Chapter 8 7

I brought a list of things found at the crime scene, Emilia.Sachs said to the owner of the magic shop: I don't know if you sell these things here. Mr. Balzac took the list from Sachs and looked down, while Sachs took the time to look at the smoke and mirror magic store.Located in Manhattan, in the Chaser district where the Museum of Photography is located, the interior of the store was painted black and smelled of musty and chemical plastic.Hundreds of performance costumes hang limply on nearby hangers, reeking of petrochemicals.The glass of the counter was dirty and fuzzy, and more than half of the place had cracks, which had to be fixed with tape.The counter was filled with playing cards, wands, fake money, and several dusty magic boxes.A life-size statue of a monster copied from the Alien movie stands next to a mannequin in costume and a Princess Diana mask (Be the queen of the party! The ad reads next to the mannequin words, as if no one in the store knew Princess Diana was dead).

Mr. Balzac patted the list with his hand, and compared it to the counter.I can't help you.Yes, there are a few items on it that I sell here, but it's something that is sold in every magic store in the country, and even a lot of toy stores.Sachs noticed that his gaze stayed on this list for only a few seconds just now.So what about something like this?Sachs took out the printed photo of the handcuffs. He took a quick glance.I don't know anything about escape techniques. So, is this the answer?You mean, you don't know what handcuffs these are? have no idea. This clue is very important to the case.Sachs still doesn't give up.

The young woman with the striking blue eyes and black nails, she also took a look at the photo.This is the derby handcuffs.She said, but was immediately stared at by Mr. Balzac coldly.She was silent for a while, and then said: These are the standard handcuffs used by Scotland Yard in London in the nineteenth century. Many escape experts use this kind of handcuffs, and they are also Houdini's favorite. What are their possible sources? Balzac, who was sitting on the office chair, shook his body impatiently.have no idea.As I said, this is not our field, we have no experience in this field at all.

The girl nodded, proving that what Mr. Balzac said was true.There may be some escape museums around here, you can go and get in touch with them. By the way, after you finished purchasing the goods, Balzac said to her coldly: I want you to process those orders.After you left last night, more than a dozen orders came in.He lit a cigarette. Sachs handed him the list again.You said you sell the above items, do you have customer information here? I mean products like this one.And, no, we don't keep customer information. After asking several questions, Sachs finally got him to admit that the store had mail order and Internet order information left by recent customers.The young girl looked it up, but couldn't find anyone who had purchased anything on the list.

I'm sorry, said Balzac: I wish we could help. I'd love more help from you, too, said Sachs, still unwilling to give up, because, you know, the guy killed a woman and then used magic tricks to get away.We worry that he will repeat his old tricks. Balzac frowned, as if to show that he also cared about this matter.It's scary, but you can go to Eastside Magic or the theater, they are much bigger than me. We've had other officers go there. Oh, that's good. She was silent for a while before saying: Well, if you think of anything about it, please call us anytime.She squeezes out a service-to-civilian smile, the smile of an NYPD sergeant (remember: public relations is as important as crime detection).

Good luck, officer. Thanks.she says. You cold blooded bastard. She nodded goodbye to the young girl, but caught a glimpse of her sipping coffee from a paper cup.Oops, I want to ask again, where can I buy good coffee around here? Corner of Fifth and West Nineteenth Streets.She answered immediately. The bacon there is also good.Balzac said.For things that have nothing to do with magic, he immediately provided useful information.Sachs walked out of the store, turned around and walked towards Fifth Street, and soon found the coffee shop they recommended.She opened the door and went in and ordered a cappuccino.She sat at a tall mahogany table by the window, sipping a hot drink, and looked out at the people who were walking down Chersh Street on a Saturday morning with business from the area's tailors. There were photographers with assistants, rich yuppies and poor artists who lived in mansions nearby, young couples and old couples, and a quirky sketchbook painter or two.

And, a magic shop clerk who just walked into this cafe. Hi!The girl with short auburn hair and a battered fake leather striped bag slung over her shoulder greeted her. She ordered a large cup of coffee, poured a lot of sugar into it, and then walked over to Sachs and sat down. The reason why Sachs asked where there is a coffee shop just now is because she caught sight of this girl who gave her a suggestive look; she seemed to have something to say, but she couldn't be in front of Mr. Balzac. The girl swallowed a few mouthfuls of coffee before saying: David, he just Not willing to cooperate?

She frowned thoughtfully.Yes, his attitude is obvious.He distrusts and does not want to participate in anything beyond his world.He was probably worried that we would get into trouble with testifying in court or something, and thought I shouldn't be distracted by it. Why is he like this? Because of his profession. magic? Yes.To tell you the truth, he is my boss, but also my teacher. What's your name? Carla is my stage name, but I'm used to it now.She smiled.It's a much better name than what my parents chose for me. Sachs raised an eyebrow, curious about what she said.

Just don't say my real name.she says. So, Sachs said: Why did you secretly wink at me in the store just now? David was right just now. The items on your list can be bought in any magic store anywhere, and there are hundreds of online stores selling them on the Internet.But the derby-style handcuffs are very rare.You should check out the Houdini Escape Art Museum in New Orleans, it's the best place in the whole world.I'm also very interested in escape techniques, but I didn't tell the old man about this.Carla used his old man to refer to Mr. Balzac, revealing her respect for him.

David is a bit stubborn, can you tell me what happened?Tell me the details of the murder? Normally, Sachs was reluctant to divulge the cases under investigation to others, but she hoped to get Kara's assistance, so she gave a rough account of the murder case. Ah, what a horror.After Kara finished listening, she couldn't help but whispered. Indeed, said Sachs softly, it was indeed terrifying. Regarding the method of his disappearance, I think there are some details that I should let you know, policeman, should I call you policeman?Or do you like me calling you detective or something?

Just call me Emilia.She thought of her excellent performance in the previous test, and she couldn't help feeling a little dazzled for a moment.bang bang Carla drank a few more sips of coffee, and felt that the coffee was not sweet enough, so she twisted open the sugar bowl and poured more powdered sugar into it.Sachs looked at her beautiful fingers, and then looked down at his fingernails, only then did he notice that two pieces of his nails were split, and the skin at the base of the nails was bloodshot.The girl in front of her had well-filed nails, the black polish reflecting the lights above the café, presenting miniature images.This makes Emilia.Sachs felt a twinge of pangs, ashamed at the same time of her perfect nails and good self-control.However, this burst of emotion only swept away like the wind, and was quickly suppressed by her.Carla asked: Do you know what illusion is? davidCopperfield, Sachs answered immediately, and Houdini. Copperfield is, but Houdini is not, because he is an escape expert.Let's put it this way, for us, illusion is a little bit different than hand tricks or close-up magic.It's like Kara picked up a quarter that she just bought coffee with her fingers, put it in her palm and held it.When she spread her palm again, the coin was gone. Sachs laughed.How can coins disappear out of thin air? This is a bit of dexterity with the hands, whereas illusions involve large objects, humans, or animals.According to what you just described, the murderer used a typical illusion technique, which we call the Vanisher. The disappearing person? No, the one who disappeared.In the magic world, we use disappearing to mean making it disappear, like I did with that coin just now. go on. This kind of performance is usually a bit different from what you just described, but basically it involves the same point: the escape of the illusionist from a confined space.The audience in the audience watched him walk into the small space on the stage. They could see the back because there was a big mirror behind it.They could also hear him banging on the wall.But by the time the assistant pushed down the wall, the mesmer was gone.At this time, an assistant on the stage turned around, and the audience realized that he was the illusionist just now. How is this possible? There is a door behind that space.The illusionist covers himself with a large black cloth so that the audience cannot see him in the mirror.And as soon as he entered that space, he immediately slipped out through that door.At this time, the loudspeaker originally installed on the wall will make a sound, making people mistakenly think that he is still inside.In addition, there will be a secret mechanism that keeps hitting the wall, making it look like he is knocking on the wall inside.And as soon as the illusionist left the confined space, he immediately changed into the same clothes as his assistant behind the black cloth. Sachs nodded.Yes, he did.Can we list people who are familiar with this technique? No, sorry, this is really a common technique. the disappearance Sachs recalled that the murderer had disguised himself as an old man in a very short time, recalled Balzac's unwillingness to cooperate, and recalled the indifference and almost cruel expression in his eyes when he spoke to Carla.So, she couldn't help asking: I want to ask where he was this morning? who? Mister Balzac. over there.I mean, in that house, where he lived, above the store and so on, you don't suspect him of being involved, do you? This is a question we routinely ask.Sachs said vaguely.Carla, however, didn't seem at all to find the question offensive, just to laugh.She finally couldn't help laughing.Hey, I know he's rude, and he's kind of what I guess you'd call angry.do you knowAlthough he has a bad temper, he will never hurt anyone. Sachs nodded, then asked again: So, do you know where he was at eight o'clock this morning?Carla nodded.Yes, he's in the store.He was up early in the morning because he had a friend who was doing a show and was going to come over and borrow some gear.At that time I called and told him that I would be late today. Sachs nodded.After a while, I asked again: Can you take a vacation temporarily? I?impossible.She smiled awkwardly.I'm lucky to be able to sneak out now, there are thousands of things waiting for me to do in the store, and then I have to spend three or four hours rehearsing with David for the show I will perform tomorrow.The day before the show, he would never have asked me to take time off work.I Sachs looked into her clear blue eyes.We are really worried about this murderer killing again. Carla lowered her head and glanced at the tall narrow oak table where they were sitting. Please, just a few hours.Come and help us research the evidence and brainstorm. He won't let me go, you don't know David at all. All I know is that if I had my way, I would absolutely stop the suspect from hurting anyone else. Carla had finished her coffee and was casually playing with the empty coffee cup.He actually used the skills of our profession to kill people.She murmured, her tone full of disgust. Sachs said nothing more, letting Silence to argue for her. Finally, the young girl grimaced.My mom lives in a nursing home and has had ups and downs.Monsieur Balzac knew about it, so I thought I could lie to him and say that my mother's condition had deteriorated again and I had to go and see. We really need your help. Well, she said resignedly: God, God will never forgive me for using my mother's illness as an excuse. Sachs took another look at Kara's perfect black nails.By the way, one more thing: where did that coin go? Look under your coffee cup. This is impossible.No way? Sachs raised his glass.The coin actually appeared under the cup. She asked with a puzzled look: How did you do it? Carla only showed a mysterious smile.She nodded towards the glass.Let's play another game.She picked up the quarter.The front is yours, the back is mine, three wins and two victories.She tossed the coin into the air. Sachs nodded.no problem. The young woman catches the coin, looks down at her palm, then looks up and says: We say two wins out of three, right? Sachs nodded. Carla opened her palms.In her hand appeared three nickels, two dimes and a nickel, all heads up.The twenty-five cents just now had disappeared.I think that means you should pay for the two cups of coffee.