"Carey, M.V. - The Three Investigators 27 - The Mystery of the Magic Circle" - читать интересную книгу автора (Carey M.V)

M. V. Carey

The Mystery of the Magic Circle





A Word from Alfred Hitchcock



Greetings, mystery lovers.

Again it is my privilege to introduce to you The Three Investigators, those young detectives whose specialty is mystery--and the more unusual, the better. In this adventure, the intrepid sleuths encounter a witch who hides from the world, performing secret rites and brooding on an accident that happened long ago. Or was it an accident? It may have been murder done in a magical fashion!

If you have not already met The Three Investigators, you will wish to know that Jupiter Jones, the leader of the group, is a stocky boy with an astonishing talent for deduction. Pete Crenshaw, the second investigator, is quick and athletic, while Bob Andrews, a studious fellow, uses his talent for research to help solve the problems the youths encounter. The boys live in Rocky Beach, California, not far from Hollywood.

So much for the formalities. You may now turn to Chapter One and proceed with the adventure.



ALFRED HITCHCOCK





1

Fire!



"EXACTLY WHAT are you boys up to?" demanded Horace Tremayne. He stood in the doorway of the mail room of Amigos Press and scowled at Jupiter Jones, Bob Andrews, and Pete Crenshaw.

"Up to?" said Pete. "We'reа.а.а. we're just sorting the mail."

"Don't give me that!" snapped Tremayne. His face, which was usually quite pleasant, looked threatening. "You've got some nerve, pretending to be mail clerks when you're really private detectives!"

With that, Tremayne--the young man who was publisher at Amigos Press, and who was called Beefy by everyone on the staff--relaxed and began to chuckle. "You are private detectives, aren't you?" he said.

"Hey," said Pete, "you really scared me!"

Bob Andrews smiled. "The private detective business is slow this summer," he said. "We thought we'd get some experience with office work."

"How did you find out about us?" asked Jupiter Jones, his round faced filled with curiosity.

"Last night my uncle Will hired a limousine to take us to a premiere in Hollywood," said Beefy Tremayne. "It was a gold-plated Rolls-Royce, driven by a British chauffeur named Worthington."