The Great Gold Robbery Read Online Free PDF

secret service,” Helge said. “This is a secret, but last week the central bank of Brazil’s gold reserves were
also stolen. The Brazilian authorities haven’t said anything about it, because they’re afraid of becoming just as poor as the Argentinians.”
    “And clever as we are, we cross-checked the passenger lists of people who’ve flown between Johannesburg, Oslo, and Brazil in recent weeks. And it’s not that long a list.
Nothing like the traffic jam of Norwegians trying to drive across the border into Strömstad, Sweden, to stock up on liquor, where the taxes are lower.”
    “Or Kragerø, the Cape Cod of Norway,” Helge said.
    “Or Ål in Hallingdal, famous for its, uh, cross-country skiing,” Hallgeir said.
    “Get to the point,” said the king.
    “And,” Helge continued, “there are only three people who have been to all three of those locations recently. And these three are not just anyone.”
    “Quite the contrary,” Hallgeir said. “They are specifically
them
.”
    “The point!” the king yelled. “Get to it!”
    “Wouldn’t you know, they traveled under assumed names, claiming to be the Brunch Brothers, but they didn’t fool us, no they did not, no sirree. The three are
actually”—Helge paused, looking around at all the curious faces to make sure everyone was holding their breath—“the Crunch Brothers!” Helge looked around triumphantly,
but the faces around him were not those of people gasping in shock or even looking very scared.
    “The Crunch Brothers are known as the most awful bandits in all of Great and Small Britain combined,” Hallgeir explained.
    “Cool!” shouted Nilly. “Awful bandits are cool!”
    “What I’m wondering,” Doctor Proctor said, “is how these brothers managed to take Norway’s
entire
gold reserves with them on a plane. I mean, when you
consider how heavy gold is, well, they must have paid a fortune for overweight baggage.”
    “It was only one gold bar,” Bank Governor Tor said with a small, modest smile. “So, definitely under the weight limit.”
    “Only one gold bar?” Lisa said, raising an incredulous eyebrow. “That’s Norway’s entire gold reserve?”
    “It’s shrunk a little over the years,” Tor admitted.
    “I’d say,” said Proctor. “What happened to the rest of the gold?”
    “Candy,” Tor said with a casual shrug.
    “The gold turned into
candy
?” Nilly asked.
    “No, into gold fillings for cavities,” Tor said. “After World War Two, Norwegians started eating so much candy that by the 1970s, dentists ran out of gold. Maybe you remember
1972, the year of the Great Toothache?”
    Everyone else shook their heads. Only the king nodded, his hand flying instinctively up to his jaw.
    “That was an ugly time,” Tor said. “You could hear the moaning and groaning and cries of pain from North Cape, at the northernmost tip of Norway, all the way south to Lindesnes
at the southernmost tip. And boy could you hear them! The Parliament had to pass the Dental Transference Act. And every year since then, the dentists of Norway have been steadily eating away at the
central bank’s gold reserves. Until today . . .”

    “So all our gold is in the mouths of candy-eating Norwegians who didn’t brush their teeth?” Lisa asked, crossing her arms and looking offended. “That’s just not
right!”
    “Yup,” Nilly said, plunging his index fingers into the corners of his mouth and pulling it open so far it looked like the top half of his head might fall off. “Ust loooookh at
dis. . . .”
    And sure enough: His mouth gleamed with the dull sheen of unbrushed gold.
    “But if you
know
these Crunch Brother people are behind the robberies, why haven’t you already arrested them?” Doctor Proctor asked.
    “There are several reasons,” Bank Governor Tor said. “First of all, we don’t have any actual evidence, just the plane tickets.”
    “Well, but they must have hidden the gold somewhere,” Lisa said. “All we