Эрл Гарднер - The Case of the Musical Cow

“And then for some reason Ostrander lost his nerve. He never did go through with it, and when he began to realise he was being investigated on shipboard, he was so afraid the holes he had drilled in the clappers of the cowbells would be discovered, that he dumped the whole shipment overboard. All except four bells which Miss Carroll asked for and received, bells which he could not very well refrain from giving her, and which because they were in her baggage passed unchecked through Customs.”

Rob Trenton thought that over. “And the capsules?” he asked.

Dr. Dixon smiled. “As I told you the capsules were taken by the Customs and given to Harvey Richmond. Then they seemed to disappear. No one knew what had happened to them. They weren’t among his personal effects. Then we thought of the obvious, and I’m free to confess our faces were a little red.”

“What was the obvious?” Rob asked.

“He’d sent them to a chemist to have them analyzed. We found them in the chemist’s laboratory. It might interest you to know their contents.”

“Bicarbonate of soda, pepsin and a little peppermint,” Dr. Dixon said dryly.

Lieutenant Tyler turned to Linda Carroll. “I think we had better start, Miss Carroll. You can ride in with us and...”

Dr. Dixon interrupted. “I hope you’ll pardon me if I make another suggestion, Lieutenant. Rob Trenton has a car here. If it’s all the same with you, Miss Carroll might ride in with Trenton and they can go over the past events in the light of their present knowledge. I feel certain that if this is done each will help the other to recall some bit of evidence which may be significant.”

Lieutenant Tyler hesitated.

“I’ll take the responsibility,” Dr. Dixon added.

The Lieutenant nodded. “All right, go ahead.”

Rob Trenton, using his little flashlight, piloted Linda Carroll along the path at the edge of the pasture, down through the trees, towards the place where he had left his automobile.

The night was calm and silent. There was no breath of wind, no faintest cloud. The stars blazed down with steady brilliance.

Linda Carroll put her hand on Rob’s arm. “Don’t be in too big a rush, Rob,” she said. “There’s something so majestic about the night. Oh, Rob, I’ve always loved this place.”

“And that, I suppose,” Rob said, “was why you wanted the four cowbells.”

“Of course. I came out here, put the bells on the cows, the first thing I did after getting unpacked. Listen!”

Some night noise startled the sleeping cattle. A deep, musical cowbell broke the silence, followed almost immediately by the other bells. For a moment they sounded in rapid, mixed cadences as the animals ran from whatever it was that had alarmed them. Then, as they settled down once more, the bells came in a slow rhythm of musical harmony.

“It’s like Switzerland,” she said softly. “Oh, Rob, how I wish we were back there, and that all this that has happened could just be a nightmare.”

“I wish so, too,” Rob said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. I presume the information about Merton Ostrander came as a terrific shock to you.”

“Oh, in a way,” she said. “But in another way I had him sized up all the time.”

“You did!” Rob exclaimed in surprise. “I... why, I thought you liked him.”

“I do like him,” she said, smiling, “but the reason I liked him was because he drew you out. He started you talking, Rob. I love to listen to you. Merton knew the country and the people and he was very observing, but... well, you knew more of the underlying philosophy of people and of life. But if it hadn’t been for Merton to sort of start you going, you’d have just sat there and soaked up the scenery.”

Rob Trenton thought that over. Then he took Linda’s arm and piloted her to the automobile.

“Dr. Dixon,” he said firmly, “wanted us to compare notes. I’m quite certain there’s no great rush about our getting back and since you like it here, we may as well... I’m quite certain Dr. Dixon wants us to canvass the entire situation.”

“Yes,” she said demurely. “He seemed most... most...”

“Helpful,” Rob said.