Mystery #02 — The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat

"No, sir," said poor Goon, his face purple with rage, astonishment, and shock. To think that his wonderful dues were the same as the children's — whatever did it mean? Poor Goon! The meaning did eventually dawn on him, but not until he was in bed that night. Then he could do nothing about it; for he knew he would never dare to reopen the matter of his dues again, with Inspector Jenks on the children's side.

"And now, Goon," said the Inspector, in a businesslike tone, "I propose that we go to this boy Luke and tell him to come out of his hiding-place and face up to things. We can't have him hiding away for weeks."

Mr. Goon's mouth fell open for the third or fourth time that afternoon. Find Luke? Go to his hiding-place? What in the world did the Inspector know about all that? He gave the children a glare. Interfering busybodies! Now, with the Inspector at his elbow he wouldn't even be able to scare the life out of that boy Luke when he found him, as he would dearly like to do.

"Just as you say, sir," he said to the Inspector, and rose ponderously from the ground.

"Come along," said Inspector Jenks to the children. "We'll go and have a word — a kind word — with poor old hunted Luke."

 

A Great Surprise.

 

The Inspector led the way over the field and up the lane. Fatty tried to hold a cheerful conversation with Mr. Goon, but the policeman only scowled at him behind Inspector Jenks' broad back.

"In here," said Pip, when they reached his gate. They went up the drive and into the garden. Then Pip stopped and looked at the Inspector.

"Should I just go up and explain to Luke that you say he's to come out and go back to his job?" he said. "You can't think how scared he is."

"I think that's a good idea," said Inspector Jenks, "but I think the one to see him and talk to him should be me. Now, don't you worry. I know how to treat boys like Luke."

Inspector Jenks went with Pip up the garden to the summer-house. But Luke was not there.

"Oh, there he is, look," said Pip, pointing to where Luke was busy hoeing the kitchen-garden. "He says he just can't sit and do nothing, Inspector, and he thinks if he does a bit of weeding for us, it is a small way of returning a kindness."

"A nice thought, if I may say so," murmured the Inspector, watching Luke at his work, taking in the boy from head to foot. He turned to Pip.

"Just give him a call, tell him I'm a friend, and then leave us, please," he said.

"Hey, Luke!" yelled Pip. "I've brought a good friend of ours to see you. Come and talk to him."

Luke turned — and saw the big Inspector in his blue uniform. He went white, and seemed as if he was rooted to the ground.

"I didn't steal no cat," he said at last, staring at me Inspector.

"Well, suppose you tell me all about it," said Inspector Jenks. "We'll go and sit in the summer-house."

He took Luke firmly by the arm and led him to the summer-house where the children had so often talked over the mystery of Dark Queen's disappearance. Luke was trembling. Pip gave him a comforting grin, and then ran back down the garden to the others.

The children all wondered how Luke was getting on with the Inspector. They seemed to be a very long time together. But at last footsteps were heard coming down the gravel path.

All the children looked to see if Luke was with the Inspector.

He was, and he looked quite cheerful too! The Inspector was smiling his usual twinkling smile. Bets ran to him.

"Is Luke going to come out of hiding? What is he going to do?"

"Well, I am pleased to say that Luke agrees with me that it would be better to go back to his job than to hide here any longer," said the Inspector.

"But what about his unkind stepfather?" said Daisy, who couldn't bear the thought of Luke being beaten any more.

"Ah!" said the Inspector, "I must arrange about that. I had meant to have a word with him myself — but the time is getting on." He looked at his watch. "Hm, yes, I must be getting back. Goon, you must go down to Luke's stepfather at once, and inform him that the boy is not to be ill-treated. You must also go to Mr. Tupping, who, I understand, is the gardener next door, and inform him that Luke is to be taken back, with Lady Candling's permission, and is to be given a chance in the garden again."

Mr. Goon looked very taken aback. After encouraging both the boy's stepfather and Mr. Tupping to treat the boy sternly and hardly, it was scarcely a pleasant job for him to do. Fatty looked sharply at the Inspector.

"I bet he's making Goon do that to punish him for frightening a young boy," thought Fatty. Inspector Jenks fastened his eyes on Mr. Goon.

"You have understood my orders, Goon?" he said in a voice that sounded quite pleasant and yet had a very hard note in it. Mr. Goon nodded hastily.

"Yes, sir, perfectly, sir," he said. "I'll go to the boy's stepfather now, sir. Name of Brown. And I'll make it my business to see Mr. Tupping too, sir."