Free The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater Page A

plate in a flower-bed. ‘I arrest you!’ I shouted, but my voice sounded strange, and when the burglar looked up he uttered an exclamation of intense surprise.’
    â€˜You had become a giraffe,’ said Dinah.
    â€˜I had,’ said Mr. Parker sadly.
    â€˜What happened then?’ asked Dorinda.
    â€˜The burglar, who was a bold and quick-witted man, came out and stroked me,’ said Mr. Parker. ‘I was quite astonished, because, as probably you know, it is most unusual for a detective to be stroked by a burglar. I moved slightly away from him, and happened, at the same moment, to catch sight of my legs. I looked round and saw my back. I was bewildered by the change in my appearance, and the burglar, taking advantage of my perplexity, led me away and finally sold me to Sir Lankester Lemon for fifty pounds.’

    â€˜I arrest you!’
    â€˜It must have been magic that turned you into a giraffe,’ said Dinah.
    â€˜I don’t believe in magic,’ said Mr. Parker stubbornly.
    â€˜Then how did it happen?’ asked Dorinda.
    â€˜I don’t know,’ said Mr. Parker, ‘but people often get what they want, if they want it long enough. Think of all the people who say, ‘All I want is peace and quiet.’ And sooner or later they die, and what could be quieter than that? And I, you see, had always wanted to look over walls.’
    â€˜Do you think that many of the animals here were people to begin with?’ asked Dorinda.
    â€˜Well!’ said Mr. Parker, his big eyes bulging with astonishment. ‘Well, that is a disturbing thought! It never occurred to me that any of the others might not be the genuine article. I thought I was quite, quite different from everyone else.’
    â€˜Don’t forget us,’ said Dinah.
    â€˜I hope you didn’t forget to bring your notebook,’ said Mr. Parker severely.
    â€˜What are you going to do with it?’
    â€˜Write down all my notes on The Case of the Missing Ostrich Eggs,’ said Mr. Parker. ‘It is one of the most baffling mysteries that I have ever known. And when I have solved it, I shall at once begin to investigate the private life of every animal here. Half of them, I now believe, may be human beings in disguise! Even our nearest neighbour, Bendigo the Grizzly Bear, may really be a man!’
    â€˜I expect he is,’ said Dorinda. ‘Last night we saw\??\—’
    â€˜Never mind that,’ said Dinah sharply. ‘That’s not a bit important. What we have to do, without wasting any more time, is to help Mr. Parker find the missing eggs.’
    â€˜How right you are!’ said Mr. Parker. ‘One thing at a time, and first things first. That’s how to go about it. Now if you’ll write down what I dictate—have you got a pencil? Good. If I dictate my notes, and you write them down, we’ll get a much clearer view of this difficult case than we have at present.’
    So Dinah took out her note-book and pencil, and this is what she wrote:
    T HE C ASE OF THE M ISSING O STRICH E GGS
    A. People I suspect: Everybody.
    B. Clues: None.
    C. Object of crime: Don’t know.
    N.B. (1) It may be kidnapping. Wait and see if anyone demands a ransom from Sir Bobadil.
    (2) The eggs were fresh .
    D. Alibis: Everybody will have to prove one.
    E. Nature of Case: Baffling.
    â€˜There,’ said Mr. Parker. ‘That makes it a lot clearer, doesn’t it?’
    â€˜What is an alibi?’ asked Dorinda.
    â€˜Well,’ said Mr. Parker, ‘if I were to say to you, “Were you in Birmingham on the night of the crime?“ you would have to answer, “No, but I was in Blackpool.“ And that’s an alibi.’
    â€˜It’s like playing Happy Families,’ said Dorinda.
    â€˜In a way it is,’ said Mr. Parker doubtfully, ‘but in another way it isn’t, if you see what I mean.—Hush! What’s that?’
    They all stood up.