little longer." He held out his hand toward her. "I'm not gonna touch your head, that would be weird." Suddenly he snapped 3 times. "Was that it? The 3 of Spades?" She nodded and the crowd cheered.
"Thank you! Let's have a big hand for Ms. Rose!" The audience continued to cheer as she took her seat. "After I showed her my favorite card trick, she told me about her favorite card. And it wasn't the 3 of Spades or Queen of Hearts. It was this." He fanned the cards and pulled out a flat square of plastic from the middle. "A library card. And she told me, 'With this card, you can be riding on a unicorn one minute and swimming with dolphins the next. You can go to ancient castles or planets on the other side of the galaxy! And that's just fiction books. Over in this section," he gestured toward biographies, "you can read the life stories of famous people. Over there, you can read about historic events that happened even before your grandparents were born. And in this section, you can learn how to cook, how to draw, or even how to do magic tricks." He brought out several magic books from behind him. "And that's where it really took off. I checked out as many books as she'd let me, took them all home, and read them over and over. I found some tricks I wanted to learn, and I practiced them over and over. Since then, I've met some magicians who have helped me learn things or sold me some things you couldn't find in libraries, but it all started here. And for the next few minutes, I'm going to show you some of the tricks I learned -- and that you yourselves can learn -- from books in this library or from other branches in this county.
"We'll start here." He picked up a book on rope magic. A red ribbon bookmark was hanging out of it. He picked up one end of the ribbon and pulled on it until he had about 5 or 6 feet of it hanging from his hand. He performed a couple of 'rope' tricks with the ribbon before switching to coins, cards, and other things.
At the end, he said, "Thank you for letting me come and entertain you for a bit. If you want to get a library card, or check out a book, or want help finding a book, talk to Ms. Rose. If you have questions about magic, you can ask her, or come find me. I'll be around for a little while. And I believe they're ready --" He glanced at Ms. Rose who nodded. "Outside on the front patio you'll find cupcakes. Thank you again and enjoy your summer reading!"
Several people thanked him for the show and for coming, then one little girl stopped by. He knelt down beside her. "Hello," he smiled. "I'm glad you came. Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah." She gazed down at the floor.
He looked up at her mom who nodded. "You look sad. May I ask what's wrong?"
"You said anybody can do magic."
"Of course! It takes some practice, but anybody can if they work at it."
"Well my friends say girls aren't supposed to."
"Oh, that's not true at all. In fact, my friend Jamie ..." A young lady across the room perked up when she heard her name, and she came over. "My friend Jamie not only does magic, she does it professionally like I do -- except she's much better than me."
"Really?"
"I really do," Jamie replied, kneeling down beside her. "What's your name?"
" 'lizabeth."
"Well 'lizabeth, my name is Ms. Jamie. And what kind of magic do you like to do?"
"Card tricks ... like the one Mr. Mike did. 'cept I use a mind-reading bunny!" She slammed a plush bunny on top of Jamie's head.
------
On their way out, Mike asked, "Aren't you glad you came?"
"I guess so."
" 'lizabeth was certainly glad you did."
"She was a plant, wasn't she?"
"A pl-- no, I had no idea she was going to be there. I have another show Wednesday and one Friday, if you want to come."
"I don't know."
"And you're welcome to perform for part of the set, if you want to. I'd just like to practice a bit to get our timing right."
"I'll think about it."
"I'll even give you half of what I earn."
"Half?"
"Heck, I'll give you all of it ... I don't charge the library for my shows." She shoved him and laughed.
Wednesday, he performed at another branch, and Jamie showed up to watch. That afternoon and the following day, they worked on a joint show and presented it Friday.
Jamie held up a multi-colored toy. "Anybody recognize what this is?" Jamie asked. Multiple people in the crowd shouted back. "That's right, it's a toy older than you! Also known as a Rubik's Cube." She tossed it out into the audience. "Now check it out, mix it up, pass it around, just don't take it apart. Back when I was younger, there were no YouTube videos or online websites that taught you how to solve it, so I just peeled the stickers off and reapplied them. But don't do that either! Just mix it up a bit and toss it around.
"Now Mr. Mike here has learned how to solve a cube, so if you could hand it back to him when you're done ... Thank you. Does it look sufficiently mixed?" He nodded. "Good." She looked at him. "OK, someone start a stopwatch."
"Since we're in a library, I will tell you there are books here all about the history of the Rubik's cube with methods on how to solve them. So if you want to learn how to solve it like Mr. Mike, you can find it in that section over there. There are speed-cubing ways to solve them, or more intuitive methods, like the one he's using now. Before the show, Mike said he can normally solve a cube in under three minutes." She looked over at him. "How are we doing?"
He shuffled the last few pieces in place. "Done."
Someone in the audience shouted back, "Two minutes and forty seven seconds." The crowd cheered.
"So his was solved in just under 3 minutes." She picked up another cube and casually showed the scrambled sides while talking. "The world record right now is just under three SECONDS. I can't beat either of those, but with magic, you could do it ..." she tossed the cube in the air and caught it. "In under a second." The crowd cheered.
"With a little bit of magic, and a little imagination, anything is possible!"
------
On their way out, Mike said, "Thank you again for being a part today."
"Yeah, I had fun."
"And my other offer still stands."
She unlocked her car and sat down. "I ..." she let out a sigh. "I don't know."
"And that's OK." He leaned over and gave her a one-arm hug. "Take care, and I'll see you around."
------
A week later, Jamie was wrapping up a show at her favorite venue.
"... And remember that photo I showed you at the beginning, me heading to my first ever performance?" She flashed a photo up on the screen. "Did anybody notice the license plate?" She zoomed in. "And check out the white board of random letters and numbers you as an audience came up with throughout the show ... 131 GJP" The crowd cheered. "Thank you, Columbus!" She took a bow.
She looked around the audience, looked up at the lights, then glanced around the stage. Then she whispered to herself, "Gosh, I'm gonna miss this."
She took a deep breath then continued. "And now things have come full-circle for this little Georgia girl. That was in fact a picture from my first magic show, and ... yes, the rumors are true, this is my last show. At least, my last performing as 'Jamie Presto!' I have accepted ..." she looked around the room and found Mike sitting in the audience "... am accepting, right now as we speak, an offer a friend made me. He and I will be joining forces, as partners. What that looks like, I'm not 100% sure, but keep an eye out in town and on Social Media. Until then, remember the real magic is inside each of us!" The crowd cheered, she took another bow, then quickly stepped off the stage into the shadows.
She and Mike met up backstage. "You did wonderful as always," he said. She tried to smile, her eyes welling up a little. "Oh, and this is for you." He handed her an envelope.
"What's this?"
"It's from the library."
"But you said they don't pay you."
"I said I don't charge them. The librarians at the various branches decided to take up a collection, and I'm giving it to you."
"Mike, I can't ..."
"Please." He handed it to her. "I don't know how much it is, but it's all yours."
"Thank you," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around him, finally allowing her tears to flow.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"I say, we pack up your stuff, lock up the place, and go out for dessert."
"OK, but it's my treat," she insisted.
------------------
A couple of summers later, they found themselves sitting on a brightly-lit platform with a pair of news anchors. Some jazzy music played and one of the anchors started off, "Good morning, Kingsport! I'm Craig ..."
"And I'm Judy," the other anchor replied.
Craig continued. "They've performed across the southeast, and now they're in our town for the grand opening of the Lady Street Theatre. Welcome Michael Prentice and Jamie Preston of MJ Magic!"
"Thank you," Mike replied.
"Glad to be here," Jamie added.
"When most people hear 'magician'," Craig said, "they either think of an old guy in a suit pulling a rabbit out of a top hat, or some big flashy stage illusions like David Copperfield, or around here, the slightly 'darker' magic of our own Vincent Crowe. Where do you two fit on the spectrum?"
"Somewhere in the middle," Mike replied. "Vince does 'Grand Illusions' that play better for large arenas or big stages. We perform what the industry calls 'Parlor Magic'. It's smaller stage, things like cards, ropes, coins, some smaller props." He laughed. "You're more likely to see me cut a rope in half than saw a lady in half."
Speaking of that," he turned to Jamie, "where do you fit into this duo?"
"Well," Jamie replied, "I like to say I'm not just the lady in the box. In fact, we don't even have boxes that I go in for our shows. I do my own magic. Some tricks we do together, but sometimes we trade off -- Mike will do a couple, then I'll come in and do a few. It depends on the story we're trying to convey with our show."
"What kind of stories do you tell with your magic?" Judy asked.
"It depends on the event," Mike replied. "We do a library show that's about the Magic of Reading."
"Corporate Events," Jamie added, "are either about empowering the individual or a more comedy-filled routine if the event is just a fun break from a tough work-week."
"And of course for our soldiers," Mike finished, "it's both 'enjoy your time state-side' and 'thank you for all you do'."
"And what sort of 'story' can we expect from your show this weekend?"
"The Lady Street Theatre has a long history," Jamie replied. "Vaudeville, movies, even being used for church services for a part of its life. So our show will be paying tribute to the old but it'll end with a look forward to the future."
"I hear Clark Davis hand-picked you two for the opening."
"Yes. Clark and I go way back," Mike replied. "He and his team have done a wonderful job restoring this old theater back to its former glory. And when he thought of the Grand Opening, he didn't want some large, modern stage show, he wanted a smaller, more intimate show that would fit the venue's size and style. And I believe Jamie and I have put together a show that will do it justice and make him proud."
"So what's the agenda for the week?"
"We'll be around town all week," Mike replied. "There's a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at 6:00. They've shut down the whole block. There's going to be a jazz band, photo albums and scrapbooks, snacks and treats, and a speech by the mayor."
"Then Friday," Jamie added, "is the Grand Opening. Doors open at 6:00, show starts at 7:00. And Saturday night we'll have an encore performance, same show, same time."
"Can you show us a little something from your performance?"
"While renovating the theatre, Clark found an old window poster for Dante the Magician." Mike reached beside his chair and brought out a large plastic sleeve with something inside. "Now of course he's going to either display the poster on-site or donate it to the museum, but he did have a copy made that I could show off here." He pulled the poster out of the sleeve and held it up.
"Mike," Jamie asked, "Are you sure that's the copy and not the original?"
"Of course," Mike replied, looking it over. "Although it does look a little yellow around the edges. I guess he duplicated that as well?" Mike offered it to Craig. "Here, would you like to take a ..." As Craig reached for it, a piece of it ripped off in Mike's hands and Craig caught the rest of it.
"I'm sorry," Craig said. "I didn't ..."
"No, it's my fault." Mike gently took it back. "Dante was famous for his magic shows around the world, but he did stop here in Kingsport ..." Mike pointed to the poster and a chunk fell off the bottom. "Well, that's a little too realistic. Here," he handed what was left to Judy. "Do you want to take a look?"
"I ... guess?" she replied.
Jamie bent down and picked up a little yellow piece of paper. "Um, Mike ..."
"I'm trying to tell them about Dante ..."
"Mike? Did this sticky note come off of the sleeve you were holding?"
"I mean, maybe. What's it say?" She handed it to him. "For Kingsport Museum. Tell Mike the replica is ... on ... my ... desk." Judy dropped the paper she was holding and it fell into more pieces. "Um ..." Mike gathered up all of the pieces and wadded them into a ball. "Maybe we can hide the evidence and display the replica instead?"
"Mike," Jamie replied. "Clark's out there in the audience." The camera panned across the crowd and Clark waved nervously.
"Oh. We need to do something about that then." Mike waved his hand over the paper and called out, "Sim Sala Bim!" Jamie gave him a quizzical look. "What? It always worked for Dante." He slowly unfolded the paper showing that it was whole again. "There you go!"
The studio audience applauded.
Craig and Judy looked at it. "Well, it's back together, but it's awfully wrinkled."
Jamie smiled. "I got this!" She slowly slid her hands over the paper, little wisps of smoke coming out from under her palm. But as she moved her palms around it, the wrinkles slowly disappeared. She held up the restored poster, everyone cheered, and she slipped it back into the clear sleeve.
"Wow. That was amazing!" Craig said.
"Are your hands OK?" Judy asked.
Jamie showed her palms to Judy and the camera. "I promise, no hands …"
"and no priceless artifacts!" Mike chimed in.
"... were actually harmed in the making of this segment!"
"Well, thank you both for coming on the show!"
"Thank you for having us," Mike said.
"And don't forget," Craig reminded everyone. "Ribbon Cutting Thursday at 6, shows Friday and Saturday at 7! We'll be back right after this."
------
As Mike and Jamie exited the studio, they heard loud music and chanting coming from the nearby plaza. A crane was parked on the grass, with a burning rope hanging from it. At the end of the rope was a guy dressed in black, hanging by his feet, tied up in a straightjacket. Beneath him was a pool of water, with two young ladies in sparkling bikinis standing beside it. A crowd of several dozen people surrounded the pool chanting, "Crowe! Crowe! Crowe! Crowe!"
Jamie looked over. "Is that ...?!"
Mike sighed. "Yeah."
They watched as Vince freed himself from the straightjacket, tossing it to the ground. Then he reached up, unhooked his foot from the harness, and swung out over the water, dropping in with a large "splash". Moments later, the fire burned through the rope and what was left of it fell to the hard ground beside it. The fans cheered as the two assistants helped Vince out of the water, but instead of looking down at them, Vince stared directly across the street at Mike and sneered. Mike just pursed his lips and shook his head. "Wanna go grab some lunch?"
But Jamie was studying the blonde assistant. Suddenly, the assistant noticed. The girl let out an audible gasp and her eyes got really wide. Jamie looked away. "Yeah, let's get out of here."
------
That evening as they were doing a walkthrough of the theatre, they heard a gentle knock at the stage door. Mike cracked the door open to see who was there. A girl with smudged eye makeup and slightly disheveled blonde hair stood there trembling. "May I help you?" he asked.
"I'm sorry. Is Jamie ...?"
Jamie peeked around Mike. "Lily?!" They hugged each other. "Wow, I haven't seen you since improv! What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was looking for work, and Vince needed another assistant, someone with 'stage experience'. And since I did some theater with you in college, he thought that was good enough, even if I'd never escaped from a box of flaming swords before."
"Lily, this is Mike."
Mike shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. Sounds like you two are old friends?"
"Old friends who kinda lost touch," Jamie replied.
"But you?!" Lily looked at Jamie. "You're that Jamie -- I mean, I couldn't remember your last name, but I knew you were dabbling in magic. So you're the ones coming to town to do the magic show?"
"Yeah," Jamie said. "If we can pull it off."
"It's a pretty big deal," Mike said. "But we got this."
"I can get you a couple of tickets to the show," Jamie replied, "if you want to come."
"Vince would kill me if he knew I was going to your show. In fact, please don't tell him I came by here tonight."
"What?" Mike said sarcastically. "He's not happy about us?"
Lily laughed. "He's livid. And a little jealous."
"Why?" Jamie asked.
"He wanted the theater," Lily replied. "Wanted to buy it and convert it into his own venue -- Ravenwood Castle or something like that. And when the town went with that other guy's bid, he at least wanted to be the opening act, not some no-name kids from out of state."
"Oh."
"So his little stunt this morning," Jamie said. "It wasn't just crying out, 'Me too! Me too!'"
"Oh no," Lily replied. "It was a warning." She lowered her voice. "I don't know what he's planning, but I know what he's capable of. Just please," tears welled up in her eyes. "Be careful."
Jamie hugged her tightly and rubbed her back. "I'm gonna be OK. After all this blows over, you and I should go out for coffee or something."
"Yeah," Lily said. "After ..." She glanced around. "I really gotta go. It was good to see you, though."
"You, too."
"It was nice to meet you," Mike added. "And you're always welcome here. Any friend of Jamie's ..."
"Thanks." She slipped out the door and disappeared into the alley.
"Mike, are you sure we're doing the right thing?"
"You mean accepting the invitation to perform here, which would give both our careers and this old theatre a boost?"
"I mean popping into this guy's backyard, telling him, 'Hey man! Got the gig you wanted! Sucks to be you!' Maybe if I would've quit ..."
"Please don't say that." Mike put his arm around her. "Pairing up with you is the best thing that's ever happened to me -- and I don't just mean career-wise. These have been the best years of my life, and I really think we're on the edge of something big."
"Yeah, I just don't know if it's Mount Everest or the Grand Canyon."
------
The next morning, Mike woke up, rolled over, and cut on the hotel TV. Suddenly he jumped out of bed, went to the next room over, and knocked on the door. The voice inside said, "Unless this is room service, go away."
"Jamie?" he said. "It's Mike. If you're up, turn on Channel 10."
Mike went back into his room. "... we're talking with Vincent Crowe," came the voice from the TV, "one of the magicians here in town."
"THE magician in town," he corrected.
"Of course," came a female voice. It was Judy from the morning show. "And you said you had a big announcement to make?"
"Yes. My next scheduled show was going to be next week -- Friday the 13th -- but something ... came up, so I moved my show up to this weekend."
"Up to this Friday?" Craig asked. "The 6th?"
"No," he sighed. "The Civic Center said they couldn't do that. But this Saturday, the ... the seventh, I guess it is, I'll be there."
"This 'thing that came up'," Craig asked. "That wouldn't be the Grand Opening of the Lady Street Theatre, would it?"
"Oh, is that this weekend?" He laughed derisively. "I'm not worried about some kid's magician coming to town for a couple of days."
Mike's phone buzzed. Just a single word from Jamie. "Jerk."
"For all I know," Vince continued, "he'll be handing out balloon animals after the show."
Mike typed back, "Hey. That's not a bad idea."
"Shut up," Jamie replied.
"So what will people see if they come to your show Saturday?" Craig asked.
"Real magic. Fire. Rock music. Good-looking assistants ..."
Mike jumped up and screamed, "I'M GONNA KILL 'EM!"
"Calm down." Jamie texted back. "I'm sure he was talking about your looks, not mine."
"Oh, that's OK then -- HEY!" He could hear Jamie laughing through the wall.
After a little while, Jamie came over, wearing plaid pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy bun. Mike gave her a hug. "Sorry to wake you up for that," he said. "You sleep OK?"
"Yeah, but after the long drive Monday and the early morning yesterday, I'm in no hurry to get going today."
"I understand. They're doing some last-minute inspections and touch-ups today, so the theatre won't even be available until this afternoon. We can kinda take it easy today."
She sighed and pointed at the TV, which Mike had turned off. "What do we do about him?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean nothing. I'm not going to play his game. I'm not going to stoop to his level. I think we should just give this town the best show we can, and let the chips fall where they may."
"I wish it was that easy for me." He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.
After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door. "Who's that now?" she exclaimed.
"I don't know. Why don't you go see?"
"Hope it's not an axe murderer!" She cracked the door open and saw two trays of food by the door.
He slipped past her, picked them up, and carried them in. "Hungry?"
------
Mike stood on the stage, a blindfold covering his eyes. Jamie stood in the empty auditorium, pantomiming picking up an item from a spectator. "Here, please," she said. "What's this?"
"It looks like something most people don't carry anymore -- and some might not recognize. maybe .. a nickel?"
"And this?" she said.
"I … I'm not getting a clear picture. Are you looking at it?"
"I'm sorry," she turned her head.
"Oh. No wonder. That feels like something that didn't even exist when the Zancigs were doing their Second Sight routine. Perhaps … a cell phone?"
"I think somebody's watching us," Jamie said, her voice trembling slightly.
"I guess ... you're holding a watch?!" he said. "But that's not one of our ..." He heard a muffled scream then a door slam. "Jamie?" As he started lifting off the blindfold, someone rushed at him and pinned him to the wall.
"I hear you had a little visit from Blondie yesterday?" the voice said.
"First of all, it's none of your business what your assistants do after-hours. Secondly, she has a name."
"Whatever," he said. "But if you didn't get the hint, let me be crystal clear. If you know what's good for you, you'll cancel your shows and go back home, Mike Pretender."
"If you know who I am," he replied, "then you know I'm no threat to you."
He slammed Mike into the wall again. "If you don't cancel your show," he snarled, "you and everyone in this town will regret it."
"Everyone in this town ..." Mike laughed. "You do realize, this is your town. Those are your people. If you hurt any of them, you won't be able to perform anywhere within a hundred miles of here!"
Vince pulled Mike off the wall and shoved him to the floor before running out down the aisle. Jamie slipped in a moment later. "Mike, what just happened?"
"Vince paid a visit." He looked at Jamie. "Did he hurt you?"
"He pushed me out the fire exit and slammed the door. I wasn't hurt, but I had to run all the way back around to the entrance. My gosh, your head's bleeding."
"It'll be OK."
"No. I'm locking up. You're getting in the car. We're going to the hospital."
------------------
------------------
"Well, I have good news and bad news."
"What's the good news, Doctor Davis?"
"You're not going to need stitches."
"What's the bad news?"
"It's going to hurt for a while, and your back and arms may be sore for a bit. so I'll prescribe some pain meds for you, in case you need them."
"Thank you."
"If you change your mind about filing a police report, I can write up a note about your injuries."
"OK, thank you. But I don't think he wants to hurt anybody, just intimidate me."
"Your head would indicate otherwise," Jamie replied.
"But I don't think calling the cops on him or sending him to jail would help him."
"By the way," the doctor asked, "you're the magician who's in town for the weekend, aren't you?"
"Yes," he looked at Jamie. "We are."
"My wife and kids will be coming. They're looking forward to it."
"You won't be there?"
"Nah. Magic isn't my thing."
"OK. May I ask you one more favor before you discharge me?"
"Of course."
"Can you check my lungs one more time?"
"I mean, if you want but ..." he reached around his neck. "Now what happened to my stethoscope?"
Mike lifted up the apparatus now hanging around his own neck. "Oh, you mean this?"
"How?!" the doctor smiled. "OK." Mike handed it to the doctor.
After the doctor checked his lungs, Mike asked, "Can you check my heart, too? Of course, I think this nametag might be in the way." Clipped to Mike's hospital gown was the doctor's ID. He smiled and handed it back. The doctor grinned as well. "You know, Jamie," Mike began. "If he's this impressed with my playful pickpocketing, he's really going to be blown away when he finds out his wallet's gone."
The doctor stood up straight and patted his back pocket. "Oh, wait. It still seems to be there."
"Yes," Jamie replied, "but now I know exactly which pocket it's in!"
The doctor chuckled a little, then laughed out loud. "OK, OK. Maybe I'll come after all."
As Mike and Jamie were about to leave, the nurse asked -- "I'm probably not supposed to do this, and of course you can say 'no', but do you think you could make a slight detour to visit one of our kids?"
"Of course!" Jamie replied.
------
"Hey Ryan," Nurse Judy greeted him. "Do you feel like any company?"
"I mean, I guess. Who is it?" She pulled back the curtain around the foot of his bed. Next to the door was a window to the hallway, and Mike and Jamie stood out there waving at him. "OK? Who are they?"
"Some new friends who want to cheer you up a bit."
"They can try, I guess."
As they came in, Nurse Judy pulled the curtain back around the foot of the bed. Mike put his wrist up against Ryan's, comparing their hospital bracelets. "Hey kid. What you in here for?"
"Chemo. Don't worry, I'm not contagious or anything."
"Well, I got cracked in the head by a thug, but ... uh, I think you win. Or loose."
"Yeah, I mean, I'm only here every three or four weeks, and it'll get less frequent the better I get, but it kinda stinks. And to top it off, I heard there's a new magician coming to town, and I'm going to miss his show."
"You like magic?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah. Especially card tricks. But none of the nurses know any, and I've borrowed the cards from the game room a few times, but I get bored entertaining myself."
"Do you have a favorite card?" Mike asked, removing a blue-backed deck of cards from his pocket.
"What, you're going to 'read my mind' using one of those Invisible Deck things? Lame."
"You know how those work?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. I got one for my birthday, but I was really disappointed."
"Well then you can take a look at those cards and see that they're as normal and boring as you can get." Jamie stepped back a bit, letting Mike get closer.
"All the cards should be there, though most people say I'm not playing with a full deck."
"Ha, ha," Ryan said flatly.
"So, do you have a favorite?"
"I kinda like the 4 of Clubs."
"Oh," Mike asked. "Why's that?"
"Well, girls seem to like Hearts and Diamonds, and lots of people like Spades cuz they're 'magical'. Poor Clubs gets left out most of the time."
"And any reason for the four?" Jamie asked, stepping back up beside the bed.
"Four's a cool number," Ryan said. "It's the only number anywhere -- not just in the deck -- where adding and multiplying give you the same answer: 2 + 2 and 2 x 2. I think that's pretty cool."
"I agree," Mike said. He thumbed through the cards a moment. "Did you notice your card in the deck?"
"I mean, not really, but I wasn't looking for it."
Mike handed the cards back to him. "Do you remember seeing any jokers?"
"No, I don't think so."
"OK. If it's not too much trouble, can you count the cards in that deck you're holding? Or thumb through it and look for your card?"
"I mean, I guess, but you probably palmed it off or something ..." After a moment. "Yeah, only 51, and I didn't see it."
"If I did palm it, where do you think I'd pull it from? My pocket? Your bedside table? On the floor?"
"Nurse Judy," Jamie asked. "Could you pull back the curtain a little, let some light from the hallway in so we can see a little better."
"I guess, but ... Oh mercy!" she exclaimed.
Ryan looked over. "No way!" A card was stuck on the glass window.
"Ms. Judy, can we ask you one more favor? Can you get that card, so Ryan knows neither of us touched it?"
"Sure it's ... hang on, it's on the outside!" She opened the door, grabbed the card, and brought it to Ryan. He flipped it over and saw it was the 4 of clubs.
"That's way cool! Can you teach me how to do that?"
"Not this time," Mike replied, "but maybe next time we see you."
"Next time?"
"You told me you're here every 3 or 4 weeks. I'll leave a card for your mom, and if she lets me know when you're here -- and if you're feeling up to it -- maybe we could stop in again." He pulled out a business card, wrote a note on the back, and put it on the nightstand.
"I'd like that." He handed Mike the four of clubs. "Can I have your autograph? Both of you?"
"Of course." They signed the card and handed it back to him. "And you can keep the deck too, if you want, so you don't have to keep borrowing one from the game room."
He hugged them both then gave Mike a fist bump. "See you soon, Ryan," Mike smiled.
"Take care, my friend," Jamie added.
On the way out, Nurse Judy thanked them both.
As they headed down the hall toward the exit, Mike said, "Jamie, you're amazing."
"I'm just glad I had my spare blue deck with me. I wasn't about to sacrifice my favorite purple deck, and it wouldn't have matched anyway." Mike smiled and handed her a single card, which she pocketed.
------
The night of the ribbon cutting, they closed off several blocks of Lady Street around the theatre. There were food trucks, tables with photo albums and scrapbooks, and music provided by the local community band. The local arts club and the high school's theater department were having a bake sale to raise money for the theatre, and a snow cone truck was offering free treats to the kids. Several police officers were around, both stopping traffic on side roads so pedestrians could pass and keeping an eye on the festivities.
A makeshift platform had been erected just in front of the theatre, and when the band finished their final song, the mayor stepped up to the podium. "Thank you all for coming out this evening and showing your support for this theatre and all of the work that has been put into it. We believe it's going to be an asset to the city, and from the looks of the crowd, many of you believe that as well." The crowd cheered. "We're going to have a ribbon cutting in a few minutes – but knowing Michael and Jamie, they'll probably repair it and we'll have to cut it again …" Everyone laughed. "But before we get started, I wanted to say a few words …"
Suddenly, the mayor's mic cut off and a different voice began blasting over the speakers. "Citizens of Kingsport!" The mayor tapped the microphone and looked across at the young lady running sound. She pressed a few buttons and shrugged. "Do not support this magician! You already have a superior magician in town!"
As he continued, the people began to murmur. "Wait, is this that Vince guy?" "Who's he think he is?" "Hey! Leave us alone!"
He finished with, "... anyone who continues to support him or this theatre project will be punished!" Suddenly the tables of photo albums erupted in flames. People started screaming – some running in terror, others yelling, "Hey! Those were my granddad's photos!" or "No, my scrapbook!"
Mike looked around with a single thought on his mind. "Where's Jamie?"
------------
------------
"Get in the car." Vince opened the back door of a shiny black SUV with one hand while pinning Jamie's arm behind her with the other.
"Yeah, I think I'd rather not." He twisted her arm. "Oh! OK, just let me go." He gave her a shove and shut the door.
Seated in the backseat with her was a familiar blonde girl. "Lily?" Jamie asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, he had me swap all of the photo albums for flash-paper decoys," she pointed to a box in the back, "but then he said he may have 'another use for me' too."
"Blondie," he called out.
"It's Lily!" Jamie yelled back.
"Shut up!" he yelled. "Blondie. Take her phone, throw it up here. And put these on her." He tossed Lily a pair of handcuffs.
"Yes sir," she whimpered.
Jamie tried the door.
"Don't bother," Lily replied. "He leaves the Child Safety Locks on."
"That's not concerning at all."
As Lily snapped the handcuffs around Jamie's wrists, she said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Jamie whispered to her.
Lily tossed the phone up to the front seat. When she looked back, Jamie had one hand free, with a finger on her lips. Lily's jaw dropped. Jamie winked and slipped her hand back in the cuffs.
"Oh, Mr. Vince ... sir," Jamie said.
"What do you want?"
"I don't think you shut my door all the way. Can you come check it?"
He swore under his breath. "Fine, but we've got to get going." He walked over to her door. Seems OK to me, but I can't have you getting out ..." He started to open it, and Jamie kicked it as hard as she could. It hit him in the chest, but he very quickly grabbed her legs, pushed her back in, and slammed the door as hard as he could.
"That was kinda stupid," Lily whispered.
"It accomplished what I wanted," she whispered back.
"You try that again," Vince snarled, getting back in the driver's seat, "and I'll ..."
"You'll what? Throw me out?"
He stomped the gas and took off down the street.
Before long, they arrived at a large warehouse. Vince pressed a button and a garage door slid open. He pulled the SUV inside and the door came down behind him. He hopped out, cut on the overhead lights, and let the ladies out of the car. All around them were magic props. The back wall was lined with bookshelves, and a small stage was in the front corner. "Welcome to my bat cave, or my 'Crowe's Nest'." He chuckled, but neither of the ladies did.
"Blon--I mean ... Lily, was it? You know how to operate a phone, right?"
"Of course."
He handed her Jamie's phone. "Log in to this ..."
"I don't know her PIN ..."
"Use her face!" he barked.
Jamie stuck out her tongue, but then cooperated.
"OK, now what?" Lily asked.
"Is she sharing her location with her lover boy?"
"He's not my ..."
Lily scanned through her messages. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It's OK," Jamie assured her.
"Yes, she is. Want me to stop it?"
"No," Vince grinned. "Drop a pin where we are."
"But then they'll come here looking for her."
"That's precisely what I'm hoping for." He snatched the phone out of Lily's hand, took it over to a large trunk near the stage, and dropped it in. "Lock that up like we're doing Metamorphosis."
"Meta- oh, your trunk escape thing. Okay." As she locked it up, she asked, "So, we're not staying here then?"
"She and I aren't," Vince replied. He stuck a small key in the top of the box and turned it.
"Then where am I ...?"
"No, I'm not locking you in there with her phone. You're going in the back." He opened a secret passage and dragged Lily and Jamie to a small room behind it. "A/C's on, so you won't melt. There's a toilet if you need it. And if you're thirsty or starving, you know where the mini-fridge is. But you'll owe me back."
"Yes, sir." Lily gave Jamie a big hug then slipped something in Jamie's back pocket. Lily smiled, and Jamie winked back.
Vince threw her in the room and secured the door from the outside. "Come on, Sweetie." He grabbed Jamie's arm. "We're going for a little ride."
------
As most of the police tried to calm the crowd, Mike looked across the courtyard then ran over near the side of the road. He bent down and picked something up off the ground. He approached a nearby officer and glanced at his name. "Officer Miller," he said. "Vince has Jamie."
"Okay, but do we know where they are?"
"She left clues." Mike held up a card.
"A playing card?"
"These are from her special deck. Purple-backed, custom-made cards. She wouldn't leave them laying around accidentally." They followed a trail of cards over to the edge of the road, where Mike found three more. There was the Ace of Spades, Ace of Clubs, and Queen of Hearts, all bent lengthwise. The heart in the top corner had some black lines around it, making it look like an apple. Mike smiled.
"What?"
"Three-Card Monte. Find the Lady."
"I've heard of that scam."
"She drew an apple to remind me." He pulled out his iPhone and showed the officer. "I have her location."
Mike handed his phone over.
"But there's a reason she didn't just text me, 'I have my phone, you moron!' Vince isn't a crazed madman, but he's a master of deception and misdirection. There's no way it's as simple as, 'Find the phone, find the girl'. You may come across some tricks or traps that'll slow you down at best, or throw you off the trail at worst." Mike took a deep breath. "I'd like to help, if I may."
Officer Miller radioed his colleagues then sighed. "Come with me."
------
A few minutes later, the police showed up at a warehouse. Officer Miller told Mike, "Stay put. We'll secure the location, then we'll come back for you when it's safe."
"Yes, sir." They glanced at Mike's phone, which now had the warehouse as a "pinned" location.
Officer Miller and the others banged on the large door. "Police! Open up!" To their surprise, the garage door opened. They jumped over to one side then cautiously stepped in. Mike snuck out of the car but waited just outside the warehouse. Suddenly, they heard Vince's voice echoing through the building. "You'll never find your girl in the box!" Vince laughed derisively.
The officers split up and started searching the room. Mike slipped in and found another purple card on the ground. It was the Queen of Diamonds. One of the corner diamonds had a book drawn on it. The other had a flower drawn on it. He started walking along the bookshelf on the back wall.
Suddenly, Officer Miller radioed, "Miller to squad. Possible location of victim. Southeast corner, wooden crate, next to stage. Bring tools for extraction, and bring Mr. Prentice for his expertise." An officer gently put a hand on Mike's shoulder. "Follow me."
They quickly arrived at a large wooden crate with a sparkling curtain laying on the floor around it. Two officers stood with their weapons drawn.
"Recommendation, captain?" Officer Barnes asked.
"I'd recommend the Halligan bar," Officer Miller said, "but I'll defer to our friend for now."
Mike looked at it. "She's not in there."
"Maybe not, but GPS shows her phone in this exact spot. We can't take chances."
"OK. There's usually a false panel along the ..." Mike ran his hand along the edge and spotted the small keyhole. "Crap." He tried to trigger the mechanism, but it wouldn't budge. "Panel's locked, and I don't have a key." He sighed. "Go for the padlocks, but don't destroy the crate unless absolutely necessary."
They grabbed the bolt cutters and within moments, the box was open. Inside was a cell phone and a short note sitting atop the velvet bag. "Haha! Fooled you, losers! Bet you can't catch me now!" Several of the officers swore or stomped off in frustration.
Officer Miller got on the radio. "Dispatch. Put out an APB on ..."
Mike looked at the card in his hand again. "Book, I get, but flower?! ..." After a few moments, he whispered, "Lily!" He called out, "Officer Miller, possible other victim ... um, back there. Look for a red book on the bookshelves on the north wall."
The men spread out along the wall. Then Officer Miller spotted something. "Prentice? This it?" He tugged on a book and part of the shelf swung open. Officer Miller and Officer Barnes drew their weapons and stepped into the gap. There was a long corridor with a room at the back. They made their way down the hall, the rest of the officers following them.
When they reached the door, they saw a heavy chain and padlock holding it shut. They grabbed the bolt cutters and within moments were in. "Police. Put your hands where I can see them!"
Mike heard a familiar voice. "Please don't shoot me! Please don't hurt me!"
"Lily?" Mike called out, poking his head in the door. He looked at Officer Miller. "She's on our side."
They lowered their weapons. "Vince has her," she said, her voice trembling. "And I think I know where they're going." Mike put his arm around her, and she collapsed, sobbing.
------
"You know," Jamie said, "I'm new here, but back where I'm from, this would be considered kidnapping."
"No," Vince smiled. "We're just going on a little drive to have a little chat."
"And these handcuffs? Doesn't that make it Unlawful Restraint?"
"They're just ... insurance."
"Well, make sure you don't cross the state line, or our 'little chat' will have the FBI on your case."
Vince gripped the wheel a little harder.
"So, what's the next move?" Jamie asked. "Telling Mike, 'Cancel your show or you'll never see your assistant again'? That's extortion." Vince didn't respond. "Or now that you've ditched Lily, you're hoping that I'll join your little show, I guess as an ugly-looking assistant to contrast your good-looking ones." He winced when she said that. "Then you can throw me around the stage and I can be your little girl in the box every night, and really shove it in Michael's face? That's pathetic."
"What do you see in him anyway? He's not famous. He's not rich. I'm sure your cut of the proceeds are tiny. And the tricks he does you could pick up from any novelty store. What can he offer you?"
She paused for a moment. "Friendship. And a chance to be my own person."
He laughed. "Now that's pathetic."
After a while, she asked, "Vince, can you pull over? I gotta pee."
"Sorry."
"Please? Maybe at the next exit."
"We have a long way to go and don't have time to stop."
"Do you have enough gas to get there?"
He glanced at the dashboard and swore. "OK. Next gas station. But don't try anything funny."
"Don't worry," she smiled. "Mike tells the jokes. I'm the Straight Man ... er, woman."
While Vince watched the road, Jamie slipped another card and a tiny grease pencil out of her pocket. She secretly wrote "Hiding in Bathroom" on the card then pocketed both.
As they pulled off the highway, Jamie looked around. "Can we go to the Truck Stop over there? I'm afraid I'll get some sort of disease if we go to that little station."
"Fine."
He turned into the truck stop and parked next to a pump. "Um ... can you take off my handcuffs? If you walk me to the potty with me locked up, it's gonna raise some eyebrows."
"When I come around to your side of the car, I'll take care of it."
"Or I could do it for you." She slapped one end of the handcuffs around his wrist and connected the other to the steering wheel. She blew the car horn loudly and took off running, dropping her card on the way.
He swore, got the handcuffs off, then took off running after her. As he burst through the gas station doors, he saw her ducking into the bathroom. He went after her, nearly knocking an elderly lady over in the process. "Excuse you!" she yelled, hitting him with her purse.
"But she ... That girl, she ... um ..." People started gathering around. "She's ... my dau- SISTER. And she tagged me and ran off, and ... now she's ... It's just a family thing." He tried to chuckle. Eventually the crowd died down while he leaned up against the wall and sighed.
Several ladies came and went over the next few minutes, most giving him strange looks or shielding their kids from him as they walked past. Eventually, someone walked up beside him. "Excuse me. Are you Vincent Crowe, the magician?"
"Yes," he smiled. "Would you like an autogr-" he turned to see a policeman standing there. "Oh."
"Come with me, please."
Jamie stayed huddled in her stall, hugging her knees and running her fingers over the AirTag. Suddenly, she heard a female voice. "Excuse me. Is there a Jamie Preston in the bathroom?" She held her breath. "I'm officer Courtney Jameson. Your message said 'Hiding in the bathroom.' You can come out. You're safe now."
She stood up, legs wobbling beneath her, opened the door, and collapsed into the officers arms, finally allowing the tears to flow.
------
Later that evening, Mike and Jamie sat on a park bench, watching the final embers of the sunset reflecting off the river. He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. For a while, neither spoke.
Eventually, Mike broke the silence. "I'm so sorry. Are you OK?"
"I am now."
"You were so brave."
"I was terrified."
He held her tightly as the glow on the horizon faded and the stars began to appear.
------------
------------
The following night, hundreds of people showed up for the opening of the Lady Street Theatre. The lobby was permeated with the smells of popcorn, polished wood, and old velvet. Photos and posters lined the lobby walls. Mounted behind glass, just beside the concession stand, was a poster for Dante the Magician. Attached to the glass was a sticky note that said, "The Real One."
A table over to one side contained photo albums and scrapbooks. Clark and the mayor greeted guests just inside the door while Mike and Jamie stood off to the side, taking photos and giving autographs when asked. Suddenly, a blonde young lady came running in. "Lily!" Jamie cried out. "I was hoping you could make it tonight." Jamie hugged her tightly. "I never really got to thank you for saving my life."
"Oh, you had it under control," Lily said. "I just helped the cops get there quicker. And thank you Mike for rescuing me." She hugged him as well.
"Thank Jamie for that," he said. "If I hadn't found her note, I wouldn't have even known you were there. But she led me right to you."
"Hey," Jamie said. "I know you're kinda out of a job for now, but if you ever want to get back into the business, we could maybe use an assistant. We'd have to change the name, though." Jamie moved her hands through the air spelling out the name. "Lily and Jamie ... and occasionally this fellow."
"Hey!" Mike retorted.
"No thanks," she said. "I'm done with that for now. But Mr. Clark said they could use some help with concessions, the box office, accounting. If I want a job, he'll find me one."
"That's awesome!"
She hugged them again then ran off to find a seat. A few minutes later, a security guard came over to them. "Sorry to bother you, but someone outside wants to see you."
"OK, sure," Mike said. As they were heading out the door, Jamie grinned, patted Mike on the shoulder, and said, "Be right there!"
As Mike and the security guard approached the vehicle, the passenger door opened and a young boy stepped out. He was in shorts and t-shirt and wearing a thin mask, but Mike recognized him right away. "Ryan!" He ran over. "You feel like a hug?" Ryan nodded and Mike hugged him. "On your way home, I guess?"
"Just got paroled," he held up his arm, showing off his hospital bracelet. Mike fished his own bracelet out of his pocket and smiled.
Ryan took a deep breath. "Sorry I can't stay for the festivities."
"No, man. Get home and rest up. In fact, go ahead and sit down if you need to." Ryan nodded and sat back in the passenger seat. "By the way, this is Mom."
"Hello, Ryan's mom!" Mike said, looking across the car. "Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you," she said. "My name's Sally. And thank you so much. You made his day."
"He certainly brightened ours," Mike replied.
"I saw your note," she said, "but don't you live out of town?"
"I'm just in Columbus," Mike replied.
"Ohio?" Ryan asked.
"Georgia."
"Where's that?"
"About eigh- um, not really all that far, and absolutely worth the drive, if I know my biggest fan is going to be in town. In fact -- don't do it tonight, you both need to get home and rest -- but when you have the time, look and see if you have a weekend between treatments, and maybe I can come up here and do a full show for you and everybody else. I mean, I've heard there's this pretty cool theatre that might host such an event."
Jamie came up behind them with her arms full. "Ryan! Hey buddy! And is this your mom?" He nodded. "Nice to meet you. I thought I'd pick up a few things for you, in case you wanted them."
"Oh, you really shouldn't have," his mom said.
"I'm sorry, but they have a no-return policy. In this bag are two Souvenir Programs from tonight, an autographed photo of us, a magic wand, and some stickers you can stick anywhere you want!" His mom cleared her throat. "I mean, anywhere your mom says you can." She handed him the bag. "And here are two bags of the butteriest, yummiest popcorn you've ever tasted! ... Uh, again, whenever your mom says you can have it."
He put them in the cup holders of the car then reached to hug her. "Thank you."
"Oh, and I almost forgot." She pulled a deck of blue cards out of her pocket. "Here's another deck to match the one you got at the hospital."
"Why would I need two?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just in case you need … a duplicate for some reason." She winked. His eyes got really big. She wrapped her arms around him. "Love you, buddy. Stay strong." He nodded.
Mike hugged him again. "See you soon."
He closed the door then rolled down the window. "Break a leg! Or ... don't ... break your props! ... Or ... knock 'em dead!"
They waved as he drove off. "You know, I could leave right now and be happy," Jamie said.
"I agree," Mike smiled. "But I know some two hundred or more people who wouldn't be."
They walked back into the theater arm in arm.
--------------
At 7:00, Clark took the stage. "I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This has been a dream of mine ever since I snuck into this abandoned theater and told knock-knock jokes from the rotting stage ... wait, that's outside the statute of limitations, right?" The audience laughed. He took a deep breath. He looked around the auditorium, tears in the corner of his eyes. "It's been a labor of love," his voice caught momentarily, "and a long time coming. I know the last few days have been difficult for a lot of us, but I want to let everyone know a few things. First, you're safe here. The person who was causing trouble is locked up and getting help. Hopefully he'll perform again one day. Also, if any of you were here yesterday and saw the photo albums on fire -- that was just a trick. A very nasty trick, but a trick nonetheless. The real photos are safe and are back on display in the lobby. Be sure to check them out afterwards if you haven't yet.
"Also, Mike and Jamie are donating all of the proceeds of tonight and tomorrow's shows toward the final repairs and upkeep of this building. I tried to talk them out of it, but they're as stubborn as I am." The audience clapped, and several people chuckled. "And finally, while they do live out of state, I've offered an open invitation to Mike and Jamie to come and perform here whenever their schedule, and the schedule of events here, permits. Hopefully this will become a regular show for us and them." The crowd cheered.
"So without any further ado, let them take you away on a magical journey, from the old days of Vaudeville into the 21st century!" The lights dimmed, Mike and Jamie stepped out onto the stage, and the crowd erupted with applause.
[The End]
