Nick West - The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon

“What are you talking about now?” Pete asked groaning.

Jupiter smiled. “The man inside our dragon had a cold.”

The dignified voice of Worthington interrupted. “We’re at the Jones Salvage Yard, Master Jones. Shall I wait?”

Jupe nodded. “Yes, Worthington. Pete has to make a telephone call. Then hopefully we’ll go to his house and pick up something. And tonight, we’re going back to Seaside.”

He glanced at his partners. “Am I right, so far? Pete grinned. ”I just hope you’re right later — when we see the coughing dragon again!”

Jupiter’s respect for Pete’s father increased when Mr. Crenshaw gave the boys permission to use his projector and the new studio film without questioning their reasons.

“He didn’t even warn us about taking good care of it,” Jupe said. “I guess he trusts our judgment.”

“I don’t know about that,” Pete replied. “I’m the one who lives here. If anything happens to that film or Pop’s projector, I’m the one who gets it!”

The boys were at Pete’s home now, in the den used by Mr. Crenshaw for his home movies. Pete was rewinding the spool from the take-up reel. Jupiter had asked for a preview of the film so that he could better judge how effective it would be.

“All set!” Pete called. “Lights out, Bob!”

When the room was in darkness, he pressed the switch and the film began. The wall screen blazed with light, and soon the boys discovered that Pete hadn’t exaggerated. The photographed insects were terrifying when blown up to outsize proportions.

The sound track suddenly groaned down to silence, and Pete snapped off the image.

“Lights, please, Bob!” he called. “I’m sorry, but I’m showing you the wrong reel. This part comes later. I guess my Pop was running it through again to check on his effects.”

He was rummaging through the stack of cylindrical cans marked with various numbers when Jupe stopped him.

“I don’t think it matters, Pete. We don’t have to see the entire film now. This part showing the insects in natural surroundings is exactly what I had in mind.”

“But that’s Reel Six,” Pete answered. “It’s a flashback. That’s just the ants themselves, in the hills and along the shore, getting ready for their invasion of our cities.” He picked up another can. “This first reel shows them attacking the cities. The part I mentioned where they’re as tall as buildings.”

Jupiter shook his head. “We can’t show buildings or cities. We want to make it appear as if the giant ants have invaded the cave!”

Pete and Bob looked at Jupe, surprised.

“Is that where we’re going to show the picture?”

Jupe nodded. “With the built-in speaker in your projector, we’ll have all the sound effects. The wide-angle lens I noticed will be very effective, too. And most important of all, your projector is battery operated so we can run it in the cave.”

“We’re lucky about that,” Pete said. “The battery pack was specially made so my Dad could use it on location work.”

Bob broke in. “Well, let’s see the rest of this reel you have on now, Pete. Jupe and I can always come back some other night to see the rest of it.”

Pete shrugged. “It’s okay with me if you fellows like to see a picture backwards.”

Bob put out the lights, and Pete resumed showing his film of the giant insects. The boys watched in absorbed silence from then on, giving way to only an occasional murmur of surprise or horror. When it was over, they sat back tingling with excitement.

“Whiskers!” Bob exclaimed. “That’s some picture. I can hardly wait to see the whole thing.”

Pete pressed the button to rewind the spool, and glanced at Jupiter. “Will that be enough, do you think?”

Jupiter smiled. “It should be perfect for our needs.”

“Great,” Pete said. “Only I still don’t understand what you intend doing with it. Who’s going to see it in the cave? That dead man, or ghost, who phoned us?”

“Perhaps,” Jupe admitted. “But my main purpose is to find out how a joker responds when a joke is played on him instead.”

“A joker?” Bob said. “I didn’t think that Mr. Carter was joking when he threatened us with his shotgun.”

“I wasn’t referring to Mr. Carter,” Jupe said, calmly.

“You weren’t?” Bob asked. “Maybe you forgot that he could be the living descendant of the Carter I read about. Labron Carter, who lost his fortune building the tunnel at Seaside and then killed himself because he was ruined. You said yourself, he would certainly know about the old tunnel and cave. And that he might want to get even with the people at Seaside for ruining his father. And, with his kind of temper, he’s the kind of guy who could sure do it, too!”

Jupiter shook his head. “Mr. Carter’s not the man I suspect of creating the dragon in the cave.”

“Why not?” Pete interrupted. “What makes you so sure?”

“One thing,” Jupe said. “When we met Mr. Carter, he did a lot of yelling. But he didn’t have a cold. We met a man who was very clever about making things that scared people. If you recall, he did have a cold. And I associate him with the dragon because, as you will remember, it coughed !”

Bob blinked. “You think Arthur Shelby is the joker who made the dragon? I mean — if it’s really a constructed one, and not real!”

Jupe nodded. “It could be Mr. Allen, too. He knows a lot about dragons. But my guess is Shelby.”

“But why Shelby?” Bob asked. “He made scary things to keep people from bothering him at his home. What does he have to do with the cave? It’s not his.”

“That’s what we intend to find out this evening,” Jupe said. He glanced at his watch. “I suggest we get ready.”

“You’re forgetting somebody else,” Pete said. “You two are only guessing about Carter, Allen or Shelby. But there were two other men there, and we all saw them!”

“That’s right!” Bob said. “The skin divers! And they said something about having to continue their work, before they disappeared.”

Pete snapped the big box that locked up the projector. Then he glanced at Jupiter.

“Well?” he demanded. “Am I wrong? What about those two tough guys? Couldn’t they have something to do with it?”

Jupiter nodded. “They certainly could. And, if they turn up tonight my suggestion is — project your film for their entertainment.”

“What about the dragon?” Pete asked. “It might be there, too, you know.”

Jupe nodded again. “That should be even more interesting. We’ve all heard how a mouse can frighten an elephant. It remains to be seen if an ant can scare a dragon!”

It was dark on the ridge above the beach at Seaside. The narrow, secluded street was quiet as Worthington eased the Rolls-Royce close to the kerb and stopped.

Bob stepped out first. He glanced quizzically along the quiet street. “Why so far away this time, Jupe?” he asked. “You’ve left us a good walk to the staircase.”

“Merely being cautious,” Jupiter replied. “The Rolls-Royce might have attracted attention here already. If Hans were available this evening, his truck might have provided better cover.”

Pete staggered out, swinging the projector in its case. He looked at the long walk ahead of him and groaned. “Don’t mind me. By the time I get there with this load, my arms will reach the ground.”.

“That wouldn’t be too bad,” Bob said smiling nervously. “You’d pass for an apeman, then. Maybe you’d scare our dragon!”

Pete grunted in reply, and shouldered the case. “Wait, Pete, we’ll give you a hand with that,” Jupe offered.