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“Mrs. Denicola! Are you there? It’s me! Jupiter Jones!”

There was silence in the house. After a moment Jupe went up the stairs.

The blinds had not been drawn in the bedrooms, and the light streamed in. One room was filled with massive, dark wood furniture, including a bureau crowded with photographs. Across the hall was a room with white furniture and coloured prints on the walls. Jupe had just peeked into this room when a telephone rang loudly.

Jupe jumped. Then he saw that there was a telephone on the table next to the bed.

He glanced out the window towards the office.

Ernie was staring at the telephone on Eileen’s office desk. He looked doubtful.

The phone on the bedside table rang again.

Ernie picked up the telephone on the office desk. The telephone in the bedroom abruptly stopped ringing. Jupe smiled. This phone was an extension of the one in the office. Quickly, Jupe lifted the receiver and put it to his ear.

“Si,” said Ernie.

The caller at the other end of the line plunged into a torrent of Spanish. Jupe held his breath and listened, concentrating, struggling to make out as much of the conversation as he could.

The caller identified himself as Alejandro. He said that he was leaving now to see Strauss. There was something said about money. Jupe heard the name Denicola mentioned, and then his own name! Alejandro reminded Ernie that Jupiter Jones had spoken to old man Bonestell about the Denicolas and about the blind man. Alejandro cautioned Ernie to be careful. Ernie said that he would, and that he and Rafi had everything under control. Jupe gathered that Rafi was the room-mate in the office with Ernie. After a few more words, Ernie hung up.

Jupe put the telephone down and looked out. Ernie was in front of the office now, scanning the beach. He was frowning, and when his friend joined him he gestured up the beach towards his little house.

Rafi shrugged and started towards the place.

Ernie’s eyes lighted on the Denicola house. He suddenly looked curious, and he started forward.

Jupe backed away from the window. Darn! he thought. Ernie must have noticed the click when Jupe picked up the telephone.

Jupe heard a step on the porch downstairs, and a key being put into a lock. Ernie was down there. In a second he would be inside. Jupe had no time to get down the stairs. He could be caught and …

And what?

A bathroom adjoined the bedroom. Jupe heard a tap in there dripping slightly.

The front door opened with a creak.

In three steps Jupe had crossed the room. He entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. Then he returned to the bedroom, hid his camera under the bed, and stood behind the door.

Ernie pounded up the stairs, lurched to the doorway of the bedroom, and stood there for an instant, staring into the bathroom. Steam was coming from the shower now. It billowed out through the bathroom door.

Ernie strode through the bedroom into the bathroom, and yanked the shower curtain aside. As he did so, Jupe slipped out from behind the door, ran into the hall, and sped down the stairs. He could hear Ernie shouting as Jupe got the back door open, but he didn’t pause. He raced out of the house.

But now where could he go! He was out in the open, and Ernie would spot him any second!

Chapte

t r 17

The Final Clue

JUPI

P T

I E

T R RACE

C D

D ACR

C OSS the

h Denic

i ol

o a

l s’ yard tow

o ards

s the

h hi

h g

i hw

h ay.

. He was

s too

he

h avy to

o ru

r n

u fa

f st

s fo

f r

o ve

v r

e y lo

l n

o g.

. He

e need

e ed

d a pl

p a

l ce to

o hi

h d

i e

e fr

f om

o Er

E nie

i .

. But

t whe

h re?

e

Jupe

p sa

s w th

t a

h t a campe

p r was

s pa

p rked nearby

b on

o the

h sh

s o

h u

o ld

l er of

o

f the

h roa

o d.

. The

h doo

o r

o

in

i the

h ba

b ck was

s op

o e

p n, and the

h man who

h

o ow

o ned the

h

e vehi

h c

i le

l ha

h d turned

e aw

a ay fo

f r

o a

mom

o ent.

. He st

s oo

o d

o lo

l o

o k

o in

i g up

p at the

h

e cli

l