Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFOs (4 page)

Idaville looked very festive as Encyclopedia walked through the center of town. It was the Fourth of July weekend, and American flags lined the edge of the town park, fluttering in the breeze. Above the storefronts, red, white, and blue bunting was hanging from every window.

The town celebration was always a lively one.

“Oh, Encyclopedia!” said a voice from the other side of the street. “Thank goodness you're here.”

Ginger Bailey, a seventh grader, was the one calling out. She worked hard as a volunteer. Nobody helped out more than Ginger.

She glanced both ways and then crossed the street to Encyclopedia.

“What's the matter?” he asked. “You look upset.”

“That's because I am upset,” said Ginger. “Somebody just stole the groceries I bought for the barbecue on my block. I need to hire you to get them back.”

“Where did this happen?” Encyclopedia asked.

“In the grocery store. I had just paid for everything, and was heading out, when I remembered I had forgotten the mustard. So I put my bag down on the counter near the exit. Then I went back for the mustard. I wasn't gone more than a minute. When I got back, my groceries were gone.”

“What had you bought?” Encyclopedia asked.

Ginger looked at a list she was carrying. “Hamburgers and hot dogs, rolls and buns to go with them, bags of potato chips, and cans of soda.”

“Nothing special there,” said Encyclopedia. “Were there any witnesses?”

“I asked the clerk, but she had been busy helping another customer. The store manager was in his office the whole time.”

“What about other customers?” asked Encyclopedia.

“The only person I saw in the store was Rusty Malone.”

“Rusty Malone?” Encyclopedia frowned. Rusty was a member of the Tigers. They were all so crooked they couldn't walk in a straight line.

“After you noticed the bag was missing, did you ask Rusty if he had seen anyone take it?”

“No, I couldn't,” Ginger said. “He was gone, too.”

“How long ago did this happen?” Encyclopedia asked.

“Maybe ten minutes.”

“Come on, we don't have a moment to lose,” said Encyclopedia. “If we don't act fast, your evidence will be gone forever.”

When they arrived at the toolshed that was the Tigers' clubhouse, a few of the Tigers were putting charcoal on a grill. Rusty himself was out front, doing push-ups.

“. . . ninety-eight . . . ninety-nine . . . one hundred.” After this last one, Rusty got to his feet.

Ginger pointed to a table next to the grill. “There are my groceries.”

“You mean our groceries,” Rusty snapped. “Me and the boys are going to have a barbecue.”

“With my food!” cried Ginger.

“Excuse me,” said Rusty. “I didn't realize you were the only person who ever thought of having a barbecue over the Fourth of July weekend.”

“That's not what I meant,” said Ginger. “I had just bought those groceries. You were there in the market. You saw me.”

“Maybe I did,” said Rusty. “That's not a crime. I went in to see if we needed anything else for our barbecue. Turns out we didn't.”

“If you weren't buying groceries when I saw you,” Ginger went on, “where did these come from?”

“Ooooh!” said Rusty, “you got me. Unless, of course, I bought the groceries earlier today. That's what I did, right, boys?”

“Right, Rusty,” the Tigers said together.

“See,” said Rusty, grinning. “No mystery here.”

“You have exactly the same things that I bought,” said Ginger. “How do you explain that?”

“I can't,” said Rusty. “It's a . . . what do you call it, fellows?”

“A coincidence.”

Rusty nodded. “Exactly.”

Encyclopedia wasn't done yet. “You look out of breath, Rusty,” he said. “The way you would look after running over here with a bag of groceries.”

“Hey, I'm just a little winded from doing all those push-ups. It's important to stay in shape, you know,” Rusty crowed. “I've got other exercises to do. Now take off before I make you the crunch of the week.”

“Not quite yet,” said Encyclopedia. “You must be thirsty after working out so hard. You should have a drink. Luckily, you have all those cans of soda.”

Rusty looked at the cans. “Don't want one,” he insisted.

“Oh, come on,” said Encyclopedia. “Here, let me help you.” He pulled one of the cans loose.

Rusty backed away a little. “I said I didn't want one. Now put it back.”

“What can we do?” asked Ginger. “It's his word against mine.”

“I think we can do better than that,” said Encyclopedia. “Rusty is more shook up than you think.”

 

HOW DID RUSTY GIVE HIMSELF AWAY?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Turn to page 80 for the solution to “The Case of the Grabbed Groceries.”)

Encyclopedia Brown was eating an apple when Charlie Stewart walked into his garage.

“Ah,” said Charlie, “you must have a loose tooth.”

“Don't jump to conclusions,” said Encyclopedia. “Appearances can fool you. Every detective knows that.”

Charlie looked disappointed. “You mean you don't have a loose tooth?”

“Afraid not,” said Encyclopedia. “The truth is, I just like apples.”

“Too bad,” said Charlie. “It's a well-known fact that eating an apple is a good way to get a loose tooth to come out.”

“Well known to you, Charlie,” said Sally, “but not to everyone else.”

This was true. Charlie Stewart was the proud owner of Idaville's best tooth collection. Other kids might put their baby teeth under their pillows, hoping to get money from the tooth fairy. Not Charlie. His baby teeth were the first things he had collected. He kept them in a display at home, each one labeled with the date it had fallen out. Although he also had a bear tooth, a lion's tooth, and a rattlesnake fang, he wasn't satisfied. He was always on the lookout for new teeth to collect.

“Haven't found any hen's teeth yet, have you?” Sally asked.

Charlie laughed. “That would really be something. As I suspect you already know, hens don't have teeth.”

“Beaks don't count?” said Sally.

“Not the same at all,” Charlie insisted. “Sharks do have teeth. Rows and rows of them. That's why I'm here. Duke Kelly, one of Bugs Meany's Tigers, is selling what he says are the largest shark teeth ever. If it's true, I just have to have one. It would be the star of my collection.”

“Duke Kelly's family has a boat,” said Encyclopedia. “I don't know how many fish stories they have to go with it.”

“Neither do I,” said Charlie. He put a quarter down on the gasoline can. “That's why I want to hire you to come with me. Duke says he's selling the teeth for a good cause. The children's hospital in Cincinnati will get the money.”

Sally snorted. “The only place the money will go is into Duke's pocket.”

“That may be,” said Charlie, “but a chance to get a special shark's tooth is too good to pass up.”

“We'll soon find out,” said Encyclopedia, “one way or the other.”

Duke was making his pitch down at the dock by the marina. A crowd of young boys and girls listened to what he had to say.

“Glad to see so many of you believe in me,” he began, “because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That doesn't come around very often.” He glanced at Encyclopedia and Sally. “I'm sure there are a few doubters here, too. They're welcome. Who knows, maybe they'll see the error of their ways.”

Sally folded her arms.

“So let me explain,” Duke went on. “My uncle is a deep-sea fisherman. It's cold, back-breaking work, but he loves it. It's a life of adventure and surprises.”

“I wonder if he isn't really a pirate,” Sally whispered.

“Sometimes, the surprises aren't good ones,” Duke went on. “Last week my uncle had one of the worst surprises ever. He was about six miles out when he hooked an enormous shark on one of his lines. The shark didn't give up. It pulled and thrashed for hours. Three times my uncle thought the fishing line would break. Three times the line held. Finally the shark wore itself out. Or at least that's what my uncle thought. He reeled it in. As he was lifting it onto the deck, the shark started thrashing again. My uncle jumped back to safety. Some parts of his boat were not so lucky. The shark crushed a few things on the deck before he finally stopped moving. It was nine feet long from nose to tail, with the fiercest teeth my uncle had ever seen. Luckily, he recognized that this shark was really old. Because it was so old, it had really large teeth. He sent me a box of them to sell.”

Duke reached down into a box at his side and pulled out a long white tooth.

“Whoa!” said Charlie. “Look at the size of that thing.”

“Scary, eh?” said Duke. “Even from a distance, you can see how jagged it is. You shouldn't wonder at that. Given everything a shark chews on, you'd expect a lot of wear and tear.”

“That doesn't count the things it swallows whole,” Charlie whispered.

Duke walked around with the tooth, making sure everyone got a look. “Sharks' teeth like this are pretty rare. That's why I'm asking ten dollars apiece. That's a real bargain for something this unusual.”

A lot of the kids came forward to stand in line.

Even Sally was a little impressed.

Charlie, though, could barely contain himself. “Wow! This is really amazing. A tooth like that would be the highlight of my collection. Right, Encyclopedia?”

“A shark tooth is certainly worth having,” Encyclopedia answered, “but in this case, I wouldn't bite.”

 

WHY NOT?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Turn to page 81 for the solution to “The Case of the Giant Shark Tooth.”)

Chief Brown picked up Encyclopedia one night at the library. “Did you get all the information you need for your report about dinosaurs?” he asked.

“I think so,” said Encyclopedia.

His father smiled. “Have you solved the mystery of why they disappeared?”

“Most experts think a comet was responsible,” Encyclopedia said. “It hit the earth about sixty-five million years ago. The explosion filled the air with superheated clouds that changed the climate and the landscape, so that the dinosaurs could not survive.”

“Do you believe that?”

“I do,” Encyclopedia said, “and I feel sorry for the dinosaurs. They never knew what hit them.”

Suddenly, the police radio started crackling.

The chief picked up the receiver. “This is Chief Brown,” he said. “Go ahead.”

The dispatcher told him there was a robbery in progress at a shop in town called the Den of Antiquities.

“I'm on my way,” said the chief.

Encyclopedia had heard his mother mention the shop. It had only been open a couple of months. The owner was a man named Roger Cuthbert. His ads in the
Idaville News
claimed that his shop featured rare and valuable artifacts from around the world.