The Case of the Slippery Salamander (3 page)

“We’re twenty minutes early,” Encyclopedia replied. “He’s probably not here yet.”

A huge banner was hanging from the pavilion:

IDAVILLE’S ANNUAL INSECT RACE—TODAY
! A crowd of spectators had already gathered there.

“There’s one of the roach’s competitors,” Sally said, pointing to a glass jar in a blond girl’s hand. Inside the jar was a big black scorpion.

“I wouldn’t want to get too close to that fellow,” Sally remarked.

The girl heard her. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t sting.”

The other contestant was a green beetle owned by a boy with red hair and freckles.

Encyclopedia looked over the other racers carefully. “Roaches are pretty fast,” he said. “I hate to say it, but I think Bugs might actually have a winner with this cockroach.”

Encyclopedia watched the judges set up a small ring on the concrete floor. Then they explained the rules: At the start of the race, the insects would be placed in the center of the large ring. The first bug to reach the wall around the ring was the winner.

At two minutes to ten, Bugs hurried up to Encyclopedia.

“Quick! Hand over my roach,” he said, grabbing the shoe box away from Encyclopedia. “He’s got to do his warm-ups before the race.”

“Warm-ups?” Sally laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

Bugs gave her a nasty look. “You knuckleheads don’t know anything about champion bug-racing,” he retorted. “For your information, I’ve trained my bug to see himself speeding across the finish line before every race.”

Encyclopedia didn’t bother to hide his smile.

Neither did Sally. “You’re even dumber than I thought you were, Bugs!” she exclaimed, hooting with laughter. “You actually think that works?”

“Laugh all you want,” Bugs snarled. “But how do you think my roach got to be number one?”

Encyclopedia watched Bugs carry the box over to a quiet spot a few feet away. Keeping his back to the crowd, Bugs murmured a few soothing words as he lifted the lid of the shoe box.

Sally was still laughing and shaking her head. “Can you believe that? Bugs Meany thinks he can train a bug to see himself winning a race! Maybe he can teach it to fetch his slippers, too!”

“Or better yet, to do his homework,” Encyclopedia joined in.

Sally was about to add another wisecrack when a loud wail rose from a short distance away.

“My roach!” Bugs cried. “He’s dead!” Bugs pointed an accusing finger at Sally and Encyclopedia. “I left my champion insect in the care of those
two cold-blooded creeps and they murdered him!”

A startled murmur rippled through the crowd.

“What are you talking about, Bugs?” Sally demanded. “That roach was fine five minutes ago!”

“See for yourself!” Bugs replied, holding the box out to the crowd. He rubbed his eye as if wiping away a tear as he added, “My poor roach. He’s deader than a doornail!”

Encyclopedia walked over and looked inside the box. Sure enough, the big brown roach was just sitting there, motionless. Even when Encyclopedia reached in to touch his shiny brown back, the bug didn’t move. Bugs was telling the truth—the roach was dead.

“I told you!” Bugs declared. He waved over one of the judges. “Call nine-one-one! These two monsters should be locked up before they harm some more innocent insects!”

Encyclopedia shook his head. “Sally was right about you, Bugs. You asked us to baby-sit your bug so that you could set us up. You switched the live roach with a dead one to make it look as if he died in our care.”

Bugs looked offended. “I’d never do something like that,” he said to the judges.

“You might as well confess, Bugs,” Encyclopedia told him. “Because while you were planning your roach’s funeral, you overlooked one very important fact!”

What did Encyclopedia notice about the bug?

(Turn to
this page
for the solution to The Case of the Dead Cockroach.)

E
ncyclopedia’s friends Charlie Stewart and Herb Stein liked to fish near the new marina at Coconut Bay. Encyclopedia often went with them.

Late one afternoon the three boys headed home with their fishing gear. It had been a good day for two of the fishermen. Charlie had caught five bluefish, and Herb had reeled in a flounder. But Encyclopedia’s pail was empty.

“It’s too bad you didn’t catch anything, Encyclopedia,” Herb said as they turned onto Coconut Boulevard.

“Maybe next time you’ll have better luck,” Charlie added.

“Thanks,” Encyclopedia said. “I hope so.”

As they walked along the busy street, Encyclopedia noticed some construction workers knocking down an old office building. Across the street, several fancy shops and a restaurant had replaced an old supermarket.

“I didn’t realize so many new businesses had moved into this neighborhood,” Encyclopedia remarked to his friends.

Suddenly there was a loud shout. A man rushed out of a nearby store. “Help! I’ve been robbed!” he yelled frantically.

The three boys raced over.

“What happened, sir?” Encyclopedia asked.

“My jewelry store!” the man gasped, pointing at the building behind him. “I left it for just a few minutes, and while I was gone, someone broke in!”

It was a run-down two-story building. A sign above the faded green awning read
VON MARTIN’S FINE JEWELRY
.

“Are you Mr. von Martin?” Charlie asked.

The man nodded. Herb asked him what had been stolen.

“The robber took the most precious item in the store,” Mr. von Martin replied. “A diamond wrist-watch worth about four thousand dollars.”

“Four thousand dollars?” Herb gasped. “And my mother says
her
time is valuable!”

“The watch is worth much more than that to me,” Mr. von Martin said. “My family has been in the jewelry business for generations. The watch was designed by my great-grandfather over a hundred years ago.”

Mr. von Martin took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his brow. “The thief—whoever he is—left me a note.”

“He did?” Encyclopedia said. “I bet he’s the Roman-Numeral Robber.”

“Who?” Charlie asked.

Mr. von Martin peered at Encyclopedia in confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, young man.”

Encyclopedia explained that there had been several other robberies near the marina recently. In each case, the thief had left behind a note. According to Chief Brown, and according to what Encyclopedia had read in the newspaper, the police were calling the thief the Roman-Numeral Robber.

“Why do they call him that?” asked Herb.

“He uses Roman numerals instead of Arabic numerals in his notes,” Encyclopedia replied. He turned to Mr. von Martin. “Have you called the police yet?”

“Not yet,” the jeweler admitted. “I was so upset,
I wasn’t thinking. But I’d better do that right away.”

Encyclopedia and his friends followed the man into the store. While Mr. von Martin made the call, Charlie whispered to Encyclopedia: “What are Roman numerals?”

“I’ll show you.” Encyclopedia took a pen and a pad of paper from his backpack.

“These are the Arabic figures for one through ten.” On the pad, Encyclopedia had written:

“And these are the Roman numerals for one through ten.” Encyclopedia showed Charlie the following:

“They may be Roman numerals, but they’re Greek to me!” Charlie cracked.

The boys looked around the shop. It was dark and musty. Several long glass display cases lined the walls. Near the cash register was a wrinkled copy of that day’s
Idaville News
, an unopened can of soda, and a bag of pretzels.

When the jeweler returned from the back
room, Encyclopedia asked him where the stolen watch had been.

Mr. von Martin pointed to a velvet tray also near the cash register. “Right there,” he said. “I was cleaning the watch before I went out. Since I was only going to be gone for a few minutes, I didn’t bother to lock it up. But I did lock the front door.”

Herb pointed to a broken window toward the rear of the store. “The thief must have gotten in through there.”

Encyclopedia asked to see the note from the thief. The jeweler handed over a small sheet of paper.

Encyclopedia stared at the note, thinking hard.

A few minutes later, two police officers hurried into the jewelry store. Encyclopedia recognized them as Officer Lopez and her partner, Officer Brady. Officer Lopez was carrying a fingerprinting kit.

Encyclopedia hurried over to the policewoman. “Don’t bother dusting the store for fingerprints, Officer Lopez,” he whispered. “The watch wasn’t stolen by the Roman-Numeral Robber—Mr. von Martin just wants us to
think
it was.”

The officer looked startled. “Are you sure, Encyclopedia?”

“I’m positive. Mr. von Martin hid the watch, then wrote the note himself,” the detective explained.

Why is Encyclopedia so sure?

(Turn to
this page
for the solution to The Case of the Roman-Numeral Robber.)

W
hen Encyclopedia came downstairs for breakfast the next morning, his mother was on the phone. Encyclopedia could tell by her expression that she was upset about something.

“I should have known Ms. Wedgwood would do something like this,” Mrs. Brown murmured after she hung up the receiver.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” Encyclopedia asked.

Mrs. Brown sighed. “That was the innkeeper at the Blue Point Inn. He told me one of the judges from the Idaville Flower Show got married last night. She met a rose grower from Bloomington, and they eloped in the middle of the night.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Encyclopedia asked.

“She left before announcing the winner in her category,” Mrs. Brown said. “She was supposed to name the winner at a press conference at two o’clock this afternoon. The innkeeper said she left an envelope in the room. I do hope it has the winner’s name inside.”