Andy nodded. “She told Dad she’d never let me be like him and get hurt like my mother. She threatened to go to court to prove Dad couldn’t take care of me. So Dad decided to try the show out here in California. That was party to get far away from Grandma, and partly to try to make enough money to prove he could take care of me. But now, with these accidents, Dad could lose the whole show!”
Jupiter was serious. “Do you really think your grandmother would go so far as to ruin the carnival?”
“I don’t know, Jupiter,” Andy said slowly. “I’ve tried not to think about it. She was always nice to me, even if she does hate Dad. But I can’t think of anyone else.”
“Still, those accidents could have hurt you, Andy,” Jupiter said thoughtfully. “I don’t think she’d resort to such desperate measures. Maybe there’s some enemy of your Dad’s you don’t know about. Someone with a stronger reason to ruin him.”
“I don’t know, Jupe, but their scheme is going to work if we don’t find out,” Andy said. “The whole carnival is scared about the next accident.”
“The next?” Jupiter said, surprised. “But they should be feeling safer. You’ve had three accidents.”
Andy shook his head. “They all decided that Rajah’s escape doesn’t count because no one was hurt and nothing bad happened, thanks to Pete. So they’re still waiting for the third one.”
“That’s dangerous,” Bob pointed out “When people start expecting an accident they get nervous, and accidents are sure to happen.”
Jupiter agreed, “That’s what superstition does, fellows. What people fear will happen does happen almost all the time.”
“Anyway,” Pete added, “if someone’s making these accidents happen, I guess there will be more.”
“I think we can be sure of that Second,” Jupiter said grimly. “One thing bothers me a little. Rajah’s escape isn’t quite like the other two accidents. It’s not the same pattern. The other two accidents happened when the carnival wasn’t open. No one was there to get hurt. Only the carnival suffered. But if Pete hadn’t stopped Rajah, it could have been very dangerous to other people.”
“Maybe Rajah’s escape was a real accident?” Pete said.
“No, I’m convinced it wasn’t,” Jupiter insisted. The stocky First Investigator frowned. “It’s most baffling, fellows. When something doesn’t fit a pattern, we have to look for some other pattern that everything will fit. I think it’s time for us to return to the carnival. Can you get us in, Andy, even though it’s not open?”
“Sure,” Andy said. “I’ll say you want to see the carnival rehearsing and getting ready. They all know about Pete and Rajah, so they won’t be surprised.”
“What do we look for, First?” Pete asked.
“I don’t know for sure,” Jupiter admitted. “Some kind of connection linking the three accidents, or something that looks like a new accident being planned. Anything that looks unusual or suspicious. We’ll have to be careful, so — ”
They all heard it — a far-off voice calling from somewhere outside. Pete hurried to the See-All.
“It’s Aunt Matilda,” he reported. “She wants Bob. Something about an appointment”
“My dentist’s appointment!” Bob groaned. “I forgot.”
Jupiter frowned. The First Investigator hated to have his plans interfered with. He sighed.
“I suppose you’d better go, Records,” he said. “We’ll start alone. In case we have to leave, or follow someone, we’ll take my new directional signals so you can locate us”
“The new what?” Pete exclaimed.
“Directional signal and emergency alarm,” Jupiter beamed proudly. “It was what I was working on yesterday, Second. I completed it this morning while waiting for you two. I only had time to finish two units, so we’ll take one and Bob can take the other. It’s just what we need this time. Our walkie-talkies would be too obvious. We mustn’t look as if we’re watching at all.”
“What does your signal do, Jupe?” Andy wanted to know.
“First, it’s a directional signal,” Jupiter explained. “What they call a ‘homer.’ It bleeps at a steady rate that gets louder and faster as you get nearer to it with another signaller, and there’s a dial on it that indicates direction. It’s a simple arrow-dial, showing if the signal is coming from right, left or straight ahead. Each unit is a sender and receiver, and they’re small enough to carry in a pocket.
“For emergencies the unit has a small, flashing red light that is activated without even being touched! It works on voice command. When one of us is in trouble, all he has to do is say the word ‘help’ near the unit, and the red light will flash on the other units!”
“Jiminy,” Andy said with awe. “You can do almost anything, can’t you, Jupiter?”
“Well, Andy” Jupiter preened for an instant “I try to keep our investigating work up to date. Our signal can only be picked up by our own units, and the range is three miles.”
“I’ll take mine and get to the carnival as soon as I can,” Bob said.
Bob went out into the salvage yard to get his bike and let Aunt Matilda know that he was on his way to the dentist. Jupiter, Pete and Andy soon followed and rode off on their bikes for the carnival. The sunny day was turning grey and the wind was rising. If they hadn’t been in Southern California in early September, the boys might have expected rain.
Even without rain, the day had become gloomy and brooding as the boys rode into the carnival lot.
“Andy,” Jupiter instructed as they dismounted from their bikes, “you go to your work so no one will become suspicious. But keep your eyes open round the shooting gallery. Pete can watch the performers rehearsing in the field over there and I’ll wander round the booths and tents. Look for anything even a little strange or suspicious. Is that clear?”
Andy and Pete both nodded, and the three boys began to stroll casually to their posts among the workmen and performers.
Bob arrived at his dentist to find him busy with an emergency patient, so he had to wait. Impatient, he read all the magazines and fumed at the delay that was keeping him from the carnival.
After he had finished all the magazines, he decided to see if the early edition of the Rocky Beach evening newspaper had any story about the carnival or Rajah’s escape. He found no mention of the lion, but he did find a feature story about the carnival, saying what a fine show it was and urging people to go.
Bob, whose Dad was a newspaperman on a large Los Angeles daily, knew at once that the story was what newsmen call a “hand-out”. The reporter hadn’t gone to the carnival at all. He had simply written the story from an information release given to him by the carnival.
This was common practice with small newspapers that couldn’t spare a reporter for such a small story. All the newspaper was really interested in was helping the carnival do good business and helping local businessmen sell to the customers attracted by the carnival. Bob realized that it was lucky that no reporter had been at the carnival last night — he might have seen Pete and Rajah or heard about the incident. If Rajah’s escape had been reported, the town authorities might have revoked the licence of the carnival. Suddenly Bob’s attention was caught by a small advertisement:
Bob jumped up. The description exactly fitted the crooked cat Pete had won — and then lost last night! Bob tore out the advertisement and ran to the door of the dentist’s inner office.
“Doctor! I have to go,” he cried, and before the dentist could protest, he was running out towards his bike.
At the carnival, Pete had been watching for more than an hour in the grey afternoon. Nothing unusual had happened as far as the Second Investigator could tell. To look casual, he wandered round the field where all the performers rehearsed.
