Encyclopedia Brown and the case of the midnight visitor (3 page)

On the floor was a large piece of plywood covered with many colors.

prize. So he sawed off the worst part and entered that in the show."

**Your dad knows the secret of modern art," said Encyclopedia.

"I don't understand how the gerbils do it/' said Sally.

''You might say they finger-paint it," answered Mark. "I spill cans of different colors on the wood. Then Herman and Sherman slide their paws around. It's their hobby."

''Cleaning them afterward must be hard," said Sally.

"Naw, the paint has a water base," said Mark. "All I do is squirt them with an electric water pick."

"You suspect Farnsworth Grant or Jerry Tilson or Scott Wells of telling on them?" said Encyclopedia. "Why?"

"All three knew Herman and Sherman are artists," said Mark.

He explained that the day before yesterday, the four boys had been together in his sun room.

"Farnsworth and I played Ping-Pong," he said. "Scott watched television. Jerry read. Suddenly Jerry asked what 'misled'

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4 0 Encyclopedia Brown

meant. We all thought it was the past tense of *misle.'

** Jerry went into the kitchen and looked up the word in the dictionary that Mom keeps by her cookbooks and shouted back the meaning."

**Jerry could have opened the door to the garage and peeked at the gerbils' painting," said Sally.

*'And so could have Scott and Farnsworth," said Mark. *'Farnsworth banged his wrist on the edge of the Ping-Pong table. It was just a scratch, but he ran into the kitchen to use the first-aid kit."

"What about Scott?" asked Sally.

''He went last and stayed longest. He wanted a drink of ice water, but he had trouble, he said, getting the ice out of the ice tray."

"So at one time or another, all three boys were alone in the kitchen," mused Sally. "Did they know that the dictionary and the first-aid kit are kept there?"

"Yep, they've used both before," replied Mark.

Sally looked discouraged. "Perhaps the tattletale is someone else completely."

**Uh-uh," said Mark. '^Consider this. Each of the three boys had good reason for knocking the gerbils' masterpiece out of the art show. Scott's mother entered a painting, and so did Farnsworth's grandmother and Jerry's sister."

*'Being beaten by a pair of gerbils would be hard to take," said Encyclopedia.

Sally sighed. "We don't have one real clue. All three boys had an excuse for going into the kitchen alone." '

*'But one had a phony excuse," said Encyclopedia.

Sally gasped. "Have you proof?"

"The proof," said Encyclopedia, "is still in the kitchen."

WHAT WAS THE PROOF?

(Turn to page 106 for the solution to The Case of the Painting Gerbils.)

I

TheClaseoff tlie Time Capsule

Nothing like the time capsule had ever happened to Idaville.

For months children and grown-ups had thought about what to put into it. They had bought special envelopes and filled them with everything from toys to pictures of Idaville's main streets.

The capsule, loaded with thousands of envelopes, was to be lowered deep into the earth and remain buried for a hundred years.

On the day of the big event. Encyclopedia and Sally hiked to the city golf course.

A large hole had been dug behind the sixth green. The capsule stood beside it,

chained to a derrick. More than a hundred persons, including the mayor, were on hand for the ceremony.

''There's been a delay," said Benny Breslin, one of Encyclopedia's closest pals. 'The capsule still has room for three hundred more envelopes. You can buy them over at that table for a dollar apiece if you hurry."

It was a bargain. The regular price had been two dollars.

"No, thanks," said Encyclopedia. "I've already filled one with a report of my toughest case. A hundred years from now people will know that even kids fought crime."

"Mine has an essay about pollution," said Sally. "I want my greatgrandchildren to know that kids fought for clean air and water."

"Gee, you're neat," exclaimed Benny. "All I put in my envelope was my third-grade report card, the one Dad said should be buried."

Benny walked off to buy another envelope and try again. The detectives strolled toward the time capsule.

"Encyclopedia, there's Abe Smathers. He looks terrible. Do you suppose he's sick?"

Abe was founder and president of the Idaville Riddle Club.

'*Abe, are you feeling all right?" asked Sally. "You look awful."

"I always look like this before I faint," said Abe, without raising his head. "What's the best way to get to the hospital?"

"Stand in traffic," answered Encyclopedia.

Abe glanced up. At the sight of the boy detective he made an effort to grin.

"Try this," he said. "What does it mean if you go home and you don't have to do any homework or clean your room?"

"It means you're in the wrong house," said Encyclopedia.

"Drat!" grumbled Abe. He thought hard for a moment. "What is twelve feet tall, has three legs, and—"

"Hold on," said Sally. "If you're well enough to tell riddles, you're well enough to tell us what was wrong with you a minute ago."

.yijh\,.

'Abe, are you feeling all right?" asked Sally. "You look awful."

''My lunch was stolen," said Abe. ''I left it under the iron bench over there while I looked at the capsule."

"Maybe you're mistaken, and you left it somewhere else," said Sally.

''No soap," said Abe. "I found my lunch bag in a trash basket. It was empty. I don't mind losing the lunch. It was two bagels with lox. Lox is salty. It makes me thirsty as a horse, and the nearest water fountain is on the fourth green."

Encyclopedia saw the water fountain. It was only about a three-minute walk. "What's the big problem?" he asked.

"I had a time capsule envelope in the bag, too," said Abe.

He explained. Last week he had sent in one envelope with a riddle. But he wasn't happy with it. So he had brought another envelope with a better riddle to the burial ceremony.

"I figured boys and girls of the future would be interested in the riddles of today," he said. "My first riddle was. Why is the Statue of Liberty standing in New York Harbor?"

"Because it can't sit down," said Sally.

"Phew! A hundred years from now, that will be four hundred years old."

'It's patriotic, but pretty bad," admitted Abe. "That's why I brought along the second riddle today."

"Get it over with," said Encyclopedia, bracing himself.

"Why is the Statue of Liberty hollow?"

"Why?" said Sally.

"You'd be hollow too if you'd given birth to a nation!" Abe sang. Then he looked grim. "I'd like to catch the little thief."

"What makes you believe the thief is a kid?" Sally asked.

"No grown-up would steal a lunch bag," said Abe. "Or my riddle."

"You think the thief copied the riddle, bought an envelope, and put it in the time capsule with his name on it?" said Encyclopedia.

"Sure," replied Abe. "I can't use it now. Imagine me, the president of the Idaville Riddle Club, putting in the same riddle as someone else. I'd be ruined!"

"There isn't time, anyway," said Sally.

"See, they've stopped selling envelopes. The ceremony should begin soon."

"I'll hire you to find the thief," said Abe. "I have a clue. My riddle wasn't in any of the trash baskets hereabouts. So the thief must still have it in his pocket—and it has my name on it."

"But, Abe, we can't search every boy and girl here," protested Sally.

"That won't be necessary," said Encyclopedia.

WHAT DID ENCYCLOPEDIA MEAN?

(Turn to page 107 for the solution to The Case of the Time Capsule.)

A

The Case of Fred«fy <1m$ Great

53

I

Farnsworth Grant poked his head into the Brown Detective Agency long enough to shout:

"Cuthbert DeVan DeVoe is heading this way, and you should see what he's got!"

'*A bad case of fallen arches, I hope," said Sally. Cuthbert DeVan DeVoe was not one of her favorite people.

"Cuthbert means well," said Encyclopedia. "He's just a little stuck up."

"He should be stuck to the ceiling," grumbled Sally. "He thinks he's so much better than anyone else."

The two detectives hastened outside. Cuthbert was walking a gray dog no big-

ger than a bulldozer. A crowd of children followed at a safe distance.

"That's the biggest, ugliest dog I Ve ever seen," remarked Encyclopedia.

"That dog would scare an alligator," said Sally. "Do you see his teeth?"

"He must be three parts dragon," answered Encyclopedia.

Cuthbert spotted the detectives and grinned.

"We DeVan DeVoes don't need private detectives to guard our house," he announced. "We have Frederick the Great."

"That's a fancy title for a mutt," said Sally.

"He's named after the famous king of Prussia," said Cuthbert. "His mother was an African wild dog. His father was an Alaskan wolf."

"He looks like he was put together in a junkyard," someone in the crowd called.

Cuthbert stiffened. He glared around. No one moved.

"Frederick the Great is pure killer," warned Cuthbert. "He fears nothing. He can carry an auto tire in his teeth and

break wood with his jaws. One word from me, and—"

A cat meowed.

Cuthbert's gaze found Nancy Pringle. She was hugging her cat Juno fearfully.

''Frederick the Great swallows cats whole," said Cuthbert.

Juno and Frederick the Great eyed one another.

The dog bared his teeth. The cat's fur stood on end. Suddenly she hissed, leaped out of Nancy's arms, and landed on Frederick the Great.

The dog yelped in fright and shook her off. He whirled and fled down the block, with Juno hot on his heels.

'*You better call him Freddy the Frightened from now on," advised Sally.

Everyone roared with delight except Cuthbert. He had turned red with anger.

"That cat," he cried, "is a gone goose if Frederick the Great gets her in the house. He doesn't eat cats outdoors."

Nancy Pringle let out a wail and ran after the two animals. Cuthbert ran after Nancy.

Half an hour later Nancy came into the Brown Detective Agency. She put a quarter on the gas can beside Encyclopedia.

"I want to hire you," she said. '*Cuthbert has Juno and won't give her back!"

She explained. Juno had chased Frederick the Great into Cuthbert's backyard, which was enclosed by a wire fence. Cuthbert had gone into the yard and shut the gate, keeping Nancy out.

"Then Cuthbert opened the back door of the house," said Nancy. **The dog raced inside and Juno followed. Cuthbert went inside, too, and slammed the door. I haven't seen Juno since!"

Sally looked worried. "This could be serious," she said. "Cuthbert is so mad he might hurt Juno."

The detectives and Nancy hurried to Cuthbert's house. He was standing in the backyard as if waiting for them.

"We've come for Juno," said Sally. "We know you have her."

"Your tongue is working overtime," sneered Cuthbert. "I let that stupid cat out the back door to save her life. Frederick