"Arthur, Robert - The Three Investigators 020 - The Mystery of Monster Mountain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Arthur Robert)

A Word from Alfred Hitchcock

Greetings, mystery lovers!

Once again I have the pleasure of introduc- ing that team of youthful sleuths known as The Three Investigators. "We Investigate Anything" is their slogan, and so they do. Usually they conduct their operations out of their official Headquarters -- an abandoned mobile home trailer in The Jones Salvage Yard in Rocky Beach, a small community not far from Hollywood. This time, however, they journey to the high slopes of the Sierra Nevadas for an adventure which begins, sim- ply, with a search for a missing key. Compli- cations are soon piled on complications as the lads learn the strange secret that threatens the woman called Anna, and discover the truth behind the dark legends of a hermit and a monster.

In the event that any of our readers are meeting The Three Investigators for the first time, I shall only say that Jupiter Jones, the First Investigator and leader of the group, is a stout fellow with an extremely agile mind and a remarkable talent for scenting trouble. Pete Crenshaw is the tallest and most athletic of the trio. Though he is never a coward, he does cherish a sensible desire to keep out of danger. Bob Andrews, quiet and studious, keeps records for the group, and has a flair for research which is invaluable to The Three Investigators.

Now that the introductions are completed, the reader will please turn to Chapter One. Monster Mountain awaits!

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Sky Village

"Wow!" said Pete Crenshaw when he first saw Sky Village. "This place looks like a stage set. Somebody should make a movie here !'*

Bob Andrews was kneeling beside him in the back of the pickup truck, looking over the roof of the cab at the village street. "Well, it won't be Mr. Hitchcock," he said. "This town is too darned wholesome for a mystery movie."

Jupiter Jones pulled himself to his knees beside Bob and planted his chubby arms on the top of the cab. "Mr. Hitchcock knows that mysteries can occur in all sorts of places," he reminded his friends. "But you're right. Sky Village is very new and artificial."

The truck ground up the steep grade of the street and passed a ski shop that resembled a cottage in the Alps. Next to the ski shop was a motel which had a roof of imitation thatch.

Now, in midsummer, the ski shop and the motel were closed. Bright blue shutters cov- ered the windows of a restaurant called The Yodelerhaus. A few pedestrians strolled along the sunny sidewalks and, in a gas station, an attendant in faded denims dozed in a chair.

The truck turned into the gas station and stopped near the pumps. Hans and Konrad got out of the cab. The two Bavarian broth- ers had worked for Jupiter's Aunt Mathilda and Uncle Titus for years. They helped sort, clean, repair, and sell items which Uncle Titus acquired for The Jones Salvage Yard. The brothers were always neat and tidy when they came to work. Today they surpassed themselves. Hans wore a new sport shirt

Хwhich had not a wrinkle in it, even after the long drive from Rocky Beach through the Owens Valley and up to the ski resort high in the Sierra Nevada. Konrad's slacks still held their press, and his shoes gleamed.

"They want to make a good impression on their Cousin Anna," whispered Bob to Jupe.

Jupe smiled and nodded. The three boys

Хwatched from the back of the truck as the Bavarian brothers approached the sleeping gas station attendant.

"Excuse me," said Hana to the man. The man grunted and opened his eyes.

"Please," said Hans, "where is the home of Anna Schmid?"

"The Slalom Inn?" The man stood up and pointed toward a grove of pines which edged the street. "Go past those trees and you'll see a white house on your left. You can't miss it. It's the last place before the road turns off to the campground."

Hans thanked him and began to get back into the truck.

"Is Anna expecting you?" asked the man. "I saw her drive down the road toward Bishop a couple of hours ago. I don't think she's back yet."

"Then we wait for her," said Konrad.

"Could be a long wait," said the man. "Nearly everything in Sky -Village is closed for the summer, so Anna's probably got big shopping to do in Bishop."

"It has already been a long wait," said Konrad cheerfully. "We have not seen Anna since we were children together, back home, before we come to the United States."