The Secret of the Crooked Cat - Arden William (е книги .TXT) 📗

5

A Menacing Shadow

“The Great Ivan is a skilled trainer,” Jupiter went on, “and he treats Rajah like a pet. I began to wonder how anyone could have left Rajah’s cage open without Ivan noticing. So I came back here to look at the trailer cage. Look at this lock.”

Jupiter held the big padlock. “See those deep scratches all around the keyhole? The steel shines in the scratches. This lock has been picked, and not long ago!”

“Are you sure, Jupe?” Bob asked uneasily.

Jupiter nodded. “Remember that book we have at Headquarters? The one about evidence and criminal methods? Well, those marks are exactly like pictures in that book of picklock marks!”

“Gosh,” Pete said, “who would let a lion loose?”

As The Three Investigators thought about that, there was a burst of applause from the show section of the tent. An iron cage clanged, and Rajah came stalking proudly up the barred ramp into the trailer cage. The boys all stared at the big lion.

“It has to be someone crazy, First,” Bob decided.

Jupiter’s bright eyes were fixed on the lion in its cage. “Crazy and full of hate for people, perhaps, Records. But not necessarily. Maybe there was a definite reason, a motive.”

“Gosh, Jupe, like what?” Pete asked.

“Well, to scare customers and harm the carnival, for one,” Jupiter said. “Or to be a hero by recapturing Rajah. Or maybe to hide some other action, to distract everyone.”

“Nothing else happened, Jupe, did it?” Pete objected.

“And nobody tried to recapture Rajah until The Great Ivan came when Andy called him,” Bob pointed out.

“I think Pete just acted too fast,” Jupiter decided. “If there was some plan, Pete stopped it by stopping Rajah.”

“But, gee, First,” Bob said, “if someone only wanted to hurt the carnival, that’s a risky way of doing it.”

“I don’t know,” Jupiter mused. “Even Andy knew that Rajah wasn’t really dangerous. The whole carnival seems to know that Rajah is well-trained and easily controlled.”

“You think it was someone in the carnival?” Bob wondered.

Jupiter nodded. “Yes, I do. To get from his trailer cage to where Pete stopped him, Rajah almost had to be led.”

“Gosh, First, it could be anyone — except The Great Ivan,” Pete decided. “He wouldn’t have had to pick his own lock.”

“Not unless he wanted to fool people,” Jupiter said. He thought a moment “It’s odd that Ivan didn’t miss Rajah sooner.”

Bob and Pete said nothing more for a time. Jupiter frowned.

“The trouble is,” the First Investigator said, “that we don’t know enough even to guess at who or why — yet”

“Yet?” Pete said. “You mean we’re going to — ”

“Investigate!” Bob broke in eagerly. “A job for The Three Investigators!”

“Yes! I think — ” Jupiter began, and then stopped. Suddenly he put his finger to his lips and nodded towards the rear wall of the tent. Bob and Pete turned to look.

A giant shadow was outlined against the tent wall. The shadow of a man who seemed to have no clothes on! They could see massive shoulders, and the shadow of a shaggy head that was bent close to the tent, as if listening!

“Outside, fellows,” Jupiter whispered.

There was no way out of the rear of the lion tent, so they slipped through the show section and out the front. They hurried round the corner of the tent, being as quiet as they could be, and at the rear peered cautiously round. No one was there.

“He must have heard us,” Bob whispered.

There was a heavy step behind them.

“So there you are!” a deep voice said almost in their ears. “What are you boys doing back here?”

The boys jumped a foot, and Pete gulped as they turned and saw a big man looking down at them from dark eyes. He carried a long sledge hammer in his hands.

“W-w-we only — ” Pete stammered.

At that moment Andy Carson appeared behind the big man. The carnival boy’s eyes lighted up when he saw The Three Investigators.

“Hi, fellows,” he said. “It looks like my Dad found you.” Pete gulped. “Your Dad?”

“That’s right, boys.” The big man smiled and rested his sledge hammer on the ground. “I’ve been looking for you to thank you on behalf of the whole carnival for keeping Rajah calm. I was off helping the roughnecks, so Andy couldn’t find me at once.”

Andy broke in, “My Dad wants to give you some reward. Something more from the carnival than that crooked cat you won.”

“My cat!” Pete cried suddenly, and looked round. “I don’t have it any more!”

“Cat?” Mr. Carson said, puzzled.

“One of the first prizes from my gallery, Dad,” Andy explained. “Pete won it.”

“Maybe it’s in the lion tent, Pete,” Bob suggested. But the crooked cat wasn’t anywhere in the lion tent, and they all went back to the shooting gallery. The cat wasn’t anywhere in or around the gallery, or where Pete had calmed Rajah.

“I had it just before we saw Rajah,” Pete said unhappily. “I must have dropped it and someone picked it up.”

Jupiter, who had been silently fuming with impatience ever since they had started to look for the crooked cat, now burst out, “I’m sure Andy can get you another, Pete. Mr. Carson, when we — ”

But Andy said, “Gee, I can’t get Pete another cat. That was my last, remember? I had five, and gave them all out.”

“I’m sure we can find something better,” Mr. Carson said.

Jupiter could contain himself no longer. He blurted out, “Is there trouble in your carnival, Mr. Carson?”

“Trouble?” Mr. Carson repeated, his deep, dark eyes on the First Investigator. “What makes you ask that?”

“Before you found us, sir, we observed a man watching us, or listening to us, at Rajah’s tent”

“Watching you?” Mr. Carson frowned, and then laughed. “No, you must be mistaken. Your imagination was probably working overtime after Rajah.”

“That is possible,” Jupiter admitted somewhat stiffly, “but we didn’t imagine what we had discovered just before we saw that man listening. Rajah did not escape, he was let loose!”

Mr. Carson watched them. “Come to my truck, boys.”

The trucks, trailers and cars of the carnival people were parked in a field next to the show. Mr. Carson and Andy lived in a truck with a trailer hookup on the rear. Inside were two bunks, chairs, a desk covered with business papers, a small safe, and a big wicker basket filled with damaged prizes — torn stuffed dogs, a dirty stuffed cat, broken dolls.

“I fix all the broken prizes,” Andy said proudly.

Mr. Carson was serious. “Sit down, boys, and tell me.” He listened intently as Jupiter described what they had found at Rajah’s cage. “I’ve studied lock-picking, sir, and I recognized the marks. We’re really experienced detectives.”

Jupiter handed Mr. Carson the boys’ card:

Mr. Carson smiled. “An interesting hobby, boys, but — ”

“Our work is more than a hobby, sir,” Jupiter said proudly. “The Rocky Beach Police attest to our seriousness.”

He presented the second card the boys carried:

This certifies that the bearer is a Volunteer Junior Assistant Deputy co-operating with the police force of Rocky Beach. Any assistance given him will be appreciated.

(Signed) Samuel Reynolds

Chief of Police.

“I apologize, boys,” Mr. Carson smiled. “The Chief’s statement seems to indicate you are real detectives. Still, you’re mistaken this time.”

“Jupe’s never mistaken, sir,” Bob declared.

“Come now, Bob. I’m sure that Jupiter is an amazing young man, but everyone can be mistaken.”

“But, Dad!” Andy broke in, “what about — ”

Mr. Carson stood up. “That’s enough, Andy! No more, you hear? Jupiter is mistaken. But the boys did us a service, and here are three free passes for everything at the carnival.” He handed them to the boys. “Is that a good reward, boys?”