Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace (4 page)

“He wasn’t going to have his picture taken,” explained Encyclopedia. “This photograph was taken three years ago. See, there’s the date. The beard was fake. He wore it so nobody would know him.”

When Chief Brown arrived at the post office, Encyclopedia repeated what he had learned.

“Matson must not have seen Bryan,” said Chief Brown. “Otherwise, he would not have risked taking off his beard. It probably itched. So he took it off as soon as he could.”

“Do you think he’ll come back to the motel?” asked Encyclopedia.

“Little chance of that,” replied Chief Brown. “But perhaps he left a clue in his room that will tell us where he is going.”

Chief Brown returned to the patrol car. Encyclopedia did not see him again till dinner.

Chief Brown finished his barley soup before bringing up the case.

“William Matson spent a week at the Beach Motel under the name Bill Martin. He paid his bill and drove to the airport.

“How did you find that out, Dad?”

“Bryan’s father writes down the license plate numbers of everyone who stops at his motel,” said Chief Brown. “Matson’s license began with an E, the letter given to all rented cars in the state. We traced the car to the airport branch of Easy Car Rental Service.”

“Did Matson get on a plane?” asked Encyclopedia.

“Very likely,” said Chief Brown. “But he uses so many different names that he can’t be traced as a passenger.”

Chief Brown took a slip of paper from his pocket before continuing.

“Bryan’s father overheard Matson talking on the pay telephone,” said Chief Brown. “He didn’t hear much except the words, ‘ticket to Moscow.’ Matson wrote several places on a pad in his room. He forgot that his pencil dug into the sheet beneath. I had the writing brought out.”

Chief Brown passed the paper to Encyclopedia. On it was written: Moscow, Odessa, London, Paris, Palestine, Athens.

“Matson has been mixed up in jewelry thefts,” said Chief Brown. “He must have hidden in Idaville till he thought it was safe to move his loot. That list must be of places where he hopes to sell the stolen jewels.”

Mrs. Brown picked up the piece of paper. She studied it for a long moment.

“It’s a strange list,” she said. “Two cities in Russia—Moscow and Odessa. Then look here. London is in England, Paris is in France, and Athens is in Greece. But he didn’t list any city in Palestine.”

“That struck me as odd, too,” said Chief Brown. “I want Leroy to examine the list before I call Washington. I don’t want the F.B.I. to check planes landing overseas for nothing.”

Encyclopedia had closed his eyes. He was doing his deepest thinking.

“Matson didn’t fly across the ocean,” he said. “You’ll find him in—”

 

WHERE?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Encyclopedia and Sally were in downtown Idaville when they saw a very short sailor sneaking in and out of doorways.

As he drew closer, the detectives recognized Cicero Sturgess, Idaville’s greatest child actor.

“Why should Cicero dress as a sailor?” said Sally. “He hates boats with all his heart and stomach.”

Encyclopedia could only agree. After getting seasick on a submarine sandwich last year, Cicero had thrown a curse upon the ships of the world.

“He probably is in a new play,” said Sally as an afterthought. “The sailor suit must be his costume.”

“He’s acting strangely,” said Encyclopedia. “Something has scared the tar out of him.”

Cicero spied the partners. He ducked into a doorway and beckoned to them desperately. The moment they came within reach, he threw himself upon Encyclopedia.

“A cazy crook just tried to kill me!” he wailed.

“What kind of crook?” asked Encyclopedia.

“I mean, a
crazy cook,”
said Cicero.

“A cook tried to poison you?” exclaimed Sally.

“He tried to cut my head off—
swsssht!”
said Cicero, slicing the air like one of the three musketeers. “He chased me with a knife big enough to chop down Grant’s Tomb.”

Cicero threw up his arms and moaned, “I never should have cursed the ships of the world.” Then, remembering he was not on stage, he related what had happened to him.

When the destroyer
John Adams
had docked at Idaville last night, he had decided to study how real seamen behaved.

“I’m going to be in a play about the Navy,” he said. “So I took all my money, ten dollars, and followed the sailors around. Mostly they went into restaurants. I stuffed in hamburgers and listened to them talk all morning. When I got to The Beefy Burger Palace, I was nearly broke.”

“You ate ten dollars worth of hamburgers in one morning?” cried Sally.

“Heavens, no!” said Cicero. “It cost me three dollars to rent this uniform and four dollars more to have it shortened.”

“The Beefy Burger Palace,” said Encyclopedia. “Is that where you ran into the cutthroat cook?”

“Yes, not five minutes ago,” said Cicero. “After I paid my check, I had only two cents left. It wasn’t enough for a tip. I was so ashamed! I crawled out.”

“Crawled?” said Sally. “On your hands and knees?”

“It was the fastest way,” said Cicero. “As I turned to leave, I bumped into a big sailor stand-ing right behind me. I fell down and crawled out the door.“

“That’s when the cook came at you?” asked Encyclopedia.

“Not quite,” answered Cicero. “I’d walked a block when I heard sounds like a truck back-firing. The next thing I knew, the cook was running after me. He was waving his knife and screaming, ‘I fix you good!’ I didn’t argue. I took off.”

“What did the sailor look like?” asked Encyclopedia. “The one you bumped into?”

“I didn’t see his face,” said Cicero. “Anyway, what has
he
got to do with it?”

“I don’t know—yet,” said Encyclopedia. “Wait here.”

Leaving Cicero in the doorway, Encyclopedia and Sally went to The Beefy Burger Palace on Fourth Street, Inside the little restaurant Officer Webb was talking with a big sailor and a cook.

“We didn’t get here a second too soon,” said Encyclopedia.

“I’ve never been in here before in my life,” the sailor was telling Officer Webb. “I didn’t try to pull a stickup. There must be three hundred sailors in town today. He’s made a mistake.”

“No mistake!” shouted the cook. “You had a partner—a little guy. I should have known. They don’t let shrimps like him into the United States Navy!”

“My gosh,” whispered Sally. “I think he’s talking about Cicero!”

“The little guy—he looked like a kid—sat right here at the counter,” said the cook. “When the place was empty, he got up and paid. He acted funny.”

“Funny?” questioned Officer Webb.

“Sort of nervous,” said the cook. “He turned to go and bumped into his partner here and fell down. While I was watching the little guy crawl out the door, this big one pulled a gun. See how they worked it? Slick!”

“Then what did you do?” said Officer Webb.

“This big fellow told me to hand over all my money. Instead, I dived behind the counter. He fired a few shots, got scared, and beat it.”

“You kept him in sight while you gave chase?”

“Well, not quite,” said the cook. “When I got outside, I saw the little shrimp first. He took off faster than a rabbit. I figured the two of them had split up. So I doubled back to look for the big fellow. I saw him on Third Street. That’s when I hollered to you, officer.”

“I tell you he’s made a mistake,” protested the big sailor. “Look, officer. When you brought me back here, did I fight? No! Did I have a gun! No! So how many times do I have to say it? You’ve got the wrong man! ”

“He must have thrown the gun away,” growled the cook.

“I believe the big sailor,” Sally whispered to Encyclopedia. “The cook made a mistake.”

“What makes you so certain?”

“He’s not very smart if he thinks Cicero had a hand in a stickup!”

“The cook didn’t make a mistake. Cicero brought suspicion upon himself,” replied Encyclopedia. “The big sailor is guilty!”

 

HOW DID ENCYCLOPEDIA KNOW?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because of Idaville’s wonderful police record, Chief Brown was often asked to solve cases in other towns.

One evening he received a call to help the police of Ocean City. He took Encyclopedia with him.

“What is the case all about?” asked Encyclopedia, getting into the car beside his father.

“A ring is missing,” answered Chief Brown. “Two masked men broke into the home of Mr. James Bevan last night. But no one, including Mr. Bevan, is sure the ring was stolen.

“How come?” said Encyclopedia.

“I didn’t get all the facts over the telephone,” replied Chief Brown. “But the mystery has to do with Mr. Bevan himself. He lost his memory. He left a note, but he doesn’t remember writing it. »

Encyclopedia had never come up against anything like that. The half hour’s drive seemed to take all night.

At last his father slowed the car and parked before a large house.

Chief Moore of the Ocean City police department appeared at the door.

“I’m glad you could come,” he said. “This case has me going around in circles.”

After shaking hands, he led Encyclopedia and his father into the study.

“The house belongs to Mr. James Bevan,” he said. “The theft of the ring—if there was a theft —took place last night.”

“What does the ring look like?” asked Chief Brown.

“It’s a diamond ring,” said Chief Moore. “It belonged to King Louis XIV of France. It’s worth a fortune!”

Chief Moore pointed to a tiny glass box which lay on the desk beside a typewriter.

“Mr. Bevan kept the ring in the glass box to admire it,” he said. “It was too small to fit his finger.”

Then, for the next few minutes he told Chief Brown and Encyclopedia what he knew about the case. The facts were:

On the night of the theft, Mrs. Bevan had gone to a movie. Mr. Bevan had stayed home, for he needed a cane to get around and seldom went out.

About midnight the doorbell rang. Mr. Bevan, who was alone in the house, opened. the door. Two masked men pushed their way inside. They demanded to know where the diamond ring was kept.