The Man Who Read Mysteries (Lost Classics) by William Brittain

Author:William Brittain [Brittain, William]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781936363339
Publisher: Crippen & Landru
Published: 2018-12-29T00:00:00+00:00

al – in mr s car

“You see?” said the detective triumphantly. “Everybody calls Alvin Gruderman Al, even the kids. The way I see it, this note proves that Malesco went to Al’s diner in your car.”

Mr. Strang read the note several times. The clouds of thick smoke still issuing from his pipe and the faraway look in his eyes indicated that the teacher was concentrating deeply. He turned the note upside down, and he peered at the reverse side of the paper.

Then the science teacher began to laugh.

“What’s so funny, Mr. Strang?” asked Bell. “You flipped or something?”

“How many times,” Mr. Strang chortled, his thin body shaking with merriment, “have I asked to be delivered from the functional illiterates I have in my classes? And now Beanie Malesco is going to be proved innocent, just because he can’t write decently! You say you just found this, Lundeen?” “Well, it was actually Al Gruderman who found it. We were inside, rehashing the robbery, and he sort of absentmindedly lifted up a road map from my desk. My memo pad was underneath, and this was written on the top sheet.”

“I hope today will be a lesson to you, Roberts,” said Mr. Strang, “not to equate the word ‘teacher’ with ‘numbskull.’ I told you Beanie was innocent, and I’m going to prove he is. Officer Bell, would you ask Mr. Gruderman to come out here, please?”

Bell went to the office and beckoned to the owner of the diner.

“Mr. Gruderman,” said Mr. Strang, when they had returned, “tell me about that driveway into your parking lot. Is it as narrow as the detective described it to me?”

“Sure is,” said Gruderman. “It’s got a high cement wall on one side and the diner itself on the other. Last year, a car got stuck in there, and nobody could get in or out for twenty minutes.”

“And you’re absolutely sure you saw the robber drive up in my car?”

“Mr. Strang,” Roberts interrupted, “Al has already gone over that. It was your car that Malesco took — there’s no possible question about it.”

Mr. Strang merely nodded at the interruption and addressed another question to Gruderman. “When my car stopped — with the motor running — it completely blocked your driveway. Is that right?”

“Yep. There wasn’t more than three feet of clearance on either side of the car, maybe not that much.”

“Thank you,” said Mr. Strang. He glanced quickly at Roberts, Bell, Lundeen, and Gruderman, as if to see that everyone was in place before The Lecture started. “I would like you all to give me your complete and undivided attention,” he said. “Class is now in session, and I don’t want you to miss a word.”

Once again, Mr. Strang’s black-rimmed glasses were polished on his necktie, and one hand was carefully inserted into a jacket pocket.

“Beanie Malesco,” began Mr. Strang, waving his glasses like a king’s scepter, “is hard put to spell his own name correctly. Therefore, to hide his lack of ability, he abbreviates as often as possible, as the note indicates.

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