Уильям Арден - The Mystery of The Moaning Cave

“You’ve acted foolishly,” added Reston, “but you did recover the diamonds. Maybe you meant to return them eventually, who knows? Just now I have a thief to find.”

Jupiter spoke up again. “I’ve been thinking about Schmidt, Mr. Reston. I’m positive he knows Old Ben and Waldo have been digging in the cave, and he must know they have found his diamonds. I’m sure he will be back to get them, which leads me to think you set a trap for him.”

The muffled voice spoke from close behind them all.

“You are a smart boy. I did return!”

Everyone jumped, and turned towards the voice. There in the doorway stood the fake El Diablo! His masked face was as young and rigid as when he had captured Jupiter and Pete in the cave, and his left hand held the same pistol aimed at them all.

“Don’t move, boys,” Reston said quietly. “If this is Schmidt, he is a dangerous man.” The detective was eyeing his own pistol, which he had left on the table.

“Very wise advice,” the muffled voice rasped. “And it is indeed Schmidt.” The thief waved his pistol to indicate they were to move against the wall. “Don’t try for that pistol, Reston.”

Reston, the boys, and the two old men stood against the wall.

“You, the small boy, take that rope in the corner and tie up Reston. Quick!”

“Do it, Bob,” Reston said.

Swallowing hard, Bob got the rope and tied Reston’s hands and feet. Schmidt motioned him away and inspected Reston’s bonds. Satisfied, the bandit stepped back.

“Now you boys tie the old men,” the bandit ordered.

Jupiter and Bob tied Old Ben and Waldo. Then Bob tied Jupiter, and Schmidt himself tied up Bob. When they were all trussed up on the floor, the bandit stepped to the table and picked up the leather bag. His voice rasped mockingly.

“I must thank you for having the diamonds ready for me. You saved me all the trouble of digging them out after the earthquake. I’ve been watching them quite carefully, of course. I did not go to the trouble of stealing them to lose them that easily.” The bandit chuckled. “You boys were a bit stubborn and troublesome, but when I saw those scuba tanks I guessed what you were up to. I was a trifle nervous when I realized Reston was close behind me again, but it has all turned out fine.”

The jewel thief bowed mockingly to his trussed victims, and vanished from the cabin.

Jupiter groaned. “I should have guessed he would be watching us! When he captured us in the cave it was obvious he knew about the digging — we could hear it from where he caught us.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Jupiter,” Reston said. “You solved the entire case correctly. I should have realized myself that Schmidt was only using Old Ben and Waldo.”

“Well,” Bob said, “at least Jupe guessed right. The thief did return.”

Jupiter frowned, unsatisfied. “What good is solving a mystery if you can’t even see the villain’s face?” he asked. “He’ll get away, and we’ll never know what he looks like. And Mr. Reston will have to start all over — ”

Jupiter stopped in mid-sentence, his mouth open like a startled fish. He sat staring ahead as if in some kind of trance.

“Jupe?” Bob said.

“Jupiter,” Sam Reston said, “what is it?”

Jupiter blinked as if he had just come back into the room from a long trip. “We’ve got to get loose!” he cried, straining at his bonds. “We’ve got to hurry and go after him!”

Sam Reston shook his head gloomily. “He’s long gone by now, Jupiter. He wouldn’t stay around.”

“I don’t know,” Jupiter said.

“You don’t know what, Jupe?” asked Bob.

The sudden sound of horses’ hoofs outside the cabin prevented Jupiter’s reply. A moment later the outside door burst open, and a big man they had never seen before glared down at the five bound prisoners.

“What the devil is going on in here?” he boomed. “You boys should know better.”

Bob and Jupe looked up at the big man, and then grinned with relief.

Behind him they saw the familiar and friendly faces of Pete and Mrs. Dalton.

The big man proved to be the sheriff of Santa Carla County, and at first he was very angry with the boys for trying to solve the mystery alone.

“Three boys have no business chasing a dangerous jewel thief!” the sheriff thundered.

“Anything might have happened in that cave,” added Mrs. Dalton, “with all kinds of thieves and crazy men walking around! If Pete hadn’t spotted those question marks and realized you might have gone to Old Ben’s cabin, goodness knows how we would have found you!”

Bob looked a little bit sheepish, but Jupiter turned quickly to the sheriff. “We’re sorry, sir,” he said politely, “but we did nothing really dangerous in the cave. We were most unfortunately captured by the thief Mr. Reston is pursuing.”

Reston broke in. “That’s right, Sheriff. The boys had no way of knowing that there was a dangerous criminal in the cave. They thought they were merely solving the mystery of the moaning, and perhaps of a couple of eccentric but harmless old men. They had no idea of capturing a jewel thief until I came along. It was my idea to go after Old Ben and Waldo.”

“And that’s something I want to talk to you about later,” the sheriff growled at Reston. “But maybe you’re right. I guess the boys acted pretty responsibly all in all.”

“I’d say more responsibly than most adults,” Reston said. “And they seemed to have solved our mystery, even if the thief did get away.”

Mrs. Dalton smiled. “I’d say they have turned out to be pretty good investigators.”

“They did solve the case at that,” the sheriff went on. “It’s too bad the thief got away, but we’ll nab him yet.”

“Please, sir!” Jupiter cried.

Everyone stared at the First Investigator in surprise.

“I’m not sure the thief has got away yet,” Jupiter insisted eagerly, “or that he’s even trying to.”

“What do you mean, son?” asked the sheriff.

“Can you tell me where everyone else is, sir?” Jupiter asked quietly.

“Everyone else? You mean the people from the ranch? Why, they’re all out looking for you boys,” the sheriff said. “Dalton and his men are down on the beach, and Luke Hardin and Professor Walsh are with some other men on the far side of Devil Mountain.”

“Where were you going to meet later?” Jupiter asked.

“At the ranch house,” replied the sheriff.

“Then I suggest we all go to the ranch house quickly,” Jupiter said firmly.

The sheriff frowned. “Now see here, boy, if you have anything on your mind you better tell us.”

Jupiter shook his head. “There isn’t time, sir. It would take too long to explain, and we must catch him before he can dispose of the evidence.”

“Better listen to the boy, Sheriff,” Sam Reston advised. “I’ve learned from experience that he knows what he’s talking about.”

“All, right then,” the sheriff agreed. “Come on, boys, you can ride with us.”

Jupiter got up behind the sheriff on his horse, and Bob and Pete rode with two deputies who had been waiting outside on horseback. It was a wild ride across the rugged terrain. The boys hung on desperately, as they jounced and swayed along, unable to see where they were going.

But when they reached the house they saw no sign of life. There was only a dim light in the kitchen window.

“Well, son,” the sheriff said to Jupiter, who clung behind him, “who did you expect to find here?”

Jupiter bit his lip in the dark. “I’m sure he will come back. We must have beaten him here. He has to pretend to search for us for a while, at least. I suggest we all dismount and wait in the dark.”