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Authors: Donald J. Sobol

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BOOK: Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down
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He passed the tiny ball among the children.
Then he continued: “My partner, Professor Wolfgang Schmidt of Germany, is building a model of the universe. We’ll show it all over America.”
“Making a model universe will cost a lot, won’t it?” said Desmond Durand.
“You’ve got to spend money to make money,” replied Wilford. “Professor Schmidt is trying to raise a million dollars. He’ll need to manufacture thousands of stars and planets and moons and what not. Every child will want to see this exhibit! Every man and woman!”
The model of the earth was passed from hand to hand. At last it reached Hugo. “Sure looks good,” he said.
“You can see with your own eyes that I’m not trying to trick you,” said Wilford. “You can buy a share—each and every one of you—in this greatest show in history.”
“How much is a share?” demanded Bugs, still doubtful but giving way to the call of easy money.
“Five dollars,” replied Wilford. “In two years your measly five dollars will have grown into millions!”
The thrill of those millions swept through the crowd of children. More people would come to see the model universe than watched football!
“We could put the exhibit in the Astro-dome!” said Carl Betts.
The suggestion started a storm of excitement. The children argued about where to put the model universe on exhibit. The Yankee Stadium! The Rose Bowl!
Lucy Fibbs had the biggest idea.
“Put it in the Grand Canyon!” she shrieked.
Nobody could top that—except Encyclopedia.
“Put it in the trash can,” he said.
Instantly there was silence. All heads turned toward the boy detective.
“Save your money,” he said. “You’ll never see it again if you give it to Wilford.”
 
WHY NOT?
 
 
 
 
(Turn to page 91 for the solution to The Case of the Model Universe.)
The Case of the Flower Can
Stella Boswell ran into the Brown Detective Agency.
“A big boy just tried to rob me!” she cried.
“Of what?” asked Encyclopedia.
“These!” She held up a rusty can filled with wild flowers.
Encyclopedia gazed at the flowers. It was hard to think of anything less worth stealing, except maybe a stomachache.
“I want you to catch the thief,” said Stella. “He’s dangerous.”
She put a coin on the gasoline can beside Encyclopedia. It didn’t clink like a quarter. It clunked.
“I’m sorry, but it’s the only money I have,” she said. “Is it worth twenty-five cents?”
Encyclopedia picked up the coin. He turned three shades of pink.
“This is an 1861 Confederate silver half-dollar!” he exclaimed. “It’s worth about five thousand dollars! Where did you get it?”
“Five thous—
ahhhh”
answered Stella. She stopped breathing, though her mouth was open wide enough to air out her toes. “Five—
ahhhh.”
Finally she swallowed hard and gasped out, “The big boy dropped it.” Then she told what had happened.
She was returning from picking wild flowers when a boy of about eighteen ran by. The paper bag in his hand knocked against her shoulder and broke open.
“Coins fell all over the sidewalk,” said Stella. “He picked them up- and grabbed for my flower can. But a car drove up the street, and he ran away.”
“That’s when you discovered the half dollar had fallen into the flower can?“ asked Encyclopedia.
“Coins fell all over the sidewalk,” said Stella.
“Yes, and I’m beginning to understand,” said Stella with a sigh. “He wanted the coin and not my beautiful flowers.”
“Would you know the boy if you saw him again?”
Stella shook her head. “Everything happened so quickly.”
Encyclopedia’s brain was going fast. The boy must have stolen the coins. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been scared off by a passing car.
He would be hanging around the neighborhood, waiting for another chance at Stella....
Encyclopedia pushed her into the house and locked the doors. “Can you bake?” he inquired.
“Only sugar cookies,” she replied. “They’ll simply melt in your mouth.”
“Great,” said Encyclopedia and hurried to telephone police headquarters.
He wasn’t surprised to learn that the theft of a rare coin collection had just been reported. He told his father about Stella and the Confederate half-dollar.
“I think I can trap the thief,” said the boy detective.
Chief Brown listened to his son’s plan. “It might work,” he said. “I’ll send Officer Hall and Policewoman Taylor to help you.”
After giving the police officers half an hour to get into place, the two children started for Stella’s house. Stella carried the flower can. Encyclopedia carried his own coin collection.
“I can feel someone watching us,” whispered Stella.
“It’s Officer Hall,” said Encyclopedia. “He’s across the street selling tickets to the policemen’s ball door to door. The thief won’t bother us while he’s on the block.”
When they entered Stella’s house, they found Policewoman Taylor dressed as a maid.
Encyclopedia swiftly set the stage for the arrival of the thief.
He spread his coins on the kitchen table. The flower can with the wild flowers and the Confederate half-dollar he put behind the electric mixer, where it could not be easily seen.
Stella meanwhile got out what she needed to bake sugar cookies—butter, an egg, a bottle of vanilla, a can of baking powder, matching cans of sugar and flour, a teaspoon, a measuring cup, and a rolling pin.
“Officer Hall turned down Worth Street,” said Policewoman Taylor from the window. “He just disappeared around the corner.”
“We can expect our thief any minute,” said Encyclopedia.
Five minutes later Policewoman Taylor answered the doorbell. She led a nervous boy of eighteen into the kitchen.
“Hi,” he said. “My name is Bret. I’m selling magazines to work my way through college.”
“I’m a great reader,” said Stella. “What magazines are you selling?”
Bret took out a large folder showing many magazines.
“I can’t look right now,” said Stella. “Ooops! ”
She had nearly knocked over the can of flour reaching for the butter.
“Would you hold the flour for me a second?” she asked.
“Sure,” said Bret. He took the flour and glanced at the table, where Encyclopedia was rattling his coins noisily.
“Are you interested in coins?” asked the boy detective.
“It’s sort of a hobby of mine,” replied Bret.
“I found a funny coin this morning,” said Stella.
“I’d like to see it,” said Bret.
“I hid it in the flower can,” said Stella, wiping her hands on her apron.
Bret walked around the kitchen till he spied the can of wild flowers sticking up behind the electric mixer. His eyes lit up as he seized it.
He was so busy digging out the Confederate half-dollar that he didn’t notice Encyclopedia signal Policewomen Taylor.
Before Bret knew what was happening, the policewoman had snapped handcuffs on him.
 
HOW DID BRET
GIVE HIMSELF AWAY?
 
 
 
 
(Turn to page 92 for the solution to
The Case of the Flower Can.
)
The Case of the Half-White Horse
“I know that look,” said Mrs. Brown across the dinner table. “You’ve solved an important case.”
Chief Brown set down his soup spoon and grinned.
“Do you remember the Fairchild jewelry robbery?” he asked. “It happened last week in Glenn City.”
“The stolen pieces of jewelry had little resale value,” said Mrs. Brown. “But they had been in Mr. Fairchild’s family for years. He was very upset by the robbery.”
“That’s right,” said Chief Brown. “Mr. Fairchild was afraid the thief would throw away the jewels when he discovered they were all nearly worthless. So Mr. Fairchild offered a five-thousand dollar reward for their return, with no questions asked.”
“Gosh, Dad,” said Encyclopedia. “The thief took an awful chance returning the jewelry, even for five thousand dollars,”
“The thief didn’t return them,” corrected Chief Brown. “Earle Coughlin spied the thief on the seaway riding path. Earle will get the reward.”
“Who is the thief?” asked Mrs. Brown.
“Sol Schwartz,” answered Chief Brown. “I had to arrest him.”
Encyclopedia was shocked. Sol ran the Idaville Riding Academy and gave horsebackriding lessons. He was a big, friendly man.
Encyclopedia shook his head. “I can’t believe Sol is a thief.”
“We found some of the stolen jewelry—a set of cuff links—in his bedroom,” said Chief Brown. “I’m sorry ... I feel the same way about Sol as you do.”
“Well, if you feel Sol is such a fine man, why did you arrest him?” asked Mrs. Brown.
“The cuff links are enough evidence,” replied Chief Brown. “And there is the witness, Earle Coughlin.”
“Just what did Earle Coughlin say he saw?” demanded Mrs. Brown.
Chief Brown unbuttoned his breast pocket. He took out a notebook. Then he read what Earle Coughlin had told him.
“Yesterday I was out in my boat fishing
. I had anchored a few hundred yards
offshore. 1 noticed a horse and rider moving along the seaway riding path.
”
Chief Brown looked up and said, “The seaway riding path is only about six feet wide. It runs by the sea midway up a cliff of about a hundred feet.” Then he read on.
“I was amazed to see the rider stop. I got out my field glasses. The horse was white and black, with a large bell-shaped black mark on the shoulder.
“The Horse was white and black, with a large bell-shaped black mark on the shoulder.”
“The rider dismounted with his back to me, and so I couldn’t be sure of his face then. But be had ‘Idaville Riding Academy’ sewn across the back of his shirt.
BOOK: Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down
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