"Carey, M.V. - The Three Investigators 15 - The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints" - читать интересную книгу автора (Carey M.V)

"It seems likely," said Bob. "The rest of the family became so upset that they did away with themselves in various ways. The queen is supposed to have taken poison."

"You mean the people believed that?" cried Pete.

"With all those generals around, who was going to argue?" Bob retorted. "Also, the generals immediately removed the tax on cheese, which helped. The royal palace became the National Museum, and the crown jewels were donated to the people, so everybody could enjoy them."

"And no one could wear them," put in Jupiter. "A fantastic story. On the other hand, a tax on tea had a great deal to do with our American Revolution, so perhaps it isn't so fantastic. And are there no Azimovs left?"

"I'll double-check it at the library tomorrow," promised Bob. "According to the encyclopedia, the family became extinct when King William jumped off that balcony."

Jupe brooded. "Tom Dobson said his grandfather came from Ukrainia. Suppose Tom is wrong? The Potter and that Azimov eagle seem to be old friends. I wonder if he could have had anything to do with that royal family."

"Or with the revolutionary generals," added Bob.

Pete shivered. "Whole families do not commit suicide," he said. "Remember what happened to the Romanovs in Russia."

"They were massacred," said Jupe.

"Right. And if The Potter had any part in that, I don't want to know him any better than I do already."





8

Worthington Comes Through



"I AM sure," said Jupiter Jones firmly, "that whatever may have happened in the past, Tom Dobson and his mother know only that The Potter makes beautiful ceramics and that he is missing. Also that somebody or something left flaming footprints in his kitchen this afternoon. Mrs Dobson is extremely upset, and Tom is not at all happy about the situation. I suggested to Tom that one of The Three Investigators might spend the night with the Dobsons. They will feel safer, and one of us will be on the scene if something unusual occurs. There is another line of inquiry I would like to follow up with Bob. Pete, could you call your mother and--"

"Not me!" cried Pete. "Listen, Jupe, somebody could burn that house down with those flaming footprints! And the windows upstairs are awfully high. If you got shoved out of one of them, you might not recover."

"You won't be alone," Jupiter reminded him.

"King William wasn't alone, either."

"Well, if you won't, you won't," said Jupiter Jones. "I had hoped, thoughа.а.а."

Pete scowled savagely. "All right! All right! I'll do it. I get all the dangerous assignments." And he picked up the telephone and dialled his home.

"Mum?" he said. "I'm with Jupiter. Can I stay over tonight?"

The boys waited.

"Yeah, all night," said Pete. "We're looking for something. It's a medallion. It's lost."

The telephone made worried noises.