The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon - West Nick - Страница 6

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“Could be,” Mr. Shelby said. “I don’t have much to do with my neighbours here but I heard the report on the news. Allen’s been away and I wasn’t even aware he had come back until I heard Red Rover was missing, too. I hope you find him.”

“That’s our job,” Jupiter said. “But we can use some information. I thought talking to some of Mr. Allen’s neighbours would help. We’ve just been across the street to speak to Mr. Carter. Do you know him?”

Shelby laughed. “Who doesn’t round here? I’ve got the red hair but Carter has the temper. I suppose he let you see his shotgun?”

Jupiter shrugged. “He tried to frighten us off. Fortunately, he had the safety catch on when he threatened us. He said dogs round here have been trespassing on his property. He made it clear he hates dogs.”

Shelby grinned. “Carter hates everything and everybody.”

“You scare people off in a different way,” Pete said suddenly. “What’s the idea of all those tricks you’ve got set up round your house?”

The red-haired man glanced at Pete, amused. “I wondered when you’d get round to me. I don’t hate people so much as I hate to be bothered by them. I’ve worked out a few ways to keep the pedlars and daily nuisances away. Scared you, did I?”

“You can say that again,” Pete muttered.

Shelby laughed again. “My background is engineering. I’m an amateur inventor It’s fun for me to rig up these gadgets. But nobody gets hurt.”

He glanced at his watch. “Now, how can I help you boys?”

“About the missing dogs,” Jupiter said, “do you have any ideas that might help us?”

Their host shook his head. “Sorry. All I know is they’ve been reported missing. You’d do better speaking to the owners.”

“The only one we’ve spoken to is Mr. Allen next door,” Jupiter said. “He gave us a clue but it’s kind of hard to believe.”

“Oh?” The red-haired man’s bushy eyebrows flew onward. “What was that?”

Jupiter pursed his lips, frowning. “The trouble is, I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you about it.”

“Why not?” Shelby demanded.

“I think maybe Mr. Allen might be embarrassed if word of it got about,” Jupiter said. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shelby.”

The tall man shrugged. “I guess you’ve got to act like a lawyer in these matters. Protect your client’s confidences. Something like that?”

Jupiter nodded. “And yet, it’s odd. You live next to him. It doesn’t seem likely that he saw something mysterious round here that you didn’t see.”

Mr. Shelby grinned. “You seem to have a pretty good vocabulary. Seems to me you could talk a lot clearer, if you wanted to.”

“You’re not kidding,” Pete said, impatiently. “What Jupe is trying not to say is that Mr. Allen saw a dragon come out of the ocean the other night.”

“You shouldn’t have said that, Pete,” Jupiter said. “We have to keep what our clients tell us in confidence.”

“Sorry,” Pete muttered. “I guess I get too nervous just thinking about it.”

“A dragon?” Mr. Shelby said. “Is that what Allen claims he saw?”

Jupiter hesitated. Then he shrugged. “Well, it’s out now. I guess he was afraid people would think he was losing his mind if he talked about seeing a dragon. But that’s what he claims he saw.”

Mr. Shelby was shaking his head. “Impossible.”

“He said he heard it, too,” Bob said. “That is, when it entered the cave under his house.”

Jupiter blew out his cheeks. “Well, I guess we just don’t keep any secrets at all, Mr. Shelby. But if there really is a dragon, or something dangerous like that down there, you ought to know about it, too. I mean, in case you go down there at times.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Mr. Shelby said. “But I rarely go down to the beach. I’m not much of a swimmer, you see. And as for the caves, I learned long ago not to go into them. They’re dangerous.”

“What makes them dangerous?” Bob asked.

Mr. Shelby smiled. “They were dangerous before there was any talk of a dragon in them. Landslides are common here along the coast. You could be buried alive.”

“I heard they were used by smugglers and rum-runners,” Jupiter said.

Shelby nodded. “That was a long time ago. As for the landslides, just take a walk along the cliff. You’ll see how the earth has slipped. Sometimes a house goes down with it.”

He looked intently at the boys, his eyes shining. “I know how it is being young. I suppose if I were your age again, and heard a wild story about a dragon, I might be tempted to go down and take a look myself. If you do, remember, those caves are very dangerous.”

“Thanks, Mr. Shelby,” Jupiter said, “Then in your opinion, there’s nothing to Mr. Allen’s dragon?”

Shelby smiled. “What do you think?”

Jupiter threw up his hands. “Well — ”

Mr. Shelby laughed again.

“Well,” Jupiter said, “thanks a lot for talking to us. Maybe we’ll find out exactly what he did see.”

“I hope so,” Mr. Shelby said. “I know Allen’s made a lot of horror films in his time. Maybe he has a friend or enemy who’s playing a practical joke on him.”

“That’s possible,” Jupiter admitted.

“Sometimes people will go to extremes in a case like that. Sorry I can’t help you boys. I’ll see you out now.”

He led them to the door and opened it. As they filed out, he stopped Jupiter, offering his hand. “Good luck, son.”

Jupiter took the hand extended to him. “Thank you, sir.”

The door closed softly behind him.

Then he stared down openmouthed, a shiver running through him.

Mr. Shelby’s right hand had come off, and Jupiter was holding it in his own!

“Ulp!” Jupiter stared, horrified, at Mr. Shelby’s hand. It was flesh-coloured and looked real. It even felt real!

It was too much for even level-headed Jupiter. He gasped and dropped it.

The other investigators heard his cry and turned.

“Yipes! What’s that?” cried Pete.

“Whiskers!” Bob said, looking closer.

“It’s a hand!” Jupiter found his voice. “It’s Mr. S-Shelby’s. It c-came off when we were shaking hands!”“What?” Pete asked.

“It came off,” Jupiter repeated dully. “I don’t know how.”

Loud laughter came from inside the house. It was followed by strangling, coughing sounds.

Jupiter flushed. “My fault, guys. I forgot what a practical joker Mr. Shelby is.”

He picked up the hand gingerly and held it out to Bob and Pete. Pete shook his head, and Bob took it. “It even feels real,” Bob said. “Maybe Mr. Shelby wears an artificial arm, and his hand just happened to come off accidentally when you shook hands.”

Jupiter shook his head. “You heard him laughing a moment ago. No, it’s just another one of his practical jokes. That’s all. He’s got a funny way of scaring people.”

“Yeah,” Pete said sarcastically. “Very funny. Let’s get out of here before he thinks of something else.”

Bob tossed the fake hand away. The boys turned and raced down the walk.

Avoiding Mr. Shelby’s portcullis, the boys zigzagged the path. They slowed down as they approached the closed metal gate.

It swung open noiselessly, as before, and The Three Investigators hurried through.

“He’s a good sport anyway,” Bob said, as they ran the street. “At least he didn’t have his gate bite us on the way out.”

“Keep going,” Pete muttered. “I’ll thank him when I’m far enough away.”

Finally they slowed and came to a breathless halt.

“Now what do we do?” Bob asked. “Wait for Hans to pick us up?”

“I move that we keep running all the way back to Rocky Beach,” Pete said. “What’s twenty miles when you consider how much safer it is there?”

Jupiter plucked at his lower lip. He glanced at his wrist watch. “There’s still a little time. How do you fellows feel about taking a quick look at that cave down below, before we go home?”

Pete looked towards the cliff ridge. “You mean the one the dragon’s supposed to have gone into? I’ll give you my vote in two words, Jupe. Forget it.”

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