The Mystery of the Singing Serpent - M. V. Carey [48]
“It was like a miracle,” said Jupe. “We had no explaining to do, and he had a tape of the serpent singing and could coach Mara. The police used his files to contact members of the fellowship and invite them to a line-up.”
“You should have been there!” exclaimed Pete. “You should have seen their faces when they saw Shaitan without his cape or his cap. He looked like a lost leprechaun. His real name’s Henry Longstreet, but he’s also known as Harry the Dip because he used to be a pickpocket. Ariel started life as Johnny Boye and once got arrested for peddling fake chrome polish in a parking lot. The man called Max is an ex-burglar and Ellis, who did the actual bombing and sabotaged Mrs. Compton’s car, has quite a record. He’ll do anything for money.”
“Allie told her aunt all about it,” said Jupe. “It didn’t help much. She’s sitting on the patio now, wondering how soon she’ll be able to go into Hollywood to consult with Mara.”
“A hopeless case,” said Mr. Hitchcock. “But what did happen to Miss Enderby’s landlady?”
“Nothing,” said Bob. “She went to Dubuque because her sister invited her. Probably lucky for her, but Miss Enderby thought Belial engineered the trip and no one told her different.”
“What about the man who was worried about a high rise going up next to his property?”
“The land wasn’t stable enough for a high rise,” said Jupe, “and they credited that to Belial.”
“One nice thing,” said Pete. “That crystal ball that started the trouble? Allie bought it.
Her aunt didn’t want it, after what had happened, so Allie took it to the hospital to Mrs.
Compton.”
Mr. Hitchcock nodded. “A nice gesture.”
“It was,” said Pete. “Allie’s okay, I guess, but I think I’ll be glad when she goes to boarding school in the fall. We’ll get to use Red Gate Rover again — and besides, she’s kind of a strain to be around. Like, she can think up lies quicker than anybody I ever met, and she has this thing about getting her own way.”
“It appears so,” said Mr. Hitchcock, “but there could be compensations. For example, if you treat her nicely, she might let you ride her horse.”
“Thanks a lot,” said Pete, “but if I have to go by Appaloosa, I’ll stay home!”
THE END
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23