Encyclopedia Brown: Book 06: Keeps the Peace by Donald J. Sobol

Author:Donald J. Sobol [Sobol, Donald J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101042359
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 1969-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

The cook mas running after Cicero. He was waving his knife and screaming, “1 fix you good!”

“That’s when the cook came at you?” asked Encyclopedia.

“Not quite,” answered Cicero. “I’d walked a block when I heard sounds like a truck back-firing. The next thing I knew, the cook was running after me. He was waving his knife and screaming, ‘I fix you good!’ I didn’t argue. I took off.”

“What did the sailor look like?” asked Encyclopedia. “The one you bumped into?”

“I didn’t see his face,” said Cicero. “Anyway, what has he got to do with it?”

“I don’t know—yet,” said Encyclopedia. “Wait here.”

Leaving Cicero in the doorway, Encyclopedia and Sally went to The Beefy Burger Palace on Fourth Street, Inside the little restaurant Officer Webb was talking with a big sailor and a cook.

“We didn’t get here a second too soon,” said Encyclopedia.

“I’ve never been in here before in my life,” the sailor was telling Officer Webb. “I didn’t try to pull a stickup. There must be three hundred sailors in town today. He’s made a mistake.”

“No mistake!” shouted the cook. “You had a partner—a little guy. I should have known. They don’t let shrimps like him into the United States Navy!”

“My gosh,” whispered Sally. “I think he’s talking about Cicero!”

“The little guy—he looked like a kid—sat right here at the counter,” said the cook. “When the place was empty, he got up and paid. He acted funny.”

“Funny?” questioned Officer Webb.

“Sort of nervous,” said the cook. “He turned to go and bumped into his partner here and fell down. While I was watching the little guy crawl out the door, this big one pulled a gun. See how they worked it? Slick!”

“Then what did you do?” said Officer Webb.

“This big fellow told me to hand over all my money. Instead, I dived behind the counter. He fired a few shots, got scared, and beat it.”

“You kept him in sight while you gave chase?”

“Well, not quite,” said the cook. “When I got outside, I saw the little shrimp first. He took off faster than a rabbit. I figured the two of them had split up. So I doubled back to look for the big fellow. I saw him on Third Street. That’s when I hollered to you, officer.”

“I tell you he’s made a mistake,” protested the big sailor. “Look, officer. When you brought me back here, did I fight? No! Did I have a gun! No! So how many times do I have to say it? You’ve got the wrong man! ”

“He must have thrown the gun away,” growled the cook.

“I believe the big sailor,” Sally whispered to Encyclopedia. “The cook made a mistake.”

“What makes you so certain?”

“He’s not very smart if he thinks Cicero had a hand in a stickup!”

“The cook didn’t make a mistake. Cicero brought suspicion upon himself,” replied Encyclopedia. “The big sailor is guilty!”

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