Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme (5 page)

Solution to
The Case of the Friendly Watchdog

Tex couldn't be the thief. In order to squeeze through the doggy door and into the house, he would have had to take off his wide-brimmed ten-gallon hat. Morris would have barked at his bald head. But no barking was heard.

The thief was Hans, who wore a baseball cap. He didn't have to take it off and show his bald head. He could squeeze through the doggy door without a worry about losing the cap and making Morris bark.

Solution to
The Case of the Red Roses

Bugs insisted he saw Duke lift a candy bar from Robby's pocket. Bugs said he saw everything while smelling the roses.

Impossible! The vase that toppled to the floor spilled out roses but no water. The clerk proved the floor was dry. He would never have knelt on a wet floor. Flowers in a vase without water are artificial. Artificial flowers have no smell!

To make sure the roses hadn't been given a scent, as sometimes they do, Encyclopedia sniffed them. His wink at Sally told her the flowers had no scent.

Mr. Harris let Bugs and Duke off when they bought Robby both candy bars.

Solution to
The Case of the Jelly-Bean Holdup

When Pistol Pete told her to raise her hands, Trudy was to signal Butch Ribrock with her fingers the number of jelly beans in the jar.

Trudy was nervous. She showed five fingers on her left hand and only four on her right because of the bent thumb. She thought she was telling Butch 54.

But she read 54 from
her
side. The fingers facing the children read 45.

When Mr. Whitten said the closest number was 45, Butch understood Trudy's error. He scribbled 54.

When Mr. Whitten heard that from Encyclopedia, he awarded the jelly beans and basketball to Gaylord Hallstrom, the one who guessed 45.

Solution to
The Case of the Soccer Scheme

The referee's calls weren't honest mistakes, Encyclopedia realized. The calls favored the Cobras. The referee did not know the Chipmunk players. He had to call them by their numbers. He sided with the Cobra players because he knew them well. He called them by their names.

The president of the soccer league heard what Encyclopedia had to say about the referee. The game was played over with another referee. The Chipmunks won, 3–2.

Solution to
The Case of the Hole in the Book

When Ms. Moore said “rhyme,” Encyclopedia understood the code. He remembered purple, orange, and month are three of the four words that lack a rhyme. The fourth word, silver, named the guilty boy—Gary Silver.

Gary admitted to his pals he had sneaked into the restroom for a smoke and took the book with him. Thinking someone was coming in, he quickly snuffed out the cigarette in the book. He hid the cigarette in his pocket.

One of his pals believed Gary should not get away with ruining the book. Rather than be a snitch, the pal wrote the code. Let someone else figure out the thief.

Gary had to pay for the book he ruined.

“One more reason not to smoke,” remarked Encyclopedia.

Solution to
The Case of the April Fools' Plot

Lily lied about seeing Chuck bolt the front door while she sat on the couch. Although the couch was the best place from which to see the front door, Lily would never sit down where white cats had slept. She would not want their white cat hair soiling her black dress that she wore when singing with the Black Ties band.

She had framed Chuck in order for her brother, Horace, to take over the newspaper route. Thanks to Encyclopedia, Chuck got it back.

Solution to
The Case of Wilford's Big Deal

Wilford claimed Bruno had just gotten back from three months of prospecting in the desert for gold. The desert was hot and rainless, Wilford said.

Encyclopedia realized the bright yellow pebbles weren't bits of gold but merely pebbles painted yellow. Bruno couldn't have found them in the desert as he claimed.

Being in the desert sun for three months would have given him a mean sunburn.

His face, however, was pale.

Solution to
The Case of the Ten-Dollar Bike

Agatha never meant to sell the bike. She wanted to keep the five dollars that Mitzi gave her. She tried to get Mitzi to call off the sale by tricking her into thinking something was wrong with the bike.

There was nothing wrong with the pedals, Encyclopedia said.

Mitzi was looking at the left side of the bike while Agatha rode it. From this view, when the left pedal moved forward, the pedal on the right moved backward. Pedaling moves the chain connected to the back wheel, which makes the wheel turn and the bike move forward. Mitzi was so confused by Agatha, that the pedals turning this way only
seemed
wrong to her.

Agatha had to sell the bike to Mitzi for only ten dollars, as she had agreed.

Solution to
The Case of the Hidden Money

Olga made the mistake of saying the envelopes were on the desk when she went for a drink. She obviously didn't know she was the last one in the office. Unwittingly she cleared Ed Winslow and Phil Riggs.

Encyclopedia showed how she hid the money. He pulled out each filing cabinet drawer until it was stopped by a latch. The cabinet was now on the brink of tipping forward. He pushed the top forward lightly. The back rose off the floor, revealing the envelopes and the money.

Olga quit rather than be arrested.