Magic Trick
by
Beth
Chapter One
"Admiral? Are you about ready to head over to the birthday party for the O'Brien twins," Angie Wood, Admiral Harriman Nelson's secretary and right hand called from the outer office just before she appeared in his doorway.
"Just about," he replied with a smile as he put some folders away in his desk drawer.
"Remember what Bobby and Mandy said about what to wear. The proud parents don't want to see a uniform on anyone," she added with a smile, knowing Lieutenant Robert O'Brien, one of the admiral's handpicked officers, wouldn't have the nerve to berate the four-star admiral for wearing his uniform to the party for his young sons, but Mandy...Amanda Kellick O'Brien...would.
"I can understand that sentiment," Nelson laughed. "I have a quick meeting before, but I brought a change of clothes from the house this morning for the occasion. Just need to change and I'll be ready to head to my meeting."
"As long as you get to the restaurant on time. Don't let this meeting go too long," she admonished with a fake stern look on her face. "They only have the place reserved for a few hours."
"Hours? How long does it take to celebrate a birthday party for five-year olds?"
"Five is a very big number. Just ask Dylan and Sean," she laughed, naming the two birthday celebrants.
"I suppose so," Nelson nodded thoughtfully. "I just can't believe the boys are five already. Seems like just yesterday Bobby and Mandy were getting married and now they have two boys."
"Time does fly," Angie agreed.
"Any idea what a party for five-year olds is like?" he asked as he came around the side of his desk and seated himself on the corner. "It's been awhile since I've been to one."
"Well, the last one I went to was for my nephew and it was…well, the word pandemonium comes to mind," she laughed. "Imagine ten five-year old boys all running around yelling. But you know Sean and Dylan…they're good quiet kids, just like their parents. I'm sure it won't be that bad. Mandy said they have the boys' favorite food planned, pizza, a large cake and a magician is coming to keep them all entertained."
"A magician?"
"You have a problem with magicians?" she asked with a laugh at the look on her boss' face.
"Not really a problem," he answered. "There's just no…allure when you know how the tricks are done."
"And how do you know how they're done?"
"Research!" he answered with a look on his face that said it should have been obvious.
"Well, play along. The boys don't know it's fake," she ordered in a pretend stern voice.
"Yes, ma'am," he said saluting her. "I will do my best. Now, get out of here so I can change, get to this meeting and get to the party on time."
"I'll see you at the restaurant. Don't be late," she ordered once more.
"I will not be late. Now, out!"
With a laugh, Angie turned on her heel and fled the office.
Harry shook his head as he walked to the door and closed it, quickly changing from his normal khaki uniform into a pair of black pants and a black and white checked shirt.
Finally dressed in what he hoped Mandy O'Brien found acceptable for a party for her boys, he smiled and left the office.
~0~
His meeting accomplished in a quite timely fashion, Harry arrived at the door to the restaurant, the sounds of laughter spilling from inside and he reveled at the joy he heard inside. Over the years his men had become more to him than mere employees. He rejoiced with them in their joys and triumphs and mourned with them when life didn't go the way they'd planned. Dylan and Sean were two of the joys he'd celebrated over the last few years and he hoped for only good things for the boys and their parents.
Stepping through the door, he smiled as he saw members of his crew and their families clustered in small groups enjoying small talk. It wasn't often he and his crew took the time to gather as what he considered family, but when they did, it was a boisterous time. Decorations of some cartoon character Harry couldn't have named if you had threatened him adorned the walls and ceiling of the establishment. Groups of boys huddled nearby playing a game and laughing at some joke or antic one of the other boys had said or done.
"Admiral! Admiral! You're here!"
Harry had just enough time to prepare himself for the two fireballs of energy that jumped to their feet and raced to him, throwing themselves at his legs.
"Dylan, Sean…happy birthday!" Harry crowed as he knelt down, smiling as he felt their small arms wrap about his neck.
"We're five now, Admiral! Five!" they yelled in unison, each holding up five stubby fingers.
"Seems to me I heard that from someone," he joked.
"We're so glad you got here," Dylan said. "We can start the party now. Can't we, Daddy?"
Harry looked up to see Lt. Bobby O'Brien, a sheepish look on his face, standing behind his boys. "Yes, can't we, Mr. O'Brien?" Harry asked, joining his voice to the twins'.
A relieved smile flitted over the young lieutenant's face and he nodded. "Go tell your mother the admiral is here," he said with a smile.
"Sorry if I'm late. I ran into some traffic on the way."
"You're not late. The boys are just a little wound up and eager to get to the fun," Bobby replied with a smile. "They said when you got here the party could start because you're the admiral and it doesn't matter who else is here."
"Well, I can think of a few that might disagree but since the boys are the bosses for the day, let's go!" Harry said as he slapped Bobby on the back.
The two men walked over to a group surrounding the two birthday boys, Lee and Chip laughing at something one of the boys had said.
"Admiral! I'm so glad you could come!"
Harry smiled as he saw a petite woman with long brown hair separate from the group and walk towards them, pausing to give him a brief hug.
"Mandy, where else would I be when Messrs. Dylan and Sean O'Brien celebrate their fifth birthday? It's quite a milestone, you know," he confided, smiling as he saw the way the two boys, currently plastered to their mother's legs, puffed their chests up in importance.
"Don't give them any more reason to feel they're something special, Admiral," Mandy admonished.
"But they are special and I've asked you before to call me Harry," he said with a smile to soften the words.
"I just can't seem to do that. No one else calls you Harry."
"And that's why I'd like you to start. It might just start a precedent."
"Well, Admiral. Good to see you found your way."
Harry turned to see Lee Crane and Chip Morton, huge smiles on their faces and paper cups in hand behind him.
"It wasn't hard, Lee. What are you two drinking?" he asked curiously, peering into the nearest cup.
"Kool-Aid," Chip answered with a grin as he watched a slight shiver go through the admiral at the prospect of drinking the sugary drink.
"Any other options?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nope," Lee grinned. "The brand-spanking new five-year olds requested Kool-Aid and only Kool-Aid. You can however choose your flavor."
"Well, lead me to the Kool-Aid then," Nelson sighed.
The three walked to the table on the side of the spacious room and poured some of the beverage into cups, Harry choosing a bright red.
"You know, this isn't all that bad," Harry said with a smack of his lips.
"Who knew Admiral Nelson liked Kool-Aid," Lee laughed as he poured more for himself.
"Maybe we should ask Cookie to put in a supply before our next mission," Chip joked.
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Morton," Harry laughed. "I think this will last me for a long time."
"What will last a long time?" Bobby O'Brien asked as he came up behind the group.
"Mr. Morton was just thinking that perhaps we could put in a supply of Kool-Aid for our next mission. We were just wondering what you thought of that idea, Mr. O'Brien," Harry asked in a serious tone of voice.
"Kool-Aid? On Seaview, sir? I…well, I don't know…I suppose...well..."
Before Bobby could finish figuring out if the admiral was serious or not he heard his wife calling him and turned to see her hurrying towards him, Angie close on her heels.
"Mandy, what's wrong?" he asked walking to her quickly followed by Lee, Chip and Harry.
"Oh, Krandor the Incredible…the magician I hired for the party…had to cancel but he sent someone to replace him."
"Well, Honey, what's the problem?" Bobby asked quietly. "A magician is here to do an act so…"
"Oh Bobby, he isn't the one I hired. I don't know anything about him. What if he's awful?"
"If Krandor the Incredible sent this guy to replace him, he must think he's good, don't you think?" he said soothingly.
"I suppose. I just wanted everything to go well. It's the only fifth birthday party they'll have."
"I'm sure it's fine. Come on. Let's go talk to him."
The group watched Bobby and Mandy walk off to talk to Krandor the Incredible's replacement.
"You know if this substitute isn't any good, the admiral here could step in," Angie said, doing her best to hide a smile.
"The admiral?" Lee asked, turning to the man beside him. "What do you know about magic?"
"I know how the tricks are done, Angie. I didn't say I could perform them. We'll just let Krandor's replacement do that," he said with a shake of his head and a warning look to his secretary who merely smiled innocently.
A few minutes later, Dylan and Sean broke away from their group of friends and raced to the group. "Come on! The magic show's about to begin!" they cried, almost in perfect unison. Grabbing hands, they began to pull the group to the front of the stage area where the adults seated themselves on chairs while Dylan and Sean sat in front on the floor with their friends, laughing at some joke.
"Sit back and try to smile, Admiral," Lee whispered.
"I am smiling, Captain," Harry returned, an almost believable smile on his craggy face.
They watched as a svelte woman in a flowing costume walked out on the stage and stopped directly in front of the gathering of giggling boys.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, are you ready to witness the impossible?"
A loud yell of assent from the row of boys in front of the adults erupted.
"Wonderful! Let me introduce you to the most amazing magician ever to walk a stage! Here he is…Maximus the Magnificent…master of illusion!"
With a sudden eruption of smoke from the center stage, Maximus, replete in flowing robes, suddenly appeared before the screaming five-year olds.
"Welcome one and all to the most amazing show you will ever see!"
Over the course of the next half hour, Maximus performed magic trick after magic trick all to the amazement of the row of boys that were mesmerized and dumbfounded.
"And now for my final, most stupendous trick…the disappearing man trick! Now I need a volunteer from the audience," Maximus said as he jumped from the stage and walked thoughtfully towards the audience, his finger tapping his mouth as he perused the arrayed group. Squeals of, "Pick me! Pick me!" burst from several of the eager five-year olds.
"Oh my, you're too small for this magic act I'm afraid," he said as he shook his head. "I need someone bigger. Someone unafraid of the unknown. Someone brave and daring."
"My daddy ain't afraid of nothin'!" Dylan O'Brien asserted forcefully. "Pick him!"
"I'm sure your daddy will be a fine…wait a minute," Maximus said as he came to a stop in front of Nelson who stared at him with a quizzical look. "This cannot be! Admiral Harriman Nelson, world famous man of the sea and science, here? What a treasure! What a surprise to find the legendary Admiral here at my humble show! I'm…well honored does the sentiment no justice! Would you do me the honor of allowing me to make you disappear before these fine people?"
"I think perhaps someone else might be a better choice," Harry chuckled. "Perhaps the boys' father as they requested."
"No, no, no! We want him to make you disappear first, Admiral Nelson. Then our daddy! Please!" both boys cried in unison, making Harry wonder how they could seem to speak in one voice so often.
"Come on, Admiral," Lee said, jabbing an elbow into his ribs. "It's what the birthday boys want. You can't deny them their request."
"Lee…"
"Yes, Admiral?" Lee asked.
The pressure to give in became overwhelming as Lee coaxed the boys into chanting his name and Harry reluctantly stood then leaned down to whisper in Lee's ear. "I'll get you back for this. Have no illusions of that, Captain," he muttered as he followed Maximus up on stage where a large purple box stood.
Maximus' assistant made a huge gesture of opening the box and spinning it, making sure everyone saw it was empty. Before ushering the admiral to the box, Maximus paused to surreptitiously whisper a few words, before he helped him inside and closed the door. Standing in front of the audience the magician said, "And now I will say the incantation that will make the good admiral disappear!" he boasted and began a nonsensical arrangements of words complete with several wild arm gestures at the box. Then with a flourish and a small explosion of smoke, opened the door to show the box was indeed empty.
The boys exploded in gasps, then raucous applause.
"Bring him back now! Bring him back!" they yelled happily.
"Your wish is my command," he said bowing slightly.
Turning, he closed the door to the box, spun it several times, repeated the same chants and gyrations then opened the door to reveal a still empty box. The gasps of his audience had him turning to the box and peering inside then turning back to the audience, he raised his hands to calm the audience clamoring for Admiral Nelson's return.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, sometimes the return of the subject is somewhat delayed…hampered by the negativity of the universe or a solar storm from far off! Allow me to try again!"
Maximus repeated the procedure only to find the same thing: the box was empty.
"Where is he?" Dylan and Sean yelled. "Where's the admiral?"
Lee leaned forward in anxiety as he stared at the empty box, a feeling of foreboding enveloping him.
"Lee?" Chip whispered. "Where is he?"
"Please! Please! I assure you, Admiral Nelson will be where he is supposed to be by the end of your party. When I feel the conditions are right, we will try again!" he assured the audience with a grandiose gesture, hushing the worried whispers of the five-year olds but doing nothing to allay the worry of the adults who suddenly felt as though something was very wrong. "Thank you all for your kind attention and your wonderful applause!"
The boys, accompanied by a worried Mandy, scampered off to play more games on the other side of the room as Lee, Chip and Bobby rushed the stage.
"Where is he?" Lee asked harshly.
"Gentlemen! Please! It's all in fun!" he laughed. "A simple joke!"
"Where is he?" Lee asked again.
"I don't know. I told him once the door closed to climb out the small trap door in the back that I showed him then after the reveal to climb back in. He assured me he understood. Please! He simply wanted to play a joke on you all. Really! There's no need for concern. It's a joke! That's all! He must be hiding somewhere."
"Bobby, Chip, look for him. You, Maximus, will stay with me until we find him," Lee ordered, grabbing his arm in a vise-like grip.
"I assure you it's a joke. Please!"
Several long minutes went by as Lee paced, anxiety filling him. He couldn't help but feel the admiral would never pull a trick on them such as the one he reportedly had. Too many times in the past he had disappeared, much to the worry of his friends, and Lee knew Nelson would never play the kind of joke on them Maximus claimed he had.
"He's not here," Chip said as he and Bobby came from behind the curtain a few moments later, worry marking their faces. "We checked the lobby, the men's room, the parking lot…he's not here."
"His car?"
"Still in the lot."
Lee, his jaw clenched in anger, turned to the magician who was beginning to have a scared look on his face.
"It…it was a joke," he whispered.
"Admiral Nelson wouldn't think this was a joke," Lee replied forcefully as he walked closer to the now terrified magician. "There's no way he would tell you he thought this was funny."
"Well, actually…he didn't. I…"
"You what?"
"I was told Admiral Nelson would be here. I was told he wanted to be a part of the magic show and to make sure I chose him from the crowd. I was told he simply wanted to play a joke on his friends. That he would go in the box and not come back!"
"Who told you this?" Chip asked.
"The magician I took over for…Krandor. He called me a few hours ago, said something had come up and he wouldn't be able to do the show here. He filled me in on what he had planned, what the parents wanted and then said to do the magic box trick as a finale and to choose Admiral Nelson. He told me that the admiral wanted to play a joke. That's all I know!"
"You know this Krandor?"
"Yes, of course. When one of us has prior commitments or we run into problems, we recommend the other for a gig. That's simply what I thought was happening! I swear!"
"Did you meet Krandor or did he call you?" Bobby asked.
"He called."
"Was it his voice?"
"Yes, it was. I'm sure of it."
"Damn it. Chip, call the Santa Barbara Police. Tell them we think the admiral may have been abducted."
"What?" a soft voice behind them asked.
Turning they saw Angie Wood with her arm around a scared looking Mandy O'Brien.
"We're not sure of anything, Mandy," Bobby said softly as he came to stand by his wife, wrapping her in a hug as Angie came to stand by Lee.
"What happened?" Angie asked, her voice shaking.
"Don't know just yet. Maximus here says it's just a joke the admiral wanted to play on us but I'm not buying it," Lee said.
"He wouldn't think this was funny," Angie insisted.
"I agree," Lee answered, a hard edge to his voice.
"Lee? I contacted Detective Chris Powers from Santa Barbara Police. She's sending someone over."
"Powers? Wasn't she the detective that came when the admiral went missing from that Halloween charity party a few years ago?" *
"The same," Chip agreed. "She'll be here shortly."
"In the meantime Maximus, perhaps you'd like to show us your gear and your car?" Lee asked his voice hard.
"Of…of course. Here are my…my keys. It's a big blue van with my name on it," he said nervously, handing over a ring with keys on it to Chip who grabbed a few men and went outside.
"Come on. Show me your equipment," Lee ordered.
The men walked behind the curtain to a large area with trunks scattered about, various magic paraphernalia coming out of it. They opened trunks that weren't open and searched every place a man might be able to hide in before they finally gave up.
"Skipper, I…well, I'm sorry, sir," Bobby whispered. "I can't believe this happened. It was just a birthday party!"
"Easy, Bobby. This isn't your fault. Someone planned this."
"Planned what exactly," a voice behind them said.
Turning the two men saw a tall, trim woman with flame-red hair pulled back into a pony tail and a hard look on her face behind them.
"Detective Powers. That was fast," Lee said.
"When you get word that a man as famous as Admiral Harriman Nelson has disappeared, you don't waste time. Now can you tell me what's happened?"
Lee quickly filled her in on what had happened then turned to Maximus who was now sitting on one of his trunks with his head in his hands.
"Maximus? What…"
"Please," the magician said raising his hands. "Call me Bernie."
"Bernie?" Powers questioned.
"My name is Bernard Hopper. Bernie for short."
"All right…Bernie…what happened? Where is the admiral?" Powers asked in a hard tone.
"I told them and I'm telling you…I don't know," he said as he rose from his perch. "I got a call from Sammy Detter…Krandor the Incredible…that he couldn't do this kid birthday party and would I step in for him. I of course said yes. Then he tells me to do the disappearing man trick as a finale and to choose a particular audience member, Admiral Nelson, for the trick."
"Was that strange?"
"Yeah, it is in a way. Usually we don't do that trick for kid parties. It has a tendency of freaking the kids out. But, he said it's what the parents wanted."
"And the part about the admiral…whose idea was that?"
"Sammy said Nelson contacted him when he found out the party included a magician. He said Nelson thought it would be funny if he disappeared. I didn't ask questions. I kind of need the money right now."
"And what happened when Nelson got on stage?"
"I told him what to do and he said he understood the trick. He went in, disappeared and never came back. That's all I know."
"When we realized something was wrong, we started looking for him," Lee said.
"And you don't think it might simply be a trick the admiral is playing on you all?"
"No. He would never do that. He wouldn't think this was funny."
"From what I know of Nelson, I have to agree with you. Where does this Krandor live?" Powers asked turning back to Hopper.
"Uh…7345 Santa Barbara Drive, Santa Barbara."
"Phone?
"805-555-1212," he said morosely.
"All right. I'll be right back. I'll get a unit over to this guy's house," Powers said as she turned and left.
"Lee, we checked the van out. He's not there," Chip said, passing Powers on her way out.
"We looked everywhere, Skipper," Jake Kowalski, a member of Seaview's crew, said. "If he's hiding, he's doing a great job."
"He's not. You know as well as I do he wouldn't think it was funny."
"Yeah…yeah you're right," the young seaman said morosely. "What are we gonna do to find him though? Anyone could have taken him."
"Lee, do you think we should call anyone else? ONI? The FBI?" Chip asked quietly.
"No. Not yet. Let's see what Powers finds out first."
Several long minutes passed as Lee paced, his worry for the admiral increasing as each minute passed.
"Lee, Powers is coming back," Chip said.
"Detective, do you have any word?"
"Yes, and it isn't good I'm afraid. A unit went to this Sammy Detter's apartment. They found his body inside. He's dead."
"How?"
"Knife wound it looks like. This is looking very bad. I contacted the local FBI office and told them what happened. They're on it. I also sent BOLOs out to all departments within a 100 mile radius. We'll find him, Crane," she assured him.
"In time? Look, we have a few agencies we need to contact, also."
"Do it. We can use all the help we can get. Keep me informed. I want to stay in the loop."
"Agreed."
"I hate to say it, but I think in light of what's happened, perhaps this party should end," Powers said softly. "If someone took the admiral, they could still be around. We don't want anyone else to go missing."
"You think whoever did this wants something or someone else?" Bobby asked, his eyes narrowed in thought.
"Maybe. Maybe he or she isn't done yet," Powers answered.
"I'm sorry, Bobby," Lee said softly. "I know it's not the best way to end the party but..."
"No, I agree. If they're still around, we can't put the boys or their friends in jeopardy. I'll tell Mandy and we'll call the boys' parents to come get them," he said as he walked to where Mandy, Angie and a few of the crew watched the party goers playing a game.
Turning, Lee saw several members of the crew standing around them, angry looks on their faces and he almost pitied whomever had taken the admiral. "I want you men to stay here. Protect everyone until every last person is gone, every last child picked up."
"Aye sir," they answered before spreading out across the room.
"I have my men combing the exterior and the surrounding streets. Maybe someone saw something," Powers said.
"Hopefully. Let me know if you hear anything or find anything. Chip? Let's head out. We have a few calls to make," Lee growled.
* The Hiding Place