The Mystery of the Monster Mountain - M. V. Carey [27]
“Just a minute.” Jupiter had come to the doorway, and he was staring down at a snap-shot which lay on the floor. “That’s Cousin Anna,” he said.
“Huh?” said Bob. “What?”
“A picture of Cousin Anna.” Jupe bent and picked it up.
It was a picture of Anna Havemeyer and her husband. They had been snapped coming out of a coffee shop in some city or town, and evidently were not aware of the camera. Anna wore a light-colored shirtwaist dress and had a sweater over her shoulders. Her head was half-turned so that she looked back at Joe Havemeyer. His mouth was open and his expression was determined. He seemed to be saying something important to his wife.
“What’s Jensen doing with a picture of Anna in his wallet ?” asked Jupiter. He handed the snapshot to Bob.
Pete finished gathering up Mr. Jensen’s belonging’s, then took the snapshot from Bob and studied it.
“It sure wasn’t taken here in Sky Village,” he said. He turned the picture over and looked at the back. “There’s a date on it — it was taken last week, in Lake Tahoe.”
The Three Investigators looked blankly at one another.
“Is Jensen an old friend of Anna’s?” Bob wondered. “Or of Havemeyer’s? Could he have been at their wedding?”
“No!” said Jupe firmly. “The first night we were here they had a party for Anna’s wedding, and Jensen and Smathers were the outsiders. Don’t you remember?
Havemeyer said they’d have to include the paying guests, but they wouldn’t let Mr.
Jensen and Mr. Smathers spoil things.”
Pete slipped the snapshot into the wallet.
“Mr. Jensen may be only a paying guest, but he does have a picture of the Havemeyers taken in Tahoe. That’s quite a coincidence!”
Jupiter took the wallet from Pete.
“I believe we should simply put this on Mr. Jensen’s bureau and not say anything about it,” he said virtuously. “And while we’re in his room, we might keep our eyes open for anything of interest. Since we have been asked by Hans and Konrad to help protect Cousin Anna, it is our duty to look for threats from all directions.”
“I get your meaning,” said Pete. “Let’s move on it, huh, before somebody gets back!”
Jensen’s room was on the north side of the house, next to the big double room occupied by Hans and Konrad.
“Hope it’s not locked,” said Bob.
“Nothing in this place ever gets locked,” said Pete. He turned the knob and Mr.
Jensen’s door swung open.
The room was neat and clean, like everything else in the inn. A poplin windbreaker had been thrown over the back of a chair and a comb tossed down on the bureau.
Other than that, there were no signs that anyone occupied the place.
Jupe opened the closet door and found a good supply of sport shirts, some creased from wear and others fresh and clean. A pair of black oxfords were on the floor, and next to them was Jensen’s suitcase.
Jupe hefted the suitcase. “Not all unpacked,” he said.
He carried the case to the bed, where he put it down and opened it. There were socks in the suitcase, and clean underwear, several rolls of film, and a few packages of flash bulbs.
There was also a book. Pete whistled with delight when Jupe picked it up.
“Photography for Beginners” he read.
Jupe opened the book at random. “Not what one would expect to find in the luggage of a successful commercial photographer!’ he said. “If Jensen is selling his work to magazines, he should be far too expert to need this sort of handbook. It’s very elementary.” He closed the book. “Whatever he is, Mr. Jensen is not a photographer.”
Bob began to lift socks and underwear out of the suitcase. “Let’s see what else there is,” he said.
He discovered nothing else except a little notebook which was greatly worn and dog-eared, and which was crammed with names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
Bob went through the book quickly. Most of the addresses were for businesses or