died of food poisoning. Then, three days ago there was a fire when they were just north in San Mateo. Three tents were burned; the fire eater’s tent, the lion tent and part of the shooting gallery. They were lucky to stop it.”
“The lion tent?” Pete exclaimed. “That makes trouble there twice.”
“It could be coincidence,” Jupiter said. “We must never jump to conclusions. But it would be interesting to know if the pony ride was also located in the same carnival area.”
“The papers didn’t say, First,” Bob said.
“No,” Jupiter said thoughtfully. “Both so-called accidents could have been much worse. The carnival was lucky, unless — ” Jupiter did not finish that thought. “I assumed that those two other accidents were all you found. Records?”
“How did you know that, Jupe?” Bob asked, puzzled.
“Last night we heard Khan mention superstition,” Jupiter reminded them. “After I got home I talked to Uncle Titus and read some of his books — you remember Uncle Titus worked in a circus. One of the oldest carnival superstitions is that accidents happen in threes. So Rajah’s escape was the third!”
“Gosh, do they still believe that?” Pete asked.
“Carnival people tend to live apart, Second, and hold to old beliefs,” Jupiter explained. “But I did more than read carnival history last night. Uncle Titus told me of a book that lists all circus and carnival performers. I called the reference room of the Los Angeles library this morning. There is no listing for a strong man named Khan!”
“Khan’s a fake?” Pete exclaimed.
“It could be he hasn’t performed recently,” Jupiter admitted. “Or he could be from out of the country. But there is something suspicious about Khan.” His eyes gleamed. “And I’ve got an idea of how to get us involved with the carnival. We won’t convince Mr. Carson right away, but I think if we get Andy here we can convince him by following my plan.”
“What plan is that, Jupe?” Pete asked.
Jupiter began to explain his plan, and after a few minutes both of the other boys were grinning and nodding.
A short while later Pete was again watching the salvage yard through the See-All. “Here he comes, fellows!”
When the blond carnival boy came up to the workshop outside Headquarters, Pete was waiting for him.
“What’s up, Pete?” Andy asked.
“We thought you might like to see our secret Headquarters, and how we work,” Pete said. “Come on.”
He led the carnival boy into Tunnel Two and up through the trap door into the trailer.
“Jiminy! What a neat place!” Andy cried.
He stared wide-eyed at the microscope, telephone, periscope, walkie-talkies on the wall, filing cabinets, metal detector, shelves of books and trophies, and all the other equipment the boys had arranged so that Andy couldn’t miss it. He looked at Bob and Jupiter, who seemed to be hard at work. Neither of them even glanced up. Jupiter was peering through magnifying goggles at a lock and a book. Bob was studying something under a lighted glass screen.
Pete said in a low voice, “We know there’s something wrong at your carnival, Andy. We’re investigating the details.”
“But you can’t,” Andy said. “You don’t know.”
“Science and our training will tell us what you won’t, Andy,” Pete declared, sounding as pompous as Jupiter.
Suddenly Jupiter stood up. “A professional criminal released Rajah, fellows,” he announced as if unaware that Andy was in the room. “There is no doubt. The indentations on the exterior face of the lock are proximate patterns of a type-seven pick-lock! The purpose was certainly to cause trouble.”
Andy stood and blinked at the stream of words he only half understood. Before he could gather his wits, Bob started talking.
“It’s certain, now, that three weeks ago the deaths of three ponies caused the pony ride to be abandoned,” the Records and Research man of the trio stated. “Then a fire destroyed three tents and part of the shooting gallery. This has caused financial loss, and Mr. Carson has been unable to pay wages.”
Still acting as if he didn’t know Andy was present Jupiter nodded and asked. “What do we know about the performers?”
“The strong man, Khan,” Bob announced, “has no previous record of work in carnivals. Possibly he is an impostor.”
Through this whole big act, Andy’s mouth had dropped lower and lower. Now he could contain himself no longer.
“Who told you all that?” he blurted out.
Both Bob and Jupiter turned as if amazed to find Andy in the room with them. Jupiter looked his most innocent.
“Andy, I didn’t know you were here,” he said.
“Someone had to tell you all that!” Andy said hotly.
“No, Andy,” Jupiter shook his head. “We’re investigators, and we simply found out Do I understand we’re correct?”
Andy nodded. “All of it, even Khan. He’s using a false name because he’s really a circus performer. He needed money, so he came to work for us. But carnivals are lower than circuses, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s working for us. We don’t even know his real name, but he’s a good strong man.”
“I suppose that’s all possible,” Jupiter acknowledged. “But one thing is clear, Andy — someone is causing trouble at your carnival. We’d like to help find out who, if your Dad will let us.”
Andy looked at them all. “If no one told you about all that, tell me how you found out? I don’t believe in magic, no sir. How’d you do it, fellows?”
“Elementary, my dear Andy,” Jupiter said, and grinned.
Bob and Pete grinned, too, as Jupiter explained what they had done to find out about the problems of the carnival. Andy was all admiration when Jupiter finished.
“Jiminy, you fellows are good detectives! I’ll bet you could find out what’s happening at the carnival. But carnival people are very proud, and my Dad doesn’t want outside help.”
“He could lose the carnival soon, Andy,” Jupiter said.
“I know. If we can’t pay next week — ” Andy stopped and his face became determined. “All right, if Dad won’t let you help, I will! Fellows, I know someone is trying to make Dad lose the carnival because of me!”
“It’s my grandmother! She hates Dad,” Andy said.
The carnival boy’s face became sad. “My mother died when I was little. She had an accident. I never really knew her too well.”
“We’re sorry, Andy,” Bob said sympathetically.
“It happened a long time ago,” Andy said. “Anyway, my grandmother — Mom’s mother — never liked Dad or the carnival. She didn’t want Mom to marry Dad, and when Mom died, my grandmother blamed it on Dad and the carnival. She hates the carnival, says it’s no place for a boy. Well, after Mom died, Dad was kind of broken up, and the carnival wasn’t doing well. I was awful young, you know? Grandma wanted me to live with her. She’s not rich, but she’s got some money, and Dad was moving around a lot, so he let me live with Grandma.”
Andy’s face darkened. “When I got older, I hated living at my grandmother’s. She was nice to me, but she’s scared of everything and wouldn’t let me do anything! I wanted to be with Dad in the carnival. So this year I ran off and joined Dad. Jiminy, but Grandma was mad. She came after me, but she never did have me legally, so when I said I wanted to stay with the carnival. Dad told her to go home!”
Jupiter broke in, “Did she threaten trouble, Andy?”
