The Mystery of the Hichcocke Inheritance (14 page)

Reginald Clark laughed heartily. “I imagine
they will be doing some hard time as well. I certainly hope they do
not have adjoining jail cells. Their constant arguing would upset
the rest of the prisoners!”

The boys all laughed at the idea.

“I take it you arranged with Prince Djaro of
Varania to have Duke Antony summon the London police to the
Hichcocke estate.”

“Yes sir,” Jupiter confirmed. “Duke Antony
and the police left London about twenty minutes after Ben and I
left. However, they were slowed down considerably by the strong
thunderstorm. That’s why Winston had a chance to get the drop on us
with his gun, which, by the way, turned out to be a simple pellet
gun. Regardless, I wasn’t expecting that, but I wasn’t worried
either.”

“I was sure worried when I saw Duke Antony
dressed up as the ghost!” cried Pete.

“Indeed,” agreed Mr. Clark. “Another
arrangement between you and the Duke?” he asked Jupiter.

“Yes sir. At that point I was certain the
‘ghost’ was Winston. Jebediah’s background check at Interpol had
come up unblemished, yet Winston’s had produced several pages of
criminal activity.

“Pete had gotten the best look at the ghost.
According to his description, Timothy Fitchhorn was too big to be
the ghost, and his wife was too short. So, feeling confident that
it was Winston disguising himself as old Molly, I had Duke Antony
stop at a costume shop before he left for Hichcocke Manor to pick
up a dress, wig, face-paint and noose. That’s why he was twenty
minutes behind Ben and I.”

“A taste of his own medicine,” laughed the
great producer. “You certainly have a flair for the dramatic, young
Jones.”

“That’s what I had in mind, sir,” agreed
Jupiter with a pleased expression. “But, as it says in Bob’s notes,
I didn’t expect to see both Winston and Jebediah soaking wet when I
arrived at the house. Clearly, someone was outside in the garden as
Ben and I pulled up the drive. I thought I might be mistaken about
Winston until I checked his shoes and saw they were obviously
muddy.”

“An astute observation that proved to be his
undoing,” said Mr. Clark. “It seems every loose end has been tied
up. But tell me, what’s to become of Hitch’s final motion picture,
‘The Short Night?’”

Pete fielded this question. “Patricia has
said that she will use some of the money she inherited to
independently finance the completion and release of the film, with
all the proceeds going to charity. And she wanted to know if you
would serve as technical adviser!”

“Me?” said Reginald Clark in surprise. “I
would be most honored to work on one last Hichcocke picture,” he
said solemnly. “Most honored, indeed.”

The boys were just about ready to leave when
Reginald Clark spoke up. “Not so fast,” he boomed, a playful gleam
in his eyes. “There is one more question that needs addressed!”

“W-what is that, Mr. Clark?” said Pete.

“What of Molly Thibidoux?” he asked,
grinning at the boys. “Duke Antony claims Winston screamed in
terror before he saw him in his ‘ghostly’ disguise. Does that mean
her disembodied spirit actually does wander the great halls of
Hichcocke Manor?”

Jupiter looked offended. “Of course not,” he
said stubbornly. “There are a great number of mirrors and pictures
lining the walls of Hichcocke Manor. Winston must have seen the
Duke’s ‘ghostly’ reflection in a mirror. There are no such things
as ghosts – no matter what Winston or Pete tell you!”

Reginald Clark roared with laughter.
“Splendid! Well, each of you are entitled to your own convictions
as to the validity of the paranormal! In any case, it was a fine
mystery worthy of the master of suspense himself. Indeed, I’m
certain Alphred Hichcocke would be pleased to know that you not
only found his buried treasure, but captured three notorious
criminals in the process!”

The boys glowed at the great producer’s
praise, and then thanked him for his time. As The Three
Investigators filed out of his office, Reginald Clark leaned back
in his chair with a slight smile. Quite a thrilling yarn, he
thought to himself. “The Mystery of the Hichcocke Inheritance.”

Quite thrilling indeed.

About the Author

Mark Zahn spent much of his formative years reading the T3I. To
date he has written five full-length T3I e-books and a book of
solve-them-yourself mysteries. He also created and edited an e-zine
revival of Robert Arthur’s The Mysterious Traveler Magazine, and
can be found on Facebook or through his author’s page on
Amazon.

Look for these other exciting
titles from Mark Zahn!

The Mystery of the Three Impostors

The Mystery of the Bronze Claw

The Mystery of the Restless Gargoyle

The Secret of the Mysterious Traveler

T3I Casefiles: 3 Minute Mysteries