The Mystery of the Rogues' Reunion - Marc Brandel [0]
THE ROGUE’S REUNION
Marc Brandel
A few words from Hector Sebastian
JUST A MOMENT while I turn off the television set — there.
Now, let me introduce myself. My name is Hector Sebastian. I’m a professional mystery writer, and some of my books have been made into movies.
I don’t often watch television, except for the news. But I had a special reason for tuning in to the programme I was just watching. A young friend of mine was appearing in it.
I must admit I never would have recognized him. He was much younger when he was an actor in that comedy series, really no more than a baby. But I wanted to watch him because that’s how the Mystery of the Rogues’ Reunion started.
That mystery is the latest case involving my young friends, the Three Investigators. I’d better tell you a little about them before explaining how they became involved in it.
Their names are Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews. They live in Rocky Beach, a small city on the coast of southern California, not far from my house in Malibu, and only a few miles from Hollywood.
Jupiter Jones—his friends call him Jupe—is the First Investigator. He is a born detective, and I know what I’m talking about because I was a private eye myself before I became a writer. He has those three essential qualities any good detective must have: an eye for noting every detail of a case, an ability to put those clues together and see what they mean, and, most important of all, a dogged determination not to give up until he has come up with the right answer.
I’m not saying Jupe doesn’t have some faults. No one has ever accused him of modesty. And he is a little oversensitive in some ways — about his weight, for instance. He doesn’t mind if his friends say he’s … well, stocky. But if you want to remain a friend of Jupe’s, don’t ever, ever call him Fatso.
Pete Crenshaw, the Second Investigator, is a natural athlete. He is an excellent runner, swimmer, baseball player. This means that whenever there is anything slightly risky to be done, risky in a physical way, Pete is usually the one who is chosen to do it. Not that he enjoys danger. He doesn’t. He is, in fact, the most cautious of the three boys.
Bob Andrews, the Third Investigator, is in charge of records and research. He works part-time at the library in Rocky Beach, and he is naturally studious and thoughtful. He is also very useful to Jupe because he has a way of asking the right questions at the right moment.
Together, the Three Investigators have worked on many cases and solved many bizarre mysteries. But this latest one is a little different from the others. It’s different because the First Investigator was personally involved in the Mystery of the Rogues’ Reunion.
You see, Jupiter Jones was the child actor I was watching on television just now. He was once one of the Rogues, whose reunion set off the whole mystery.
HECTOR SEBASTIAN
Chapter 1
Jupe’s Secret Past
“STOP IT. STOP IT,” Jupiter Jones pleaded. “Turn it off.”
He was slumped so far down in his swivel chair that only his eyes showed above the battered wooden desk. His voice was a squeak. His usually alert, intelligent face was puckered with pain. The First Investigator looked and sounded like someone who was being tortured. And that’s exactly what was happening.
He was being tortured in front of his two best friends. And neither of them was making a move to help him. The other two Investigators, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews, were smiling and chuckling and occasionally laughing out loud.
All three were gathered in their secret Headquarters at The Jones Salvage Yard in Rocky Beach, California, a small coastal city only a few miles from Hollywood. Pete was sprawled in a rocking chair with his feet up on a pulled-out drawer of the filing cabinet. Bob was sitting on a stool, leaning back against the wall.
They were all staring at a television set. On the screen a small, plump child about three years old was sitting cross-legged on a kitchen table. A droopy-eyed boy of eight or nine was holding the child’s small,