by Энид Блайтон
"Oh, that reminds me," said Pip at once. "Old Clear-Orf said he was coming back tonight to have a look round the cat-house. I expect he wants to find some clues himself — clues that will point to poor old Luke, I suppose!"
"Well, I vote we go and have a look first," said Fatty at once, getting up.
"What, go over the wall now!" said Larry in surprise. "We'll get into trouble."
"We shan't," said Fatty. "We'll be gone long before Tupping and Clear-Orf get back. They'll be having a fine time telling poor old Luke's stepfather all about him."
"All right. Let's go now then," said Larry. "We might be able to find some sort of clue, though goodness knows what! Come on."
Buster was left behind; and this time he was put into the shed and locked up there, so that he wouldn't go rushing down Pip's drive and up Lady Candling's to find them!
They all climbed over the wall, Fatty giving Bets a helping hand. There didn't seem to be anyone about. The children made their way cautiously to the cat-house. The cats lay lazily on their benches, their blue eyes blinking at the children.
"Now," said Larry, "look for clues."
"What sort of clues?" whispered Bets.
"Don't know till we see some," said Larry. "Look on the ground — and all round about. See! this is where old Luke must have been working this afternoon."
The boy pointed to where a barrow stood half full of weeds. A spade was stuck in the ground. Luke's coat hung on a tree nearby.
"He was digging over that bed," said Fatty thoughtfully. "He couldn't have been working any nearer to the cat-house than that! He would have seen anyone coming or going to the cats, wouldn't he? He couldn't have helped it. The children went and stood where Luke had been working. They could see every cat from where they stood. It would surely have been impossible to take a cat out, and lock the door, without being seen by Luke.
And yet a cat had gone, and Luke swore he hadn't stolen her — so who in the wide world could have taken Dark Queen?
"Let's look all round the cat-house and see if the cat could have escaped by herself," said Larry suddenly.
"Good idea," said Fatty. So they walked all round the strongly-built wooden houses, which were set high on stout wooden legs, rather like modern hen-houses.
"There's absolutely nowhere that a cat could get out," said Pip. "Not a hole the size of a small mouse even! Dark Queen certainly couldn't have escaped. She was taken out by somebody. That's certain."
"I say — what's that?" Pip pointed to something that lay on the floor of the big cage in which all the cats lived. The children peered through the wire-netting at it.
There was a short silence. Then Fatty pursed up his lips, raised his eyebrows, and scratched his head.
"Blow!" he said. "I know what that is! It's one of those-cunning little whistles that Luke is always making for Bets."
It was. There it lay on the cage-floor, a most tiresome and shocking due. How could it have got there? Only one way — Luke must have been inside the cage and dropped the whistle. All the children felt suddenly puzzled and shocked.
"It wasn't Luke; it wasn't, it wasn't," said Bets, with tears in her voice. "We all know it wasn't."
"Yes. We all know it wasn't. And yet there in the cage is a whistle that only Luke could have dropped," said Fatty. "This is a very extraordinary mystery, I must say."
"Fatty, if Mr. Goon sees that whistle, will he say it's a proper proof that Luke was the thief?" asked Bets anxiously.
Fatty nodded. "Of course. It's a most enormous, unmistakable clue, Bets — to someone like Clear-Orf, who can't see farther than his nose."
"But it isn't a clue like that to you, is it, Fatty?" went on Bets, clutching his hand. "Oh, Fatty! you don't think Luke dropped it, do you?"
"I'll tell you what I think," said Fatty. "I think that somebody put it there so that Luke might be suspected. That's what I think."
"Golly! I think you're right!" said Larry. "This is getting very mysterious. I say, do you think we ought to leave this clue for Clear-Orf to see? After all, we're pretty certain it's a false clue, aren't we?"
"You're right," said Pip. "I vote we get the clue out, and take it away!"
The five children stared at the whistle lying on the floor. The cage was locked. The key was gone. How could they get the whistle out?
"We'll have to be quick," said Fatty desperately. "Clear-Orf may be back in a short while. For goodness' sake! how can we get that whistle out of the cage?"
Nobody knew. If the whistle had been a little nearer the wire-netting, the children might have got some wire or a stick and worked it near enough to take out. But it was at the back of the cage.
Then Fatty had one of his brain-waves. He picked up a small pebble and shot it into the cage, so that it rolled near the little whistle. One of the cats saw the pebble rolling and jumped down to play with it. She put out a paw and patted the pebble. Her paw touched the whistle and moved it She began to play with the wooden whistle too.
The children watched breathlessly. The cat sent the pebble rolling away and went after it. Then she came back to the whistle and looked hard at it, as if she expected it to move.
Then out went her paw again and she gave the whistle a push. It rolled over and over and the cat was delighted. She picked the whistle up cleverly in her two front paws, juggled with it a little, then let it drop. She struck it with her paw, and it flew through the air, landing quite near to the wire netting.
"Oh, good, good, good!" said Fatty joyfully. He took a small roll of wire from his pocket. It was wonderful the things that Fatty kept in his pockets. He undid a length of the wire, twisted two pieces together, and made a small loop at one end. Then he pushed the wire through one of the holes in the netting.
Everyone watched eagerly. The wire reached the whistle. Fatty jiggled it about patiently, trying to fit the loop at the end over the whistle. The cat that had played with the whistle watched with great interest. Then suddenly it put out a playful paw and patted the wire, sending the loop neatly over the whistle!
"Oh, thanks, puss!" said Fatty gleefully, and drew the whistle carefully to the wire-netting. He jerked it up, and the whistle flew through one of the holes and landed at Bets' feet She picked it up.
"Got it!" said Fatty. "Let's have a look at it. Yes, it's one of Luke's all right. What a good thing we got it out. Now that clue won't be found by old Clear-Orf! Luke won't get into further trouble because of that!"
"You really are clever, Fatty," said Bets, in the greatest admiration.
"Good work, Fatty," said Pip.
Fatty at once swelled up with pride and importance. "Oh, that's nothing," he began. "I've often had better ideas than this. Why, once..."
"Shut up!" said Larry, Daisy, and Pip together. Fatty shut up. He stuffed the whistle into his pocket.
"Look about for any more clues," said Pip. "There might be some more in the cage."
The five of them pressed their noses once more to the cage netting. Bets wrinkled up her nose.
"I don't like the smell in the cage," she said.
"Well, animals never smell very nice when they are caged," said Larry.
"No, it's another smell," said Bets. "Like petrol or something."
The all sniffed. "She means turpentine," said Fatty. "I can smell it too — quite faintly. Afraid that's not a due though, Bets. Still, it's good to notice even a smell. Perhaps Miss Harmer uses turps to clean out the cage. Now — any other clue, anybody?"
But there really did not seem to be anything at all to be found, although the children hunted around the cages and peered inside them time and again.
"Sickening," said Fatty. "Nothing to help us at all. Not a thing. Well, it's a jolly good thing we found that whistle before Tupping or Clear-Orf spotted it. I feel certain somebody put it there so that Luke might be suspected of stealing the cat. What a mean trick to play!"
"I wish we could put a whole lot of dues in the cage so that it would muddle up old Clear-Orf," said Pip.
> The others stared at him in delight, the same delicious thought striking them all at the same moment
"Golly, what a marvellous idea!" said Fatty, wishing he had thought of it himself.
"Yes; let's do it!" said Larry excitedly. "Let's put all kinds of silly dues, that couldn't possibly point to Luke. It will give old Clear-Orf a most frightful headache sorting them all out!"
They all began to giggle. What should they push into the cage?
"I've got some peppermint drops," said Pip, with a chuckle. "I'll chuck one into the cage."
"And I'll put a piece of my hair-ribbon in," said Daisy. "It tore in half today and I've got the bits in my pocket I'll put a half-bit in through the wire!"
"And I've got some blue buttons off my doll's coat," said Bets. "I'll put one of those in!"
"I believe I've got a new pair of brown shoe-laces somewhere in my pocket," said Larry, digging about in his shorts pockets. "Yes, here they are. I'll put one into the cage."
"What will you put in, Fatty?" asked Bets.
Fatty produced a collection of cigar-ends out of his pocket. The others stared at them in amazement.
"What do you want to collect cigar-ends for?" asked Larry at last.
"I smoke them," said Fatty. "They're the ends of the cigars my father smokes. He leaves them on the ash-tray in his bedroom."
"You don't smoke them!" said Pip disbelievingly. "You're just saying that to swank as usual. You just take them to make yourself smell of grown-up cigar-smoke, that's all. I often wondered why you smelt like that."
This was rather too near the truth for Fatty's liking. He pretended not to hear what Pip said. "I shall throw a cigar-end under the cage — on the ground," he said, "and one inside the cage — though I hope none of the cats will chew it and get ill. Two cigar-ends will just about send old Clear-Orf off his head."
Very solemnly the five children spread their "dues." Pip threw a large round peppermint drop into the cage, where the cats eyed it with displeasure. They evidently disapproved of the smell.
Daisy stuffed half a bit of rather grubby blue hair-ribbon into the netting. Bets put in a small blue button. Larry pushed in one of his new brown shoe-laces — and Fatty threw a cigar-end under the cage and one inside as well!
"There," he said, "plenty of clues for old Clear-Orf to find! Hope he comes soon."
Mr. Goon on the Job
"I say," said Daisy suddenly, watching her hair-ribbon flap on the floor of the cage, in a little draught from under the door. "I say, I hope no one will think I've stolen the cat! Mother would know that was a piece of my hair-ribbon if ever she saw it"
"Oh, crumbs! I never thought of that," said Pip.
"It's all right," said Fatty. "I've got a big envelope here — see? Now then, let's each put into the envelope the same thing that we've already settled for dues. I'll put in two cigar-ends, to match the ones I've left. Daisy, put in your other half of ribbon."
Daisy did so. Then Bets put in one of the blue doll's buttons, Larry put in the other shoe-lace, and Pip put in a peppermint drop.
Fatty folded up the envelope carefully and put it into his pocket. "If any of us is accused of the theft, because of the clues we've put in the cage, we've only got to show them what's in this envelope for them to know we did it for a joke," he said.
A bell rang out in Pip's house, and Bets gave a groan. "That's my bed-time bell. Blow! I don't want to go."
"You must," said Pip. "You got into a row yesterday for being late. Oh dear, I do wish we could stay here and see old Clear-Orf and Tupping finding the dues we've left!"
"Well, let's," said Larry.
"Oh, me too!" wailed Bets, afraid of being left out again. Pip give her a push.
"Bets, you must go! There's your bell again."
"Well, it's your bell too — it means you've got to come in and wash and change into your suit for supper-time," said Bets. "You know it does."
Pip did know it. Larry gave a sigh. He knew that he and Daisy ought to go home too. They had farther to go than Pip and Bets.
"We'll have to go too," said Larry. "Fatty, I suppose you couldn't possibly stay and watch, could you? It really would be funny to see. Why don't you stay? Your mother and father don't bother about you much, do they? You seem to go home or go out just whenever you like."
"All right, I'll stay here and watch," said Fatty. "I think I'll climb that tree there. It's easy to climb, and the leaves are nice and thick. I can see everything well from up there, and not be seen myself."
"Well, come on then, Bets," said Pip, not at all wanting to go. Fatty was going to have all the fun.
Then there came the sound of men's voices up the garden, and the children looked at one another at once.
"It's Tupping and Clear-Orf coming back," whispered Larry. "Over the wall, quick!"
"Good-bye, Fatty, see you tomorrow sometime," said Pip in a low voice. The four ran quietly to the wall. Pip gave Bets a leg-up, and got her safely over. The others were soon safely on the other side. Fatty was left by himself. He shinned up the tree very quickly, considering his plumpness.
Fatty sat on a broad bough, and carefully parted the leaves so that he could see what was going on down below. He saw Mr. Tupping coming towards the cat-house with Clear-Orf.
"Well now," Clear-Orf said, "we'll just have a look-round, Mr. Tupping. You never know when there's clues about, you know. Ah, many a clue I've found that's led me straight to the criminal."
"Ah!" said Mr. Tupping wisely, "I believe you, Mr. Goon. Well, I shouldn't be surprised if that boy Luke hasn't left something behind. He may be clever enough to steal a valuable cat, but he wouldn't be clever enough to hide his tracks."
The two men began to hunt carefully round and about the cat-house. The Siamese cats watched them out of brilliant blue eyes. They could not imagine why so many people came to their shed that day. Fatty looked down at the hunters, carefully peering between the leaves.
Mr. Goon found the cigar-end under the cat-house first. He pounced on it swiftly and held it up.
"What's that?" asked Mr. Tupping in astonishment.
"Cigar-end," said Mr. Goon with great satisfaction. Then he looked puzzled and tilted back his helmet to scratch his head. "Does that boy Luke smoke cigars?" he asked.
"Don't be silly," said Mr. Tupping impatiently. " 'Course not. That's not a clue. Somebody who came with Lady Candling to see her cats must have chucked his cigar-end away under the house. That's all."
"Hmmm!" said Mr. Goon, not at all wanting to dismiss the cigar-end like that. "Well, I'll have to think about that."
Fatty giggled to himself. The two men went on searching. Mr. Tupping straightened himself up at last.
"Don't seem nothing else to be found," he said. "I suppose there wouldn't be anything in the cat-house to see, do you think?"
Mr. Goon looked doubtful. "Shouldn't think so," he said. "But we might look. Got the key, Mr. Tupping?"
Mr. Tupping took the key down from a nail at the back of the cat-house. But before he had unlocked the door Mr. Goon gave a loud exclamation. He had looked through the wire-netting of the cat-house and had seen various things on the floor that caused him great excitement. Why, the place seemed alive with clues I
"What's up?" asked Mr. Tupping.
"Coo! Look here! See that shoe-lace there?" said Mr. Goon, pointing. "That's a whopping big due, that is. Somebody's been in there and lost his shoe-lace!"
Mr. Tupping stared at the shoe-lace in the greatest astonishment. Then he saw the blue button — and the hair-ribbon. He gave a gasp of surprise. He inserted the key in the lock and opened the door.
The two men collected the "clues" from the cat-house. They brought them out to look at them.
"Whoever went in there wore shoes with brown laces, that's certain," said Mr. Goon with great satisfaction. "And look at that there button — that's come off somebody's coat, that has."
"What's this?" asked Mr. Tupping, showing Mr. Goon Pip's peppermint drop. Mr. Goon snif
fed at it
"Peppermint!" he said. "Now, does that boy Luke suck peppermints?"
"I expect so," said Mr. Tupping. "Most boys eat sweets. But Luke don't wear a hair-ribbon, Mr. Goon. And look, there's another cigar-end — like the one you found under the house."
Mr. Goon soon lost his excitement over his finds, and became puzzled. He gazed at his clues in silence.
"Judging by these here clues, the thief ought by rights to be someone that smokes cigars, wears blue hair-ribbons and blue buttons, sucks peppermint drops, and has brown laces in his shoes," he said. "It don't make sense."
Fatty was trying his hardest not to giggle out aloud. It was so funny seeing Mr. Goon and Mr. Tupping puzzle their heads over all the clues that the children had so carefully left for them to find. Mr. Goon cautiously licked the peppermint drop.
"Yes; it's peppermint right enough," he said. "Well, this is a fair puzzler — finding all these dues, and nobody we can fit them to, so to speak. You finding anything else, Mr. Tupping?"
Mr. Tupping had gone into the cat-house, and was looking all round it again very, very carefully.
"Just looking to see if there's any clue we've overlooked," he said. But he couldn't seem to find anything else, however hard he hunted. He came out again, looking rather untidy and cross.
"Well, there don't seem much else to be found," he said, sounding very disappointed. "I'm sure you'll find it's that boy Luke, Mr. Goon, that's the thief. These clues can't be clues — just things that got into the cage by accident."
"Well, a peppermint drop seems a funny sort of thing to get into the cage by accident," said Mr. Goon grumpily. "I'll have to take all these things home and think about them."
Fatty chuckled deep down in himself as he watched Mr. Goon put his "clues" into a clean white envelope, lick it up, write something on it, and put it carefully into his pocket. He turned to Mr. Tupping.
"Well, so long!" he said. "Thanks for your help. It's that boy Luke, no doubt about it. I've told him I'll go along and give him a thorough questioning tomorrow, and if I don't force a confession out of him, my name's not Theophilus Goon!"
