Encyclopedia Brown and Dead Eagles Read Online Free Page B

Lightfoot Louie from the open end. “This little speed merchant breezed into the championship race,” he said. “Isn’t that correct, Mr. Timekeeper?”
    “You breezed into the championship all right,” said Sally. “For liars!”
    “Nobody calls me a liar,” growled Hoager.
    He swung at Sally’s chin and went “Oooof!” Sally had landed a left to his stomach. He swung again and went thud! Sally had dumped him on his pants with an uppercut.
    All at once she looked worried. She turned to Encyclopedia.
    “You can prove that he made up the whole race, can’t you?” she said.
    “Of course,” said the detective.
    WHAT WAS THE PROOF?
     
     
     
    (Turn to page 93 for the solution to The Case of Lightfoot Louie.)

The Case of the Broken Window
    It was eight thirty at night when John Hall telephoned Chief Brown.
    Fifteen minutes later Encyclopedia and his father were driving to Mr. Hall’s house. Encyclopedia wore his Halloween pirate’s costume. Chief Brown was dressed as a caveman.
    “Mr. Hall is giving a costume party tonight,” said Chief Brown. “That’s the reason for our dressing up. He doesn’t want his guests alarmed by the sight of the police.”
    “What happened?” asked Encyclopedia. He had been too excited at going along on a grown-up case to ask questions before now.
    “Someone, perhaps a guest, stole a valuable stamp,” answered Chief Brown.
    Mr. Hall had the largest stamp collection in Idaville. Some of his stamps were worth thousands of dollars.
    He was waiting outside his house when Encyclopedia and Chief Brown drove up at quarter past nine.
    The two men shook hands, and Chief Brown said, “This is my son Leroy. I hope you don’t mind that I brought him.”
    “Your son?” exclaimed Mr. Hall. “Why, I thought he was a real pirate!”
    Encyclopedia gritted his teeth and followed the men into the house. They walked past groups of costumed guests and up a flight of stairs.
    “In here,” said Mr. Hall, entering his study. The room’s one window was unlocked. The glass was shattered.
    Mr. Hall stopped by the desk, on which lay a stamp album. In a calm voice he told what had happened.
    At seven o‘clock he had taken the stamp album from the wall safe to enjoy it. At eight o’clock the first guest had arrived, and he had gone downstairs. He had locked the door and window, but had left the album out on the desk.
    Shortly after eight thirty, he had gone back upstairs to put the album in the safe. He had found the door unlocked and the window broken.
    “So far as I can tell at the moment, the only thing missing is the Louis Guinea, a French stamp worth ten thousand dollars,” he said.
    “The thief probably first sneaked up the stairs and found the door locked,” said Chief Brown. “So he went into the backyard and climbed that little tree and broke in. It was already dark, and so he was pretty sure no one would see him. He stole the stamp and left by unlocking the door from the inside.”
    “I quite agree,” said Mr. Hall. “The tree is small and shaky. The thief must have decided there was less risk in leaving the room by the staircase.”
    “That makes him a guest—someone in costume,” said Chief Brown. “If he had been questioned on the stairs, he could always say that he had heard a noise and came upstairs to investigate. Has anyone left the party?”
    “No, I checked,” said Mr. Hall. “All the guests are still here. The thief won’t dare call attention to himself by leaving early.”
    “There is no point to searching everyone,” said Chief Brown. “If the thief got wind of a search, he would get rid of the stamp in a second.”
    “Or worse, destroy it rather than be caught,” said Mr. Hall. “That’s why I asked you to wear a costume. You can do your work without drawing attention.”
    Mr. Hall replaced the stamp album in the wall safe.
    “I haven’t moved anything but the album,” he said. “Now, please excuse me. I must rejoin my guests.”
    After he had