Encyclopedia Brown sets the pace

by Sobol, Donald J. , 1924-

  This book made available by the Internet Archive.

  THE CASE

  OF THE

  SUPERMARKET

  SHOPPER

  IN EVERY CITY AND TOWN ACROSS America, crime was a serious problem. Except in Idaville.

  There the forces of law and order were in control. Crooks knew better than to try anything. If they did, they were certain to be caught. No one, child or grownup, got away with breaking the law in Idaville.

  How did Idaville do it?

  Only three persons knew, and they weren't telling.

  ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN SETS THE PACE

  Apart from doing in crooks, Idaville was like most seaside towns. It had lovely beaches, three movie theaters, and two delicatessens. It had churches, a synagogue, and four banks.

  The chief of police was Mr. Brown. People called him a genius, but he knew better.

  True, he was an excellent police chief, and his officers were honest and brave. But the real genius behind the town's war on crime was Chief Brown's only child, ten-year-old Encyclopedia—America's Sherlock Holmes in sneakers.

  Whenever Chief Brown came up against a mystery he could not solve, he took the proper action. He drove home. At the dinner table, he went over the facts with Encyclopedia. Before dessert. Encyclopedia had the case solved.

  Chief Brown wanted the President to proclaim Encyclopedia a national resource. He hated keeping his son undercover. But whom could he tell?

  Who would believe him?

  Who would believe that the mastermind behind Idaville's amazing police record was still outgrowing his pants?

  So Chief Brown said not a word to anyone, and neither, of course, did Mrs. Brown.

  For his part, Encyclopedia never mentioned

  The Case of the Supermarket Shopper

  the help he gave his father. He didn't want to seem better than other fifth graders.

  But there was nothing he could do about his nickname. No one except his parents and his teachers called him by his real name, Leroy. Everyone else called him Encyclopedia.

  An encyclopedia is a book or set of books filled with facts from A to Z. So was Encyclopedia's head. He had read more books than anyone in Idaville. His pals claimed he was more fun than a library. They could take him on fishing trips.

  At the dinner table Saturday evening, Chief Brown picked at his roast beef. Encyclopedia and his mother waited. They knew the sign. A case had him baffled.

  At last Chief Brown put down his fork. ''A painting by Ignazio Saracco was stolen Friday night from the home of William Quinn."

  Encyclopedia let out a whistle. Ignazio Saracco was a minor fifteenth-century artist. Even so, any painting by him was worth thousands of dollars today.

  "Why not go over the case with Leroy, dear?" Mrs. Brown suggested quietly. "He's never failed you."

  Chief Brown sighed heavily. "All right, but I don't have a single clue." He put down his

  ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN SETS THE PACE

  fork and told Encyclopedia everything he had learned about the theft of the painting.

  Mr. Quinn lived in a small house on Sun-crest Drive. The Saracco painting had hung over the fireplace for tw^enty years. Friday morning Mrs. Quinn had left for Glenn City to visit her mother, leaving Mr. Quinn alone. In the afternoon, he had invited three friends— Edgar Trad, Tom Houser, and Murray Finkel-stein—to come over and play checkers.

  They played for three hours. Then, at six o'clock, Mr. Quinn called a halt. He had to go to Morey's Supermarket on Clearview Avenue, a five-minute drive away. His wife had asked him to buy four rolls of paper towels before she returned home.

  'Tve shopped at that supermarket," Mrs. Brown interrupted. ''It's so hard to pay, unless you use the speed checkout counter. But then you must have no more than ten purchases."

  "I remember your complaining about the crowds," said Chief Brown. "You quit shopping there because the lines at the five regular checkout counters were so long."

  "They ought to put in two more speed counters," Mrs. Brown said wistfully.

  Chief Brown nodded sympathetically and went on with the case.

  Mr. Quinn's three friends had asked him to

  The Case of the Supermarket Shopper

  buy small items for them while he was at the supermarket. Mr. Finkelstein wanted two loaves of rye bread, Mr. Houser wanted four tubes of Gladbrim toothpaste, and Mr. Trad wanted a brown whisk broom.

  Mr. Quinn agreed to shop for them. Since they lived on the same block, it was no bother.

  ''While he was at the supermarket, one of the three might have sneaked back into the house," said Mrs. Brown.

  "Possibly," rephed Chief Brown. "The house was empty for an hour. The back door had been forced and the painting was missing when he returned from the supermarket."

  "Do his friends have alibis?" Mrs. Brown asked.

  "Each of them can account for his time while Mr. Quinn was shopping," answered Chief Brown. "Mr. Finkelstein said he was alone in his garage repairing a rake. Mr. Houser said he was in his backyard tending his flowers. Mr. Trad said he spent about an hour reading in his study. None of them, however, has a witness."

  "Then one of them must be the thief," asserted Mrs. Brown. "They were the only ones who knew that Mr. Quinn was at the supermarket!"

  "Not so," Chief Brown replied. "Any num-

  The Case of the Supermarket Shopper

  ber of people may have noticed Mr. Quinn driving from his house. And others who knew him might have seen him at the supermarket."

  Chief Brown leaned back in his chair. "Besides/' he continued, "Mr. Quinn told me that he greeted two friends by the soup shelves. They were Winnie Dowling, who lives next door, and Clyde Dennison, who lives two blocks away. Put them on the list of suspects."

  "But don't forget, dear," said Mrs. Brown, "only Mr. Trad, Mr. Finkelstein, and Mr. Houser knew that Mrs. Quinn was in Glenn City for the day. Only they knew that the house would be empty while Mr. Quinn shopped."

  "Not so, again," disagreed Chief Brown. "Mrs. Quinn goes to visit her mother every Friday morning. She always returns about the same hour, ten o'clock at night. I expect many people are familiar with her trips."

  "Then anyone in the neighborhood could be the thief," Mrs. Brown said hopelessly.

  "And anyone who was in the supermarket Friday evening," added Chief Brown.

  Mrs. Brown seemed ready to give up. She looked at Encyclopedia for help. With so little to work on, could he solve the mystery?

  The boy detective had closed his eyes. He

  ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN SETS THE PACE

  always closed his eyes when he did his deepest thinking.

  Suddenly his eyes opened. He asked one question. Usually he needed but one question to solve the most puzzling case.

  'In what order, Dad, did the three friends ask Mr. Quinn to shop for them at the supermarket?"

  Chief Brown drew a small notebook from his breast pocket. He flipped the pages. "Here it is. ... Mr. Trad asked first, then Mr. Fin-kelstein, and then Mr. Houser."

  Never before had Mrs. Brown appeared disappointed in Encyclopedia's question. She was disappointed now, however.

  "How can the order be important, Leroy?" she asked. "You can't accuse one of the three men because he wanted Mr. Quinn to do a bit of shopping for him. Why, I shop for friends frequently."

  "But no one robbed our house. Mom," replied Encyclopedia. "The key to the theft of the painting is what Mr. Quinn did at the supermarket."

  Chief Brown leaned forward in his chair, suddenly alert and interested.

  "Leroy," he said, "if I had a suspect ... I could put a round-the-clock tail on him. He'd
/>
  The Case of the Supermarket Shopper

  be bound to lead us to the painting sooner or later."

  ''He wouldn't have had time to sell the painting/' said Encyclopedia. "It's probably still in his house."

  "For heaven's sake, Leroy, who is it?" exclaimed Mrs. Brown.

  Encyclopedia finished buttering a roll. "The house to search belongs to—"

  WHO WAS THE THIEF?

  (Turn to page 80 for the solution to 'The Case of the Supermarket Shopper/')

  THE CASE

  OF THE

  DINOSAUR

  HUNTER

  THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, ENCYCLO-pedia solved cases for his father at the dinner table. During the summer, he helped the children of the neighborhood, as well. When school let out, he opened a detective agency in the garage. Every morning he hung out his sign.

  BROWN DETECTIVE AGENCY

  13 Rover Avenue

  Leroy Brown, President

  No Case Too Small 25(t Per Day Plus Expenses

  ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN SETS THE PACE

  The first customer on Monday was Garth Pouncey. He was seven.

  "Have you seen any dinosaurs around here?" he asked.

  ''Not for sixty-five million years/' replied Encyclopedia.

  Garth's face fell. "I think Bugs Meany put one over on me/' he said.

  ''Oh, no. Not Bugs again/' Encyclopedia said, groaning.

  Bugs Meany was the leader of a gang of tough older boys. They called themselves the Tigers. They should have called themselves the Razors. They were always getting into scrapes.

  Garth said, "If there are no dinosaurs around, then this dinosaur-hunting license Bugs sold me is as phony as pig feathers."

  He handed Encyclopedia an important-looking sheet with a drawing of a Tyranno-saurus and a lot of words.

  Encyclopedia read: " 'SPECIAL PERMIT. This license entitles the holder to pursue, shoot, kill, and remove any of the following dinosaurs.' " The dinosaurs that could be hunted lawfully were listed in two columns.

  "Bugs said I could hunt one dinosaur from column A and three from column B, unless

  The Case of the Dinosaur Hunter

  they were with young/' Garth said. "Fd have to clean a dead dinosaur within four days and have it approved by him."

  "He told you he was Idaville's game warden for dinosaurs/' guessed Encyclopedia.

  Garth nodded. "You sure know Bugs."

  "I've had to stop his fast deals before/' Encyclopedia said. He tapped the sheet. "You can get one of these fun licenses for nothing by writing to a place in Utah."

  Garth wailed. "I promised to pay Bugs three dollars for it on Monday!" He laid twenty-five cents on the gasoline can beside the detective. "Can I hire you to get me out of this mess?"

  "Tell me how you got into it/' Encyclopedia said.

  Garth explained. Three hours ago he had hiked to Mill Pond to swim. As he crossed the little bridge there, his front wheel struck a rut, and he tumbled against Bugs.

  "Bugs's towel dropped into the water, and he got awful mad," Garth said. "So I lent him my towel for the day."

  "Nice thinking," approved Encyclopedia.

  "Bugs said I was so nice that he'd do me a big favor," said Garth. "He'd sell me a dinosaur-hunting license, and I could pay him on Monday. I grabbed the license and lit out be-

  ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN SETS THE PACE

  fore he changed his mind and pitched me after his towel."

  'Til take the case/' Encyclopedia said. "I think I can talk Bugs into forgetting about the three dollars. The license is an out-and-out

  gyp."

  "Get back my towel, too/' Garth urged. "I pulled it from the dryer as Mom was unloading the machine this morning. If I tell Mom I lost it, shell have a fit."

  The Tigers' clubhouse was an unused toolshed behind Mr. Sweeney's Auto Body Shop. As Encyclopedia approached with Garth, he saw a towel hanging from a branch near the front door.

  "That looks like my towel," Garth said. "What if Bugs won't return it?"

  "We'll have to prove it's yours," Encyclopedia replied.

  Garth moaned. "How? It's a plain white towel."

  Their voices brought Bugs to the door of the clubhouse. "You should wear a hat," he growled at Encyclopedia, "so I know that strange growth on your neck is your head."

  The detective was used to Bugs's warm and friendly greetings. "We've come to return your worthless dinosaur-hunting license and get

  The Case of the Dinosaur Hunter

  back Garth's towel/' he said.

  "Take your mouth south," snapped Bugs. "This Uttle kid owes me three dollars. The license doesn't guarantee big game, just the right to hunt. And the towel stays."

  Garth bit his thumbnail nervously.

  Bugs sneered at him. "I've got a cure for fingernail biters." He held up a fist. "I knock out their teeth."

  "Time to leave," whispered Garth. "I'd like to avoid unnecessary surgery."

  "Not until Bugs agrees to take back the license and return your towel," insisted Encyclopedia.

  "That's my towel," Bugs declared. "It fell into Mill Pond this morning, and I hung it out to dry. I never even had a chance to use it."

  "Garth bumped your towel into the pond by accident," Encyclopedia said. "A lot of kids must have seen it happen."

  Bugs's lips moved in a cocky grin.

  Garth said lamely, "No one else was around but two of his Tigers. . . . Wait! There were some soap flakes on top of Mom's dryer. There may be some in the towel!"

  Encyclopedia felt the soft, fluffy white towel, searching for soap flakes. There were none.

  Bugs's grin widened. "Go on, Mr. Brains,

  ^%rk9^^^'''^ii^

  The Case of the Dinosaur Hunter

  prove that isn't my towel. Ill take back the hunting license, and he can have the towel. If you can't prove it, Tm going to start dealing out lumps!"

  "Save the tough-guy talk. Bugs," Encyclopedia advised. "I can prove you're lying."

  HOW?

  (Turn to page 81 for the solution to 'The Case of the Dinosaur Hunter/')

  THE CASE

  OF THE

  USED

  FIRECRACKERS

  BUGS MEANY'S HEART BEAT WITH A great desire. It was to get even with Encyclopedia.

  Bugs hated being outsmarted all the time. He longed to help the boy detective turn things over in his mind by knocking him head over heels.

  But Bugs never threw a punch. Whenever he felt the urge, he remembered Sally Kimball.

  Sally was the prettiest girl in the fifth

  ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN SETS THE PACE

  grade and the best athlete. Moreover, she had proved she could tame the toughest Tiger!

  When they had fought last, Sally had put knuckle-dents in Bugs's hide. She had left him lying on his back, stunned and moaning, ''Deal the cards."

  Since Sally joined the Brown Detective Agency as a junior partner. Bugs had quit trying to rough up Encyclopedia. He continued to plan his revenge, however—on both of them.

  "You'd better watch out for Bugs," Encyclopedia warned Sally. "He hates you as much as he hates me."

  Sally agreed. "If Bugs were voted the Man of the Hour, we'd still have to watch him every minute."

  "Speaking of time, we're due out at the old cattle range in thirty minutes," Encyclopedia said.

  As they hiked to the range. Encyclopedia spoke about the mysterious telephone call he had received last night.

  "The caller said to meet him at the range at ten this morning—by the third telephone pole from the left side of the road," Encyclopedia said. "He hinted that the case was important and he'd pay extra."

  The Case of the Used Firecrackers

  "Didn't he say what the case was about?" asked Sally.

  "He said he'd tell us when we got there."

  "Strange. . . . Did you recognize his voice?"

  "No," answered Encyclopedia. "It sounded like he was putting on a fake accent. Well just have to be careful."

  The o
ld cattle range was five hundred acres of unused land. There was nothing on it but a row of telephone poles, trees, underbrush, snakes, and birds.

  Encyclopedia and Sally left the paved road. They followed a dirt one that wandered this way and that, its destination lost in the wilderness. After several hundred yards, it turned under the telephone wires.

  The detectives leaned their bikes against a palmetto palm. The third telephone pole on their left stood in a small clearing.

  "There's no one here," Sally said uneasily.

  "Not quite," remarked Encyclopedia. He pointed to the telephone wires. About a dozen small gray birds were perched directly above them.

  Sally had stooped over and was picking up something from the ground. "A used firecracker," she said with surprise. She looked around. "The clearing is covered with them."

  ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN SETS THE PACE

  'There must be a few hundred/' Encyclopedia observed.

  "Let's go," Sally suggested. "Now."

  "Too late," replied Encyclopedia.

  A police car was coming down the dirt road. It stopped beside their bikes. After a minute, Officer Friedman got out and walked up to the detectives.

  A bush behind Encyclopedia rustled. Bugs Meany came leaping into the clearing. "Did you hear it?" he asked Officer Friedman. "Did you hear it?"

  Officer Friedman shot Bugs a questioning glance.

  "They exploded a firecracker just as you drove up," cried Bugs. "You must have been giving your position over the radio."

  "I was," admitted Officer Friedman. "So I could have missed hearing a firecracker explode."

  "What's this all about?" demanded Encyclopedia.

  "Oooh, listen to him, will you?" howled Bugs. "Mr. Goody-Good has finally been caught with the goods! He can't lie his way out of this. Him and Miss Muscles have been setting off firecrackers here all summer."

  "The station received a call this morning,"

  The Case of the Used Firecrackers

  Officer Friedman said. 'The complaint was that a boy and girl have been exploding firecrackers here and were planning to do it again at ten o'clock this morning."