The Mystery of the Blazing Cliffs - M. V. Carey [43]
Jupiter chuckled and bit into a brownie. He said it tasted fine. Eying Jupe’s waistline, Mr. Sebastian guessed the stocky First Investigator wasn’t fussy about what he ate.
“Now, boys, what’s up?” asked Mr. Sebastian. “You said on the phone you’d been trying to keep someone from being done out of a fortune. I assume you’ve been on another case.”
Bob nodded and handed a large Manila envelope across the table to Mr. Sebastian.
“Here are our notes,” he said. “We thought you might like to have the inside story on what happened at Rancho Valverde.”
“Rancho Valverde?” said Mr. Sebastian. “You were there? What luck! The newspaper reports were fragmentary. I certainly would like to have the inside story.”
Mr. Sebastian opened the file folder that he had taken from the envelope, and began to read the notes that Bob had typed up on the mystery of the blazing cliffs. He did not speak again until he had finished. Then he closed the folder and leaned back in his chair. “Good night!” he said. “I’m worn out just reading about that scheme. Surely there could have been a simpler way to go after that gold!”
“Almost anything would have been simpler,” said Jupiter. “But Jack Spratt and his friends are frustrated actors, and they couldn’t resist the temptation to make a big production.”
“I’ve noticed that myself,” said Mr. Sebastian, “in the short time I’ve been acquainted with Hollywood. Some actors can make a production out of anything.”
“And all the elements for grand drama were there,” said Jupe. “There was Charles Barron’s well-known distrust of the world, and there was Mrs. Barron’s belief in the rescuers from another planet. Perhaps Spratt and his friends knew about Orson Welles’
broadcast of War of the Worlds and were inspired to create a drama about the end of our own world. They must have had a good time dressing up in army uniforms and spacesuits.”
“The costumes were from the Western Costume Company,” said Pete. “The telephones were army surplus that Jack Spratt and his pals bought. They stole the army jeep.”
“We aren’t sure where they got the flying saucer,” said Bob, “but we think they probably built it. After they released it from the meadow, it floated off and it hasn’t come down to earth anyplace. Probably they made that crazy-looking metal thing that was found on the meadow, too. Some experts have looked at it, and they all say it doesn’t do anything.
It’s strictly window dressing. It’s pewter, and Mr. Barron is going to use it as a paperweight.
We have to guess about some of the stuff because nobody is talking. They all clammed up and started yelling for lawyers the minute the sheriff showed up.”
“Naturally,” said Mr. Sebastian. He held up the file folder. “There are some gaps in the story,” he said. “For instance, the success of the scheme depended on isolating the ranch totally for a few days. How did the crooks keep traffic off the road that ran through the valley?”
“Easy!” said Pete. “They just put up some ‘ROAD CLOSED FOR REPAIRS’ signs at either end. The road is used so little that they figured no one would bother to investigate.
Nobody did.”
Mr. Sebastian nodded. “An acceptable risk. Now, who was it that attacked you boys when you tried to cross the meadow and leave the ranch? Had Spratt posted guards there?
Was the person who smelled like horses Mary Sedlack?”
“We think so,” said Jupe. “We think that Mary saw us leave the house that morning, and that she used the field telephone in the stallion’s stall to call the soldiers on the road.
Spratt then alerted his men on the cliffs, and they were waiting for us. Mary followed