Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case

1   The Case of the Forgetful Jewel Thief

2   The Case of the Autographed
Alice in Wonderland

3   The Case of the Lemonade Stand

4   The Case of the Revolutionary Treasures

5   The Case of the Missing Butterfly Brooch

6   The Case of the Counterfeit Dough

7   The Case of the Astronaut Duck

8  The Case of the Lucky Catch

9  The Case of the Missing Money

10  The Case of the Stolen Confederate Stamps

     Solutions

To most people, Idaville looked like many seaside towns. It had four banks, three movie theaters, and two delicatessens. It had churches and synagogues and lovely white beaches.

But Idaville only
looked
like other seaside towns.

For more than a year, no grown-up or child in Idaville had gotten away with breaking the law. Police officers across the nation wondered how Idaville did it. What was the secret?

Only three people knew the answer to that question, and they weren't telling.

All three lived in a red brick house at 13 Rover Avenue—Mr. Brown, Mrs. Brown, and their only child, ten-year-old Encyclopedia, America's best crime-buster.

Mr. Brown was Idaville's chief of police. He was honest, brave, and smart. Whenever he had a case that seemed impossible to solve, he always did the same thing. He went home to dinner. Encyclopedia usually would solve the case with just one question. Usually before dessert.

Police chiefs across America believed that Mr. Brown was the best police chief in the world. Chief Brown was proud of his record and proud of his officers. But he had to keep his pride in Encyclopedia a secret. Who would believe that a fifth-grader was the real mastermind behind Idaville's war on crime?

So he said nothing.

Encyclopedia never bragged about the help he gave to his father. He didn't want to seem different from other fifth-graders.

But he was stuck with his nickname.

Only his parents and teachers called him by his real name, Leroy. Everyone else in Idaville called him Encyclopedia.

An encyclopedia is a book or set of books filled with all kinds of facts from
A
to
Z
. Encyclopedia had read more books than anyone in Idaville, and he never forgot what he read. He was the only walking library in America.

One Friday evening at the dinner table, Encyclopedia poked his salad with his fork, searching for raw onions. There weren't any.

Chief Brown sat staring at his salad instead of eating it.

Encyclopedia and his mother knew what that meant. A case had Chief Brown puzzled. Encyclopedia leaned back. He waited for his father to speak.

At last Chief Brown put down his fork.

“We caught a jewel thief this morning coming out of Von Martin's Fine Jewelry Store right here in Idaville. He's the same man who has been robbing stores all over the state,” he said.

Mrs. Brown and Encyclopedia had both read about the robber in the newspaper. A number of stores in their part of the state had been hit.

The thief would tell the salesperson that he was looking for an expensive gift for his elderly mother. As soon as the store clerk opened the jewelry cases, the thief grabbed the most expensive jewels and ran. Priceless pieces had disappeared into his pockets.

“But you caught the thief, dear. I wonder why you don't sound happy,” Mrs. Brown said, rubbing her eyes.

“Mr. von Martin got his jewelry back,” Chief Brown explained. “And we have clear pictures of the thief from security cameras in other stores. We know he's guilty, but the thief says he can't remember where he hid the jewels from his other robberies. I spent all afternoon questioning him, but he didn't give up any clues.”

“I'm sure Leroy can help you solve the case.” Mrs. Brown sniffed and rubbed her eyes again. “My eyes sting,” she said. “Were the jewels very valuable?”

“Yes,” Chief Brown said with a sigh. “The very first store he robbed didn't have insurance. The owners will be ruined if we don't get their jewels back.”

“Could the thief have a partner?” Mrs. Brown asked. “Could he have given the jewels to his mother?”

Encyclopedia listened carefully as his mother spoke. He knew she was asking questions so he would have all the facts.

Chief Brown said, “She was terribly shocked when she heard her son had been arrested. She seems like a nice woman. I don't think she's involved.”

“Have you searched the thief's home?” Mrs. Brown asked.

“We've gone over every inch,” Chief Brown said. “We found pictures of jewelry, books about jewelry, and maps of towns with jewelry stores in them. But no jewels.”

Mrs. Brown glanced at Encyclopedia. He wasn't ready to ask his one question, so she continued. “What about his car?”

“There was nothing in his car, except some letters he hadn't gotten around to mailing to his mother.” Chief Brown patted his pocket. “He even asked if he could write her another one after lunch this afternoon.”

“Are there clues in the letters?” Mrs. Brown asked.

“Not that we can tell,” Chief Brown answered. “Perhaps he really doesn't remember where he hid the jewels.”

“Hmmm,” Mrs. Brown said thoughtfully. “If I was that forgetful, I would write things down. Perhaps the letters are written in code.” Mrs. Brown coughed. She was too polite to ask the biggest question on her mind—and up her nose. “Read the letters to Leroy,” she urged. “He's broken codes before.”

Mrs. Brown looked at her son again. The boy detective had closed his eyes and taken a deep breath. He always closed his eyes when he did his deepest thinking. Suddenly his eyes opened.

Encyclopedia asked the question his mother wanted to. “How come you
stin
…er, smell so awful, Dad? What's that smell?”

Mrs. Brown seemed tempted to scold her son. The question wasn't a very nice one. But she was curious about the answer, too.

Chief Brown reached into his pocket and pulled out the letters. The odor got even stronger as he fanned the papers out on the table.

“Onions!” Mrs. Brown proclaimed, holding her nose and blinking back tears. “The letters smell like onions.” She looked more than a little relieved that the odor came from the letters and not her husband.

“It's peculiar,” Chief Brown said. “This fellow claims he needs to drink a glass of onion juice every day for his health. I had to ask Max at the diner to make up a batch for him. Everything the thief touches smells like onions.”

Encyclopedia blinked back a couple of onion tears.

His mother waited for him to ask the question that would solve the case.

The odor got even stronger as he fanned the paper out on the table.

But Encyclopedia didn't need to ask another question. He already had his answer.

“He might be a forgetful jewel thief,” Encyclopedia said. “But if we read between the lines, we'll find out where he hid the jewels.” He picked up one of the thief's letters. “All we need a 150-watt lightbulb.”

 

WHY DID ENCYCLOPEDIA NEED
A LIGHTBULB TO SOLVE THE CASE?

 

(Click here for the solution to “The Case of the Forgetful Jewel Thief.”)