Free Encyclopedia Brown and Dead Eagles by Donald J. Sobol Page B

level.
    “If Bugs had his honesty taken out, it would be a one-minute operation,” said Encyclopedia. “What did he do now?”
    “He charged me a dollar to learn how to hypnotize a lobster,” said Dave.
    “Go over that again,” said Encyclopedia.
    Dave explained. An hour earlier, he had passed the Tigers’ clubhouse. Bugs and his pals had just returned from catching lobsters. They were seated around a boiling kettle, feasting.
    “Bugs told me that he had caught eleven lobsters by hypnotizing them,” said Dave. “He asked if I wanted to learn the secret for a dollar.”
    “It was an offer you couldn’t refuse,” said Encyclopedia.
    “I thought so,” said Dave. “Bugs picked up a big lobster, the kind you pay a lot of money for in a restaurant. He waved his right hand at it.”
    “The waving was for show,” said Encyclopedia. “He probably was squeezing the nerve centers on its back with his left hand.”
    “No,” said Dave. “He held it up by the tail and muttered a lot of hocus-pocus. It didn’t move a muscle. Finally, Bugs said, ‘Okay, lobster, are you going to do your stuff or do you want to go into the hot pot?’ ”
    “With a choice like that, what’s a lobster going to do?” said Encyclopedia.
    “I wouldn’t know,” said Dave. “All Bugs did was talk. He said a hypnotized lobster could stand on its head while balancing a Ping-Pong ball on its tail.”
    “And pass out business cards at the same time,” added Encyclopedia. “Oh, that Bugs!”
    “I didn’t get to see one trick,” complained Dave. “Bugs said that my dollar paid only for a sample lesson. He told me I could start the course next week—for ten dollars.”
    Dave laid twenty-five cents on the gasoline can beside Encyclopedia.
    “I want to hire you to get back my dollar,” he said. “Bugs didn’t teach me enough to hypnotize an eggplant. All I got for my money is this.”

    Bugs held up a large red lobster by the tail.
    He handed Encyclopedia a color photograph. It showed Bugs and Dave standing together. Bugs held up a large red lobster by the tail with his left hand. He aimed the fingers of his right hand at it like a magician.
    “Rocky Graham, one of the Tigers, snapped the picture with a self-developing camera,” said Dave. “Rocky told me to show it to my friends and tell them about the lessons.”
    “What a gyp!” said Encyclopedia. “Let’s pay Bugs a visit.”
    The Tigers’ clubhouse was an unused tool shed behind Mr. Sweeny’s Auto Body Shop. Bugs and two of his Tigers were still eating lobsters when Encyclopedia and Dave arrived.
    “Make like a drum and beat it,” snarled Bugs.
    “Give me back my dollar first,” blurted Dave. “When you took it, you didn’t tell me I’d need more than one lesson to hypnotize a lobster.”
    “Man, oh, man!” exclaimed Bugs. “Nobody can learn overnight. It took me weeks.”
    “You didn’t make that dumb old lobster do one trick,” said Dave.
    “That’s because it was a girl lobster,” replied Bugs. “I told you, girl lobsters are hard for boys to hypnotize.”
    Dave suddenly looked glum. “Yeah, I forgot ...”
    “I’d like to see you make it do a trick for me,” put in Encyclopedia.
    “Sorry,” said Bugs. “I ate it. In fact, me and the boys are eating the last of the catch right now.”
    “You big goon!” cried Dave. “You ate the evidence on purpose! ”
    “Never mind, Dave,” said Encyclopedia. “We have enough proof that Bugs cheated you.”
    WHAT WAS THE PROOF?
     
     
     
     
     
    (Turn to page 88 for the solution to The Case of the Hypnotism Lesson.)

The Case of the Parking Meters
    Bugs Meany had one goal in life. It was to get even with Encyclopedia.
    Bugs hated being outsmarted. He longed to pound the top of Encyclopedia’s head till the detective could pull up his socks by lifting his eyebrows.
    But Bugs never used force. Whenever he felt like it, he thought twice about Encyclopedia’s partner, Sally Kimball. Once for each of