The Mystery of the Magic Circle - M. V. Carey [25]
“He could have hired somebody,” Pete suggested. “And maybe Gray did mention it to him. He could even have told him it was here, and then forgotten he did it.”
“It’s a bare possibility,” said Jupe, “but not likely. Where would Long find the time to arrange a theft while he was busy setting up an interview? Still, for some reason Long makes me uneasy. I wonder what the law enforcement people really think about him.”
“You think he’s a phoney?” asked Pete.
“I had the impression he was playing a role,” said Jupe. “He seems to know everybody in law enforcement in Southern California. If that’s true, he’s got to know Chief Reynolds in Rocky Beach. Let’s see if the chief can give us some background on him. Somehow I’ll believe the chief better than I’ll believe a lot of plaques and scrolls.”
Chapter 12
The Man from Arson
“JEFFERSON LONG?” Chief Reynolds leaned back in his swivel chair. “Sure, I know Jefferson Long. He shows up at every convention of law enforcement people that’s held anywhere in the state.”
The Chief of Police of Rocky Beach leaned forward and stared curiously at The Three Investigators. The boys sat on straight chairs across the desk from him. “Why are you interested in Long?” he wanted to know.
“I can’t say exactly without betraying a confidence,” Jupe told him.
“Hm!” said the chief. “That sort of talk usually means your juvenile detective firm has a client. Okay. Just so you keep out of trouble.
“I’ve seen Long around at meetings, and every once in a while I watch him on television. He’s okay. He gives people some straight scoop on crime and criminals. Of course, he claims to be an investigative reporter. That would mean that he actually does some detective work on his own. He doesn’t. In my opinion, he’s just a brain-picker — he gets his information from people who have done the hard work of digging out facts. I don’t even think he’s all that interested in law and order. He just latched on to that as a cause; he wanted to make a name for himself and promote his crime reports on TV.”
“So he’s a phoney,” said Pete. “But how come he gets all those awards from police departments and sheriffs’ offices?”
Chief Reynolds shrugged. “He does keep the public informed about things like fraud and burglary and forged money and such things. Law enforcement people want the public to trust them, and Long does encourage people to trust the police — and to call the police if they think there’s anything strange going on in their neighbourhoods.
So the man does help us a lot that way.”
“But he isn’t the hotshot crime-fighter he pretends to be,” summarized Jupiter. He nodded with satisfaction. “I had a feeling he was acting a role.”
“He does it twenty-four hours a day,” said the chief.
The boys thanked the chief, then left the police station and started hiking up the highway.
“Another dead end!” complained Jupiter. “We punctured Long’s balloon, but now I’m sure that he had nothing to do with the theft of Madeline Bainbridge’s manuscript.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Bob.
“Because, from everything we’ve heard, I think Long really values his good relations with the police. He’s built a successful career on that, and I don’t think he’d jeopardize his career by stealing a manuscript that would merely embarrass him.”
“Then why did he lie to you about the coven?” demanded Pete.
“It’s not surprising. Why should a man in his position tell a strange kid about some silly stuff in his past? And that’s all it was — silly stuff, not crimes. Anyway, even if Long knew about the manuscript and wanted to steal it, he didn’t have any opportunity. The timing’s all wrong.”
Glumly, the Investigators separated and headed for their homes. Jupiter was moody and absent-minded during dinner with Aunt Mathilda and Uncle Titus. After the dishes were done, he went to his room to lie on his bed and stare at the ceiling. He felt utterly discouraged. It seemed that there was no way to connect any of Madeline