Free Mystery of the Invisible Thief by Enid Blyton

Tea-Party - and a Brain-Wave
     
    Larry and the others stepped out of the telephone box into which they had all crowded. Larry repeated the conversation. They were very puzzled.
    “Better go back and tell Fatty,” said Larry at last. “It’s quite obvious that Goon doesn’t believe us. So we shall have to do something about it now. I’ve a good mind to ring up the Inspector.”
    “No. Don’t do that till we’ve asked Fatty,” said Bets. “It seems to me there’s something funny about all this. Let’s go back to Fatty.”
    “Why - there he is!” said Daisy suddenly, and sure enough, there was Fatty! He was himself now, very spruce and clean, with Buster trotting delightedly at his heels.
    The others poured out of the post office and stared in astonishment at Fatty, who grinned back.
    “Fatty! Have you left him? How did you get home and change so quickly? What’s happened?” asked Larry.
    “Oh, he went immediately you left,” said Fatty. “So I left too, of course.”
    “Did you follow him? Where did he go?” asked Daisy.
    “No. I didn’t follow him,” said Fatty; “There wasn’t any point in doing so - I knew quite well where he was going. Did you telephone Goon?”
    “Yes. He was out the first time - but we got him the second time,” said Larry. “I told him all about the frightful fellow in the boat - all the details, of course - and he just gave a snort and banged the receiver down. I suppose he didn’t believe me.”
    Fatty suddenly began to laugh. He laughed as if he had been keeping it in for some time. He exploded, held on to the railings, and laughed till the tears came into his eyes. Bets began to laugh too. He looked so funny, and his laughter was really infectious.
    “What’s the matter?” said Larry suspiciously. “What’s the joke? You’re acting most peculiarly today, Fatty. So is Goon.”
    “Yes. You’re right about him,” said Fatty, wiping his eyes. “Oh dear - I’d have given anything to see Goon’s face when you rang him up and told him what a hideous fellow he was, with his big feet and hands and protruding eyes!”
    The others stared, puzzled at first - and then a great light dawned on them. Larry sank down on to a wooden bench by the bus-stop. He felt suddenly weak.
    “Gosh! You don’t mean to say - you don’t really mean to say that that frightful fisherman in the boat was Goon - Goon himself!”
    “Well - think back to him,” said Fatty. “How you could all fall for that ridiculous disguise of his I really don’t know. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Why, Goon himself stuck out a mile in that frightful get-up. And you actually go and think he’s the thief!”
    “Oh, Fatty - I put the idea into the others’ heads,” said Bets as if she was going to burst into tears. “I saw his big feet - and hands - oh, Fatty!”
    “You beast, Fatty - you told us to go and telephone to Goon - and we’ve gone and described him to himself!” said Daisy, full of horror. “Oh, Fatty - you really are a beast.”
    “Serves you right,” said Fatty unfeelingly, and began to laugh again. “Fine lot of detectives you are, I must say - go and hunt for a thief and pick on the only policeman of the village, in disguise! As Goon would say - Gah!”
    “No wonder he snorted and banged the receiver down,” said Daisy, still more alarmed. “I say - I hope he won’t go round and complain to our parents again.”
    “He won’t,” said Fatty. “He doesn’t know whether you really fell for his disguise or not. If he thinks you did he’ll be very bucked to think he took you in. If he thinks you saw through his disguise and were pulling his leg when you phoned, he’ll feel a bit of an idiot. He won’t say a word either way. He’ll only snort.”
    “He won’t be very fond of us now,” said Pip.
    “He never was,” said Fatty. “All the same, I was surprised to see him there this morning. I spotted him at once out in that boat.”
    “You would!” said Larry, half-annoyed, and half-admiring.
    “When I saw him I knew he’d had the same idea as we had about