The Artemis Fowl Files - Eoin Colfer [29]
“What are my orders?”
“The commander says to stick close, plant a bug if you can, but under no circumstances make contact. That is Retrieval’s job.”
“Okay. Understood. Surveillance only, no contact with the Mud Boy or the dwarf.”
Foaly opened a video window in Holly’s visor, so she could see the skepticism on his face. “You say that as if the very idea of disobeying an order is unheard of for you. If I remember correctly, and I think I do, you’ve been reported a dozen times for ignoring your superiors.”
“I wasn’t ignoring them,” retorted Holly. “I was taking their opinions under advisement. Sometimes only the officer on the spot can take the proper decision. That’s what being a field agent is all about.”
Foaly shrugged. “Whatever you say, captain. But if I were you, I’d think twice before going against Julius on this one. He had that look on his face. You know the one.”
Holly terminated the link with Police Plaza. Foaly didn’t need to explain further. She knew the one.
CHAPTER 4: SHOWTIME
The Circus Maximus; Wexford Racecourse, Southern Ireland
ARTEMIS, Butler and Mulch had ringside seats for the Circus Maximus. This was one of a new breed of circus in which the acts lived up to the advertising, and there were no animals involved. The clowns were genuinely funny, the acrobats were little short of miraculous, and the dwarfs were little and short.
Sergei the Significant and four of his five teammates were lined up at the center of the ring, doing a spot of preshow posturing to the capacity crowd. Each dwarf was less than three feet tall and wore a tight-fitting crimson leotard with a lightning-flash logo. Their faces were concealed by matching masks.
Mulch was wrapped in an oversize raincoat. He wore a peaked hat pulled over his brow, and his face was slathered with a pungent homemade sunblock. Dwarfs are extremely photosensitive, with a burn time of mere minutes, even in overcast conditions.
Mulch poured an entire jumbo carton of popcorn down his gullet.
“Yep,” he mumbled, spitting out kernels. “These boys are actual dwarfs, no doubt about it.”
Artemis smiled tightly, glad to have his suspicions confirmed. “I discovered them quite by accident. They use the same Web site you do.”
“My computer search revealed two patterns, and it was easy to match the circus’s movements to a series of crimes. I am surprised that Interpol and the FBI aren’t already on to Sergei and his gang. When the Fei Fei tiara’s tour schedule was announced, and it coincided with the circus tour, I knew it was no coincidence. I was, of course, correct. The dwarfs stole the tiara, then smuggled it back to Ireland using the circus as cover. Actually it will be far easier to steal the tiara from these dwarfs, than it would have been from the Met.”
“And why is that?” asked Mulch.
“Because they are not expecting it,” explained Artemis.
Sergei the Significant and his troupe prepared for their first trick. It was as simple as it was impressive. A small unadorned wooden box was lowered by crane into the center of the ring. Sergei, with much bowing and flexing of his tiny muscles, made his way toward the box. He lifted the lid and climbed in. The cynical audience waited for some curtain or screen shenanigans that would allow the little man to escape, but nothing happened. The box sat there. Immobile. With every eye in the tent drilling into its surface. Nobody went within twenty feet of it.
A full minute passed before a second dwarf entered the ring. He set an old fashioned T-bar detonator on the ground and, following a five-second drum roll, pushed the plunger. The box exploded in a dramatic cloud of soot and balsawood. Either Sergei was dead, or he was gone.
“Hmmph,” grunted Mulch, amid the thunderous applause. “Not much of a trick.”
“Not when you know how it’s done,” agreed Artemis.
“He gets in the box, he tunnels out to the dressing room, and presumably he shows up again later.”
“Correct. They set down another box at the end of the performance, and lo-and-behold, Sergei reappears. It’s a miracle.”
“Some miracle. All the talents