The Mystery of the Invisible Dog - M. V. Carey [11]
“That narrows our list of suspects,” said Jupe.
Prentice looked searchingly at Jupe. “So you think that someone in the building is spying on me?”
“I won’t be entirely sure until we get more evidence,” answered Jupe. “But most likely the culprit is someone who would know when you’re not at home. If he saw us leave this morning, he may have taken the opportunity to prowl around.”
Mr. Prentice shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right, Jupiter. If anyone wanted to open my desk this morning, He has had ample time to do so.”
Prentice signalled to the waiter to bring the check, and signed it. The Three Investigators followed him out of the club and along Wilshire to Paseo Place. The street was empty as they came up past the church. They reached the apartment house and went up the steps. In the apartment near the gate, where Mrs. Bortz lived, they could hear water running and dishes clattering in a sink.
“Thank heavens that woman has to eat occasionally,” said Prentice, “or we would never have a moment’s privacy.”
Pete laughed. “She does seem to be around a lot.”
“A born busybody and a dreadful gossip,” said Prentice. “She asks the most impertinent questions. She is even capable of going through the dustbins. I have surprised her at it more than once. I would have guessed it even if I hadn’t seen it. How else would she know that Miss Chalmers eats frozen dinners or that Mr. Hassell’s group of stray cats consumes more than forty cans of pet food a week?”
The Three Investigators trailed Prentice to his apartment and he unlocked the door.
“Now, don’t touch anything,” cautioned Jupe. He took a small magnifying glass out of his pocket and went into the den, where he peered at the drawer handles of the desk.
“Aha!” he said.
Fenton Prentice came as far as the door.
“Someone has opened this desk since we left this morning!” Jupiter reported.
“Someone with ordinary, solid, human hands. The ointment is smeared.”
Bob went to the kitchen and got a paper towel, and Jupe wiped the handles clean.
“May we open the desk?” he asked Prentice.
“Of course.”
Jupiter pulled out the top drawer. “Is anything missing?”
“There’s never anything missing,” said Prentice, “but someone has looked at that bill from the telephone company. It was at the back of the drawer this morning.”
“Whoever moved it smudged the envelope. He must have gotten a good dose of the ointment on his hands.” Jupe beamed with satisfaction. Then he went out through the living room to the front door where he stooped and peered at the doorknob.
“I didn’t put any ointment on this knob,” he reminded his friends, “but there are smudges on it now.”
“So we know how the uninvited snooper left,” said Bob. “He opened the door and walked out.”
“And locked the dead bolt lock behind him,” said Jupe. He opened the door and examined the dead bolt lock from the outside. It showed traces of the ointment. “Yes,”
he said. “Someone has a key.”
“Impossible!” exclaimed Fenton Prentice. “That is a special lock which I had installed. No one could have a key!”
“Someone does,” insisted Jupe.
The door was closed again, and the boys and Mr. Prentice continued their examination of the apartment. There were more smudges on the edge of the mirror in the bathroom.
“The intruder looked into your medicine cabinet,” Jupe told Mr. Prentice.
Mr. Prentice made an outraged sound.
“Well, at least we are making progress,” said Jupiter.
“Are we?” asked Prentice.
“Certainly.” Jupiter’s voice was confident. “We know that the presence that haunts you cannot open a drawer without getting smudges on his fingers. He also left here this morning in the usual way, by opening the apartment door. We will go and sit in the courtyard and watch, and presently we will know who it is.”
“Suppose it isn’t anybody who lives here?” asked Prentice.
“I’m sure it is someone who lives here,” said Jupe. “Someone who saw us leave this morning.”
The boys left Prentice and went down to the courtyard. They took chairs beside the pool and waited.
“That’s a fantastic swimming pool,” remarked Pete after a bit.
Bob crouched at the