The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints - M. V. Carey [46]
“I wish my grandfather hadn’t been such a fanatic about locks,” mourned young Tom.
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Jupiter Jones. He sat down on the cellar stairs and looked around. “It is not the ideal place in which to spend protracted periods of time, but it is far more comfortable than being tied up. I am sure that our guess was correct, and that the man who calls himself Farrier will now search the house thoroughly. It must have been that carton full of letters that did it. When he saw that, he decided that we had found what he is looking for. Our trap has been sprung.”
“Yes, it has,” said Pete bitterly, “only we’re the ones who got caught.”
Chapter 17
The Other Watchers
THE DOBSONS and The Three Investigators arranged themselves as comfortably as possible on the cellar stairs and listened as, above them, the bogus fisherman searched The Potter’s house.
Drawers in the kitchen were pulled open. Cupboard doors banged. Footsteps hurried into the pantry and cans tumbled to the floor. Walls were knocked.
They heard Farrier retreat from the kitchen and go down the hall to The Potter’s office. There was a heavy, wrenching sound, and a thud that shook dust down around their ears. “He’s knocked over the filing cabinet,” Pete decided.
The Potter’s ancient desk was moved, screeching a protest against the bare boards of the floors. Then again there came the sounds of walls being thumped.
“Did the police find The Potter’s secret library?” Jupiter asked Tom.
“No, they didn’t,” Tom reported.
“You boys have been holding out on me,” declared Eloise Dobson. “What secret library?”
“It’s nothing, Mum,” said Tom. “Just a bunch of old newspapers behind that eagle plaque in your room.”
“Now why would anyone hide a bunch of old newspapers?” asked Mrs Dobson.
“To give a searcher something to find,” said Jupiter.
There was a crash from overhead.
“Oh, dear!” said Mrs Dobson. “That must be the big vase in the hall.”
“A pity,” said Jupiter.
Farrier’s footsteps crossed the hall and sounded heavily on the stairs.
“He must be the one who planted all those flaming footprints!” decided Mrs Dobson suddenly.
“Undoubtedly,” said Jupiter. “He had the keys, and could come and go as he pleased. He would have used the back door, I am sure, since the front door had a slide bolt.”
“And the footsteps …” began Tom.
Jupiter held up his hand suddenly. “Listen.”
They were silent. After a moment, “I don’t hear anything,” whispered Tom Dobson.
“Someone came up on to the back porch,” said Jupiter. “They tried the door and then went down again.”
“Oh, good!” said Eloise Dobson. “Let’s yell!”
“Please don’t, Mrs Dobson,” said Bob earnestly. “You see, there isn’t only this Farrier creep. There’s these two real sinister types up at Hilltop House.”
“The Peeping Toms?” said Mrs Dobson.
“I am afraid they are more sinister than that,” Jupiter informed her. “They rented Hilltop House for a definite reason — because it overlooked this house.”
Jupiter motioned for silence. There were footsteps in the hall above.
“Farrier forgot to lock the front door,” whispered Pete.
“This may get more interesting.” Jupiter got up and went to the top of the cellar stairs, where he pressed his ear against the door. He heard, very faintly, a murmur of voices. He held up two fingers, to indicate that two more searchers were among them.
The two men came down the hallway almost as far as the kitchen, then went back again. There were more footsteps on the stairs above. Then a shout, and a sharp crack.
“That was a shot!” said Jupiter.
There was no more shouting, but rumbling voices came muffled to the Dobsons and the Investigators as they waited in the cellar. There were more footsteps on the stairs. Someone stumbled. Then the searchers came into the kitchen and a chair scraped.
“You will sit quietly, and you will not move,” said the voice of General Kaluk.
Jupiter backed a step or two away from the cellar door.
The door swung open, and the bulky figure of the Lapathian general filled the