Bob thought he understood where Jupiter was going with his reasoning. “I get it! The minotaur statue was perfectly clean and shiny – it was practically gleaming!”

  Jupiter was already heading for Tunnel Two. He kept talking as he crawled through the corrugated pipe.

  “A clean statue suggests to me that a professional metallurgist has worked on the minotaur very recently. If we can find out who that person was, perhaps we can ask him if he found anything inside the statue’s head!”

  “But how are we going to find this person?” Pete said skeptically. “It’s not like a metallurgist is listed in the yellow pages!”

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 73

  They had emerged through the trap door at the end of Tunnel Two and into Headquarters. Jupiter turned on the light over the desk and picked up the telephone.

  “Leave that to me,” he said confidently, leafing through the Rocky Beach phone directory. When he found the number he was looking for, he snapped the book closed, dialed the number, and leaned back in his swivel chair.

  “Hello, Chamber of Commerce? Yes, my name is E. Skinner Norris. My father has asked me to look into having a large copper statue in our garden restored. Is there anyone in the vicinity that could do the job?”

  There was a short pause while the person on the other end replied, then Jupe jotted down an address on a piece of paper. He thanked the person and hung up, a victorious grin on his face.

  “Short of going to Los Angeles or Hollywood, there is only one person in the area who restores statues – and he lives right here in Rocky Beach!”

  Bob looked at the address and scowled.

  “Yarborough Drive – that’s over by Fulmer Park, where we were chased the other night by Masher and Croaker. That’s too far away for me to go. I promised Miss Bennett I would put in a cou-ple hours at the library. I guess I’ll have to catch up with you later.”

  “And I was supposed to mow my Grandpa Peck’s lawn ages ago. My mother will have my head if I put it off another day!”

  Pete said morosely, looking at Jupiter and Allie. “I really wanted to be there when we found the treasure. It looks like it’s up to you two.”

  “We shall report our findings immediately,” said Jupiter.

  “That is, if there’s anything to find. We must start thinking of a fresh approach should this turn out to be another dead end.”

  Jupiter turned to Allie. “Shall we pay a visit to the metallurgist, or do you have somewhere to go as well?”

  74 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler

  “I’m ready when you are,” said Allie. “But I have to do one thing before we go.”

  “What’s that?” asked Pete.

  Allie let herself out through Easy Three, a disgusted look on her face.

  “Get out of this dress and into some nice, plain blue jeans!”

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  Chapter Fourteen

  The Final Clue

  WHEN ALLIE HAD changed out of her dress and into a pair of faded blue jeans and a worn denim shirt, she took a moment to feed and rub down Indian Queen, then proclaimed herself ready for the return trip to Fulmer Park. As she strained over the pedals of her ancient bicycle, she kept up a constant stream of chatter.

  “What are we looking for anyway? How will we know when we’ve found the treasure?”

  “I have yet to speak to Gregorio concerning the treasure,”

  Jupiter admitted. “An oversight on my part. However, according to Bob’s notes, he seemed to indicate that it was a book of some kind.”

  “A book?” Allie cried. “We’re going to all this trouble for a lousy book?”

  “We are going to all this trouble to help the Gypsies,” Jupiter reminded her. “Besides, it doesn’t matter what the treasure is, just as long as we find it before Jujab does.”

  Allie suddenly looked behind her nervously.

  “Do you think Masher and Croaker are following us?”

  “Most likely,” said Jupiter evenly. “But I don’t expect any trouble from them. They won’t bother us as long as we’re looking for the treasure. It’s when we find it that we may require assistance.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Allie muttered. “By the way, what are you going to say to this fellow once we get there?

  Assuming, of course, that he found anything inside the statue in the first place.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it,” Jupiter shrugged.

  Allie rambled on for the remainder of the trip, but she was talking to herself for the most part. Lost in thought, Jupiter only

  76 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler replied in grunts and shrugs. They finally arrived in the run-down neighborhood of Fulmer Park. Jupiter pulled the slip of paper from his shirt pocket and examined the address.

  “1022 Yarborough Drive. I believe that is in this direction.”

  The stocky boy began pedaling up a side street and after several blocks, turned left. They were now in a small business district of seedy shops and tired looking storefronts. “Here we are.

  Yarborough Drive. It should be on the next block.”

  Allie was still peering behind them on occasion. “I have a funny feeling – like we’re being watched. Maybe we should have had Hans and Konrad come along, huh?”

  “That can’t be helped now,” Jupiter said grimly. “This is it.

  Thorwald Metallics: Restoration and Repair.”

  The old building looked like it had once been a barbershop. A battered barber’s pole still hung by the faded awning. Thorwald’s was sandwiched between a pawn shop and a thrift store – the entire establishment seemed to be sagging slightly, as if a strong wind might bring the whole thing crashing down. Jupiter assumed his most dignified manner and, before Allie could protest, marched through the grimy front door.

  The inside of the shop wasn’t much better than the outside. A strong smell of metal, grease, and powerful cleaning agents hit their noses. Enormous statues and strange works of art were piled to the ceiling. A single pathway snaked through various mounds of clutter to a front counter littered with hundreds of paperback books.

  “Look at all these books!” Allie hissed, picking up a battered romance novel. “Yuck! Who actually reads this garbage – besides my Aunt Pat, that is? Look, they’re all the same,” she grinned, reading off the titles from a pile near the cash register. “Passion Wind; Autumn’s Child; Cape Destiny … they’re not exactly Shakespeare!”

  Jupiter ignored her – he was busy scanning the front counter

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  for a bell. He finally found one beneath a copy of Audrey’s Yearning and gave it a sharp ring. Something stirred in a back room. Jupiter and Allie watched in amazement as a huge man in a muscle-shirt parted the beads in the doorway and stepped behind the counter.

  Allie tried not to stare. The man towered over them, his face and shirt were grimy with grease and various stains. His long curly hair and beard were singed in places, most likely from working with a blowtorch, Jupiter surmised. Large tattoos of fiery skulls and snakes wound down his massive arms.

  “Can I help you?” he said in a surprisingly gentle voice.

  “Uh … we, er …” Jupiter had lost his train of thought for a moment. He quickly regrouped and held himself up straight once more.

  “We hope you can be of assistance, sir. My uncle owns and operates the Jones Salvage Yard here in town. A lot of statues come and go through there. One in particular came through not long ago that he sold to the Norris Estate. I believe your services were recently engaged by them. A cleaning job of a minotaur statue in their garden.”

  The huge man nodded his head and looked at Jupiter and Allie suspiciously. “Sure, I remember that one. Pretty dirty statue, but the pay was good. What’s it to you?”

  Jupiter smiled politely. “I am a good friend of their son, Skinner. While out in the garden, my friend happened to notice a small latch on the statue’s head. He asked me to come down and inquire if anything was inside the statue.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “You accusing me of stealing?”

  “Of course not, sir,” Jupiter said quickly. “A man of your character, who obviously runs a reputable business establishment, needs not resort to petty theft. It is only a trivial matter. More a curiosity than anything.”

  Thorwald rubbed his shaggy beard and stared off in the dis-

  78 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler

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  tance, as if trying to recall something.

  “Yeah, there was something in it all right …”

  Allie’s eyes lit up. She stepped on Jupiter’s toe and had to restrain herself from looking too excited.

  “It was a piece of paper,” Thorwald continued. “Just a little scrap. Had a message to someone that didn’t make any sense. I thought it had fallen in somehow – maybe when it was built or cleaned last.”

  “Do you still have this scrap of paper?” Jupiter said urgently.

  “My friend would really like to know what it said. It may be from a deceased family member.”

  Once more, the big man rubbed his beard. He rocked back on his heels and scratched his head.

  “Hmmm … Now what did I do with that? Oh yeah, I remember now. I took a lunch break while I was cleaning the statue. As it was so nice that day I ate right there in the garden. I remember I had a book in my pocket; I was reading as I ate my sandwich.

  When I was finished, I stuck the scrap of paper between the pages for a bookmark.”

  “Do you still have the book?” Allie said, her voice quivering with excitement. “Do you remember which one it was you were reading?”

  Thorwald looked doubtfully at the pile of books on the countertop, and then turned and glanced at the huge pile of paperbacks behind the cash register.

  “I don’t rightly know offhand,” he shrugged. “They’re all the same, you know …” he said slyly, winking at Allie.

  “Oh, you heard that,” Allie gulped, turning three shades of red. “I didn’t mean …”

  “Don’t sweat it, kid. You’re right – they’re not exactly Shakespeare.”

  He crossed his arms and thought quietly for a moment, and then shook his shaggy head.

  80 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler

  “It could honestly be any one of these books,” he said sheep-ishly. “I just don’t remember.”

  “Would you mind if we looked?” Jupiter asked. “It really is important!”

  “Sure,” Thorwald shrugged. “Help yourself. I’ll even give you a hand – business is kind of slow.”

  The three searchers began leafing through paperback after paperback. Jupiter cleared a spot on the floor and they stacked the discarded books in a neat pile. Thirty minutes passed. The pile on the floor continued to grow. They had hardly made a dent in Thorwald’s collection when Allie finally let out a triumphant cry.

  “I think I found it!”

  Jupiter rushed over, followed closely by Thorwald. They all read the scrap of paper together. It read:

  Father,

  I’ve carried on – on to what could be the end. The Minotaur quite obviously stands for secrets. Look very deep inside your heart and perhaps you’ll find forgiveness. Is it too late?

  I hope not. Your loving son,

  Julius

  “Jumping catfish!” Allie cried. “What in the world does that mean? We finally find a real clue and its all gibberish – it makes no sense!”

  “On the contrary,” said Jupe. “It makes perfect sense!”

  www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com 81

  Chapter Fifteen

  A Slight Diversion

  “IF YOU CAN MAKE SENSE out of that, you’re a better detective than I thought!” Allie exclaimed.

  Thorwald shook his shaggy head and returned to his place behind the front counter.

  “If you know who the father is,” he said helpfully, “then he might know what it means. It sure seems like some kind of riddle to me!”

  Jupiter tucked the note into his pocket and patted it.

  “Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Thorwald. I know my friend Skinner will be quite pleased with this. I only wish there were some kind of reward we could offer for your assistance.”

  Thorwald’s eyes lit up. He grinned and tugged at his shaggy beard.

  “If you want to repay me, I’ve got an idea.”

  Jupiter frowned slightly but humored the huge man by offer-ing his full attention.

  “You said your uncle runs the salvage yard here in town?”

  Jupiter nodded quietly.

  “Well, how about taking some of these books off my hands?

  I’ll give you the lot if you’ll lug ‘em out of here!”

  Allie nudged Jupiter in the back.

  “Sounds like a fair trade – don’t you think?”

  Jupiter cleared his throat and stared hopelessly at the moun-tain of books in Thorwald’s cluttered workspace.

  “I suppose I could take a box now and have Hans come back for the rest. I know my Aunt Mathilda would be interested in some of these titles.”

  “It’s a deal!” Thorwald exclaimed, rapping his hand down on the countertop. He began tossing romance novels into a small box

  82 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler and handed it to Jupe.

  “I’m here all day, every day. Just send your man around to pick up the rest – I’ll have them all boxed up for you!”

  Jupiter gave him a placating smile, then marched out the front door and mounted his bicycle. Allie strapped the box of books to the rack on Jupiter’s bike, and then looked at the First Investigator expectantly.

  “Well?” she cried, as they began the long trip home. “Aren’t you going to tell me what the message means?”

  “In time,” Jupiter said stubbornly. “I’m sure Bob and Pete would want to be included. Besides, we’ll need their help if tonight’s operation is to be successful!”

  “Tonight’s operation?” Allie crowed. “What operation are you talking about?”

  “In time,” was all Jupe would say. He remained quiet for the rest of the trip back to the yard, much to Allie’s chagrin.

  When they reached the gates of the Jones Salvage Yard, Allie sulked off to her Aunt Pat’s, still steamed at Jupiter’s silence.

  Meanwhile, Jupe set the small box of books by the office door, and then headed for Headquarters. He placed a few telephone calls, and then went about making secret preparations while waiting for Bob, Pete, and Allie to arrive.

  The sun was just starting to set and the evening fog, so common in the coastal towns, had begun to form when all four had gathered in Jupiter’s workshop.

  Lightning flickered within the clouds off on the horizon when Bob and Pete arrived through Green Gate One just as Jupe had instructed over the telephone. Allie let herself in through Red Gate Rover in the back of the yard, being extra careful not to be seen by anyone. Meanwhile, Jupiter sat by the printing press, a wide-brimmed hat that his Aunt Mathilda wore when gardening was jammed atop his head.

  “What’s with the hat?” Pete laughed.

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  “A new fashion statement, Jones?” Allie snorted. “I think you’ve been spending too much time in the sun!”

  “Actually, I think it’s just your size,” Jupiter grinned at Allie as he pulled aside the grate to Tunnel Two.

  When they had settled themselves around the fire-scarred desk inside the buried trailer, Jupiter called the meeting to order by placing the scrap of paper in front of his chums. They all took turns reading it.

  “Gosh!” Bob exclaimed. “That’s a puzzle wrapped up inside an enigma inside a conundrum!”

  Pete frowned as he read the note. “Why couldn’t Julius just say what he wanted to say? Why does everything have to be in riddles?”

  “It may be a riddle,” Allie grinned, “but Jupe thinks he knows what it means!”

  The First Investigator rummaged through the desk and brought out a piece of paper and a pencil.

  “I have a theory,” he began, pushing the hat back on his head,

  “that I think might lead us to the Gypsies’ hidden treasure. Bob –

  would you read the message aloud, please.”

  Bob took the scrap of paper, pushed up his glasses, and recited Julius Romero’s final words.

  Father,

  I’ve carried on – on to what could be the end. The Minotaur quite obviously stands for secrets. Look very deep inside your heart and perhaps you’ll find forgiveness. Is it too late?

  I hope not. Your loving son,

  Julius

  “That’s about as clear as mud,” the studious boy added.

  84 The Curse of the Mysterious Traveler

  “It’s really quite simple,” Jupiter said importantly. “As trained investigators, you and Pete should see right through such a simple code.”

  “Code?” Allie blinked, reading the message once more. “If there’s a code in there, it would take a brain like Einstein’s to figure it out!”

  “Not at all,” Jupiter said, pulling the note close to him. “The message is a code telling the exact location of the Gypsies treasure; and the monkey’s paw is the key that unlocks the code. One is useless without the other!”

  “The paw?” Pete cried.

  “Paw! Paw!” Blackbeard screeched.

  “Zip it!” Pete warned the bird. “I had forgotten all about that old thing. How does the paw tie in with the mystery?”

  “Remember,” Jupiter lectured, “the message on the paw said: DAEDULUS 3 RD. We assumed ‘3 RD’ meant some kind of road. But it actually functions as a shortcut way of saying: t – h –

  i – r – d.”

  “Third,” Bob murmured. “Daedalus Third.”

  “If my theory is correct, Julius was telling his father to locate the note in the statue,” Jupiter concluded, “and to take every third word of that note to make a new message!”

  He began to scribble words down on his sheet of paper, muttering to himself as he worked. When he had crossed out the proper words, he was left with:

 

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