Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (3 page)

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Authors: Donald J. Sobol

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“You ought to be strung higher,” snapped Sally. “This is nothing but a frame-up!”
“It’s serious,” corrected Officer Hall. “I saw money change hands.”
“I paid Encyclopedia a quarter for setting my watch,” said Lefty. “Then he sold me the collection rights for five dollars. He said I’d make ten dollars a week easy collecting twenty-five cents from every watch setter.”
“You poor innocent slob,” said Bugs. “Encyclopedia doesn’t own the clock. You’ve been cheated.”
“I—I can’t believe it!” exclaimed Lefty. “Encyclopedia Brown a common thief! Can you get back my money, Bugs?”
“The law takes care of his kind,” said Bugs, patting Officer Hall on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Your money will be returned.”
Sally was beside herself with rage. “You don’t really
believe
them?” she protested to Officer Hall. “They’re lying! This is nothing but a plot to get us in trouble. Didn’t you
hear
what was said?”
“I couldn’t hear from inside the dress shop,” admitted the policeman. “But I saw everything clearly while Bugs explained what was going on.”
“I’m sure he did a very good job,” said Encyclopedia, “except for ...”
FOR WHAT?
 
 
 
 
(Turn to page 89 for the solution to The Case of the Two-Timers.)
The Case of the False Teeth
Sunday afternoon, Encyclopedia and Sally went to the beach. They took a football. They should have taken a kite.
A strong wind was sweeping in from the ocean. It blew their tosses into palm trees and sunbathers.
“I’m tired of dirty looks,” said Sally. “Let’s build something.”
“We can build an atom smasher,” said Encyclopedia.
They put aside the football and dug in the sand. The atom smasher was nearly finished when it was smashed. Freddy Zacharias walked right through it.
Freddy put down the jar he was carrying. Inside it
were several sets of false teeth.
Freddy worked hard all summer combing the beaches. He collected the rare bottles and shells which his father sold at his gift shop on Ocean-front Drive.
“I’m sorry,” Freddy apologized. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Never mind,” said Encyclopedia. “We’ve had our fun. You’re lucky we didn’t build a hole.”
“So am I,” said Freddy. “If I’d fallen in, I might have bitten myself all over.”
“What did you say?” asked Encyclopedia.
Freddy put down the jar he was carrying. Inside it were several sets of false teeth.
“During the week I help my father,” he said. “On Sundays, I’m in business for myself.”
Encyclopedia stared at the jar. He tried not to imagine Freddy stealing up on sunbathers and slipping out their false teeth while they slept.
“I find them in the shallows,” said Freddy. “Sunday is always the best day. False teeth that get lost off Key South take a week to be carried north to Idaville.”
Key South was a big fishing and vacation area, and cruise ships put in there on Sundays. Freddy explained that lots of false teeth were lost overboard by tourists and fishermen. Others were jarred loose from swimmers’ mouths by waves.
“The
Idaville News
prints ads for lost teeth,” he said. “Usually, there is a reward.”
He showed the detectives two ads he had clipped from the newspaper. Each promised a reward for the return of teeth lost over the past weekend.
“I measure the teeth I find and write to the people who place the ads,” said Freddy. “So far this summer I’ve returned eight sets of teeth. The reward money paid for my new ten-speed bicycle.”
“Hopping choppers!” exclaimed Encyclopedia. “Out of the mouths of grown-ups! ”
“Don’t just stand there, Freddy,” urged Sally. “Be on your way. Keep looking!”
“All right,” said Freddy. “I’m really sorry about stepping on your sand thing.”
He moved off down the beach, eyes on the surf line.
The detectives took a swim. The wind was still blowing in from the ocean as strongly as ever when they quit the water. They decided to build a bigger atom smasher.
They had just begun when Freddy came running up.
“Some kids stole my teeth!” he cried.
“Who?” asked Encyclopedia.
“Two Tigers, Duke Kelly and Rocky Graham,” replied Freddy. He was about to break into tears.
“The big goons,” said Sally, clenching her fists. “When I catch them, they’ll need false teeth themselves!”
“Maybe we can get back your teeth, Freddy,” said Encyclopedia calmly. “Let’s go talk with Duke and Rocky.”
As they headed down the beach, Freddy related what had happened.
Duke Kelly had snatched the jar as he had walked past. When the two Tigers saw what was inside, they laughed and took out the teeth. Duke went into a Spanish dance, stomping and whirl ing and clicking teeth like castanets.
“Duke got careless,” said Freddy. “As he was clicking and stomping and whirling, he swung his hands too close to his head. He bit himself in the right ear.”
“Serves him right!” said Sally.
“It made him awful sore at me,” said Freddy. “He kicked over the jar and the ads flew out. Rocky caught them and read them to Duke. They told me to beat it.”
“They’re hoping to get the rewards themselves!” exclaimed Sally. “We’d better hurry.”
“There’s Duke under that palm tree,” said Encyclopedia.
Duke was lying in the shade, holding his sore ear. Neither Rocky nor the jar was in sight.
“Rocky’s probably taken the teeth back to the Tigers’ clubhouse,” said Sally.
Duke saw them approaching. He sat up, watching Sally uneasily.
“Where’s Rocky?” inquired Encyclopedia.
“He went home,” said Duke. “Too much sunburn.”
“You stole Freddy’s false teeth,” Sally accused. “Give them back!”
“Stole ... ?” cried Duke. “After all I did for him, he accuses me of stealing?”
“Just what have you done for him?” said Encyclopedia.
“He was walking past me with a jar under his arm,” said Duke. “Suddenly he tripped. A couple of newspaper clippings fell out, and some false teeth.”
“The teeth bit your ear, I suppose,” said Sally.
“Naw, the clippings blew into the ocean,” said Duke. “I tried to save them and stumbled. I fell with my head under water. A crab bit me. When I needed help, where was your Freddy? Running off with his jar!”
“Sorry, Duke,” said Encyclopedia. “You tried, but you blew it!”
WHAT WAS DUKE’S MISTAKE?
 
 
 
 
(Turn to page 90 for the solution to The Case of the False Teeth.)
The Case of the Skin Diver
When Encyclopedia and Sally went fishing in Mill Pond, they got there early in the morning before anyone else.
But Friday morning they weren’t the earliest. As they arrived, Trisk Ford was climbing up the slope from the pond. He was moaning.
“Where do you hurt?” asked Sally, hurrying to his side.
“In my calendar,” said Trisk. “Don’t you know what day this is?”
“Friday,” said Sally.
“Friday the
thirteenth,”
corrected Trisk, whose real name was Bruce. Trisk was short for triskaidekaphobe, which means someone who is afraid of the number 13.
“I don’t believe in unlucky numbers,” said Sally. “It’s plain silly.”
“Is it?” said Trisk. “When was the last time you saw a building with a thirteenth floor? If a black cat crosses your path today, you better hop on the nearest bus.”
“Even if I don’t have a fur piece to go?” said Sally.
“It’s no joke,” said Trisk. “Five minutes ago I nearly got a terrible pain in my neck.”
He explained. He had awakened at sunrise. Rather than spend the day in the closet, he had decided to hide in the fresh air.
“I walked down to the pond,” he said. “But I got bored sitting in the bushes. I started scaling stones on the water. Suddenly I saw something shining on the ground. It was a gold earring.”
“Golly,” said Encyclopedia. “I’ll bet it’s the one Mrs. Adams lost at the Girl Scout picnic last month. Where is it?”
“I was holding it when a mean kid stepped out of the bushes,” said Trisk. “He stole it. Then he chopped the air with his hand and said, ‘Scram, or I’ll give you a double chin in the back of your neck.’ ”
“What did he look like?” asked Encyclopedia.
“I couldn’t tell,” answered Trisk. “He had on a glass face mask.”
“Well, what was he wearing?”
“I just told you,” said Trisk. “A face mask. He must have been going skin diving in only his skin.”
“How old was he?” said Sally. “What was the color of his hair?”
“He was about twelve,” replied Trisk. “He had brown hair, parted down the middle.”
“He’s probably all dressed by now,” said Encyclopedia. “But if we hurry, we might catch him.”
The three children ran down the slope. The pond was half a mile long, and the shore curved and twisted with hiding places. For a minute they saw no one.
“I was holding the earring when a mean kid stepped out
of the bushes,” said Trisk.
“There he is!” exclaimed Encyclopedia.
A boy, fully clothed, had appeared from some bushes a few yards away. He carried a face mask and a towel.
“It’s that good-for-nothing Marlin Hayes,” said Sally.
Marlin was a lazy seventh-grader. Last year his father wanted him to take a summer job cutting lawns. Instead, Marlin took up karate, the better to fight working.
“It couldn’t have been Marlin,” said Trisk. “His hair is the same color, but it’s parted on the side.”
“So it is ...” observed Sally.
Nevertheless, she ran up to Marlin and gripped him by the arm. “You stole an earring from Trisk,” she said. “Give it back! ”
“Sally—p-please,” gasped Encyclopedia. He had seen karate experts chop boards in half, bare-handed.

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