The White Elephant Mystery (15 page)

“What’s this rubbish you’re saying?” Sonny Grant said indignantly as he worked his way through the people around Klesh and Djuna. “What do you mean by saying we were nudging the boy back toward Jumbo?”

“Just what I said,” Klesh snapped. “Mebbe you didn’t know it, but that was jus’ what you was doin’.” Klesh rubbed his mouth with his hand and added, “I would ha’ told you, only I knew you own the show an’ I thought you knew what you was doin’.”

“I didn’t know the elephant was dangerous,” Sonny said, “or we wouldn’t have stopped to talk there.”

“I told you yesterday she was a killer with that tooth, Mr. Grant,” the menagerie superintendent said with a surprised look on his face. “I told you we’d have to shoot her if we couldn’t chain her so that we could treat it.”

“I’d forgotten it, if you did,” Mr. Grant said and he glanced quickly at Djuna as he said it.

“Well, there’s no harm done,” the superintendent said. “Are you feeling all right now, Bud?” he asked Djuna.

“Oh, sure,” Djuna said, and he took advantage of the opportunity to get away from there, and away from Sonny Grant and Tony Ciro while he had a chance. “I’ve got to meet Tommy Williams—ten minutes late,” he reminded himself desperately, as he ducked his head, shot between two men’s elbows, squirmed and wriggled until he was outside the crowd that had gathered, and then began to run for the exit. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he wanted to get away from the two men before they offered, or insisted, that he go with them to make sure that he was all right. He was almost certain now that it had been Sonny Grant or Tony Ciro, or one of their men, who had telephoned Socker Furlong that morning to lead him into a trap. And he was equally certain that they had just tried to maneuver him into a spot where an elephant mad with pain could kill him. There would have been no proof that they were responsible!

When Djuna was outside the menagerie tent he kept right on running until he had put the large tent that housed the Grand Annex and Museum of Wonders between him and the two men who had tried to kill him. He looked around for a place where he could sit down and think and be safe from detection. Then he thought, “What’s the use in just sitting around trying to think? I’ve got to get in to see Spitfire in some way. Why don’t I try to do that?”

He started to run again and when he arrived at the entrance to the performers’ dressing tent the same roustabout who had been there the day before was standing guard. He recognized Djuna and said, “Mrs. Peters tells me Spitfire is still paralyzed.”

“Yes,” Djuna puffed. “Please could I see her? Would you call her for a minute?”

“Well, I don’t know,” the man said doubtfully. “She’s proba’ly gettin’ dressed for her act. She—”

“I’ve
got
to see her!” Djuna said desperately.

The man raised his eyebrows at the intensity of Djuna’s plea, but said, “Well, I’ll see,” and disappeared inside the tent. A few minutes later he returned; and right behind him was Trixie Cella wearing the silver cape she had worn the afternoon before over the things she wore in her act. Her face was pale and harassed but she managed a wan smile as she put out a hand to Djuna.

“H-h-e-ello, Trixie,” Djuna managed. “Could—could we step inside the dressing tent, where no one can see us?”

“Why, yes, Djuna,” Trixie said and her eyes were filled with concern as she studied Djuna’s equally pale face. “What’s the matter?”

When they were inside Djuna said earnestly, “You
mustn’t
try to do your act this afternoon, Trixie. You’ll—you’ll be in terrible danger if you do!”

Trixie’s blue eyes opened wide as she stared at Djuna and she said quietly, “What do you mean, Djuna?”

“I—I mean, I mean,” Djuna began and then he scowled and his words ran together as he said, “Oh, I don’t know exactly what I do mean. I mean, I think you’d be in great danger if Ned Barrow is your catcher. I can’t prove it but I think, I think it was his fault—”

Djuna stopped as he saw the horror and the sheer terror that leaped into Trixie’s eyes. “You—you think that—that it was Ned’s fault that Spitfire fell?” she whispered.

Djuna nodded his head dumbly while Trixie pressed her clenched hand against her mouth. She closed her eyes for a moment and a little moan came from her lips as she opened them again.

“Oh, Djuna,” she said as she stared at him. “I—I would think you were crazy, if Socker Furlong hadn’t told me about you. What is it, Djuna? What’s happening?”

“Do—do you know anything about the little black luck charm that Spitfire wore around his neck?” Djuna asked eagerly.

“No,” she said and shook her head, her eyes puzzled. “I—I just know that he wore it as a luck charm. He never told me why. I used to tease him about it because he hardly ever took it off.” Then her eyes widened again as she whispered, “It—it was gone yesterday when they took him to the hospital!”

“It’s all right,” Djuna said. “I have it. The cord broke when he fell. I picked it up. Don’t you know anything about it, Trixie?”

“Nothing, Djuna,” she told him and then she cried, “What is all this terrible mystery, Djuna? What’s happening?”

“I don’t know myself, yet,” Djuna said, adding quickly, “Did you see Spitfire this morning?”

“Yes,” she answered with a half-sob. “He’s better. He can’t talk or move, except to nod his head, or shake it. I talked to him that way this morning for a few minutes.”

“You mean,” Djuna said eagerly, “that you’d ask him questions and he’d answer you by nodding his head or shaking it?”

“That’s right,” Trixie said and she couldn’t help seeing the growing excitement in Djuna’s eyes.

“I’ve got to see him, Trixie!” Djuna said. “I’ve got to talk to him that same way! How can I do it?”

“After the show,” Trixie said, “I could go with you. They might let you in to see him if I insisted. I—”

“If you said I was your son!” Djuna cried. “They couldn’t refuse to let me see him if we said he was my father!”

Some of Djuna’s excitement crept into Trixie’s eyes. She nodded her head and then said doubtfully, “But I’m only twenty-five, Djuna, and Spitfire is only twenty-eight. How old are you?”

“Jeepers!” Djuna said disgustedly. “That’s right! You don’t look old enough to be my mother!”

“Thank you, Djuna,” Trixie said and then her eyes flashed. “They won’t bother to check our ages. After the show—”

“We’re going out to the hospital now, Trixie,” Djuna said and anyone listening to him would have thought that
he
was
her
father. “I’m going to wait right here until you change your clothes. We’ll get a taxi outside the gate.”

Trixie stood staring at him for a moment and then she said, suddenly, “I’ve got to trust you, Djuna. I’ll hurry,” and she disappeared.

When she reappeared she wore the same cool lavender dress she had been wearing in the chow tent the day before, and when Djuna saw her he doubted that
anyone
would ever believe that she was his mother.

“I’d like to stop by Cannonball McGinnty’s car and see if he has heard from Socker Furlong,” Djuna said to Trixie as she joined him.

“Where is Socker?” Trixie asked, noting the anxiety in Djuna’s voice.

“He—he had a telephone call at six o’clock this morning from someone who said he was the night city editor of his paper,” Djuna explained. “Whoever called told him to go to Farmholme to cover a story. But when Cannonball talked to Mr. Canavan, Socker’s boss, later this morning he said no one had called Socker from the
Bugle
. I’m—I’m worried that—”

“Djuna!” Trixie cried. “Aren’t you letting your imagination run away with you? All these dreadful things you’re talking about! Do you know that any of them are true?”

“No,” Djuna said miserably. “I just know— Oh, golly, I hardly know
what
I know. It’s always this way! Every time I try to help with things people say I’m crazy. I—I—”

“I don’t mean that, Djuna,” Trixie said, and when she put her arm around his shoulder anyone might have thought that she was his mother. “I believe in you,” she added slowly, “and I’ll help any way I can.”

“Thanks, Trixie,” Djuna mumbled.

Then Tommy Williams descended on them like a spluttering cyclone and said, “Chattering chimps! Where have you been? I’ve waited here almost an hour and the circus has started and—”

“Jeepers, I couldn’t help it, Tommy,” Djuna said. “And anyway I can’t go to the circus this afternoon. I’m going over to the hospital with Trixie while she sees Spitfire. Where’s Cannonball?”

“Oh, he’s around,” Tommy said. He opened the door of the police car as they came up beside it and said importantly, “I’m watching the telephone for him.”

“He hasn’t heard anything from Socker?” Djuna asked.

“Not yet,” Tommy said. “He— Oh, here he is now.”

“Hi, Trix,” Cannonball said. He talked with Trixie for a moment about Spitfire and then Trixie said, “Could you run Djuna and me out to the hospital?”

“Surest thing you know,” Cannonball said. “Are you coming along, Tommy, or are you going to the circus?”

“I think I’ll go to the circus, if it’s all right,” Tommy said anxiously.

“Okay,” Cannonball said, and added sternly, “When the circus is over, you come back. I’ll be parked here.” He turned to Djuna. “What,” he asked, “are you going to do after you go to the hospital with Trixie?”

“I think,” Djuna said, “I’ll go back to our room at the hotel and take a nap. I—I don’t feel so well.”

“That’s the first smart thing I’ve heard you say today,” Cannonball said enthusiastically. “I think a nap is just what the doctor ordered.”

“I’m going to stay at the hospital with Spitfire for a time, if they’ll let me,” Trixie said. “I’ll stop in at the hotel and pick Djuna up on my way back.”

“Fine,” Cannonball said. “Let’s go!”

On the way to the hospital Cannonball told Djuna that he was going to stop at the State Police substation on the way back to the circus grounds and have them send out a hush-hush alarm for Socker Furlong.

“Then it is true that you think something might have happened to Socker!” Trixie cried from the back seat where she was sitting. Cannonball had thought that he was talking quietly enough to Djuna, who sat beside him, so that Trixie couldn’t hear.

“Well,” Cannonball said. “We—”

“I told Trixie about the phone call for Socker this morning and what Mr. Canavan said about it,” Djuna interrupted to say. “She knows.”

“But, Cannonball!” Trixie pleaded. “What’s it all about? Why all the hush-hush and—”

“
You
tell
me!
” Cannonball growled. “I think they just got their orders mixed up in Socker’s office. I think—”

“Well, why don’t you get that night city editor on the telephone at home and find out if he called Socker this morning?” Trixie wanted to know.

Cannonball looked at Djuna and Djuna looked at Cannonball and then not either one of them dared look at Trixie.

“Maybe she’s got something there, eh, kid?” Cannonball said. “I’ll get
him
out of bed this time, as soon as I get to the station.”

When they arrived at the hospital Cannonball let Trixie and Djuna out and then he went out of the hospital driveway with his siren screaming.

Trixie and Djuna went inside and Trixie said to the sympathetic girl who was behind the desk, “I want to take my son in to see his father. It will be all right, won’t it?”

“Why, yes, I think so,” she replied. “Just a minute.” She went out and talked to the woman sitting at the day supervisor’s desk and then came back and nodded her head. “Okay,” she said. “Don’t stay too long.”

They walked down a long corridor to the last door on the right-hand side that had a sign on it reading:

NO VISITORS

Trixie knocked lightly on the door and a girl in a white uniform opened it. She held the door wide and after they were inside she said, “I’ll be back in a moment,” and went out into the corridor and closed the door behind her.

“Say, Trixie!” Djuna said excitedly. “Would you go out and keep that nurse outside until after I get through talking with Spitfire?”

“Well, Djuna,” Trixie said. “Suppose—”

“
Please
, Trixie!” Djuna said.

Trixie nodded her head, but before she went out she stepped over to the bed and leaned over the figure that was lying there swathed in bandages and said, “Hello, darling. I’ve brought Djuna, Socker’s friend, with me. He wants to talk with you. Is it all right?”

Djuna, leaning over the bed beside Trixie, looked into Spitfire’s gray eyes. He nodded his head up and down and then he winked at Djuna.

“Jeepers! You’re marvelous, Mr. Peters!” Djuna said and the bandaged head rolled from side to side and the eyes were very stern-looking.

“He wants you to call him Spitfire,” Trixie said with a sob in her voice and Spitfire nodded his head up and down and winked at Djuna again.

“Okay, Djuna. You take it from here,” Trixie said and she opened the door and disappeared.

Djuna climbed up on the high bed beside Spitfire, opened his blouse and pulled out the tiny white elephant that dangled on the cord around his neck. Spitfire’s eyes opened wide when he saw it and Djuna said, “Do you remember when you said, ‘The white elephant’ to me after you fell yesterday?”

Spitfire nodded his head up and down, eagerly.

“I saw it shoot across the track when you struck and scooped it up,” Djuna said.

Spitfire grinned.

“I didn’t tell anyone about it, or what you said, except Tommy Williams,” Djuna said. “I didn’t know what to do. Then I remembered the iron elephant that is painted white that old Mr. Grant had on his lawn and Tommy and I went up there last night to look at it, thinking that might be the one you meant. We didn’t find anything, but young Mr. Grant surprised us while we were there. I didn’t know what he might do to us, so I told him that you had gasped, ‘The white elephant’ to me when you fell. He thought I meant the white iron elephant on the lawn and he let us go.”

Spitfire’s gray eyes had filled with alarm as Djuna told him what he had said to Mr. Grant, and then he grinned as he realized how Djuna had fooled Grant with the iron elephant.

“This morning,” Djuna went on, “Cannonball drove Tommy and me over to Edenboro, where we live, to get some clothes. While I was changing my clothes in my bedroom your black charm dropped out of my pocket and my little black Scottie—he has awful strong jaws—found it and began to chew on it. Some of the outside black and some of the plaster came off and I saw that there was something else inside. So, I took a knife and scraped the rest off and found this little white elephant.