The sun was barely over the rooftops when the Aldens set out for Hartford. Mrs. McGregor sent them off with a goody bag filled with on-the-road snacks.
Two and a half hours later, Grandfather pulled their car into the entrance to the Century Hotel. The parking lot was packed. Vendors unloaded vans along the curb.
“Wow!” said Violet, peering out the window. “Look at all the people.”
“This comic book convention is a pretty big deal,” Henry said.
They all entered the plush lobby. At the busy front desk, Grandfather checked in and received room keys and a map of the convention floor.
They put their bags in their rooms, then Grandfather left for his meeting downtown.
The excited Alden children took the escalator to the second level, where the convention was being held.
Jessie gripped the handrail as they descended into a huge ballroom of glittering chandeliers, colorful booths, jostling crowds, and strange sights.
A man on stilts stalked by carrying a sign that read, WONDER COMICS—BOOTH 319. Balloons and streamers marked vendors’ booths. Costumed superheroes mingled with aliens.
“We should take a picture!” said Violet, who had brought her camera. “Stand next to that cardboard cutout of Captain Fantastic.”
“What’ll we do first?” Benny asked when the picture had been taken.
“Sid asked us to guard his art,” Henry said. “This map says his presentation will be in the Minuteman Room. Let’s check it out.”
Inside the Minuteman Room, chairs stood in rows. A slide projector waited on a cart in the center aisle. In the front of the room were easels on a stage. A sign tacked to the end easel said, RESERVED FOR AUCTION ART.
“The easels are empty,” Jessie noted. “Sid probably has his things locked up.”
As the kids turned to leave, they heard a noise.
“What was that?” asked Benny.
“It came from behind the screen,” said Jessie.
The kids cautiously approached the stage. Suddenly, the room went black!
But before the lights went out, Violet glimpsed shoes beneath the screen—red shoes with bows on the toes.
Just as suddenly, the lights came back on. Henry stood by the light switches at the back of the room. But whoever had switched off the lights had slipped away under the cover of darkness.
“Did anybody see anything?” he asked.
“I saw a girl’s shoes,” said Violet. “Red.”
“We know it was a girl,” said Jessie. “But we don’t know why she was here or why she turned out the lights.”
“To steal Sid’s art?” Benny said.
“Good guess,” said Violet. “We’ll never find her in this mob, even looking for red shoes.”
Henry consulted the map. “Here’s Al Conrad’s booth. Let’s pay him a visit instead.”
The ballroom was so jammed, the kids had to wiggle their way through the crowds. At last they reached Al Conrad’s booth. Al was talking to someone dressed as Captain Fantastic.
“Do you suppose that’s Marvin?” Jessie whispered.
Benny stared at the costumed figure. “I don’t know.”
“There’s another Captain Fantastic!” Violet pointed. “And another one over there by that pole!”
“A lot of people are dressed like Captain Fantastic,” Henry observed.
Benny stared at the figure leaning over Al’s booth. There was something about the costume that wasn’t right.
Then he realized what it was. The boots. In the comic, Captain Fantastic wore knee-high shiny black boots. The boots helped him jump over buildings. This person’s boots were brown and heavy. Captain Fantastic would never be able to jump over a building in boots like that.
The costumed person left and the kids went over to Al’s booth.
“Hello, Mr. Conrad,” Henry said. “Remember us? You sold us Captain Fantastic issue number nine last week at the antiques show in Greenfield.”
“I remember you,” the dealer said. “Isn’t this a great show? I hope you’re having a good time.”
“Yes, it’s lots of fun,” Henry said, steering Al back to the subject. “You don’t happen to have any more number nine comics, do you?”
Al shook his head firmly. “That comic is very hard to find, as you know. I was lucky to get the one I sold you. I may not see another number nine for months.”
Jessie watched the man’s face. He didn’t act the least bit nervous. If he was guilty of selling a counterfeit comic on purpose, he was certainly playing it cool.
Al looked at his watch. “It’s time for Sid Hoyt’s presentation. You don’t want to miss that.”
The kids hurried back to the Minuteman Room. Most of the seats were already taken.
They found chairs in the back near the control panel, where a red-jacketed hotel employee was checking switches and cables. Now red velvet curtains covered the stage.
“There’s the Captain Fantastic who was talking to Al Conrad,” said Benny, pointing to a costumed figure sitting in an aisle seat a few rows up. “I remember those boots.”
Jessie noticed that the person wasn’t very big. It could be a small man like Marvin Peabody…or a woman.
Suddenly Benny blurted, “The house-builders! That’s where I’ve seen those boots before!”
“Those are construction boots,” Henry agreed.
Jessie started to put two and two together.
“There’s another Captain Fantastic on the other side of the room,” said Violet.
“Irene is sitting next to him,” said Henry. “That must be Marvin.”
Sid entered the front of the room. Applause broke out. The curtains parted, revealing his original art propped on the easels.
“Welcome,” Sid said to the audience. “Thank you for coming. I’ll start with some slides showing how I work. Then I’ll talk about the art that’s displayed up here from issue number nine.” He waved toward the easels.
The audience went, “Ahhh.”
“And finally, I’ll talk about the mistake I made in that comic and reveal my secret signature,” said Sid. “The panel with the signature will be auctioned at the end of the day to benefit the Cartoonists Fund.”
He gave a nod to the hotel employee who was stationed by the control panel. The overhead lights dimmed as the projection screen was lowered in front of the easels.
Sid clicked the projector’s remote and images appeared on the screen. Sid showed views of his studio, his cats, and his paintings, as he explained each slide.
Suddenly the projector froze. Then all the lights went out.
Someone screamed. Others laughed nervously.
The Aldens were sitting by the door, where a little light from the small window filtered into the room. They saw a shadowy shape near the control panel.
“Who is that?” Benny whispered. “The hotel guy is working on the projector.”
The humped shape of the shadowy figure melted into the darkness.
After a minute, the lights came back on. The projector whirred to life again, but the screen was now raised halfway to the ceiling. Sid’s slide of his cats was projected onto the easels.
One of the easels stood empty. The kids knew instantly that Sid’s original art panel with his secret signature for issue number nine was missing!
“Both Captain Fantastics are gone!” Jessie reported, scanning the room.
“Quick!” Henry cried. “The thief can’t be far! He’s got the big panel!”
The children dashed out the back door.
“There’s one of the Captain Fantastics!” Benny cried, as a sweep of purple cape disappeared into the crowd.
“Where is the one wearing work boots?” Violet wondered. “He couldn’t have that much of a head start.”
Jessie drew in a breath. “That person is probably right in front of us!”
“I don’t see anyone wearing a costume,” said Henry.
“The best disguise is no disguise!” Jessie said. “The person simply took off the costume and is in regular clothes! I know who it is!” |