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

Mr. Harris wasn’t taking any chances. He continued to slip silently down through the trees until he reached the edge of the open clearing at the bottom of the valley. There he stopped for a moment, surveying the lodge. On the rim of the valley, Jupiter fidgeted under the enforced inaction. But then Mr. Harris left the trees and ran to a corner of the lodge, holding his pistol in one hand, Jupiter watched him peer in at a window.

Mr. Harris left the window and ran round to the open front door. He went inside quickly. Jupiter waited. He could hear a lot of noise inside the lodge. Then Mr. Harris appeared at the door and waved. Jupiter scrambled down the path and joined the vegetarian in front of the lodge.

“Empty, lad. I looked under everything. Not a hair of them, but they were here all right. Look.”

Mr. Harris displayed a pair of small white trousers of a homespun material exactly like those worn by the two dark men.

“I should guess that it was Indian clothing, right enough. It looks as if your dark men were here. And the truck you saw was really here, too. There’s an oil patch on the roadway. Dry, though. I’d say the truck has been gone for some time.”

“Is there any sign of where they might have gone, Mr. Harris?” Jupiter asked.

“None that I could find, but let’s take another look. Maybe you can spot something.”

They went inside the lodge. Jupiter surveyed the scene. It was clear that the men he had seen last night had left the lodge in a hurry. Empty bottles lay around on the tables; remains of a meal had dried and hardened on unwashed plates still on the tables. But Jupiter could find nothing that gave even a hint of where the men had gone.

“I guess there’s nothing here,” he said, at last. “But I’m sure they must be somewhere on the estate!”

Mr. Harris shook his head. “It’s an awfully large estate, Jupiter. And most of it is mountainous. I’m afraid the rascals are gone. I’m sure that when you spotted them you blew their entire scheme and they ran.”

“I don’t think so, sir,” Jupiter insisted. “I think they’re still trying to find something. They chased Bob and me when we left your office.”

“Chased you? At my house?” Mr. Harris stared at Jupiter in astonishment. “But what could they want from you now?”

“Not from us, Mr. Harris. From you!” Jupiter declared.

“From me? What on earth could they want from me?”

“There must be something, sir. After they stole our amulet, they attacked

you during your lecture. Then when we left your office today they chased us again. They must have thought that you had given something to us.”

“Well, I’m… By Jove!” Mr. Harris cried. “The other statuette! I took it to my office for safe-keeping the very night the first one was stolen. I insisted Miss Sandow entrust it to me. I had completely forgotten about it. They must want both amulets.”

Jupiter nodded eagerly. “They probably need both of them to tell them where the hoard is.”

“Yes, that’s probably it,” Mr. Harris agreed. “What I don’t understand is how those men could have known I had the second amulet at my office.”

“They must have seen you take it there.”

“Impossible. It was in a box, and I carried it in my pocket. They couldn’t have spied on me in my office, either.”

“Could one of your assistants have told them?” Jupiter asked.

“No, they’re old friends and staunch vegetarians. Anyway, they knew nothing about the amulet.”

Jupiter chewed at his lower lip, a sure sign that he was concentrating. “Well, sir, Miss Sandow herself must have known you had it. So that’s one person.”

“I hardly think that Sarah Sandow is in cahoots with the thieves. Even if she wanted to look for the Hoard, she already had the amulets. And Sarah and Ted are the only — ”

Jupiter interrupted, “Ted?… He knew?”

Mr. Harris stood with his mouth open, then slowly closed it again. “This could be very serious, Jupiter. Poor Miss Sandow — if Ted is involved in some devious scheme — it could break her heart.”

“He was at the gate after Bob and Pete found the first amulet,” Jupiter pointed out, “and he was out in the dark last night. How well do you know him, Mr. Harris?”

“Not well at all, actually. We met in England just as he was coming here. I was on my way to Los Angeles. so when he told me his aunt was a vegetarian, I decided to come to see her and try to enlist her support.” Mr. Harris stopped again. He looked grim. “We’d better talk to young Ted — right away!”

Jupiter had to trot to keep up with Mr. Harris as they hurried from the lodge and back through the forest to the house. Uncle Titus and Konrad were still loading the truck. As Mr. Harris strode into the house to find Ted, Uncle Titus saw Jupiter.

“There you are! Did you come here to work or not, you young scallywag!” Uncle Titus roared.

Reluctantly, Jupiter began to help Konrad carry an ornate old wardrobe trunk to the truck. As he worked he glanced now and then at the door of the house. Time seemed to crawl, and Jupiter fumed with impatience as he worked. Then Mr. Harris reappeared.

“Ted drove off somewhere. I think I had better return to my office.”

“If Ted goes to your office, he’ll be seen,” Jupiter said with a grin. “Bob and Pete are there watching right now.” Mr. Harris seemed to freeze. “What?”

“I sent them to watch for the dark men,” Jupiter explained.

“Jupiter!” Mr. Harris cried, turning pale. “That second amulet is still there in my safe. If those boys attempt any foolish move they could be in great danger! I’ll drive in at once. Your uncle is almost finished here. As soon as you get to Rocky Beach go to the police.”

With that ominous instruction, Mr. Harris ran for his car and drove off at a breakneck pace down the private drive to the main road.

13

Caught!

After lunch, Bob and Pete met again at the salvage yard. They checked the telephone recorder but found no messages, so they left right away for the headquarters of the Vegetarian League.

They approached cautiously, alert for any signs of the dark men, but there was no sign of activity at the big Gothic house. Mr. Harris’s car was not in front or in the alley behind, and the front door was locked.

“He must be out at the estate,” Pete decided.

“Jupe’ll talk to him then,” Bob said, “but we’d better stay here. Maybe those men will come back.”

There was a narrow alley between two silent houses across the street from the Vegetarian League headquarters. Bob and Pete decided to squat down there beside their bikes and wait for developments. The barren hills where the dark men had chased Bob and Jupiter were baking in the bright sun, and for a long time nothing moved in the heat. A single turkey vulture sailed high above the hills. Pete eyed the great, soaring black bird uneasily.

“I hope that buzzard isn’t thinking of us,” he said.

“Vultures are very important to nature,” Bob protested. “They keep the wilderness clean and healthy. They’re really harmless and necessary.”

“They’re not necessary for me,” Pete declared. “I don’t like to think about what that one has on its hungry mind.”

For an hour not even a car passed on the hot street. Pete grew impatient and began to play with the small stones that lay in the alley. After a while he moved his legs, which were stiff from squatting so long, and groaned:

“This is one part of being an investigator I don’t much like — waiting and watching.”

“Jupe says it’s the most important part,” Bob declared. “Real investigators sometimes watch the same place for weeks.”

“Not me, thank you,” Pete said, and groaned again with impatience. “Why does First think those dark men’ll come back here?”

“I think Jupe figures that they want something Mr. Harris has. Some other clue to the Hoard.”

“Gosh, then they might show up any time.” Pete peered across the street with revived interest.