Mystery of the Invisible Thief Read Online Free PDF Page A

down the lane to her home.
    “Er - no - I think no,” said Fatty. “I don’t particularly want him to know I snooped round after all. Tonks is the one to question. I’ll see him tomorrow. Tell Pip I’ll be round at eleven o’clock.”
    He took Bets right up to the door of her house and said good night. “And thanks most awfully for doing your bit for me,” he said. “I know you were bored - but I couldn’t have gone without you and snooped round - you were a real help.”
    “Then I don’t mind being bored,” said Bets. “Oh dear - I never want to hear about riding prizes again!”
     

Some Information From Tonks
     
    Fatty went home and walked down to the shed at the bottom of the garden where he kept his most valuable possessions.
    He cast an eye over the various chests and boxes in his closely-guarded shed. Here he kept his disguises - old clothes of various kinds, hats, boots and ragged scarves. Here was a box containing many curious things that he didn’t want his mother either to find or to throw away!
    False teeth to put over his own - false cheek-pads to swell out his face - eyebrows of all colours - wigs that fitted him and wigs that didn’t - big and little moustaches. Oh, Fatty had a most interesting collection in this shed of his at the bottom of the garden!
    He gazed at the array of belongings. “I’d like to do a spot of disguising,” he thought. “I will when Goon comes back. It’s not much fun doing it now unless there’s a mystery on, or Goon to deceive. Wonder when he’s coming back. I’ll ask Tonks tomorrow.”
    He went to see Tonks the very next morning, about ten o’clock. Buster ran beside his bicycle. Fatty had decided he really was too fat for words - exercise would be good for him. So poor Buster panted beside the bicycle, his tongue lolling out first on one side of his mouth and then on the other.
    Fatty knocked at the door. “Come in!” cried a voice and in went Fatty. He found Tonks poring over a sheaf of papers. The stolid policeman looked up and nodded.
    “Ah - Master Frederick Trotteville, isn’t it? Great friend of the Inspector’s, aren’t you? He was telling me yesterday some of the things you’d done.”
    This seemed a very good beginning. Fatty sat down. “I don’t know if you’re too busy to spare me a minute,” he said. “I took Miss Hilary home last night, she was so scared, poor little thing - you know, the Inspector’s goddaughter.”
    “Oh - so that’s what he meant when he suddenly said ‘My word - Norton House - that’s Hilary’s home,’” said the policeman. “I didn’t like to ask him.”
    “I expect he didn’t realize it was his goddaughter’s house that had been burgled, when he went off with you,” said Fatty. “Anyway, she was frightened and I took her home. I had a look round, of course - and I wondered if I’d found anything of use to you.”
    “Shouldn’t think so, sir,” said Tonks. “Not that I’m much of a one for solving cases - never have been - but the Inspector was there, you see, sir, and there’s nothing much he misses. Still, it’s very nice of you to come along and offer to help.”
    “Not at all,” said Fatty, in his most courteous voice. “Er - did you find anything interesting?”
    “Oh - just finger-prints - or rather, glove-prints - and footprints,” said Tonks. “Same as you did, I expect. Pretty big fellow the thief seems to have been. Made a good getaway too - nobody saw him go, nobody met him down the hill - might have been invisible!”
    Fatty laughed. “That’s what Jinny said. You’d have thought a big fellow like that, carrying a sack or parcel of some kind, would have been noticed, wouldn’t you? Pity the baker didn’t spot him when he arrived with the bread.”
    “Yes. He never saw a thing,” said Tonks. “I must say it was pretty brave of him to go upstairs with Jinny and look all round - he’s a tiny little fellow, and wouldn’t be any match for a big man. I went along to see him last night. He reckons his coming disturbed the thief. He hadn’t really stolen