The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow - Arden William (книга бесплатный формат .TXT) 📗

At that moment they all heard the distant voice of Aunt Mathilda:

“Jupiter Jones! Now where are you?”

“Don’t forget, go and warn Mr. Harris, and see if you can find those dark men. But don’t let them see you.” Jupiter gave them their instructions once more. “And let’s all think about that message of Magnus Verde’s.”

Bob and Pete nodded, and Jupiter hurried from the hidden headquarters. Out in the salvage yard the First Investigator found Konrad and Uncle Titus already in the big truck. His Aunt Mathilda was loading in a lunch hamper. Jupiter jumped into the cab, and Uncle Titus quickly told Konrad to drive off. Jupiter’s uncle, a small man with an enormous moustache, was a most unusual junkman. He bought anything that interested him, not just because he thought he could sell it but because he I liked it.

Soon the truck was out of Rocky Beach and driving up the steep and winding road into the pass. They reached the top of the pass and drove on to the iron gates of the Sandow Estate. The gates were open. Konrad roared through and pulled to a stop before the barn.

Uncle Titus jumped out as eagerly as Jupiter, excited as he always was when he was about to buy junk for the salvage yard. As they headed for the barn door, Miss Sandow came from the big house.

“You must be Titus Jones,” the birdlike lady said. “I’m pleased to meet you. I hope you find many things you want. I’ve been accumulating this junk for far too long.”

“I’m sure I will, ma’am,” Uncle Titus said with a courtly bow and a flourish of his fine moustache. “You’re sure you want to part with all of it?”

“Oh, dear me, yes! I think it’s best to get it all cleared out. Since my nephew, Theodore, arrived I seem to have more interest in the estate. I want to get everything in order again.”

“Then, with your assistance, Miss Sandow, I’ll go and select what I want to buy,” Uncle Titus said.

Miss Sandow nodded, smiling, and accompanied Uncle Titus and Konrad into the barn. Jupiter lagged behind until he saw them vanish inside. Then he slipped away towards the big house to find Mr. Harris. Ted appeared behind him:

“Are you investigating something, Jupiter?” the English boy said eagerly.

“In a way, Ted,” Jupiter admitted. “I want to talk to Mr. Harris.”

“He’s in the library.”

Jupiter followed Ted into the house. They found Mr. Harris reading the Rocky Beach newspaper in the library. When the vegetarian saw Jupiter, he jumped up and hurried towards the First Investigator.

“Ted has reported his encounter with you boys last night,” Mr. Harris announced at once. “I must apologize for my part in our little deception, and for thinking that you boys might be thieves. Because we suspected that you had the statuette, we thought it would be a good ruse to offer a reward for its return.”

“I understand, sir,” Jupiter said quietly.

“Good. Now tell me exactly what happened to the statuette.”

Jupiter told Mr. Harris about the call for help that Bob and Pete had heard outside the estate wall, and the way the statuette had come flying over the wall. Mr. Harris listened intently, frowning from time to time. When Jupiter reached the part about the laughing shadow, Ted exclaimed:

“A shadow that laughed insanely? That’s strange. I thought I heard a peculiar laugh myself last night.”

“You’re quite sure, Jupiter?” Mr. Harris asked. “It wasn’t some trick of the wind, or the boys’ imagination?”

“No, sir, there is a laughing shadow somewhere on this estate,” the First Investigator insisted firmly. “And I think that whoever the shadow is he’s holding some prisoners here.”

“Really, Jupiter?” Ted said. “Prisoners? I say!”

“But why, Jupiter?” Mr. Harris said. “What is it all about?”

“The Chumash Hoard, sir. I’m sure of it.”

“The what?” Mr. Harris said, incredulous.

“A vast hoard of gold,” Jupiter said, and explained all that the boys had learned about the Chumash Hoard, Mr. Harris and Ted listened openmouthed. When Jupiter had finished, Mr. Harris smiled.

“I see,” he said. “I’m not sure I can believe such a legend — dying words and all — but I’ll accept your contention that there may be some nefarious gang that does believe it. That could be quite dangerous. I’m not at all sure I like you boys being involved in such an affair.”

“Would you repeat what that old Indian said, Jupiter?” Ted asked.

“Well, in essence,” Jupiter explained, “he said that the Hoard was ‘in the eye of the sky where no man could find it.’ ”

“Gosh, what could it mean?” Ted wondered. “And what does it have to do with Aunt Sarah’s statuette? Why did you say that prisoners are being held on the estate?”

Before Jupiter could answer, they heard Miss Sandow calling from outside.

“Theodore! I need you for a moment. Where are you, Theodore?”

Ted hurried out of the house in answer to his aunt’s summons. As soon as he had gone, Jupiter spoke quickly to Mr. Harris:

“Sir, I know the laughing shadow is real because I’ve heard it myself! And I know there are prisoners on the estate, because there was a message inside the amulet when we found it!”

“A message? Inside the statuette?” Mr. Harris looked concerned.

“A call for help,” Jupiter said.

“Have you notified the police?”

“No, sir, we didn’t really have anything to tell.”

“No, I see that.” Mr. Harris seemed to be considering the problem. “When did you see this laughing shadow?”

“Last night just before we met Ted,” Jupiter said, and told Mr. Harris what he and Pete had seen at the lodge on the estate.

“What do you make of it, Jupiter?”

“I think that those four strange shapes were prisoners with bags over their heads! That’s why it looked as if they had no heads at all.”

“What?” Mr. Harris exclaimed. “Four prisoners in Miss Sandow’s lodge? Held by that laughing shadow! Outrageous. How could such things go on right under Miss Sandow’s nose?”

“How much do you really know about Ted Sandow, sir?” Jupiter said blunty.

“Ted?” Mr. Harris gaped and blinked. “You think that Ted is involved? By thunder, I’m going to get to the bottom of this! Come on, Jupiter, I want to look at that lodge!”

Mr. Harris strode to the desk and opened a drawer. When he turned, he held a pistol in his hand.

12

Call the Police!

Mr. Harris gripped the pistol grimly as he and Jupiter moved silently along the forest path towards the lodge. The vegetarian’s ruddy face was serious and determined as they hastened on under the shadows of the trees.

“And you think that the dark men who attacked you and took the statuette are the same ones who attacked me?” Mr. Harris said as he walked.

“They must be, sir.”

“If that’s true, they may also be the ones who are holding prisoners out here. We had better approach the lodge with caution.”

“They’ll probably be gone by now, sir, especially if the shadow saw Bob and me last night.”

“That remains to be seen. If they’re so bold as to hold prisoners right on the estate, they may not have been scared by two boys. What I don’t understand is what they think they’re up to, you see.”

“I guess I don’t understand that, either,” Jupiter admitted unhappily. “Maybe the prisoners are the ones who really know the secret of where the Hoard is, and those dark men and the laughing shadow are trying to find it.”

“That could be, Jupiter. Yes, you may have hit on it. And perhaps we can catch the ruffians red-handed!”

They hurried on as quietly as they could in the deep forest shadows and came to where the smaller path led down into the bowl-shaped valley. The truck no longer stood in front of the lodge. The building looked much less mysterious in the bright noon sunlight.

Mr. Harris motioned for Jupiter to crouch low in the trees and be silent. Then he began to work his way stealthily down the slope through the trees. Jupiter examined the lodge closely. There was no sign of movement anywhere. The shutters on the lodge windows were open, and so was the front door. As soon as he saw the open door Jupiter was certain that there would be no one inside.