The Mystery of the Invisible Dog - M. V. Carey [13]
Mrs. Bortz gasped, but she went into her apartment.
Mr. Prentice smiled at the Three Investigators. “I think I shall handle this myself,” he told them, “but I would appreciate it if you would wait.”
He followed Mrs. Bortz into the apartment and closed the door behind him.
Jupe, Pete, and Bob remained in the courtyard, silent for a few minutes. They could hear Mrs. Bortz’s voice, high and angry, but they couldn’t hear what she was saying. At intervals she was silent, and the boys could imagine Mr. Fenton Prentice, soft-spoken but sure, and possibly threatening.
“He’s a nice old guy,” said Pete, “but I bet he can be tough on anybody who steps on his toes.”
A door across the pool cracked open, and Sonny Elmquist came out, blinking in the sunshine. He wore a pair of tattered denims, a shirt with several buttons missing, and no shoes. He yawned.
“Good morning,” said Jupiter.
Elmquist blinked and rubbed his eyes. The boys could see that he hadn’t washed his face or combed his hair.
“Um!” he said. He almost stumbled when he walked away from his open door. He seemed to have some trouble deciding whether he would sit down in one of the chairs near the boys, or whether he would simply stand and stare limply into the swimming pool. He finally did neither. He sat on the flagstone decking, crossed his legs, and tucked his feet up over his thighs. Jupiter recognized the posture; it was the lotus position used by students of yoga.
“Good morning,” said Jupiter again.
The young man turned his pale face to Jupe and stared at him for a second. His eyes were of no particular colour. The whites were bloodshot, as if he had not slept enough.
“It’s still morning?” he said.
Jupe looked at his watch. “In fact, it isn’t. It’s after one.”
Sonny Elmquist yawned again.
“Mr. Prentice tells me that you work at the all-night market over on Vermont,” said Jupe.
Elmquist became a little more alert. He smiled. “Midnight to morning,” he said. “It’s a rough shift sometimes, but they pay extra if you’re willing to keep those hours. And when we’re not busy, I can study.”
“You’re going to school?” asked Jupiter.
Sonny Elmquist waved a hand, as if schools were a complete waste of time. “Finished that long ago,” he told the boys. “My old man wanted me to go to college, be a dentist just like him. Couldn’t see it. Stand around on your feet all day poking at people’s molars, getting a crick in your back. What for? It’s all an illusion, anyway.”
“An illusion?” said Pete.
“Yeah. Everything’s an illusion. The whole world. We’re all like a bunch of sleepers having a bad dream. Me, I’m going to wake up!”
“What are you studying?” said Jupe.
“Meditation,” said Elmquist. “That’s the way to reach the Ultimate Consciousness.”
He unfolded his legs and stood up, obviously pleased to have an audience.
“I’m saving my money,” he said. “I want to go to India to find a guru. The best teachers are there. So I work nights, because I get more per hour. Pretty soon I’ll have enough to get to India and stay three or four years, or however long it takes to know …
to really know everything. Oh, not that I want to know all about science or anything like that, because that’s useless. I want to know how to not want anything. That’s the only worthwhile thing, don’t you think?”
Bob said doubtfully, “Well, yes, I suppose if you don’t want anything … if you have everything you want …”
“No, no. You don’t understand!” exclaimed Elmquist.
“I’m not sure I want to!” muttered Pete.
“It’s very simple. Desire, wanting things, that’s where all our troubles begin. Like old Prentice, all he does is worry about his possessions — his collection. In his next life he’ll probably be a … a pack rat!”
“Hey, now!” exclaimed Pete. “He’s a nice old man.”
Sonny Elmquist shook his head. “I don’t mean he’d steal or hurt anybody to get things, only he cares so much about what he