7 The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat by Enid Blyton

Author:Enid Blyton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

12. Zoe, the First Suspect

The next day, Monday, the Five Find-Outers really set to work. They all met at Pip’s as usual. They were early, half-past nine—but, as Fatty pointed out, they had a lot to do.

“You and Bets must go and buy a birthday present for that child—Zoe Markham’s niece,” he said. “Got any money?”

“I haven’t any at all,” said Bets. “I owed Pip three and threepence for a water-pistol, and it’s all gone to pay for that.”

“I’ve got about a shilling, I think,” said Daisy.

Fatty put his hand into his pocket and pulled out some silver. He always seemed to have plenty of money.

He had aunts and uncles who tipped him well, and he was just like a grown-up the way he always seemed to have enough to spend.

He picked out a two shilling piece and a sixpence. “Here you are, Daisy. You can get a little something for half-a-crown. When’s the child’s birthday?”

“Tomorrow,” said Daisy, “I met her little sister yesterday and asked her.”

“Good,” said Fatty. “Couldn’t be better! Now you go and buy something, you and Bets, and put a message on it, and deliver it to Mrs. Thomas, Zoe’s sister. And mind you get into conversation with her and find out exactly when Zoe went there on Friday night, and what time she left.”

“How shall we get her talking, though?” said Daisy, beginning to feel nervous.

Fatty looked sternly at poor Daisy. “Now I really can’t plan every one’s conversation! It’s up to you to get this done, Daisy. Use your commonsense. Ask what the mother herself is giving the child—something like that—and I bet she’ll take you in to see the present she’s prepared.”

“Oh yes—that’s a good idea,” said Daisy, cheering up. “Come on, Bets—we’ll go and do our bit of shopping.”

“I’m going to see Pippin for a few minutes, if I can,” said Fatty. “I want to find out one or two things before I make further plans.”

“What do you want to know?” asked Larry, interested.

“Well—I want to know if there were any fingerprints on that wall-mirror, which had to be lifted down to get the safe open, at the back of it,” said Fatty. “And there might have been prints on the safe too. If there were, and the job was done by one of the actors or actresses, we might as well give up our detecting at once—because Goon has only got to take every one’s fingerprints, compare them with the ones on mirror or safe—and there you are. He’d have the thief immediately!”

“Oh, I hope he won’t!” said Bets, in dismay. “I want to go on with this mystery. I want us to solve it, not Goon. I like this finding-out part.”

“Don’t worry,” said Fatty, with a grin. “The thief wouldn’t leave prints behind, I’m sure! He was pretty cunning, whoever he was.”

“Do you think it was Boysie, the Pantomime Cat?” asked Daisy.

“No—not at present, anyway,” said Fatty. “Wait and see what we think of him when we see him. Oh,

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