"Carey, M.V. - The Three Investigators 31 - The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar" - читать интересную книгу автора (Carey M.V)

Don came in then with the lemonade. As he served the boys, Sebastian picked up the handsome wallet that Jupe had put on the glass-topped table.

"Dropped by a blind beggar, eh?" said Mr. Sebastian. He looked into the wallet. "He couldn't have been a beggar in great need. He didn't spend any of the money."

"But he was begging," said Bob. "He had a tin cup with coins in it. He kept shaking the cup."

Mr. Sebastian looked thoughtful. "I wonder how he found the wallet?" he said. "If he was blindа.а.а."

"Exactly," said Jupiter. "Blind people don't see things that are lying on the pavement. Of course he might have stumbled on it and picked it up. Where did you have it last, Mr. Sebastian?"

"You sound very professional," Sebastian told Jupe. "I almost expect you to whip out a pencil and pad and take notes. You mentioned Alfred Hitchcock a while ago. You said he used to introduce your cases? Are you boys learning to be detectives?"

"We are detectives," said Jupe proudly. He pulled out his own wallet and took a small card from one of the compartments. He handed the card to Mr. Sebastian. It read:





THE THREE INVESTIGATORS



"We Investigate Anything"

? ? ?

First Investigator -

Second Investigator -

Records and Research -

JUPITER JONES

PETER CRENSHAW

BOB ANDREWS





"I see," said Sebastian. "You call yourselves The Three Investigators, and you volunteer to investigate anything. That's a rather brave statement. Private investigators can be asked to do some very odd things."

"We know," said Jupiter. "We have encountered some highly unusual circumstances--even bizarre ones. That's our speciality. We have often been successful in cases where ordinary law enforcement people have failed."

Mr. Sebastian nodded. "I believe you," he said. "Young people have nimble minds, and they aren't burdened with notions about what can happen and can't."

Bob leaned forward. "We're interested in the blind beggar because we wonder whether he might have something to do with the robbery at the bank," he said. "Were you in Santa Monica yesterday? Did you drop the wallet there? Or could he have picked your pocket?"