The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar - M. V. Carey [8]
You said he used to introduce your cases? Are you boys learning to be detectives?”
“We are detectives,” said Jupe proudly. He pulled out his own wallet and took a small card from one of the compartments. He handed the card to Mr. Sebastian. It read:
THE THREE INVESTIGATORS
“We Investigate Anything”
? ? ?
First Investigator – Jupiter Jones
Second Investigator – Peter Crenshaw
Records and Research – Bob Andrews
“I see,” said Sebastian. “You call yourselves The Three Investigators, and you volunteer to investigate anything. That’s a rather brave statement. Private investigators can be asked to do some very odd things.”
“We know,” said Jupiter. “We have encountered some highly unusual circumstances
— even bizarre ones. That’s our specialty. We have often been successful in cases where ordinary law enforcement people have failed.”
Mr. Sebastian nodded. “I believe you,” he said. “Young people have nimble minds, and they aren’t burdened with notions about what can happen and can’t.”
Bob leaned forward. “We’re interested in the blind beggar because we wonder whether he might have something to do with the robbery at the bank,” he said. “Were you in Santa Monica yesterday? Did you drop the wallet there? Or could he have picked your pocket?”
“No.” Mr. Sebastian leaned back in his chair. “I know I had the wallet yesterday morning. I remember putting it in my pocket when I left the house to go to Denicola’s. I never thought of it again until just now. Obviously I must have dropped it at Denicola’s, since that’s the only place I went yesterday, but it must have been an accident. I certainly didn’t get into any crowds where someone could have jostled me and picked my pocket — and I would have noticed a blind man.”
“Isn’t Denicola’s the place up the coast where they have a charter boat for sports fishermen?” said Pete.
Mr. Sebastian nodded. “I keep my speedboat there,” he said. “It’s closer than any of the marinas. When I want to use the boat, the boy who works for Mrs. Denicola rows me out to the buoy where it’s tied up. I had the boat out for a run yesterday. I must have dropped the wallet near the dock, or maybe in the parking lot there.”
“And the blind man picked it up,” said Pete.
“Then the blind man went to Santa Monica without saying anything to the people at Denicola’s about the wallet,” said Bob. “And he happened to be across the street from the bank at the exact moment the holdup men got in disguised as cleaning people. Maybe he even created a diversion by dropping his cup of coins so that the people at the bus stop wouldn’t guess what was going on.”
“The cup of coins may have been slippery in the rain,” said Mr. Sebastian. “Or the man may have been tired. It could mean nothing at all that he dropped the cup.”
“He ran away after he dropped the wallet and Bob went after him to give it back,”
Jupe pointed out. “He ran again after he was hit by a car.”
“Not unusual,” said Mr. Sebastian. “He could have been in shock. He could have had a guilty conscience about carrying a wallet that wasn’t his. He could have been afraid of the police. The police are often hard on beggars. It doesn’t seem likely that he has any connection with a bank robbery, but why don’t you go to the police and tell them what you’ve just told me? Give them my name if you want to. I’ll be glad to co-operate in any way I can.”
“Of course,” said Jupiter, disappointed. “That’s the thing to do. And probably you’re right and the blind man happened to come along only by coincidence. I guess this case is over before it really began.”
“Looks that way,” said Mr. Sebastian. “Listen, I really appreciate your coming here with the wallet.” He was fumbling in the wallet now, frowning at the bills there.
“It was no trouble,” said Pete quickly.
“We were glad to do it,” Bob put in. “Please don’t even think about giving us anything.”
“Well then, can I reward you some other way?” asked Mr. Sebastian. “How about a ride in my speedboat? Want to go with me the next time I take it out?”
“Hey,