The Red Chipmunk Mystery by Ellery Queen Jr

Author:Ellery Queen Jr. [QUEEN, ELLERY]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781504003957
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
Published: 1948-09-04T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VIII

DJUNA IN DANGER

DJUNA stretched out on his stomach and clung to the tall grass and weeds in silent desperation. He was so stunned by the voices coming up from some place beneath him that for a few moments fear and shock left him weak and almost helpless. He couldn’t have moved if his life had depended on it. And he knew that his life might depend on his next move. His whole body was soaked with perspiration as he fought to gather his strength and his wits. He lifted his eyes and looked up at the sky and saw clouds drifting lazily across the blue heavens, just as they always had done. Then he looked at the great trees around him, and saw birds winging their way in and out of their branches; and somehow the sky and the trees and the birds gave him strength because they were just as they always had been.

After a time he realised that whoever was talking beneath him had not heard him or someone would have appeared to find out who he was and why he was there. As strength and courage came back to him he strained his ears to hear what the voices were saying, but they were only a jumble of words, rising and falling indistinctly.

It came to Djuna that somewhere close to the spot where he was lying there must be a crevice or crack in the earth that allowed the sound of the voices to escape. He strained his ears to identify the direction from which the voices were coming, and, when he had, he began to inch forward in that direction on his stomach. As he moved slowly the voices became more and more distinct until he came to a place where there was a small crevice in the earth between two small boulders sunk in the ground. The earth had sifted away between the two stones, leaving a small crack. It was not large enough for him to see through, but the voices came to him quite clearly when he put his ear against the crevice.

He recognised Mr. Scissors’ voice immediately and then he recognised the harsh, tough voice of the tall, thin man who had struck at him the day before, and the voice of the man called Louie.

“Listen, granpa,” the harsh voice said. “I’m running out of words and when I do I’m going to pin your ears back so they won’t ever be the same again. Now, for the last time where is the bridle you bought at Hilltop?”

“I tell you I’m tryin’ to think,” Mr. Scissors said; and the sound of his voice gave Djuna courage, because Mr. Scissors didn’t sound at all afraid. “It might help my thinkin’ if you’d tell me why you want it and why you went through my wagon yesterday and threw everything galley-west. Now you fellahs know that wasn’t a nice thing to do!” Mr. Scissors finished with a chuckle in his voice.

Djuna almost snickered, because he knew Mr.

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