Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage Read Online Free PDF Page A

of any use to you,’ said Fatty scornfully. ‘Hadn’t you better forget about Buster, and concentrate on finding the Lorenzos - or the picture, whatever it is, Mr. Goon?’
    Mr. Goon knew when he was beaten. He shut his notebook and began to bluster. ‘Well, if there’s anybody else makes a single complaint about that dog - a single complaint, I say - he’ll soon learn what happens to dogs that are Out of Control. Time he did too. If ever there was a more aggravating dog - yes, and a more aggravating set of children, I’d like to hear of them.’
    ‘I’ll be sure to let you know if ever we do hear of any,’ said Fatty, in his most courteous voice, the one that always drove poor Goon to fury. ‘Well, I take it you don’t need us any more - unless you’d like to tell us a bit about this new case, so that we might help you!’
    ‘GAH!’ said Mr. Goon furiously, and drove the Five out before him, Buster barking madly. They all went out of the front gate and Mr. Goon bellowed over it, almost shaking his fist at them.
    ‘And if you try Interfering with the Law, and messing about in this case, and telling me Clues that aren’t Clues, I’ll come and tell your parents!’ he shouted.
    ‘Mr. Goon, Mr. Goon, you’ll be had up for a Breach of the Peace,’ said Fatty solemnly. ‘You’re making everyone look out of their windows.’
    Mr. Goon retreated hurriedly into his house, muttering fiercely. The children got on their bicycles and rode off.
    ‘A slight victory to us, I think,’ said Fatty happily. ‘Buster, you can breathe again!’
     
    NOT SO GOOD!
     
    The chief topic of conversation that day was the five children’s interview with Goon. Larry, Pip, Daisy and Bets could hardly wait till they got to Fatty’s shed to ask him what he meant about the Lorenzos.
    ‘Who are they? How did you know about them?’ demanded Larry.
    ‘I didn’t. But my mother happened to mention this morning that the people who owned Poppet were called the Lorenzos,’ said Fatty. ‘So when I heard the name spoken by that other policeman - or perhaps he was a sergeant by his manner to Goon - well, it just rang a bell, and I knew they were all talking about the people who made a complaint about Buster!’
    ‘But what have they done - the Lorenzos, I mean?’ asked Bets.
    ‘I don’t know any more than you do,’ said Fatty. ‘Except that they seem to have gone away just when the police wanted them for something. And there’s something about a picture too. My mother told me that they didn’t pay their bills, so perhaps the trouble is about that!’
    ‘Is it going to be a mystery?’ asked Pip.
    ‘I hope so,’ said Fatty cheerfully. ‘And if it is, old Buster here led us to it - didn’t you, Buster? You’ve got a nose for mysteries now, haven’t you?’
    ‘Wuff,’ said Buster, thumping his tail on the floor of the shed. Fatty gave him a biscuit.
    ‘Well, there you are - a small reward for leading us to a probable mystery,’ he said. ‘The trouble is, we don’t know enough about it to set about solving it. I mean - we don’t really know what the mystery is!’
    ‘Ring up Superintendent Jenks and ask him,’ suggested Larry.
    Fatty shook his head. ‘No. I don’t somehow think he’d like it - and I’d have to tell him I overheard talk about it in Goon’s house - and Goon would get into trouble for discussing things like that without first finding out if anyone was about. After all, for all he knew, that woman in the kitchen might have overheard every word!’
    ‘Well - I don’t see how we’re to find out anything,’ said Larry. ‘Goon certainly won’t let us in on it.’
    They discussed the matter over and over again. Should they go and interview the old fellow called Bob Larkin and see if they could get anything out of him? No, because he was already annoyed with them, and anyway Goon had got to interview him - and anyway again they didn’t know what to ask the old fellow!
    ‘We’re being silly,’ said Fatty, at the end of the long discussion. ‘We’re trying to run before we can