Mystery of the Missing Man (14 page)

“Good old Buster,” said Bets, patting him. “What a good thing he turned up. I suppose he trailed you all the way there, Fatty.”

“Yes. Eunice must have let him out of my bedroom,” said Fatty. “Good thing she did! I might have been languishing in a cell down at the police-station by now! Well - what do you make of all that? Anyone got any ideas?”

Nobody said a word for a minute or two. They were turning Fatty’s story over and over in their minds. It was certainly rather a curious one!

“I still think that two people must have left the van together, after Josef and Lucita had gone,” said Pip at last. “And I think too that the second man in the van - the man whose voice you heard quarrelling with Josef - may very likely have been the man with the scar.”

“I think that too,” said Larry, and the others agreed.

“Right. What do we do next?” asked Fatty. Before anyone could answer, Buster began to bark loudly and then ran to the door.

“Someone’s outside,” said Pip. “I bet it’s Eunice!”

It was - a very annoyed Eunice too. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a meeting down in your shed, Frederick?” she demanded. “Why do you leave me out of things? Surely you could let me share in what you’re doing, just for a few days? And WHY did you go off running without me last night? That awful old tramp came back - and Mr. Goon came, and was very rude to me.”

“Sorry, Eunice,” said Fatty. “Well, do join us - have a spot of lemonade and a biscuit!”

The others glanced at one another. Had Eunice overheard anything of Fatty’s story? Well, she wouldn’t have been able to make much of it, if she had. They looked at Fatty, pouring out lemonade very politely.

What was he going to do next? This mystery seemed to be in a fine old tangle!

Goon is a Nuisance

Eunice then began to tell everyone all about her fright over the tramp the night before, and described the horrible scarred face that the man had. They listened politely, longing to laugh, knowing that it had only been Fatty in disguise again. In the middle of the story Jane came and knocked at the door.

“Please, Master Frederick, it’s the policeman, Mr. Goon, to see you,” she said.

“Blow!” said Fatty, getting up. “It’s about that tramp, I suppose. Eunice, you’d better come with us. After all, you saw him. I didn’t.”

“Don’t you let Mr. Goon be rude to me, Frederick, will you?” said Eunice.

“I will certainly see that he treats you with the utmost respect,” said Fatty, firmly. “But just you stand up for yourself, Eunice - don’t let him make out that that tramp is all a fairy-tale of yours.”

“It’s a great pity Jane didn’t see him too,” she said. “Look, there’s Mr. Goon.”

Goon was waiting on the path that led up to the house. He was not going to let Fatty slip away. Oh no - he had had important news that morning, that tied up with the old scarred tramp that that girl Eunice had said she’d seen last night. He had changed his ideas now about the tramp being Fatty, but he wanted to be quite sure about it. He had, in fact, wanted only a quiet word with Fatty, and he was annoyed when he saw Eunice and the others too.

“Er - can I have a word with you, Master Frederick?” he said. “Alone?”

“What about?” said Fatty. “If it’s about the tramp last night, you must ask Miss Eunice here - she saw him.”

“Yes, I certainly did see him,” said Eunice. “And what is more, as I told you last night, Constable, Frederick had gone off on some cross-country running. He can’t tell you anything about that tramp, because he wasn’t here.”

“Yes, yes, I see,” said Goon. “So you went off running, did you, Master Frederick, you didn’t spend the evening at home?”

“Good gracious no, Goon,” said Fatty, sounding surprised. “I was miles away.”

“Ah - that was one thing I wanted to be sure of,” said Goon. “You see - I half thought you might have been that old tramp Miss Eunice here said she saw.”

“Well!” said Eunice, in a rage. “Do you suppose I’m such an idiot as not to be able to tell whether a tramp is a tramp, or whether he’s Frederick Trottcville? I tell you, IT - WAS - A - TRAMP, Mr. Goon. A horrible fellow. Very like the one I saw on Sunday, except that he had a scar.”

“Ah - that’s what I wanted to know too,” said Goon, taking out his notebook. “Now - did you notice very, very carefully exactly how big the scar was, and what position it was in?”

“Well, I didn’t go out and get hold of the tramp’s chin, and peer at the scar, or take a ruler to measure it, if that’s what you mean!” said Eunice. “I was in too great a fright to do anything but notice it.”

“Ah - so long as you noticed he was scarred!” said Goon. “I had a report from somewhere else last night to say that there was a tramp trying to break in, with intent to steal - and that tramp had a scar on his face too! So you can see, Miss, why I’m glad that you spotted that your tramp had one too!”

“Don’t call him my tramp!” said Eunice, annoyed. “Well, fancy that fellow going on somewhere else to break in. It must be the same tramp. He certainly did have a scarred face.”

Fatty had become very interested. Was this tramp with the scar, who had been reported for breaking in somewhere, no other than Fatty himself - reported by the two men who had seen him opening the door of the Fangios’ caravan? Or was he quite another scarred man, from somewhere else - possibly the prisoner they were after.

“Goon,” said Fatty, “where was this fellow trying to break in last night?”

“Never you mind,” said Goon, irritatingly. “But from what I’ve heard he’s certainly the fellow we’re after. That scar proves it. He’d have been caught last night all right by the men who reported him, but for a dog that came out of nowhere and attacked them.”

“Aha!” thought Fatty. “That was old Buster. So l was the ‘tramp’ those two men reported. Goon hasn’t got hold of the right man, thank goodness. But he’s hot on the trail, though he doesn’t know it - because I’m pretty certain the real scarred man is being sheltered by the Fangios, down in that caravan camp. What a pity the two men reported me - now Goon will be searching the camp himself, and being a policeman, he can do it much better than I can!”

“Do you want to ask me any more questions?” said Eunice, tired of watching the policeman write voluminously in his notebook.

“No, thank you, Miss,” said Goon. “You’ve put me on the right trail, I think. I’ll just get my bike and be off. That reminds me - How did my bike take itself out of your front garden and put itself by your kitchen door last night, Master Frederick?”

“I’ll work it out when I’ve got time,” said Fatty, with a perfectly straight face. “Was it trying to come to look for you in the kitchen, do you think?”

“Gah!” said Goon in disgust. “You’ll cut yourself one day, you’re so sharp!”

And away he went up the path, hoping sincerely that his bicycle hadn’t disappeared again!

“What do you suppose Goon is going to do now?” asked Pip.

“I imagine that he’ll ask Chief Inspector Jenks for a search-warrant and a couple of men - and go and search the caravan camp in Barker’s Field,” said Fatty gloomily. “And as I think that that man with a scar must be there somewhere, Goon is likely to pull him in. And I put him on to the right place to search by being ass enough to get caught by those two men last night!”

“What is all this?” said Eunice, puzzled.

“Oh, gosh - I forgot you were here, Eunice,” said Fatty. “Well - I suppose we’ll have to tell you something of what is going on, or you’ll keep on worrying us.”

“I certainly shall,” said Eunice. “I must say I think you’re pretty mean to keep things secret, especially when that old tramp I saw has something to do with it. I shall go and ask your mother what’s happening, if you don’t tell me.”

“Tell-tale,” murmured Pip, and got a furious look from Eunice. “Frederick,” she said, “tell me, please. I’ll help you if I can. You seem to be doing some kind of detective work - and I’m good at that too.”

Fatty groaned. “Is there anything you’re not good at, Eunice?” he asked. “Now listen - briefly, this is how things stand. There’s an escaped prisoner, with a scarred face, somewhere in the district. He’s actually been seen. We have been keeping a lookout for him, but we haven’t been lucky, so far. We were told to look for him in crowds, where perhaps he might not be noticed - the Fair, for instance - and even the Beetle Meetings, as one of his interests is insects.”

“Oh! I might have sat next to him!” said Eunice, quite scared. “What’s he like? I’ve gathered that he has a scar on his face, of course.”

“He’s got sharp,eyes,” said Pip, “And a thin mouth…”

“And thick dark hair,” said Larry. “And he’s medium height.”

“And his hands are very knobbly and bony,” said Daisy. “And…”

“And we feel that possibly some people called the Fangios, who run the flea-circus at the Fair, and also the shooting-range, may bc hiding him,” said Fatty. “Because they go all peculiar when we mention men with scarred faces! Even that old cleaner-woman at the Beetle Show, who is also a Fangio, got a shock when I mentioned a man with a scar.”

“I see,” said Eunice. “Yes, I remember that old woman. Where does she live? At the Fair?”

“No, the Fangios have a caravan down in Barker’s Field,” said Fatty. “And what we’re afraid of now is that Goon is on the same trail as we are - though not for the same reason - and may search that camp and get our man! What a feather in his helmet, if so.”

“I don’t like that policeman,” said Eunice. “I’m on your side. I’d like to help, Frederick. What are your plans?”

“Well,” said Fatty, “let’s go down to the shed again. I don’t know that we’ve really got any plans yet.”

So Eunice went down to the shed with the others, quite determined to show them that she was as good a detective as any of them.

It proved difficult to think of a really good plan, but at last they decided that if Goon did get a search-warrant for the camp, they simply must be there too. At least they must be in at the finish, even if Goon won the victory!

“What’s the time?” said Fatty. “Gosh, the morning’s nearly gone! Listen - Goon can’t get a search-warrant before this afternoon. One or other of us must haunt Barker’s Field the whole time, from say two o’clock onwards, so that warning can be sent to the rest of us if Goon arrives with other policemen.”

“Yes. That’s a good idea,” said Pip. “We can watch two at a time, so that there is always one to send off to warn the others. I’ll watch with Bets. We can pretend to be picnicking, or something.”

“And I’ll watch with Larry,” said Daisy.

“And I’ll watch with you, Frederick,” said Eunice.

“You can’t,” said Fatty. “You’ve got to go to the Beetle Conference. And if you do, just keep an eye on that old cleaner-woman, will you - Mrs. Fangio.”

“I wish I hadn’t to go to this afternoon’s meeting,” said Eunice. “I’d much rather be with you. Who will you send to tell the others, Frederick, if anything happens while you are watching?”

“Buster,” said Fatty. “I can tie a note to his collar and just say ‘Go to Larry’ and he’ll be off like a shot. And Larry could phone Pip.”

“Oh yes - I suppose you could do that,” said Eunice. “Well - I’ll try and take my turn with you after tea, Frederick, then you won’t be alone. I say - this is rather exciting, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so,” said poor Fatty. “It’s bad enough to come to a full-stop, just when you’ve got some interesting clues - but it’s worse to have someone like Goon going over your head, and winning by accident, so to speak!”

“Bets and I will be at the field at two o’clock,” said Pip. “Larry, you relieve us at four, and bring your tea. Then Fatty can have his turn after tea with Eunice.”

“Right. See you all later,” said Fatty, and the meeting ended. Fatty watched them all leaving the shed. “The fun’s over,” he thought. “Goon’s really holding the reins now although he doesn’t know it!”

Watching and Waiting

Eunice went off to the Beetle Meeting that afternoon with her father. Mr. Tolling was quite disappointed that Fatty didn’t want to come as well. But Fatty was firm.

“I really must do a few jobs for my mother,” he said. He felt that he could not listen to any more Beetle Talk. Mr. Tolling had lectured them during the whole of lunch-time on the extraordinary habits of the Family of Gulping Beetles of Ruahua in New Zealand. He only stopped when Fatty began to make the most peculiar swallowing noises, which alarmed his mother considerably.

“Frederick - are you choking?” she said, anxiously, half getting up from her chair.

“No, Mother, no - it’s listening to all that about the Gulping Beetles,” said Fatty, faintly. “I can’t seem to stop gulping myself.”

Eunice gave a squeal of laughter, but Mr. Tolling could not see anything funny at all. Fatty caught his mother’s stern eye and stopped gulping. He was very, very glad when at last Mr. Tolling, complete with umbrella and gloves, and attended by Eunice, left for the Town Hall.

“I’ll keep an eye on that woman!” hissed Eunice to Fatty, as they left, causing her father to gaze at her in surprise. What woman? And what was Eunice looking so excited about? Really, she was getting as bad as that boy Frederick!

Pip and Bets were down in Barker’s Field just before two o’clock. They had decided to take their books on wild flowers, and to hunt for some. Then, when they had a bunch, they could perhaps sit down somewhere near the Fangios’ caravan and keep a watch in case Goon came.

Nobody bothered about them at all, and nothing happened of any interest. They just sat there, not far from the Fangios’ caravan, pretending to look at their flower-books. The caravan was shut, and nobody seemed to be there.

“I expect that girl Lucita has gone to the Fair to show off her performing fleas,” said Pip. “And the young man - what was his name - Josef - is looking after the shooting-range.”

“And old Ma Fangio will be dusting away at the Beetle Conference,” said Bets. “This would be quite a good time for Goon to come and search their caravan. I wonder if there is anyone hiding in there this very minute!”

“They’re jolly quiet, if so,” said Pip.

At four o’clock Larry and Daisy came along to take their turn and Pip and Bets departed. Nothing happened while Larry and Daisy were there, either. They picnicked, chatted with a small child who came wandering up, and read their books. They kept an eye on the caravan, but nobody went in or out at all. Goon did not appear either. Altogether, it was really rather dull. They were glad when Fatty turned up with Eunice.