The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar - M. V. Carey [52]
Jupe thanked the operator and hung up.
“He doesn’t work there?” said Mr. Bonestell. “I don’t understand. He has to work there. He was in Fresno on a job for TX-4 just the other day.”
“I doubt that very much,” said Jupe. He went to the refrigerator and opened the freezer compartment. The frozen food that Shelby had put in several days ago was gone. It had been a huge cache of TV dinners and frozen pizzas. But nothing remained except for a single carton of ice cream back in the corner.
Jupiter closed the freezer. “That must be where it was the whole time,” he said.
“What?” said Mr. Bonestell.
“Nothing,” said Jupe. “That is, I’m not sure. And we may be too late. Mr.
Bonestell, did you say that Shelby Tuckerman kept his door locked?”
“That’s right. Shelby’s a very private person.”
“An understatement if ever there was one,” said Jupiter. “Mr. Bonestell, I have to get into his room — and I have to do it right away!”
Chapte
t r 18
The Prisoners
Jupe
p and Mr.
. Bon
o est
s ell
l
l got
o an extensi
s o
i n
o la
l dder fr
f om
o the
h garage and pu
p t it
i up
p on
o
She
h lb
l y
b Tuck
c erman’s
s wi
w n
i dow
o .
. The
h win
i dow
o w
a
w s
s unlo
l c
o ked
e and
n Ju
J pe
p g
ot
o in
i tha
h t
a w
ay.
The
h re was
s
a recor
o din
i g
sy
s st
s em se
s t up
p on
o the
h dress
s e
s r.
.
Jupe
p rewou
o n
u d the
h tape
p
e on
o the
h
machi
h n
i e and pl
p a
l yed it
i ba
b ck.
He he
h ard
d th
t e
h con
o versa
s tio
i n
o he
h
ha
h d
just
s
t
ha
h d
wit
i h
h
Mr.
Bon
o est
s ell
l .
l
. He he
h ard
d hi
h m
i se
s lf
dia
i l
l the
h te
t le
l ph
p o
h n
o e and talk
l
wit
i h
h the
h
e op
o e
p rator
o at
t Syst
s ems
s
TX-4.
4
.
He
he
h ard
r
the
h
refr
f ig
i erator
o doo
o r
o op
o en and
d
clo
l s
o e
s ,
,
and he
h he
h ard hi
h s
i
remark tha
h t
a it
i mig
i ht
h be
b too
o
late.
Jupe
p sm
s il
i e
l d
e grim
i ly
l and
erase
s d the
h tape
p .
. The
h n
n he
h se
s t
t
the
h machi
h n
i e
n to
o recor
o d
d again
i ,
, and
d he
h turn
r ed
d away an
a d be
b gan a
a qu
q ic
i k
c in
i vest
s ig
i at
a i
t o
i n
o of
Shelby’s room.
It was
s a st
s ra
r ngely
l ba
b rre
r n pl
p a
l ce.
. No
o le
l tters
s or
o po
p s
o t
s cards
s la
l y on
o the
h desk
s ;
; no
o bo
b o
o ks
rest
s ed on
o
n th
t e
h be
b dsi
s d
i e tabl
b e
l .
. The
h re were
e no
o pi
p c
i tures
s an
a d
n no
o pl
p a
l nt
n s.
s
. The
h re was
a
s not
o so
s
o
much
h as
s a
a st
s ray sa
s fe
f t
e y pi
p n
i to
o sh
s o
h w
o tha
h t
t anyon
o e
n li
l v
i ed t
he
h re
r .
Jupe
p lo
l o
o k
o ed in
i to
o the
h cl
c o
l s
o e
s t and
d sa
s w
a jacket
e s
s an
a d sh
s i
h r
i ts
s an
a d
n sl
s a
l cks.
s
. Th
T e
h po
p c
o kets
s were
empt
p y.
. He o
p
o e
p ned the
h
e d
ress
s e
s r draw
a ers
s and
n sa
s w
a und
n erwea
e r and
n so
s c
o ks
k
s and
d turt
r le
l n
e ecks.
s
But the
h n
e ,
, in
i the
h bo
b t
o tom
o drawer,
, cov
o ered over wit
i h
h fo
f ld
l e
d d
e
d sw
s e
w a
e t
a e
t r
e s
r ,
s
, he
h
e sa
s w
a th
t e
h
e
knife.
It was
s a very
r sh
s a
h rp
p knif
i e
f ,
, in
i a fi
f n
i e le
l athe
h r sh
s e
h ath.
h
. It was
s not
o the
h kin
i d
n of
o
f knif
i e
f use
s d
fo
f r
o sh
s a
h rpe
p nin
i g pe
p ncil
i s
l
s or
o fo
f r
o cuttin
i g bi
b t
i s
s of
o
f fi
f s
i h
s i
h n
i g li
l n
i e.
. It was
s the
h
e kin
i d of
o
f kni
n f
i e
f on
o e
mig
i ht
h use
s fo
f r
o thr
h ow
o in
i g.
Jupe
p le
l ft
f it
i whe
h re it
i was.
s
. He cli
l m
i be
b d ou
o t of
o
f the
h win
i dow
o ,
, and to
t l
o d
l Mr.
. Bonest
s ell
l
wha
h t he
h ’d fo
f u
o nd whi
h l
i e
l
e