The Case of the Slippery Salamander (2 page)

How does Encyclopedia know?

(Turn to
this page
for the solution to The Case of the Slippery Salamander.)

D
uring the school year, Encyclopedia helped his father solve mysteries for the police department. When school closed for summer vacation, he opened his own detective agency in the garage.

Each morning he hung out his sign:

Idaville was in the middle of a heat wave. The thermometer outside Encyclopedia’s garage had just hit ninety-six degrees when his first customer arrived. It was Pablo Pizzaro—Idaville’s best boy artist.

Pablo’s face was bright red, and sweat spotted his blue T-shirt.

“I’m steaming, and it’s got nothing to do with the heat!” Pablo declared. “Bugs Meany accused me of stealing a banana! I want to hire you to prove my innocence.”

Bugs was the leader of a gang of tough older boys. They called themselves the Tigers. They should have called themselves the Tea Bags. They were always getting into hot water.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” Encyclopedia said.

Pablo placed a quarter on the gas can next to Encyclopedia and began to talk.

“Monsieur LeBlanc hired me to be his assistant in the Art in the Park program this summer.”

Encyclopedia nodded. Every year Idaville sponsored an arts program for children at the park. Monsieur LeBlanc was famous in Idaville for his beautiful paintings—and for his ugly temper. The peevish painter flew into a rage as often as the wind changed direction.

According to Pablo, this morning the students, including Bugs, had been learning how to paint still-life pictures. Before the first class, Monsieur LeBlanc had placed fruit in a large wooden bowl.

“He picked the fruit himself at an expensive greengrocer in the city. Then he arranged it just so in the bowl,” Pablo explained. “Monsieur insisted that there must be exactly the right balance of three apples, two pears, and two bananas.”

Encyclopedia waited for Pablo to go on.

“Monsieur taught the first two morning sessions on his own,” Pablo said. “After I arrived to help with Session Three, he took a break. When he came back a few minutes later, he noticed that a banana was missing from the bowl.”

“So that’s when the banana split,” cracked Encyclopedia.

“It’s no laughing matter!” Pablo cried. “Monsieur LeBlanc thinks I stole it!”

“What makes him think that?” the detective asked.

Pablo was scowling. “Bugs Meany! When Monsieur asked where the banana was, Bugs told him I took it,” Pablo continued. “Bugs told Monsieur I thought the students’ paintings would look better with just one banana.”

“With food in the picture, I should have guessed that Bugs Meany was involved,” Encyclopedia muttered.

“Please help me prove that I didn’t steal the banana, Encyclopedia,” Pablo went on desperately. “If you don’t, Monsieur LeBlanc won’t give me my job back!”

Encyclopedia agreed to take the case. The two boys headed for South Park.

Because of the heat, the Art in the Park students had been painting inside the Community Center, which was air-conditioned. The center was a large building near the tennis courts in the park. When Encyclopedia walked into the building behind Pablo, he bumped smack into a big boy in a painter’s apron.

Encyclopedia did a double take. The boy in the apron was Bugs Meany.

“Well, well, well,” Bugs sneered. “If it isn’t the sloth who calls himself a sleuth. What are you doing here, snoop-face?”

Encyclopedia ignored the bully’s nasty remarks. “I was surprised to hear that you signed up for Art in the Park, Bugs. I didn’t think you were the artistic type.”

“Us Tigers have a sensitive side, you know. In fact, Monsieur LeBlanc thinks I’ve got talent,”
Bugs said proudly. “He said I might even be the next Vincent van Goat.”

“It’s van
Gogh
!” Pablo snapped. “You’re an artist, all right, Bugs. A con artist!”

“You two lamebrains are sapping my creative energy,” Bugs declared. He tried to push his way past them. “If you’ll stop blocking the door, I’d like to go home for lunch. All I’ve eaten today is a lousy banana.”

Encyclopedia stepped aside to let Bugs pass.

“See?” Pablo said. “Bugs practically confessed just now! He stole the banana because he was hungry, and then he blamed the whole thing on me!”

“I’m sure you’re right, Pablo,” Encyclopedia said. “But what we have to do is find some proof.”

The art students were painting inside a large, sunny room in the Community Center. The room was filled with jars of paint, brushes, paper, and other art supplies.

Six or seven students stood before easels, brushes in hand. They were painting a bowl of fruit that sat on a table in the front of the room.

Monsieur LeBlanc glared when he saw Pablo. “I thought I told you that you were fired!”

Encyclopedia spoke up quickly. “We’re here to investigate the banana theft, Monsieur LeBlanc. If
you don’t mind, sir,” he added politely, “we’d like to look around for a few minutes.”

Encyclopedia thought the angry artist was going to say no. But before Monsieur could reply, a student raised his hand and asked for help.

“You may look around!” Monsieur LeBlanc snapped as he went over to help the student. “But only for a moment. And do not disturb any of my students!”

Encyclopedia tiptoed to the front of the room to examine the bowl of fruit. Next he headed for a clothesline strung across the back of the room. Several dozen still-life paintings were clipped to the line. When Encyclopedia looked at them more closely, he noticed that the paint was still wet.

“These paintings are from the earlier classes today, right?” he whispered to Pablo, who was nervously following him around the room.

“That’s right,” Pablo whispered back. “The pictures on the left are from the first session. The ones on the right were painted by the students in Session Two.”

Encyclopedia saw that the pictures from Session One showed a still life of seven pieces of fruit. When Encyclopedia went to look at the paintings from Session Two, Monsieur LeBlanc stormed over to him.

“That is enough!” the artist declared. “You are disturbing my students!” He narrowed his eyes at Pablo. “This investigation is pointless! Pablo is the thief!”

“Please believe me, Monsieur,” Pablo said. “I didn’t take the banana. And I—”

“Silence!”
Monsieur LeBlanc bellowed, waving his arms. “The banana was here this morning, and it disappeared after you arrived. You ruined my perfect arrangement of fruit!”

Encyclopedia decided to intervene before Monsieur LeBlanc threw one of his world-famous temper tantrums.

“Bugs Meany took the banana and blamed Pablo, Monsieur,” he said quickly. “I have proof.”

“Proof, schmoof! As you Americans like to say”—he pointed a finger at Pablo—“the proof is in the pudding!”

“Not this time,” Encyclopedia said calmly. “This time the proof is in the
paintings
.”

What did Encyclopedia mean?

(Turn to
this page
for the solution to The Case of the Banana Burglar.)

B
ugs Meany hated being outsmarted by Encyclopedia all the time. At night he dreamed about ways to put out the detective’s lights.

But Bugs’s sweet dreams of revenge came to an end as soon as he remembered his worst nightmare—a nightmare named Sally Kimball.

Sally was Encyclopedia’s junior partner in the detective agency. She was also the best athlete and the prettiest girl in fifth grade. But all Bugs remembered about Sally was how quick she was with her fists. More than once Sally had knocked him down faster than Bugs could say, “I’m a big bully.”

“I’m telling you, Encyclopedia,” Sally warned
the detective one afternoon, “Bugs won’t rest until he gets revenge.”

The two detectives were on their way to the Tigers’ clubhouse. Bugs had just called to ask them to come to an important meeting.

Encyclopedia shrugged. “On the phone it sounded as if Bugs really needs our help. Maybe he’s finally turned over a new leaf.”

“You mean he’s crawled out from
under
a leaf,” Sally said. “I still think we’d better be careful.”

The Tigers’ clubhouse was in an unused tool-shed behind Mr. Sweeny’s auto body shop. Bugs was inside with two other Tigers, Duke Kelly and Spike Larsen. The three of them were talking about Idaville’s Annual Insect Race.

When Encyclopedia and Sally arrived, Bugs looked up with a smirk.

“Speaking of insects … it’s the clueless sleuth and his simpleminded sidekick.”

“Watch it, beetle brain!” Sally snarled. She stepped up to Bugs and shoved her fist under his nose. “One more crack like that and I’ll whip you like a pint of heavy cream!”

Bugs smiled weakly. “Wh-What’s the matter, Sally?” he stammered. “Can’t you take a little joke?”

“Not from you,” Sally shot back. She removed her fist, but she was still glowering at him.

“What’s up, Bugs?” Encyclopedia asked. “What is this meeting about, anyway?”

“I want to hire you two for an important job,” the Tigers’ leader said.

“What kind of job?” Encyclopedia asked curiously.

Bugs showed him a cardboard shoe box with dozens of small holes in its lid. “The Annual Insect Race is this Saturday, and I have to go out of town for a few days.”

“He wants to hire you to be his bug’s bodyguard while he’s gone,” said Spike.

Sally looked at Bugs suspiciously. “Why does your bug need a bodyguard?” she demanded.

“He’s very fast,” Bugs bragged. “I’m afraid someone will try to steal him before Saturday.”

“He’s a champion cockroach from Madagascar,” Duke informed them proudly.

Bugs lifted the lid and showed the detectives the roach inside. He was a big bug with a shiny brown shell.

“My roach is competing against a beetle and a scorpion on Saturday,” Bugs said. “I’m sure he’ll win.”

“Why’d you call us for the job?” Sally wanted to know.

Bugs shrugged. “You may be snoops, but I trust you to guard my bug like he was one of your own. Don’t worry—I’ll pay you for your services.”

Sally looked doubtful, but Encyclopedia didn’t see the harm in accepting Bugs’s offer. “We’ll take the job,” he replied.

Bugs handed over a quarter, and Encyclopedia picked up the shoe box.

“The race is being held at the main pavilion at South Park,” Bugs said. “Meet me there on Saturday a few minutes before ten.”

As they walked away, Sally shook her head. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Encyclopedia.”

“I know what I’m doing, Sally,” the detective replied calmly.

On Saturday morning, Encyclopedia and Sally arrived at the park early with Bugs’s bug. When Encyclopedia lifted the shoe box lid to check on him, he saw the roach crawling around inside.

Sally looked around. “Where’s Bugs?”