Allie was looking nervously at the two thugs when the boys arrived, and Skinny was looking positively terrified as he stared wide-eyed from behind her. But when Skinny saw Jupe, Pete, and Bob his demeanor changed. He stepped from behind Allie and leered at the boys.

  “What are you three doing here? Don’t you know this is private property? Why, I ought to call the cops!”

  The flat-nosed thug growled and flicked open a switchblade knife. “Zip it kid. Or I’ll shut it permanently!”

  The man had broad shoulders and large, meaty hands. His face was rumpled like he had been in many fistfights over the years.

  He looked to Jupiter like the type of criminal who wouldn’t hesitate to use a knife!

  Now the second thug stepped forward. He was smaller in size but looked just as dangerous. A wicked looking scar ran across his neck from ear to ear. When he spoke he held a small microphone to his throat. A wire ran from the device to a portable speaker about the size of a deck of playing cards that was attached to his

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 61

  62 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler belt. When he talked his words came out in a robotic, monotone voice that chilled their blood.

  “Don’t… get… any… wise… ideas.”

  The flat-nosed thug nodded and grinned. His two front teeth were gold, and many of the others were missing.

  “That’s right,” he said in a gravelly voice. “I’d listen to Croaker if I were you. He’s been known to get rough with unco-operative… clients.” Flat-nose pointed his knife at Skinny. “You

  – come over here!”

  Skinny shook his head and took a step backward.

  “N-N-No way,” he yelped, his voice cracking slightly. “I’m calling the cops! You’re trespassing on private property.”

  Suddenly the man named Croaker grabbed Skinny by his shirt front. He moved as fast as lightening – Skinny never had a chance to make a break for it. The small man maneuvered behind him, putting his forearm around Skinny’s neck. With his other hand he held the microphone to his throat.

  “No… cops…” said the robotic voice. “Should… I… rough...

  him… up… Masher?”

  The flat-nosed thug named Masher shook his head.

  “Nah – Boss might get sore if we get too rough. Let’s just get what we came for and beat it outta here – before someone really does call the cops!”

  Croaker pushed Skinny toward the statue. The gangly, freck-le-faced boy tripped and went sprawling to the grass. Allie took the opportunity to dash over to the boys. Clearly frightened, she gripped Jupiter’s arm tightly.

  In an instant, a knife had appeared in Croaker’s hand. He stood over Skinny and glowered.

  “No… tricks… kid… or… else….”

  Skinny licked his lips and nodded, then looked wildly at Jupiter. Despite his dislike for E. Skinner Norris, the stocky First Investigator could only watch helplessly – he could see no way

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 63

  out of the situation.

  They had come so close to finding the treasure, only to have plucked from their grasp by Masher and Croaker!

  “All right, kid,” growled Masher, “there’s a secret opening somewhere on this statue. You’ve got thirty seconds to get up there and find it!”

  Trembling, Skinny picked himself up from the lawn and climbed onto the statue’s base. Pinching his bottom lip, Jupiter watched intently as Skinny examined the statue. The red-headed boy looked at the shining bronze minotaur front and back, but it wasn’t until he had shimmied up the statue of the monster that he gave a cry of success.

  “Here it is!” he yelped. “On top of its head – there’s a little hatch. It has a lock!”

  Croaker flicked his knife savagely.

  “All… right… kid… off… the… statue…”

  Skinny frowned at the crook. “Anything you find inside this thing belongs to my father! He bought this hunk of junk fair and square!”

  The flat-nosed Masher chuckled. “I wouldn’t argue with Croaker, kid. It’s not good for your health.”

  Skinny gulped. For an instant he looked like he might have something else to say, then thought better of it and climbed down off the statue.

  Once more moving with surprising speed and dexterity, Croaker leapt up onto the statue’s base and clambered on top so he was sitting on its shoulders. He produced a small leather case from his jacket pocket, unzipped it, and took out several small tools. Jupiter recognized it immediately as a kit criminals used to pick locks.

  The crook with the horrible scar worked on the lock for several minutes as Masher kept watch over the kids. The Three Investigators and Allie could only look on, their spirits sinking, as

  64 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler Croaker fiddled with the lock. Finally, the small thug held his microphone to his throat.

  “Got… it…”

  “Good work,” said Masher. “What’s inside?”

  Croaker took a small pen light from his jacket and shined it inside the minotaur’s head. Next he reached within the cavity and felt around with his hand. He moved his head very close to the opening and peered inside, then looked down at Masher and shook his head.

  “It’s… empty…” said the robotic voice.

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 65

  Chapter Twelve

  Find the Treasure... Or Else!

  THE THREE INVESTIGATORS and Allie looked from Masher to Croaker. They could tell by the expressions on the crooks’ faces that they were unsure of what to do next. They, too, had expected to find the Gypsy’s treasure inside the minotaur’s head!

  “All right, Croaker, come on down,” Masher said heavily. He paced about in front of the statue for a moment, rubbing his lumpy chin and scowling.

  Croaker spoke into his microphone. “What… do… we…

  do… now…?”

  Masher took off his hat and scratched his head. He seemed to be thinking quite hard. Finally, after several long minutes, he grunted and approached the four youths, grabbing Bob roughly by the arm.

  “Hold on to this one, Croaker,” the flat-nosed hood said in his gravelly voice. “If any of his friends try anything funny let him have it.”

  “Where… are… you… going?”

  Next Masher grabbed onto Skinny. His bloodshot eyes narrowed to slits and he grinned, exposing his gruesome gold teeth.

  “Me and the brat are going inside to use the telephone. Ain’t that right, kid?”

  Jupiter was relieved to see that Skinny was too scared to think of anything wise to say to the criminal. This was one of the few times that he was at a loss for words. The horse-faced boy just nodded his head weakly, his face blank with terror.

  Masher grabbed Skinny by the back of his shirt and began marching him in the direction of the Norris’s mansion. He stopped half way and called back to his partner.

  “Remember, if anyone tries to make a break for it, you let the

  66 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler air out of their pal!”

  Beneath the shadow of the minotaur, Croaker nodded and held Bob tightly, his switchblade gleaming cruelly in the sun.

  Not daring to move, Jupiter, Pete, and Allie watched as Skinny admitted himself and Masher through the back door of his home.

  They waited for what seemed like an eternity for the two of them to return. Finally the back door opened and Masher and Skinny walked back to the gleaming, green-blue statue.

  Looking slightly chagrined, Masher tucked his knife away in his jacket pocket. “All right Croaker, let the kid go,” he said to his partner.

  “What… did… the… Boss… say?” Croaker asked, shoving Bob back toward his friends.

  Masher sighed and scratched his head again. “He says to let them go.” His meaty hand pointed at Jupiter. “He says we must have missed a clue somewhere along the way, but not to worry, the fat one will figure it out. He says he’s an ace at figuring out puzzles.”

  Skinny sniggered at this reference to Jupiter’s weight.

  Somewhat ruffled, Jupe stepped forward and spoke in his most dignified manner.

  “I presume, sir, that your boss is the mysterious traveler known as Jujab. We are in possession of the monkey’s paw. Now that the clue from the paw has been deciphered, we’d like to return it to the Gypsies. Is this course of action acceptable to Jujab?”

  Masher looked at him quizzically, and then shrugged his massive shoulders.

  “I don’t know no Jujab, kid.” He turned to walk away, then added: “Do what you got to do with the paw, but find that treasure… or else!”

  Masher paused to let his words sink in, and then waved a hand at his crony. “Come on, Croaker, let’s beat it.”

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 67

  Croaker put his knife away and the two crooks disappeared into the deep shadow of trees near the wall of the Norris’s garden.

  When they were gone, Pete heaved a deep sigh of relief.

  “Yikes! I thought our goose was cooked for sure! I’ll be happy if I never have to see their ugly faces again!”

  “I’m in complete agreement,” Bob gulped. “But how could we have missed a clue, Jupe? The monkey’s paw was pretty clear if you ask me!”

  Jupiter didn’t answer – he was busy pinching his lip.

  “Still smarting from the wisecrack about your weight?” said Allie. “Don’t let it bother you; Masher doesn’t look like the type to be overly sensitive about a person’s feelings!”

  Up to this point Skinny had been unusually silent – still too scared to speak. But with the mention of Jupiter’s weight he seemed to snap out of it.

  “Okay you four, just stay right there! I’ve been waiting for years to catch you do-gooders in the act, and now I finally have you where I want you! Trespassing, attempted robbery, vandalism

  – Chief Reynolds will throw you in the clink for sure!”

  Pete’s face grew red. “Vandalism? Robbery? What in blue blazes are you talking about, Skinny? We just tried to help you out, or have you forgotten already?”

  “Yeah,” Allie leered, “and if I remember correctly, you were the one hiding behind me when those two hoodlums showed up –

  quivering like a little baby!”

  Now it was Skinny’s for a flushed face. He ignored Allie’s barb and turned his attention to the First Investigator. He gloated as he poked a bony finger into Jupiter’s chest.

  “I’m going to yell for my maid and have her call the cops. I’ve finally got the goods on you, Fatso McSherlock! Brother, I never thought this day would come! Well, you’re usually full of big words – what have you got to say for yourself now?”

  Jupiter, who still hadn’t said a word since Masher and Croaker

  68 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler had left, finally spoke up.

  “Actually, Skinny, I do have something to say.”

  He gestured to Bob, Pete, and Allie.

  “In fact, it’s something I just communicated to my associates last night. However, judging by our current situation, I think it bears repeating.”

  Bob looked just as puzzled as Skinny. “Gee, what did you say last night, First?”

  Jupiter’s round face turned up in a sly grin, and then he bolt-ed for the garden wall – calling over his shoulder.

  “Run!”

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 69

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cursed?

  BOB, PETE AND ALLIE followed Jupe’s lead and made a dash for the garden wall – leaving Skinny behind them bellowing and shaking his fists in fury.

  When they had scaled the wall – Pete helping Jupiter, who was hindered by his cast – they dropped back down to the other side and scrambled back to the Rolls Royce and Worthington, who was pacing worriedly by the car.

  A short time later, the gleaming Rolls coasted through the large iron gates. They hopped out of the elegant auto and began heading toward Jupiter’s workshop when a voice rang out that stopped them in their tracks.

  “Not so fast!”

  Jupiter gulped and turned slowly.

  “Just where do you think you’re going?” asked his Uncle Titus. “Your aunt has a list of chores as long as my arm, but every time she turns around you’ve vanished. And who has to hear about it? I do – that’s who!”

  Jupe’s Uncle Titus was a small man with an enormous black mustache. While he was more prone to letting the boys out of work than his wife, he could be strict when Mathilda Jones really nagged him.

  Jupiter, who was always good at thinking on his feet, thought of the first thing that might get them out of work and back on the trail of the mysterious traveler.

  “But Uncle Titus, we’re in the midst of an investigation –

  we’re helping the Gypsies.”

  “That’s right,” Allie added helpfully, “we only have until the Art Festival is over to solve the mystery!”

  “We’re on the verge of cracking the case,” Bob chimed in.

  70 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler

  “We just need a little more time.”

  “And then we’ll do any job you’d like,” finished Pete.

  Titus Jones eyed his nephew shrewdly, tugged at his mustache, and then grinned at the boys and Allie.

  “The Gypsies, eh? Well why didn’t you say so? Good people, the Gypsies. I’ve always liked them. They remind me of my days in the carnival – I used to play the calliope, you know. Perhaps you’d like a little concert?”

  “We really must get going,” said Jupiter quickly. “We don’t have much time left.”

  “I see. I see…” Titus Jones smiled. “Well then, let us just pretend we never saw each other and no one will be the wiser.

  Okay?”

  Jupiter grinned at his uncle. “Thanks, Uncle Titus!”

  They immediately moved quickly to get out of sight.

  When they reached the outdoor workshop and parked their bikes against the printing press, Pete spoke dejectedly.

  “On the verge of cracking the case?” he said, looking doubtfully at Bob and Jupiter. “Let’s face it – Jujab’s curse is the real thing. The statue was empty – this may be the first case The Three Investigators have ever failed!”

  Jupiter shook his head stubbornly and scratched at his cast. “I admit there have been some setbacks.”

  “Setbacks?” Pete crowed. “Nothing has gone right so far!

  First you break your arm. Then we find the wrong statue at the park – which turned up at Skinny Norris’ house I might add – and then that statue ends up being empty. Someone has already got the loot if you ask me, and I’m not too keen on waiting around for another bad thing to happen. Who knows what could be next!”

  Allie looked at Jupiter. “I haven’t given up, but it sure seems like we’ve hit a dead end. Maybe Pete’s right. Not about the curse, but about the case. I don’t see where we can go from here!”

  Jupiter began pacing, absent-mindedly scratching at his cast.

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 71

  He glanced at Bob. “And what about you, Records? What are your thoughts on our present situation?”

  Bob frowned and took off his glasses, polishing them on his shirtsleeve.

  “Well, I’ve been thinking,” the studious boy said. “Something Masher said struck me as odd. When you mentioned the name

  ‘Jujab’ to him, he didn’t seem to know who you were talking about. Gregorio said he saw Masher, Croaker, and Jujab together when they broke into his tent; and we’ve assumed all along that he’s their boss. So how come Masher said he didn’t know anyone named Jujab?”

  Jupiter’s eyes lit up and he rocked back on his heels, a satisfied look on his face.

  “An excellent observation, Records. Masher’s comment about not knowing Jujab did not go unnoticed by me either.”

  Bob was practically glowing from Jupiter’s praise. It wasn’t very often that their leader acknowledged their deductive skills while on a case!

  “But how does that help us?” asked Allie, a touch of exasperation creeping into her voice. “It’s just another mystery to solve!”

  “It doesn’t help us,” Jupiter said patiently. “But with a simple process of ratiocination, I’ve developed a course of action that may deliver results!”

  “Rat – Ratio what?” Pete blinked. “Brother, you’ve used some whoppers in the past, but that word is the hands down, blue-rib-bon, gold prize winner!”

  “Ratiocination,” explained the First Investigator. “It’s an exact thinking process – a form of deductive reasoning in which a log-ical series of events can be inferred based upon the available facts.”

  “And what’s your deduction based on the facts?” challenged Allie. “Did you see something in Skinny’s garden that we didn’t?”

  72 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler Jupiter gave them a superior smile. He was always pleased when he felt he had come up with a particularly ingenious idea.

  “I’m quite sure we all saw the same thing,” he said, “but I’m not sure we all interpreted it the same way. I’m speaking, of course, about the minotaur statue.”

  “What about it?” Bob asked. “We all saw Croaker open up the head. It was empty just like he said!”

  “But I’m talking about the statue itself,” Jupiter lectured. “We know for a fact that it is quite old – at least fifteen years – perhaps more. Gregorio told us that his son made it out of copper right here in Rocky Beach. Naturally, a statue made of copper that has stood outside in the elements for over a decade would be subject to oxidation.”

  “What’s oxidation?” asked Pete.

  “I know that one,” said Allie. “My dad’s hired hand uses copper on the fences back at our farm. He told me oxidation is when a metal reacts to oxygen. Copper corrodes over time, turning it from its normal color to a kind of greenish-blue.”

  “Correct,” said Jupiter. “The statue we saw today was green-blue, just as it should have been. However, it should also have had a dull finish, and perhaps have other blemishes from birds and the like.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10