The Mystery of the Singing Serpent - M. V. Carey [41]
There was a flash and a roar, and the windows of Noxworth’s Mini Market collapsed inward!
Jupe had a glimpse of Noxworth’s face, white with terror, peering from behind a counter. Then Hendricks was racing down the street after the fleeing tramp.
“It was a bomb!” said Allie. “I thought it was a radio.”
“Allie, my girl, you’ve led a sheltered life,” declared Pete. “Hardly any real tramps own transistor radios.”
Chapter 20
Wanted: One Witch Doctor
ON THE RETURN TRIP from Los Angeles, Allie sat in the back of the truck with the boys.
“Now the police will question Aunt Pat, won’t they?” she asked.
“I’m sure they’ll be gentle with her,” said Jupe. “After all, she isn’t a criminal.”
“I wanted to keep her out of this.”
“There wasn’t any way,” Bob told her. “Once the police knew how dangerous Shaitan was, we had to tell them everything.”
“Allie, you were great,” said Pete. “If you hadn’t picked up that bomb, Hendricks’ store would have been blown up.” He chuckled. “I’d hate to see anything happen to Hendricks.
What a guy! How’d you like the flying tackle when he caught up with that bogus tramp?
And the way he sat on the crook until the cops got there?”
“I enjoyed the look on Noxworth’s face more,” said Jupe. “The last thing he expected was to have his windows blown in.”
The truck stopped in front of Allie’s house. Aunt Mathilda must have been watching for them, because the front door opened immediately.
“Where have you been?” called Aunt Mathilda. “Miss Osborne is much worse. Dr.
Peters is with her now. I had to call him. Did you find her own doctor?”
“No, we didn’t.” Jupe hurried up the walk. He looked past Aunt Mathilda and saw Dr.
Peters.
“Does she have any close relations here?” asked the doctor.
Allie skidded past Jupe and Aunt Mathilda. “I’m it, at the moment,” she said.
“I want to move her to a hospital,” Dr. Peters said. “She won’t consent.”
Allie went up the stairs two at a time. Jupe followed her.
Miss Patricia Osborne looked like a shrunken doll under the covers of her big tester bed.
She turned away when Allie came into the room.
“Aunt Pat, you’ve got to snap out of this,” scolded Allie. “It’s all over. Shaitan is a con man and the cops are going to grab him.”
Pat Osborne didn’t stir.
Allie seized her arm and shook her. “You’ve got to help yourself now. Come on! You need to be in the hospital.”
Miss Osborne touched Allie’s hand. “The necklace,” she whispered. “Get it, Allie, please?”
Allie pulled away. “No. You can’t give the necklace to Shaitan. Didn’t you hear what I’ve been telling you? By this time, Shaitan’s in jail where he can’t hurt anyone.”
“You betrayed him?” Fresh horror showed in Pat Osborne’s face. “Allie, he’ll blame me!”
“Nonsense!” Allie tugged at one of her wrists. “Come on, now, Aunt Pat.”
Jupe took Allie’s elbow. “Let her alone,” he counseled. He led Allie into the hall. “She can’t help herself,” he said. “Don’t you see? She’s more afraid of Shaitan in jail than out.
There’s only one thing to do. We fight fire with fire.”
“How?” asked Allie.
“She’s been bewitched.”
“Jupiter Jones, you know that’s hogwash!”
“But your aunt believes it, and it’s killing her. We have to take off the curse. We have to find another witch doctor. It’s in all the anthropology books. When someone’s been cursed, you find another witch doctor to send back the curse.”
Allie sagged against the wall. “Where do we get a witch doctor?”
“I think I know.” Jupiter started downstairs.
In the lower hall, Bob and Pete milled around a worried Aunt Mathilda. The doctor was pacing in the living room.
“That professor at Ruxton University,” said Jupe to Bob. “The one who wrote the book on magic. Do you remember his name?”
“Bannister, I think. No. No, it’s Barrister. Henry Barrister.”
“That sounds right. And Ruxton is just over the hills in the valley.” Jupe started for the kitchen, and the two other boys trailed him.
“Are you going to do what I think you’re going to do?” asked Bob.