Soap on a Rope by Barbara Silkstone

Author:Barbara Silkstone [Silkstone, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-05-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

If we keep our heads?

“Here’s my plan,” Grams said. “Olive and Lizzy, you’ll go undercover as magicians’ assistants ready to perform in the Fusion on April Fools’ Day. Magicians love to impress the ladies. Someone is bound to take a shine to you gals and let secrets slip out. All we need to know is if there was someone else besides that half-wit Whodunit involved in challenging Nelson and if so why?”

Wow! If that was a plan, I was an aardvark. But I wasn’t going to deny Grams no matter how wild the goose chase got. Maybe her crazy scheme would pay off. Stranger things have happened…maybe.

“Olive, do you have any tricks up your sleeves?” Lizzy said, a mischievous smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

I shook my head. The only mystic stuff I knew had to do with Nonna’s magical cold cream.

“You don’t have to know anything about magic,” Grams said. “They’ll hire you as window dressing. Pretty assistants are the real secret to magic. While all eyes are on you, the magician pulls the rabbit from his jacket.”

“It could be fun.” I said. “As long as we don’t have to wear skimpy costumes—I prefer slacks and a blouse—dressy casual.”

Pam chuckled. “Dressy casual will really pack the house. You’ve got to show some thigh or at least some glitz.”

“I can assure you these thighs have not been exposed except on the beach.”

“There was that time at the Billow’s Hotel—you wore a bathing suit then,” Lizzy reminded me.

“That turned out real well. I almost drowned.” I looked at the Dingler ladies. “No thighs.”

Lizzy gathered her hair in two hands, piled it on her head, and held it there with one hand. She puffed out her chest. “I could pull it off.”

“You won’t need costumes or thighs,” Grams said. “Lizzy, some of your jumpsuits are pretty flashy—no offense, dear. They’re not racy but they’re definitely glitzy. You and Olive are about the same size—you’ll work it out.”

I was warming to the idea. Or maybe I was trying to convince myself that for Grams’ sake, it wasn’t as harebrained as I thought. However, our lack of hocus-pocus knowledge might be dangerous. My personal liability insurance didn’t cover strapping someone into a straightjacket and sinking them in a dunk tank. Could we find the killer before anyone got hurt including us?

“Why not Pam, too?” Lizzy asked.

“Because your sister’s a phobic fibber and besides she’s built like me—low to the ground. You and Olive aren’t tall but you’re not shorties either. Much better stage presence,” Grams said. “Besides I need Pam’s muscles with me.”

“I must tell Kal—just in case.” I said.

“Heck no!” Grams grumbled. “Bad enough you and Lizzy already blabbed to him. You can handle this. You’ve investigated before. Just avoid knife throwers or being shot from a cannon—”

“A cannon!” Lizzy and I yelped simultaneously.

Our cry was followed by the sound of breaking glass downstairs in Nelson’s apartment.

“Who?” I barely got the word out before WonderDog jumped into action. He ran like his tail was on fire, taking the stairs at a gallop.

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