The Three Investigators [In] the Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur

Author:Robert Arthur
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fiction:Young Adult, Detective and mystery stories, Mystery and detective stories
ISBN: 9780679811763
Publisher: Knopf
Published: 1964-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Into A Trap

“THIS SEEMS TO BE the first address,” Pete said, consulting a slip of paper with two names and addresses written on it. “Stop here.”

“You bet,” said the man who was driving the Rolls-Royce the following morning.

He was a short man with shrewd, inquisitive eyes, named Fitch. When Jupiter had phoned to ask for Worthington and the car, the Rent-’n-Ride Auto Rental Agency had informed him that Worthington was away. That was a disappointment, because the boys were used to Worthington. However, there was nothing to do but agree to another driver.

The car pulled up to the kerb and Fitch turned round to grin at Bob and Pete.

Jupiter was not with them. That morning his aunt’s sister had been taken ill. His aunt and uncle had hurried away, and he had been forced to remain in charge of the salvage yard. Hence Pete and Bob were on their own.

“You kids going to do some detecting today?” Fitch asked. “Worthington was telling me about your set-up. Say, anytime you need help, call on me. I was a bank guard once.” He tapped his forehead. “Believe me, what I don’t know about crooks isn’t worth knowing.”

Neither of the boys thought much of the new driver. Pete gave a short nod and said, “Thank you, Fitch. However, today we’re just going to try to trace some missing parrots.”

“Trace some missing –” Fitch began, and his face got red. “Okay, I can take a hint.”

He turned round and picked up a newspaper. He thought Pete was joking.

The previous evening Jupiter had put into effect his Ghost-to-Ghost Hookup, as planned, concentrating on that section of Hollywood and seeking information about anyone who had recently bought yellow-headed parrots. Several answers had been received from boys in the area. From the information thus received, they learned that a fat man had been going from door to door several days before, and had located two of the parrots – Captain Kidd and Sherlock Holmes. He had managed to buy them by offering double what the owners had paid for them.

However, the fat man had missed the two parrots named Scarface and Robin Hood. Pete and Bob had the addresses of the people who had bought these two, and hoped to be able to buy them. They had seventy-five dollars with them, money Jupiter had persuaded his aunt to advance them by promising all three would work hard in the salvage yard for at least two weeks. They hoped it would be enough. If not, Pete had his portable tape recorder with him, and would try to get a recording of whatever odd speeches the birds might have been taught.

Leaving the car, the two boys started up a cement path between high bushes. They were approaching an old-fashioned stucco house, and were about twenty feet from it when the front door opened and a tall, skinny boy with a long nose stepped out. He grinned at them in a malicious manner.

“Skinny Norris!” Pete exclaimed, as he and his friend stopped in surprise.

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