Encyclopedia Brown and the case of the midnight visitor (4 page)

The dog raced inside and Juno followed. Cuthhert slammed the door behind them.

Encyclopedia Brown

the Great is a terror when he defends his house."

'^Applesauce!" said Nancy. **Where is my Juno?"

*'She jumped over the fence," said Cuthbert. He pointed to three boxes arranged Uke stairs by the fence. "See for yourselves."

The detectives and Nancy entered the yard and stepped close to the boxes. Nearby was a large muddy spot. The paw prints of a cat were on each box.

**I can tell if Juno made the prints," said Nancy. '*She broke the claw on the fifth toe of her left front paw last week."

"There aren't any claw marks," said Sally.

"That cat was scared and running fast," said Cuthbert. "Maybe cats don't always run with their claws out."

"He may be right," admitted Nancy.

"I still don't think Juno made those prints," said Sally. She stared hard at Cuthbert. "Tell us what you've done with her, or I'll pin your ears back."

"Easy, Sally," cautioned Encyclopedia.

Cuthbert was two years older and a head taller.

"Don't worry," said Cuthbert. *'I've boxed a bit. I belieue I can deal with her like a gentleman and not do her bodily harm."

Cuthbert, however, didn't fight like a gentleman. In fact, after swinging and missing, he didn't fight at all. Sally knocked him flat with two fast rights to the jaw.

Encyclopedia stepped over Cuthbert and studied the paw prints on the three boxes.

Eleven of the prints showed Juno's five toes clearly. The twelfth print was unclear.

"Cuthbert's pride has taken enough of a beating today," Encyclopedia said to Sally. "When he wakes up, he'll tell us where he's hidden Juno."

WHAT WAS CUTHBERT'S MISTAKE?

(Turn to page 108 for the solution to The Case of Freddy the Great.)

Hie Case of the Tennis Racket

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John Stanley, Idaville's best young tennis player, came into the Brown Detective Agency. He was smiling on one side of his face.

"IVe got good news and bad news," he said.

"The good news first," urged Sally.

*'I just opened a can of tennis balls. They're number eights."

He explained. A can held three balls. Balls from the same can bore the same number, like two or six or eight, and the manufacturer's name.

'*Eight is my lucky number," said John. '^I've never lost a match playing with number-eight balls."

Encyclopedia Brown

"And the bad news?" said Encyclopedia.

''At two o'clock I have to play Ike Quilp in the semifinals of the county-club championships. Ike Quilp is the kid brother of Rowdy Quilp, one of Bugs Meany's Tigers."

John backhanded a quarter onto the table in front of Encyclopedia.

"I want to hire you to keep an eye on things," he said. ''It isn't nice to speak bad of anyone, even Tigers, but—"

"Don't apologize," said Sally. "The only way the Tigers can hear anything good about themselves is to talk to each other."

The three children hiked off to the country club. John carried two tennis rackets, a towel, and the can of balls in his handlebar basket.

At the club he took out the rackets, the towel, and the balls, but left the empty can behind.

"It's bad luck to take the can along," he said. "Last year, the only match I lost was when I brought a can to the court."

The tournament officials had set up a long table outside the pro shop. Boys and girls were Lined up in front of it.

**I have to report in," said John. '*See you in a while."

For ten minutes the detectives wandered by themselves, watching the matches already underway. John was entered in the "boys ten-and-under" group.

**There's Fremont Smith with Bugs Meany," said Sally.

Fremont was thirteen and lived on Sally's block. He spied the detectives and walked over to them.

"Are you a tennis fan?" asked Encyclopedia.

"Hardly," replied Fremont. "I can't tell a racket from a rolling pin. But Bugs Meany wants me to join his service club, the Tigers."

''Service club?" gasped Sally. "Their only service is repainting the bikes they steal!"

"Bugs said the Tigers do a lot of good deeds," protested Fremont. *'Today they're helping out as judges. Bugs suggested that I come here and see for myself."

Before Sally could answer, John came running up.

**Somebody stole my racket and tennis balls!" he cried.

When he caught his breath, he told what had happened.

'^Before I got in the line to report to the officials/' he said, "I put my towel, tennis balls, and both rackets on a counter in the pro shop. The balls and my lighter-weight racket were gone when I returned for them.

*'I don't mind so much losing the balls," he continued. **But the racket is the one I wanted to use today. These courts are hard and fast. With a light racket, I can take a quicker backs wing."

''Whoever knew enough to steal your hght racket must know a lot about tennis," said Encyclopedia.

"Using my heavy racket on these fast courts means I'll have to change my timing," said John. ''Ike Quilp might beat me."

"We've got to find that racket," said Sally. "But where to look for it?"

"Let's start in the pro shop," said Encyclopedia. "All kinds of sporting goods are sold there. The thief wouldn't draw atten-

tion to himself by having a racket and balls."

"Ike Quilp has a great net game," said John. "If he beats me, you can blame those Tigers, the no-good thieves!"

"That's not fair," said Fremont. "The Tigers are all straight shooters. Bugs Meany says so."

"Let's find out," said Encyclopedia.

The pro shop was crowded with buyers and lookers. In one corner Encyclopedia saw a steel basket filled with tennis balls. "What's that?" he asked John.

"The tennis teacher uses those balls when he gives lessons," John answered. "He stores them there when it rains or when all the courts are taken for a tournament, like today."

"I think your new tennis balls might be among them," said the boy detective. "Would you look, Fremont? They're brand-new number eights."

"And they have the manufacturer's name, Wilkins, printed above the number," added John.

While Fremont dug into the basket of practice balls. Encyclopedia found the

Fremont dug into the basket of practice balls.

missing tennis racket. It was hanging on the wall, hidden behind four rackets that needed new strings.

Suddenly Fremont held up three balls with the word "Wilkins" and the number 8 printed on them. "Here they are!"

''These two might be mine," said John. "But the third ball is too old. Mine were never used."

Fremont looked disappointed. He continued hunting.

''Fremont could be the thief," Sally whispered to Encyclopedia. "Bugs Meany gives every boy who wants to become a Tiger some test of dishonesty."

"You don't sound very certain," said Encyclopedia.

"Maybe John hid the racket and balls himself," said Sally. "Then he'd have an excuse if he lost to Ike Quilp. I just don't know. . . ."

"You will," said Encyclopedia, "if you stop and think."

WHOM DID ENCYCLOPEDIA SUSPECT?

(Turn to page 109 for the solution to The Case of the Tennis Racket.)

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tlie Fifty 9I

Sunday afternoon, Encyclopedia and Sally biked to South Park to watch the Odd-Ball Olympics.

Boys and girls from all over Idaville had entered. The games were open to any child under thirteen who could do a crazy stunt.

The detectives reached the park shortly after the judging had begun. They leaned their bikes against a tree and joined the crowd around Rosemary Williams.

Rosemary was blowing "The Missouri Waltz" on her left arm.

"A girl has never won," said Sally. "Maybe Rosemary will."

'*No chance," said Pete McGrane, who was standing nearby. Pete was fifteen and an official timekeeper. ''Rosemary is nervous. She missed a note on her elbow and two more on her wrist."

The judges agreed with Pete. They gave Rosemary only five points. A perfect score was ten.

''Don't lose hope," Pete said to Sally. "Plenty of other girls are competing."

"Hattie Grossman is our best bet now," said Sally. "Hattie plans to recite 'What Is So Rare As a Day in June' backward."

"Bad news," said Pete. "She tried five minutes ago. Halfway through she got the hiccups. She wiped out."

"Then it's up to Lindylou Duckworth," said Sally stubbornly.

"Maybe," said Pete. "But a lot of boys are good and don't count out Stinky Redmond."

"Stinky Redmond!" howled Sally. "Ugh! Remember last year?"

Last year Stinky had imitated a blizzard by shaking dandruff out of his hair.

"The stunt didn't make too many parents happy," said Encyclopedia.

'*Bugs Meany thought it was great," said Pete. "Bugs says Stinky should start a summer ski camp near his pillow."

**What is Stinky going to do this year?" asked Sally.

"He was supposed to take a shower in six seconds," replied Pete.

"Towel and soap included?" gasped Sally.

"Yup," said Pete. "A lot of mothers complained about the stunt last year. They said it was awful. So he promised to do something clean. But he won't."

"Why not?" inquired Sally.

"Because there is no shower in the park," said Pete. "Instead, he's going to swat mosquitoes."

Sally frowned. "There aren't any mosquitoes around."

"That's the hard part of his stunt," said Pete. "First he'll have to coax them here by buzzing like a female laying eggs. Then he'll use a flyswatter— swissh-splat! He said he'll down fifty mosquitoes in one hour."

"Yuk!" exclaimed Sally. "Dandruff was cleaner."

"You're wrong," said Pete. ''Mosquitoes spread some of the worst diseases, like yellow fever. Killing a mosquito is in the public interest."

''I don't see Stinky anywhere," remarked Encyclopedia.

"He's over there." Pete pointed to a circle of bushes at the edge of the park. "Stinky said he has to be alone to buzz in mosquitoes. At three o'clock he'll be judged."

For the next forty minutes the two detectives and Pete moved with the judges from stunt to stunt.

Lindylou Duckworth surprised everyone except Sally. Lindylou wrist-wrestled all comers while balancing on a banana peel. She won every time.

The judges gave her nine points.

"She lost a point because she's bigger than the boys she beat," explained Pete. "Still, she's in first place."

"She hasn't won yet," said Encyclopedia. "It's three o'clock and time for Stinky Redmond."

As they walked toward the bushes, Sally said, "Stinky is completely hidden. Who knows what he's been up to!"