The Mystery of the Death Trap Mine - M. V. Carey [33]
The horses clop-clopped past Thurgood’s closed, padlocked gate. The dog slept on.
“That’s strange,” said Jupe. “He’s usually trying to tear the fence down to get at us.”
When they reached Harrison Osborne’s pasture they unsaddled the horses. The front door of the house was open and there was a note on the kitchen table: “Magdalena’s sister needs her. I am driving her to Silver City and we’ll be back late tonight. Take cold cuts for dinner and keep out of trouble! Love, Uncle Harry.”
“How nice!” Jupiter’s solemn face brightened.
“I don’t think it’s nice — what if Magdalena’s sister is sick? What’s the matter with you, Jupiter Jones?” asked Allie.
“Let us hope that Magdalena’s sister is not ill,” said Jupe. “What’s nice is that no one is here. Mrs. Macomber is gone. Thurgood’s truck is missing, and his two labourers are not about. Your uncle and Magdalena are away. The coast is clear — and we’re free to investigate the one mysterious event that we haven’t yet looked into: the appearance of a bit of gold in a played-out silver mine.”
Jupe took the pebble from his pocket, tossed it into the air, then looked eagerly at his companions. “Let’s go — while we have a chance! We’ve got to find out what’s happening in that mine.”
“You forgot the watchdog,” said Pete. “The dog is there, and he isn’t chained up, either.”
“Don’t worry about the dog!” Allie flew to the refrigerator, and yanked out the remains of the leg of lamb they had had for dinner the night before. “Plenty of meat on this, and a nice bone to chew. It should keep old Fido busy for a spell.”
A few minutes later the Three Investigators and Allie were hurrying across the Christmas-tree field toward the mine. When they reached the edge of Uncle Harry’s land, they looked through the fence into Thurgood’s enclosure. The dog still slept.
“Hey!” Pete shouted. “Hey, Rex! Rover! Yahoo!”
“Come and get it, pooch!” Allie brandished the leg of lamb.
The dog did not stir.
Pete called to the dog once more. When he did not move, the tall investigator took hold of the fence, scrambled to the top, and jumped down into Thurgood’s clearing.
“Watch it,” warned Bob.
“Toss the bone over,” said Pete. “If the dog wakes up, I’ll throw it to him.”
Allie threw the bone to Pete. He stood watching the dog. “You’d almost think he was dead,” he said.
“Let’s just take advantage of the situation,” said Allie. And she, too, climbed to the top of the eight-foot fence and then down to the ground. Bob followed her example, and Jupe
— with some huffing and puffing — managed to push his bulk over.
The four warily approached the dog. Allie kept talking to the animal. “There, boy. Easy there!” she crooned.
“Careful!” whispered Jupiter.
She leaned over and touched the dog. He twitched and whimpered as if he were dreaming.
“Well, he’s only sleeping,” said Allie. “But how come he doesn’t wake up?”
Jupe spied a tin pan near the fence. He picked it up and sniffed at a few scraps of raw meat that remained on it. “I can’t smell anything, but the dog may have been drugged,” he announced. “Perhaps someone wanted him out of the way!”
The others looked around apprehensively, but no other person could be seen.
“I wonder where the Mexican men are — the ones who work for Thurgood.” Without realizing it, Bob had lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Hello!” shouted Pete. “Is anybody here?”
The cry echoed and reechoed from the hillside.
“Pipe down!” snapped Allie. “So somebody drugged the dog and no one’s here.” She pulled out the flashlight she had stuck in her back pocket. “Let’s move fast before somebody does show up.”
She started toward the mine entrance, which lay in deep shadow now that the sun had disappeared behind the mountain. It would be dusk soon.
Just inside the mine were several shovels and a wheelbarrow. Allie flashed