The Yellow Cat Mystery (22 page)

Authors: Ellery Queen Jr.

“How are you, Bobby?” Aunt Candy asked, and disappeared into the pantry. She came back in a couple of minutes with a huge chocolate cake under glass and a pitcher of cool milk.

While she was cutting them each a piece of cake and pouring them a glass of milk Djuna said, “Professor Kloop was here when we came but he couldn’t wait.” He watched Aunt Candy carefully as he said it and didn’t miss the rather peculiar expression that flitted across her face as she turned quickly toward him.

“Th’ one who’s startin’ a museum down tu Cap’n Jonas’s old home?” she asked. “What’d
he
want?”

“He wants to borrow your harpoons and whale lances for his museum, I think,” Djuna said.

“Well, I dunno as I’d have no objection,” said Aunt Candy. “He seems like a pretty nice young feller.”

“Oh, you know him, do you, Aunt Candy?” asked Djuna. “I thought —”

Aunt Candy’s glance flitted over Djuna’s face for an instant and for a moment she seemed confused before she said, slowly, “Why, yes, I met up with him down tu Doc Perry’s drugstore. But prob’ly he wouldn’t remember it.”

Somehow Djuna had the feeling that Aunt Candy was not telling the whole truth. He munched on his cake silently as he remembered that Kloop had told him that he had never had the pleasure of meeting Aunt Candy. And yet, Kloop had come out of Aunt Candy’s house and seemed perfectly at home when he did it, although he had seemed a little stealthy. And Djuna had the impression that after he had turned his head, so that Kloop wouldn’t know he had seen him come out of the house, then out of the corner of his eye he had seen Kloop lock the door and stick the key in his pocket!

He was still deep in reverie when Aunt Candy said, “Sumpin’ you young fellers got on your minds?”

“Oh, yes, Aunt Candy,” Djuna said. “I brought Bobby over to show him Captain Jonas’s harpoons and lances, and that logbook you showed me yesterday, if you don’t mind.”

“Course I don’ mind,” said Aunt Candy. “Finish up y’r cake an’ come along.”

“Oh, thanks, Aunt Candy!” said Bobby. He shoved the large piece of cake that remained into his mouth, washed it down with his last swallow of milk, and jumped to his feet.

“‘And God created great whales!’” he said.

Both Aunt Candy and Djuna stared at him in astonishment.

“I remember,” Aunt Candy said wrinkling her forehead. “That’s from th’ Bible.”

“Sure,” Bobby said, not noticing their astonishment. “From Genesis, first book of the Old Testament.”

“You’re pretty much o’ a Bible reader, ain’t ye, Bobby?” Aunt Candy asked, admiringly.

“Jeepers, yes,” Bobby said. “My father started reading it to me when I was just a kid and after a while I got so I liked it and started reading it myself.”

“W’al, I swan!” Aunt Candy said, and she heaved her large bulk out of the kitchen chair and headed for the living room where the harpoons and lances were kept. “C’mon,” she added and mumbled, “I guess wonders’ll never cease!”

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Andy Ross

978-1-5040-0398-8

This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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