The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar - M. V. Carey [40]
“Hey, Bob!” said the man. “What you doin’ here?”
“Hi, Mr. Soames!” It was a neighbour — a man who lived just across the street from Bob in Rocky Beach. “I was just … just checking out the fishing here,” said Bob. “My dad and I might go fishing this weekend.”
The man looked around. “You come on your bike?”
Bob shook his head. “I got a lift with a friend,” he said, lying almost as expertly as Jupe could when the need arose. “Say, you wouldn’t be headed north, would you?”
“Well, yeah,” said Mr. Soames. “I’m going to Carpinteria to see my sister.”
“I thought that’s where you might be going. Could I ride with you as far as Oxnard?”
“Sure, but … but I won’t be coming back today. How are you going to get home from Oxnard?”
“I’ll catch the Greyhound,” said Bob easily. “Gee, thanks, Mr. Soames. I sure appreciate this.”
Bob slid into the passenger seat of Mr. Soames’s little sedan, smiling to himself.
Jupe couldn’t have done it better. He was saved a long trip on the highway by bike, and perhaps, before the day was over, he would know what sort of merchandise Ernie and his friends had bargained for — and how much they planned to pay for it!
Chapte
t r 15
Trouble for Bob
JUPI
P T
I E
T R SAT
T ON
O
N THE CURB acros
o s
s
s the
h st
s reet fr
f o
r m
o Gr
G a
r c
a i
c e
i
e Mo
M n
o t
n o
t y
o a
y ’s apartment. He
fe
f lt
l fr
f ust
s rate
t d and bo
b r
o e
r d.
. He ha
h d
d rung Graci
c e
i ’s
s do
d o
o r
o b
r e
b ll
l
l at
a
t ni
n n
i e
n
e th
t a
h t
a
t mo
m r
o n
r i
n n
i g
n ,
g
, an
a d
n
ha
h d trie
i d
e on
o ce mor
o e
e to
o in
i tere
r st
s he
h r in
i
n su
s bs
b c
s rib
i i
b n
i g to
o the
h San
a t
n a Mon
o ic
i a
a Ev
E enin
i g
g
Outlo
l o
o k
o .
. She
h ha
h d refu
f s
u e
s d to
o ta
t ke the
h pa
p pe
p r,
, and thi
h s
i
s tim
i e sh
s e
h had
a
d no
n t
o
t be
b e
e n
e
n in
i c
n l
c i
l n
i e
n d
e
d t
o
t
o
st
s op
o
p and c
ha
h t.
Jupe
p ha
h d ret
e reated
e to
o th
t e
h apa
p rtmen
e t ho
h u
o se
s acr
c os
o s
s
s the
h st
s reet and
n wat
a che
h d Gra
r ci
c e
i ’s
apa
p rtment
n all
l
l mor
o nin
i g.
. He watche
h d he
h r carry
r la
l und
n ry in
i to
o a roo
o m
o at the
h ba
b ck
c of
o
f he
h r
bu
b il
i d
l in
i g,
, an
a d la
l t
a er re
r t
e urn
n wit
i h
h pi
p l
i e
l s
s of
o
f neatly
l fo
f l
o d
l ed
d cl
c o
l t
o h
t e
h s
e .
s
. Sh
S e
h
e wa
w s
a
s no
n w
o
w si
s t
i t
t i
t n
i g
n
g
be
b si
s d
i e the
h po
p o
o l
o
l fix
i in
i g he
h r nail
i s
l .
s Jupe
p want
n e
t d very mu
m ch
h to
o talk
l
k to
o he
h r again
i .
. He
decid
i ed
e tha
h t
a he
h wou
o ld
l p
r
p etend
d to
o b
e
b se
s archi
h n
i g
n fo
f r
o a lo
l s
o t
s o
r
o der bo
b o
o k
o .
Jupe
p got
o up
u
p fr
f om
o the
h curb
b an
a d
d
cros
o s
s e
s d the
h st
s reet.
. But whe
h n
e
n he
h
reache
h d the
h
e gate of
o
f Gracie
i ’s house,
he
h st
s op
o p
p e
p d.
.
The
h gir
i l
l
ha
h d a
tele
l ph
p o
h n
o e now
o ,
, on
o a lo
l n
o g cor
o d,
, an
a d
sh
s e
h was
s
talk
l in
i g wit
i h
h
so
s m
o eone
e
named
d Mari
r l
i y
l n.
“The
h actin
i g is
i n
s ’t any goo
o d
o ,”
sh
s e
h sa
s id
i ,
, “bu
b t I he
h ar th
t e
h eff
f e
f cts
s ar
a e
great.
. Whe
h n the
h y
y bl
b o
l w
o up
p th
t e
h
sp
s a
p cesh
s i
h p
i ,
p
, you
o can fe
f el
l the
h se
s ats
sh
s a
h ke.
. I call
l e
l d,
, and the
h fi
f r
i st
s sh
s o
h w
o ’s
at tw
t o.
o
. Want to
o ha
h ve
v a sa
s n
a dwic
i h
h
be
b fo
f r
o e we go
g
o in
i ?”
Jupe
p turn
r ed
e away.
. Gra
r ce Mon
o toy
o a was
s abo
b u
o t to
o le
l ave fo
f r
o a mov
o ie
i . Ev
E en if
i
f he
h cou
o ld
l
fo
f l
o l
l o
l w
o he
h r,
, he
h