Penny had never been to see a live magic show before, but she had watched a few on television—and those were nothing like the one Tovar put on. His stage was too small for the complex kind of props other magicians used, and Penny couldn’t see how he would have been able to install a trapdoor in the gazebo floor without having to tear it up first. The floor was clearly visible, clearly unchanged, except for the fresh coat of paint. There was no curtain to escape behind, only the cloth he’d hung as a backdrop from the backside of the rounded ceiling. What props he did use, he seemed to conjure from midair, or to pull from one of what must have been a hundred pockets hidden inside his cloak.
Tovar did not produce a saw and cut anyone in half. However, he did hypnotize several audience member
