CHAPTER XXI Explained
The silence that followed Mr. Blake’s announcement was like the momentafter lightning strikes, when a clap of thunder is expected. It wouldcome with the whole explanation. But at first Judy couldn’t believe it.
“I don’t understand this at all,” she heard herself saying. “Youcouldn’t have made a mistake, Irene?”
“No, Judy. Irene identified her. There’s no mistake unless ClarenceLawson made it when he snatched the wrong girl. Do you think that couldbe what happened?” Peter asked the other FBI agent.
“It’s worth an investigation,” Mr. Blake replied. “This woman isFrancine Dow all right. She was on her way to the theater when she washurt.”
“Do you mean—you can’t mean that she never arrived! Then who was that upthere on the stage? Someone played the part of Sleeping Beauty. Did youknow it wasn’t the guest star you invited?” Judy asked, turning to Irenein bewilderment.
“No, I didn’t,” she admitted. “I did think she’d kept her youth andbeauty amazingly. But the right make-up can make a person look veryyoung. I couldn’t see what was going on backstage from where I wasstanding. Afterwards, when I saw the reviews, I suspected there had beena last-minute substitute. But I still don’t know who she was.”
“Doesn’t anybody know?”
“The substitute does. Whoever she was, she played the part beautifullyexcept for the last song. I did wonder why she didn’t sing. There was anunscheduled wait when the witch was spinning,” Irene said, “but I neverguessed Francine Dow wasn’t there. The show would have been ruined ifsomeone hadn’t stepped in to play the part.”
“But who was that someone?” Judy wanted to know. “And how did she knowthe lines?”
“There were cards,” Irene explained. “Cards are often used to promptbusy stars. Francine missed the rehearsals so we had the cards ready forher. The man on the dolly held them up.”
“Baby,” little Judy corrected Irene drowsily from Dale’s arms, andpromptly fell asleep.
“I wish I could sleep like that without dreaming,” Judy said with asigh. “My dreams are so real I keep thinking things that are actuallyhappening are part of them. If I could only think—”
“You did all right when you compiled that list your husband showed me.That shows some pretty clear thinking,” Mr. Blake complimented her.
“But this! If I could think back to the exact time—”
“That’s it!” exclaimed Peter. “Now you’re on the right track.”
“Am I? It doesn’t seem possible. But if the lines Francine had to saywere on the cards, and the wig and costume were ready, it _could_ havebeen played by some other actress. But who was she? Who took the part ofSleeping Beauty?”
“We know it wasn’t Francine Dow,” Irene said thoughtfully. “It wasn’tone of the fairies. They were still in costume. I don’t see who it couldhave been unless—”
She paused, and Peter said one word:
“_Clarissa!_”
“You’re right, Peter!”
This was the clap of thunder Judy had been expecting. Somewhere in theback of her mind she had known it all along. Clarissa, in the golden wigand the princess costume, had shown her real beauty for everyone to see.There could have been no doubt, even in her own mind, that she was avision of loveliness on TV.
“She said she’d do anything to get on television,” Judy remembered.“Could she have planned all this?”
“I don’t see how she could,” Irene replied. “Nobody possibly could haveknown Francine Dow would have an accident. The whole show could havebeen spoiled!”
“But it wasn’t. Clarissa played the part so well that everybody thoughtshe was Francine Dow. But what happened afterwards?” asked Judy.“Francine’s aunt must have known she wasn’t the real Francine—”
“_If_ that woman was her aunt,” Peter put in, and suddenly, just as therealization had come that Clarissa had played the part of SleepingBeauty, a new and more terrifying fact became apparent.
“Peter!” cried Judy. “Those plans to hold an actress until her husbandgave a ‘donation’ were meant for Francine Dow. But if they’re holdingClarissa—”
She stopped, aghast at the thought of what terror the girl, so easilyfrightened, must be feeling in the hands of Clarence Lawson and his ringof criminals. They had been desperate enough to use bullets to keeptheir plans from being discovered. Peter was aware of the danger.
“We must proceed with caution,” he told Mr. Blake. “It’s our job to seethat the girl isn’t hurt—”
“And that she’s returned to her own people,” his partner added. “Wherecan we get hold of them?”
That proved to be the big question. A minister somewhere in WestVirginia was pretty vague. But it was enough to trigger the field officethere into action. An ordained minister by the name of Valentine oughtnot to be hard to find.
Mr. Blake was ready to leave. He said he would get back to the officeand set the machinery in motion. Meantime Peter decided to call upWashington, since every case investigated in the field had to besupervised and coordinated from FBI headquarters there.
“We’ll get fast action on this,” he promised a short time later,returning from the telephone booth just outside the waiting room.
Judy could see how difficult it was for him to move about with the heavycast on his shoulder, but the urgency of his case seemed to give him newstrength. She turned to Irene, who still seemed a little baffled by allthat was happening, and said, “Poor Peter! I know how much he wants toget out there in the field, as he calls it, and do the investigatinghimself, but he can’t. We mustn’t let him try until he’s stronger.”
“Is Clarissa in danger? I don’t understand what’s going on at all,”Irene admitted.
“None of us do. But we have to find out. There seems to have been a plotto kidnap some actress. It sounds like something out of one of mystories,” Dale said, “but I’m afraid it’s only too real.”
He glanced at the sleeping baby he was holding, and Judy knew what hewas thinking. Until Clarence Lawson and his ring of criminals werecaught, none of them could be sure who his next victim would be.
“Peter’s afraid they’ve snatched Clarissa, thinking she was FrancineDow. I don’t know how a thing like that could happen. Why would she havegone with them without a protest? Let’s go back over everything thathappened,” Judy suggested. “Mr. Lenz knows something—”
“You can’t blame him for anything. He’s the kindest, best man,” Irenebegan to defend him.
“I’m not questioning his character,” Judy told her. “I’m justremembering what he said. Something in that film storage room wasdangerous. ‘As dangerous as an atom bomb,’ he said, and I think thatsomething, whatever it is, may be a clue to what happened to Clarissa.”
“What about Francine Dow? Why wasn’t she reported missing? Didn’tanybody care about her? She has a husband. She does try to conceal herage. She used to look a lot like Clarissa when she was a movie star.Now, with her hair dyed that weird shade of red and her face—Judy, itwas a yellowish color. She looked terrible. I asked the nurse and shesaid Francine is in bad shape. I guess it’s something pretty serious,”Irene finished.
“And worry never helps. I’ve heard Dad say that,” Judy remembered.
“I tried to tell her the show wasn’t spoiled. It did quiet her alittle,” Irene said. “I suppose, now that they know who she is, thehospital will get in touch with her husband. Everything is out of ourhands, Judy. We may as well go home and get a little rest.”
Judy hoped she could rest without a whole parade of facelessgolden-haired people swarming in to haunt her dreams. Flo had dreamed.So had Pauline. But what of Clarissa? Was there really something in thatgolden hair wash commercial to make them dream?
“You started to tell me something, Peter,” Judy began. “You said therewere federal controls to keep advertisers in line—”
“There aren’t enough, I’
m afraid. The big networks have banned this kindof advertising, but some of the local channels may be using it,” Petersaid.
“Advertising? But Mr. Lenz said, ‘as dangerous as an atom bomb,’” Judyobjected. “I thought he was talking about something that might blow upin our faces.”
“Mind control is equally dangerous. Think about it,” Peter advised.“Talk with this projectionist if you have a chance. We want to knowexactly what you four girls saw on television.”