The Mystery of the Monster Mountain - M. V. Carey [12]
“Cousin Anna’s record of her savings.”
“That’s a pretty hefty bankbook,” observed Pete.
“It’s not a bankbook at all. It’s only a record book. There’s a column for money put in, and one for money taken out, and the last column on each page is for money that’s available.”
Jupiter nipped the pages until he was half-way through the ledger. Then he stopped.
“The latest entry is for the week before last.” he told Bob and Pete. “The week before last, Anna put 176 dollars wherever she puts her money. She took nothing out, and the last column indicates that she has 10,823 dollars available.”
“Wow!” cried Pete. “If that’s in cash, Cousin Anna is way ahead of about ninety percent of the American public. I learned that in social studies this year. Most people never have cash, and they’re so far in debt that a flat tire can be a real emergency.”
“So Cousin Anna is very well off,” said Jupe. “But, we’d better find her key as quickly as possible, and then get to a telephone in the village and call your father. I’d be very interested to know if the credit bureau in Reno has a file on Havemeyer.”
“You think he could be planning to get his mitts on Cousin Anna’s loot?” asked Pete.
“It’s possible. Certainly Hans and Konrad suspect this, and it’s easy to see that Hans and Konrad make him uncomfortable. He was not pleased when they decided to spend their vacation here helping with the pool. And that doesn’t make sense. The pool itself doesn’t make sense. Sweeping the yard doesn’t make sense. A tranquilizer gun doesn’t make sense.”
Jupe held up a warning hand at the sound of footsteps in the living room. A few seconds later, Anna appeared at the door of the office.
“Well?” she said.
“You were right,” Jupiter told her. “The key isn’t here.”
“We’ll search the rest of the inn,” Bob assured her. “Will Mr. Jensen and Mr.
Smathers mind if we look in their rooms? Would you hide the key in a guest room?”
“Perhaps,” said Anna. “I had no guests when I left for my wedding. But do not touch the luggage. It is not necessary, and they would be very angry if you touched their things.”
“Of course not.” Jupe stood up. “Would you like us to straighten this room for you?”
“It is better if I do it,” said Anna. “You will not know where things belong.”
“Very well.” Jupe came out from behind the desk. He was almost at the door when he stopped, struck by a sudden thought. “Have you used your checkbook lately?” he asked Anna. “I didn’t see a checkbook here.”
“I do not have a checkbook,” Anna told him. “I always pay for things with cash.”
“Everything?” Jupe was astonished. “Isn’t it dangerous to keep a lot of cash here?”
“I do not keep much cash here,” said Anna. “I keep my money in the bank, in the safe deposit box. You see, that is why the key is so important. Soon I must pay my bills. I will need money. Also, my husband has ordered cement for the swimming pool. I wish to pay for that when it is delivered.”
“In cash?” asked Jupe.
“It is safer,” declared Cousin Anna. “If I have a checkbook, someone can steal my checks and sign my name. Someone can take all I have before I even know. If I have real money, I do not keep more than I need and no one steals it. I put it under my pillow at night. In the daytime, I have it with me.”
“I don’t think the police would approve of your system, Mrs. Havemeyer,” said Jupiter. “If you pay cash for everything, people must know that you have large sums here from time to time. Suppose someone held you up?”
Cousin Anna smiled. “I think my husband would shoot someone who did that,”
she said.
“You know,’ said Pete, “I think he would!”
Chapter 6
Monster Mountain
THE THREE INVESTIGATORS devoted the rest of the morning to a painstaking search of the inn. They turned back rugs and peeked under bureaus and felt along the tops of window frames and doorways. Pete got up on a chair and took all the dishes down from the top shelves in the kitchen. Bob shook each jar, upended every cup, and probed the flour cannister and the sugar bowl with a long spoon.
Jupe scanned