William Arden - The Secret of the Crooked Cat

But most of the performers began to smile again. They nodded with relief and hurried away to their tents and booths. Khan was the last to leave.

“The show is dangerous, Carson.” the strong man said in a warning voice. “Too many mistakes and accidents. You should close.”

Khan stalked away, and Mr. Carson stared after him. Then he turned to the boys with troubled eyes. They could see that he was very worried. He had his whole future, and Andy’s future, in the carnival.

“Are they going to work, Dad?” Andy asked.

“They’ll work. Carnival people are happy folk. They forget trouble quickly — as long as we have no more accidents.”

“The carousel’s okay?” Andy hoped.

“Yes, Andy,” Mr. Carson said, his face grim. “That’s not what worries me. My roughneck mechanic tells me that the bearing was tampered with, and the bolts were loosened, so that when the bearing froze the bolts were sure to shear. That’s what knocked the carousel over.”

“You mean it was sabotaged, Mr. Carson?” Bob exclaimed.

“Yes, I do,” Mr. Carson said. “I owe you three boys an apology. It seems that someone must be trying to ruin the carnival.”

Jupiter burst out, “Perhaps not sir! I think a bank robber may be causing your troubles!”

“Bank robber?” Mr. Carson said, staring. “You mean that robbery on our last night in San Mateo?”

“Yes, sir!” Jupiter declared. “I think the bank robber is a member of your carnival!”

Mr. Carson flared up. “That’s ridiculous, son! The police did come, and found no one!”

“Because he set off the fire in San Mateo, sir,” Jupiter rushed on. “He set it to give him time to get out of his disguise, and to hide something in a crooked cat! That’s why he was after the cats.”

“No, Jupiter, none of our people look anything like the man the San Mateo police wanted. No one is tattooed.”

Pete blurted out, “Jupe says he was in disguise all the time except here! Even the tattoo is a fake.”

Mr. Carson looked at them all. “Well, that is possible, I suppose, but who — ”

Jupiter burst in, “I think I know who he is already, sir! From his escapes, some clothes we found, and what Andy told us, I’m certain the robber is the Amazing Gabbo!”

“Gabbo?” Mr. Carson said, his face taking on a strange expression as he studied the boys.

“Yes, sir!” Jupiter continued. “Andy told us you don’t really know him by sight. I think that if you — ”

“No, Jupiter,” Mr. Carson stopped the First Investigator, his hand held up. “Boys, your logic and deductions are excellent. Very impressive, really. But you see, when the police told me of the robber’s escape from that blind alley, I recalled Gabbo and his criminal record at once. I realized that he just might hide in a carnival, and that I wouldn’t recognize him unless I knew he was around and made a point of looking for him. So I did. I studied all of my performers — out of costume!”

Jupiter stammered, “You… you looked, sir?”

“I did, Jupiter” Mr. Carson said in a kindly voice. None of them remotely resembles Gabbo. Most of them are much too old, anyway. No, if the robber was part of the carnival, it could explain the fire and Rajah’s escape, but it doesn’t explain the loss of our pony ride earlier, and what possible reason would the robber have for wrecking the carousel now?”

Jupiter was glum. “The carousel breaking is a disturbing development, sir,” he admitted lamely.

“I’m sorry, but it looks more as if someone is trying to ruin my carnival — probably Andy’s grandmother,” Mr. Carson said unhappily. “I agree that the man after those crooked cats must be the robber, but he must be an outsider and we won’t see him again, I’m sure. From what you tell me, he has what he wanted. He would have no reason to wreck the carousel.”

“Gosh,” Pete said. “I guess not,Mr. Carson.”

“However, I’m asking you boys to keep an eye open and see if you can find who’s causing these accidents. I have to get back to work, but you boys are free to go anywhere in the carnival. Just be careful.”

“We will, Dad,” Andy promised. Mr. Carson nodded thoughtfully, smiled at the boys, and went back to supervise the work on the carousel. The boys all looked at each other. Jupiter bit his lower lip.

“I was absolutely sure I was right,” the First Investigator insisted.

“But Mr. Carson is right, First,” Bob said. “The robber wouldn’t have any reason to wreck the carousel.”

“He must be miles away by now,” Andy added.

“Perhaps,” Jupiter said. “But say he isn’t, fellows. Say he’s still here. There are two possible motives for him to wreck the carousel. He could be trying to close the show so that he wouldn’t be noticed when he left the carnival.”

“He wouldn’t try that so soon, would he, Jupe?” Andy asked. “I mean, he’d wait for things to calm down.”

“I suppose he would,” Jupiter agreed. “But, fellows, what if he hasn’t yet found what he’s after in those crooked cats? Are you certain you had only five cats, Andy?”

“I’m sure, Jupiter. I had five when we set up here.”

“I wonder… ” Jupiter mused. “Could whatever it is he wants have fallen out of the crooked cat? Maybe it wasn’t in any of the cats. If so, it might be in your equipment trailer. Is your trailer at the shooting gallery now, Andy?”

“Of course, Jupe. You know I keep it there so I can keep an eye on it.”

“But you’re not watching it now, are you?” Jupiter exclaimed. “You’re here because the carousel broke down!”

“You mean he’s distracting us all again!” Pete cried.

“Why not? It worked twice before,” Jupiter said. “The carousel damage is minor. If someone was trying to shut down the carnival, wouldn’t they have tried to damage it more? Hurry, fellows, let’s go to Andy’s trailer!”

They walked quickly, but quietly, from the carousel to the shooting gallery. The crowd of customers had grown now, and the boys circled cautiously through them to the rear of the shooting gallery. The instant they rounded the back of the booth into the dark rear area, they saw dolls, toys, and other small prizes strewn over the ground.

“It’s been broken open!” Andy whispered.

“Look!” Bob pointed.

A shadow seemed to flit from behind the trailer. The shadow of a man who ran in the night — across the open ground behind the carnival booths and tents, through a narrow hole in the temporary fence, and on towards the abandoned amusement park.

“After him!” said Jupiter.

“There,” Pete said quietly, “he’s going through the fence!’

“Don’t let him see us,” Jupiter said.

They slipped through the fence one by one and stood in the dark, silent grounds of the old amusement park. The rickety roller coaster towered above them in the light of the rising moon. A strong mountain wind blowing out to sea made the old timbers creak and whine eerily.

“I don’t see him,” Bob said softly.

“Wait,” Jupiter whispered “Listen.”

Crouched in the shadow of the high fence, they all listened in the night The gay music from the repaired carousel sounded miles away outside the fence. Nothing moved in the darkness of the abandoned amusement park. To the left they heard the steady lap — lap — lap of water in the tunnel of love. There were small, scurrying sounds that could only be rats. They heard no other sounds in the ominous silence.

“He can’t have gone far,” Jupiter said in a low voice. “We’ll split up, fellows. Pete and I will go to the right round the roller coaster. Bob and Andy will go left.”