Talent Show Tricks

by Franklin W. Dixon

  “Once we found the note, Diego started asking a bunch of questions, and Mrs. Castle decided to cancel rehearsal for the afternoon,” Frank said. “So, what do you think? Want to try to figure out who’s behind this?”

  “You bet I do!” Joe said.

  They had a special notebook that they used to keep track of clues, theories, and the Five Ws. The Five Ws was a set of questions their father had taught them about. Finding the answers to the Five Ws was the key to solving any mystery.

  They started the way they always did, with Joe writing out the Five Ws in the notebook in big letters:

  “The what is Daniel Tate’s trumpet,” Frank said. “The where and when are at the talent show rehearsal in the auditorium this afternoon.”

  Joe wrote all that down. “So we just have to figure out who and why.”

  “I bet if we figured out the why, it would lead us to the who,” Joe said.

  “Good thinking,” Frank replied. “Who has a reason to want the talent show canceled?”

  “Well—” Joe started to say.

  “Boys!” someone called. Joe recognized the voice as their father’s.

  Frank opened the trapdoor of the tree house. Fenton Hardy, one of the only people besides Frank and Joe who knew about the secret tree house, was standing below.

  “Hey, Dad,” Frank said. “What’s up?”

  “Chet and Iola are here to see you,” he said.

  “We’ll be right there!” Joe said. Then he turned to his brother. “I guess we’ll talk about this later.”

  Frank nodded. “Let’s go.”

  They climbed down from the tree house and met up with Chet and his younger sister, Iola, in their backyard. Iola was also involved in the talent show; she was going to be singing a song. Frank and Joe ended up doing almost everything with Chet and Iola, since Chet was their best friend and Iola was on the Bandits with them.

  “Hey, guys!” Iola said with a wave. “Our parents said we could come over and play until dinner if you want.”

  “Sounds great!” Joe said. “Want to play kickball? We can do two-on-two.”

  “Sure!” Iola said.

  “Pretty crazy about rehearsal today, huh?” Chet said. “Do you guys have any idea who it might have been?”

  Frank shook his head. “Not yet, but we’re going to try to find out.”

  “Whoever it was, they’d better watch out now that you two are on the case!” Iola said.

  Joe got an inflatable ball from the shed, and they played Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide the teams. It was Joe and Chet versus Frank and Iola. Frank stood on home plate, and Chet rolled the ball at him. He gave it a huge kick that sent it soaring into the air. While Joe scrambled after the ball, Frank ran the bases, touching a hand to the swing set, the fence, and the biggest oak tree in the yard before running back to home plate. He and Iola high-fived. Their team was off to a great start! The lead changed hands between the two teams several times. As the sun started to dip below the trees, everyone knew Chet and Iola would have to head home for dinner soon, so the game become even fiercer. It was the last inning, and Frank and Iola were in the lead by one run. Joe was on second base, and Chet was up. If Chet kicked a home run, he and Joe would win the game. Joe chewed on his lower lip nervously. Chet had never been a great athlete. While the others all played on the Bandits baseball team, Chet had always preferred to pursue one of his ever-changing hobbies, from photography to model planes to computer programming.

  As Frank rolled the ball toward Chet, Chet drew his foot back and let loose a monster of a kick. He connected, and the ball went flying over Frank’s head. No one was more surprised than Chet, who just stared at the soaring ball in openmouthed surprise.

  Joe let out a whoop. “Run, Chet!” he cried as he started for third base.

  Iola sprinted after the ball. Chet had kicked it far, but she was fast. Joe rounded third and sprinted on to home plate. They were tied! Chet was almost at second base. If he could make it home before Iola tagged him out, they would win!

  Chet was running with all his might, and so was Iola. She scooped up the ball just as Chet laid a hand on the oak tree that was third base. He kept sprinting, headed for home plate, and Joe could see a triumphant smile starting to spread across his mouth. He was going to make it!

  But then Joe saw Iola coming up behind Chet—fast. It was going to be close!

  Chet lunged for home plate just as Iola lunged for him, touching the ball to his back. Chet threw his hands up in the air and cheered.

  “I’m safe!” he said, jumping up and down. “We won!”

  “No way!” Iola said. “I tagged you out.”

  Chet shook his head. “You tagged me after I touched the base.”

  Joe looked at his brother. He wasn’t sure which one was right, and judging by Frank’s shrug, Frank wasn’t either.

  “Don’t be a sore loser, Chet,” Iola teased. “I tagged you before you touched the base, and you know it!”

  “I’m not the sore loser. You are,” Chet said. “Why do you always have to be the best at everything, Iola? I won fair and square!”

  “Nuh-uh!” Iola stomped her foot.

  “You’re being a baby about this.” Chet looked down at his watch. “Come on, we have to go home.”

  Iola stomped out of the yard and back in the direction of their house.

  Chet sighed. “Sorry, guys.”

  “That’s okay,” Joe said. He didn’t like to see Chet and Iola fight. He and Frank hardly ever fought.

  “I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Chet said as he started to go after his sister. “Let me know if you need any help with your case!”

  Chapter 5

  BEWARE THE PHANTOM

  “What’s going on?” Frank said to his brother as they walked through the front doors of Bayport Elementary the next morning. The halls were full of kids standing around in groups, talking excitedly and all holding copies of the school newspaper.

  Frank spotted Speedy in the hallway. Like everyone else, she was reading. He went up to her, Joe following behind him, and tapped her shoulder.

  “Oh, hey, Frank!” she said. “Have you seen this?”

  She handed him what she’d been reading. It was a copy of the BES Gazette, the school’s newspaper. The headline was printed in big, bold letters:

  THE PHANTOM OF THE TALENT SHOW: MYSTERY PRANKSTER STRIKES SCHOOL PRODUCTION

  Frank quickly read Diego Mendez’s article, while Joe leaned over his shoulder and read along with him.

  Rehearsal for the annual Bayport Elementary Talent Show was going great. The musical numbers by the student director from Bayport Middle School, eighth grader Olivia Shapiro, have taken an already wonderful show to a new level. But nothing could prepare me for the, well, unusual performance of Daniel Tate on the trumpet.

  Diego wrote about the bubbles bursting out of Daniel’s trumpet and the hunt everyone had gone on to find the person behind the prank. Then he described the note they’d found in Daniel’s instrument case, which promised more pranks if the talent show wasn’t canceled.

  Will the Phantom of the Talent Show strike again? All I know for sure is that I’ll be watching, and you should too. Tickets to the show can be reserved on the school’s website or by calling the head office. Better get yours soon!

  Well, Frank thought, that part would make Olivia happy. She was desperate for the show to sell out.

  “Who do you think the Phantom is?” Speedy asked. “You two must have a theory.”

  All around them Frank could hear other students asking one another the same question. Who could it be? Who would want to stop the talent show?

  “Maybe it’s Adam Ackerman,” Speedy continued. “Ellie said he was hanging around rehearsal the other day, and he told her he hoped the show was a disaster.”

  “That’s true. I heard him,” Joe said. “He was really mad. Ellie said he tried out for the show but didn’t make it.”

  “He did,” Frank said. As part of his job as th
e Backstage Buddy to the stage manager, he had been at the auditions. “He came in and just joked around on the stage for a few minutes. Mrs. Castle said he could only be in the show if he prepared a real act. She offered him a second chance to audition, but he never came back.”

  “If anyone was going to do something as mean as trying to get the talent show canceled,” Speedy said, “it would be Adam.”

  It was almost time for school to start, so everyone said good-bye and headed toward their classrooms. The Phantom was all that anyone could talk about all day. Adam Ackerman was the most popular suspect, probably because of his reputation as Bayport Elementary’s biggest bully.

  Joe told Frank he had a different idea, though.

  “Adam does have a good reason to want the talent show canceled,” Joe said as they sat down to eat lunch together, “but he’s not the only one.”

  “Yeah?” Frank asked.

  Joe nodded as he took a huge bite from the PB&J sandwich their mom had packed for him. When he spoke again, the words were muddled by the peanut butter in his mouth. “I think the Phantom might be Ezra.”

  “Really?” Frank was surprised. He didn’t know Ezra very well, but he seemed really cool. He didn’t seem like the type of person who would try to ruin a talent show.

  Joe nodded. “I know he’s a lot nicer than Adam, but he’s dreading the show. His parents are making him do it, and he’s afraid he’ll get made fun of once everyone knows he plays the violin. There’s no one on the planet who would be happier if the show was canceled. Not even Adam Ackerman.”

  Frank thought about that while he took out the notebook to write their next suspect down.

  “That does make sense,” he said. “And it would have been a lot easier for Ezra to pour the bubbles in Daniel’s trumpet, since he would have been in that area anyway. Everyone knows Adam isn’t supposed to be there, so he would have had to be a lot sneakier to get it done without anyone noticing.”

  “We should talk to both of them and see if we can learn anything,” Joe said.

  Frank nodded. “I’ll take Adam. You take Ezra.”

  “Deal.”

  After lunch, Frank spotted Adam in the hall as he was walking back to his classroom. It wasn’t hard, since Adam was the biggest person in their grade and stood almost a head taller than everyone else. Frank ran to catch up with him.

  “Hey, Adam!” he said.

  Adam spun to face Frank, his usual scowl firmly in place.

  “I’m not the Phantom, okay?” he said. “Whoever he is, I owe him a high five, but it’s not me.”

  “Well, where were you yesterday afternoon?” Frank asked.

  Adam crossed his arms over his chest. “Detention.”

  “So you were in the school after classes ended?” Frank asked. “While the rehearsal was going on?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t do anything,” Adam said. “Not that I expect you to believe me.”

  Frank frowned. Adam had a good “why” to be the Phantom: he’d said he wanted the show to be a disaster. Plus, he’d been in the school when the bubbles were poured into Daniel’s trumpet. But Frank had the feeling that Adam was telling the truth, so he wasn’t sure what to believe.

  If it wasn’t Adam, could the culprit be Ezra?

  Chapter 6

  SOUR NOTES

  Joe wasn’t having any more luck cracking the case than Frank. Rehearsal had already started, and he still hadn’t found a good way to ask Ezra if he was the Phantom.

  “So, Ezra, did you read the article in the school paper?” Joe asked as they sat together in the greenroom.

  “Of course. It’s all anyone’s talked about today,” Ezra said. “Pretty crazy, huh?”

  “Yeah,” Joe replied. “Did you see anything? In the hallway where Daniel left his trumpet case?”

  Ezra shook his head. “I came straight here to the greenroom after the opening number. I was still here when Mrs. Castle canceled the rehearsal because of the Phantom.”

  “You didn’t leave the greenroom during the break?” Joe asked.

  Ezra shook his head.

  Joe frowned. It sounded like Ezra had an alibi. If he was in the greenroom the whole time like he said, he couldn’t be the Phantom.

  “I’m going to go get a drink of water,” Joe said. “I’ll be right back.”

  On his way out of the classroom, Joe stopped to talk to Ellie Freeman, who was stationed at the door with her walkie-talkie.

  “Hey, Ellie,” he said.

  “Hiya, Joe.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you remember if Ezra left this room at all during yesterday’s rehearsal?” Joe asked. “He says he was in here the whole time after the first number.”

  Ellie pursed her lips as she thought, but after a second she shrugged. “I’m really not sure. So many people come in and out that it’s hard to keep track. Are you and Frank investigating this Phantom thing?”

  “Just let me know if you remember anything weird about yesterday, would you?” Joe asked.

  “You bet. I hope you figure out who it is!”

  Joe walked into the hallway where Daniel had left his trumpet to check it out. It was a good spot for a prank, since it was usually empty during rehearsals. Joe decided he would walk from there to the backstage to see how long it would take. He needed all the information he could get if he was going to get to the bottom of this.

  Joe walked from the spot the trumpet case had been toward the backstage at a normal pace, counting the seconds in his head. He went through the door to the backstage area and walked toward where Speedy stood just offstage. It was dark back there, the area lit by just one small blue lamp. He reached Speedy as she sent Iola out onto the stage for her song.

  “Hi, Joe,” Speedy whispered.

  “Hey,” he whispered back. “Mind if I watch for a minute?”

  “No problem.”

  Joe peered around the black curtain that hid the backstage area from view. Iola was standing in the middle of the stage, a microphone in a stand placed in front of her. Her shoulders were thrown back in confidence, which made her look taller than she really was. The opening strains of her song, “Tomorrow,” began to play. Iola took a deep breath and leaned into the microphone.

  “The sun will come out . . . RRRRRRRrrrribbit!”

  Iola jerked back from the microphone in shock. After a moment, she swallowed and opened her mouth again to sing.

  “The . . . Rrrrrrrribbit!”

  Once again, the frog sound croaked from the speakers. All of a sudden, the backstage area was full of kids who had heard the strange noise and come running to see what had happened. Onstage, Iola was moving her lips, but all anyone could hear was the croaking of a frog. Some kids were laughing, while others were whispering to one another that the Phantom had struck again.

  Finally Iola ran offstage crying.

  Joe heard Chet shout, “Iola! Wait!”

  Then Olivia cried, “Stop the show! Everyone back to the greenroom!”

  The kids backstage turned and scattered. Joe wasn’t going to go back to the greenroom, though. He needed to investigate, so he stepped out onto the stage.

  “What are you doing?” Speedy asked him.

  “There’s no way Iola could have been making those noises,” he said. With Speedy at his side, he examined the microphone. It looked normal, but . . .

  Joe tapped the mic. It made no sound.

  “It isn’t on?” Speedy asked.

  Joe shook his head. He looked out into the auditorium and spotted Frank. He had to tell him this.

  The stage was only a couple of feet off the ground, so Joe hopped down and headed for his brother. Frank was in the back of the auditorium in the sound area.

  “Hey, Joe,” Frank said when he saw his brother coming. “I’m starting to think this Phantom means business.”

  “I think you’re right,” Joe said. “The microphone on the stage isn’t turned on. Wherever that croaking sound
came from, it wasn’t from Iola.”

  Frank frowned and went over to the sound equipment.

  “Where’s Chet?” Joe asked. Chet was in charge of running the sound for the show.

  “He went after Iola when she ran away,” Frank said. “He looked really worried.”

  Frank pressed a button and a CD tray slid open. Inside was a CD that was labeled “Tomorrow” Music Track: Iola Morton. Frank pushed the CD back in and let it play for a moment. There was no croaking. He pushed a couple of other buttons, and another CD tray opened.

  He and Joe examined the CD that was in the second tray. It was a plain silver CD, and it had no label.

  “Let’s see what we’ve got,” Frank said as he put the CD back into the player. He pressed play and the auditorium was filled with the sounds of “Tomorrow.” The brothers looked at each other in confusion. Why were there two CDs with Iola’s music track on them?

  Then the croaking started.

  “Someone made a copy of Iola’s music and added croaking noises to it,” Frank said. “They turned off the microphone so it would look like she was the one making the sound.”

  Joe didn’t like what he was thinking. The music on the CDs, the microphone, all of that was part of the sound for the show. And the person in charge of the sound was . . .

  Chet.

  Chapter 7

  FRIEND OR PHANTOM?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Frank said, “but it couldn’t have been Chet. He would never try to ruin his sister’s act . . . right?”

  “It sure doesn’t seem like Chet,” Joe said, “but, well, they did get into that big fight yesterday. Maybe Chet was angrier than we thought.”

  Frank thought about that. If it were anyone else, it would seem like a good “why.” But he had a hard time believing their friend could be the Phantom.

  “Let’s go find him,” Frank said.

  He and Joe searched the halls for Chet and eventually found him leaning against the wall outside the girls’ restroom.

  “Hey, Chet,” Frank said. “Did you find Iola?”