The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints - M. V. Carey [51]
It Would Make A Great Movie
A WEEK later Mr. Alfred Hitchcock, the famous motion-picture director, sat in his office and leafed through the notes which Bob had compiled on The Potter and his wonderful secret.
“So the crown was hidden in the urn,” said Mr. Hitchcock, “outside The Potter’s shop, where hundreds of people came and went every week. That scoundrel Farrier must have passed it a dozen times while he was working so hard to frighten Mrs Dobson away.”
“He told us that he tried to open the urn,” said Jupiter Jones. “Of course, he did most of his mischief at night, so he didn’t have time or light to examine the urn with care and notice the single-headed eagle looking to the left. The top of the urn came off when you turned it clockwise — to the left. All ordinary containers open the other way. That is the signal which The Potter and the Grand Duke agreed upon when they fled from the palace. If anything happened to The Potter, the Grand Duke Nicholas was to look for a single-headed eagle among a group of the double-headed eagles of Lapathia, and that eagle would be the clue to the whereabouts of the crown.”
“And was The Potter planning to take up ceramics even before the revolution in Lapathia?” asked Mr. Hitchcock.
“No,” said Bob, who was perched in a chair next to Jupiter Jones. “He became a potter because he had to make a living, but he could have found a number of ways of creating eagles. He could have painted them, or stencilled them on a wall, or … or …”
“There’s always embroidery,” put in Pete, who occupied the chair on Jupiter’s left side.
“I am sure a scarlet eagle would be most effective in cross-stitch,” said Mr.
Hitchcock. “Now about this Farrier – your report states that he was arrested by Chief Reynolds on charges of unlawful entry and malicious mischief. I should not think they could hold him long. Will he keep the secret of the crown, do you suppose?”
“He has everything to gain and nothing to lose by keeping his mouth shut,” said Jupiter Jones. “Unlawful entry and malicious mischief are minor charges compared to attempted grand larceny. He’s in jail in Rocky Beach now, pondering on his sins —
which are more numerous than we suspected at first. All those elegant clothes were purchased with a credit card which he found in a wallet that someone had dropped on the street. I am not certain what the charge is for unauthorized use of a credit card, but I should think forgery would enter into it.”
“At least,” agreed Mr. Hitchcock.
“His car was so shabby,” said Jupiter. “It bothered me. It didn’t match. He’s not even going to be able to pay Miss Hopper for the room he occupied at the Seabreeze Inn. The Potter says he feels responsible, so he’s taking care of that bill.”
“Most generous,” said Mr. Hitchcock.
“Chief Reynolds found the stuff Farrier used to create the flaming footprints in the boot of Farrier’s car, which was parked up the highway out of sight of the house,” said Bob. “Whatever it was, he says we’ll never know. He thinks it’s a good idea not to spread some kinds of information around.”
“The man is not without imagination.”
“Farrier? No. He has quite a record, and has done time in some of the best prisons. He used to be a crack jewel thief. According to Chief Reynolds, he got too well known. Police everywhere started putting tails on him the second he showed up in any town. Cramped his style. He’s been trying to make a living running a little hobby shop in Los Angeles.”
“So it was the article in Westways which brought him to Rocky Beach?” said Mr.
Hitchcock.
“No,” said Jupiter Jones. “He told us how he got his first clue to the whereabouts of the crown while we were waiting for Chief Reynolds to come and collect him. He always reads the personal ads in the Los Angeles Times. He suspected, as did a number of experts on such things, that the crown on display at Madanhoff was an imitation.
He had done some research on the history of Lapathia, and knew about the disappearance of Alexis Kerenov, who was the hereditary guardian of the crown.
When he saw the advertisement in the Times,