William Arden: The Secret of the Crooked Cat

“Jiminy,” Andy said. “I guess it fell out of the cat.”

Everyone else nodded glumly. All except Jupiter.

“On the contrary, fellows,” the First Investigator declared. “What the robber wanted was in a crooked cat, and I believe that it still is in a crooked cat!”

“But, Jupiter,” Andy protested, “I only had five crooked cats, and the robber found them all!”

“No, Andy, you had six cats,” Jupiter declared triumphantly. “You had five you gave out here, but you have a sixth crooked cat — and we all saw it!”

Pete gaped. “We did, Jupe?”

“Where, First?” Bob demanded.

“Right before our eyes the first night,” Jupiter said dramatically. “So obvious we overlooked it. You recall that first night in Andy’s truck when Andy showed us his broken — ”

Andy cried, “My broken prizes! In my work-basket! There is a crooked cat. It was burned in the San Mateo fire!”

“So it was in the shooting gallery the night of the fire,” Jupiter said. “The robber hid whatever it is in that crooked cat, but it was damaged by the fire, and Andy took it away to repair. The robber never thought of that! But in the boat I realized that if the robber was still trying to get Pete and me out of the way, he still didn’t have what he wanted even after searching Andy’s trailer. I reasoned that there had to be a sixth crooked cat — and then I remembered Andy’s work-basket!”

“Wow,” Pete exclaimed in awe. “We’d never have thought of that, First.”

“I never did, and I had the cat!” Andy said.

“It looks like the robber didn’t think of it, either boys,” Chief Reynolds said with a smile. “Fine work, Jupiter! I’m proud to have you as a junior assistant deputy.”

Jupiter grinned proudly. “Well, sir, it was only logical once I realized — ”

The First Investigator’s words trailed off, and his head came up alertly. He looked round in the dark night.

“Chief! Someone is running away from here!”

Then they all heard it — someone runing fast, back towards the amusement park fence. The crowd of police and roughnecks all turned to look.

“Who is that running away?” Chief Reynolds demanded.

“I don’t know, sir. We’re all here,” a policeman said.

“Some man, he was standing here I think,” a roughneck said. “I didn’t notice who he was.”

“Did anyone notice a stranger?” Mr. Carson asked.

Everyone shook his head. Then Bob exclaimed:

“Where’s Khan!”

The strong man was nowhere to be seen!

“Quick, everyone,” Jupiter suddenly cried. “Whoever it is heard all about the sixth cat! Hurry, Chief!”

They all ran across the abandoned amusement park and through the hole in the fence. As the last customers stared at them, they dashed through the carnival to where the trucks and wagons stood. Andy dashed inside his trailer. He came back out almost at once.

“The crooked cat, it’s gone! He got it!”

Chief Reynolds cried, “Block all exits!”

“Search the grounds!” Mr. Carson ordered his roughnecks.

The police and roughnecks went into action.

“He’s got the crooked cat,” Chief Reynolds, declared, “but he won’t get out with it! We’re too close behind him.”

“Chief?” Pete asked. “Could it be Khan?”

“Was he lying all the time, after all?” Mr. Carson wondered.

“I don’t know. He’s a slick talker,” the Chief said.

“Maybe he was hired by Grandma,” Andy said, “but is the bank robber, too.”

“I’ve known detectives to go wrong,” Chief Reynolds said grimly. “But if he has, this time we’ll get him. We’re too close for him to have time to examine the cat and dispose of it. He’ll have to try to leave the grounds, and we know what he looks like now.”

“What if it isn’t Khan, sir?” Pete asked. “We won’t know who it is then, and he can hide the cat and just wait.”

“No, Pete,” Chief Reynolds shook his head. “This carnival isn’t that big. We’d find the crooked cat and him. Sooner or later he must try to escape now, and we’ll have him. He can’t possibly get out with that cat. Jupiter I think — ” The Chief turned to find the First Investigator. Jupiter was nowhere around!

“Jupe!” Pete called.

“Jupiter? Where are you?” Chief Reynolds shouted.

There was no answer.

“I don’t remember seeing him with us at all!” Bob said.

“Not since we left the old amusement park,” Mr. Carson said.

“Well, he can’t be far,” said Chief Reynolds.

Pete said shakily, “Unless he saw the robber and followed him!”

“Now be calm, Pete,” Mr. Carson said.

They all searched through the trucks and trailers, and then returned to the carnival grounds. After some fifteen minutes they met on one of the wide pathways near Andy’s shooting gallery. They had not found Jupiter.

“The shows are over,” Mr. Carson said. “I’ll ask all the performers if they’ve seen Jupiter.”

“The exits are all blocked, and the fence is being watched,” Chief Reynolds said. “He can’t have left the grounds.”

The performers were all gathered near The Great Ivan’s show tent. They stood in an uneasy group, watching the police and roughnecks still searching and guarding the fence and exits. None of them remembered seeing Jupiter when Mr. Carson asked them.

“I have seen nothing,” The Great Ivan said uneasily. The wire walkers and the fire eater shook their heads. The small, fat clown danced round awkwardly, still half performing his routine, and pointing at the tall, sad clown. The tall clown swept at the ground with his broom and dustpan with a broken bottom.

“Maybe I saw him,” the tall clown said in his slow, sad voice. “Behind the tents with someone.”

“You did?” Chief Reynolds snapped. “With whom?”

The tall clown shook his head. “I don’t know.”

The small clown did a ludicrous handstand that failed badly, and then began to jump up and down beside the tall clown. Bob groaned. “The robber’s got Jupe!” Bob cried. “I know it!”

“He’ll use Jupe as a hostage to get away!” Pete moaned.

“Easy, boys,” Chief Reynolds said, but his face was worried. “It does change matters. If he has Jupe, we’ll have to let him go. But we’ll know him, then, and we’ll get him!”

Andy said, “If he has Jupiter, why hasn’t he tried to use him as a hostage yet?”

“I don’t know, Andy,” Chief Reynolds admitted.

The tall clown suddenly said, “Hostage, Chief? When I saw that boy, the man with him was making towards a break in our fence that leads to the ocean!”

Chief Reynolds whirled. “What? The ocean?”

“He’s trying to escape by swimming round the amusement park fence where you don’t have a guard,” Mr. Carson cried.

Pete and Andy started to run towards the fence with the Chief and Mr. Carson. But Bob didn’t move. He stood staring at the dirt of the carnival pathway.

“Chief! Fellows,” Bob said slowly. “Look at the dirt.”

They all stopped and looked where Bob pointed. The small clown, still fooling around, was rolling on the ground and pointing up at the tall clown.

Near him, drawn in the dirt, was a large question mark!

“Our question-mark sign!” Pete cried, and stared at the small clown who was still jumping round his tall partner. “It’s Jupe!” Bob realized. “He’s telling us that — ”