Free Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case by Donald Sobol Page A

books than anyone in Idaville, and he never forgot what he read. He was the only walking library in America.
    One Friday evening at the dinner table, Encyclopedia poked his salad with his fork, searching for raw onions. There weren’t any.
    Chief Brown sat staring at his salad instead of eating it.
    Encyclopedia and his mother knew what that meant. A case had Chief Brown puzzled. Encyclopedia leaned back. He waited for his father to speak.
    At last Chief Brown put down his fork.
    â€œWe caught a jewel thief this morning coming out of Von Martin’s Fine Jewelry Store right here in Idaville. He’s the same man who has been robbing stores all over the state,” he said.
    Mrs. Brown and Encyclopedia had both read about the robber in the newspaper. A number of stores in their part of the state had been hit.
    The thief would tell the salesperson that he was looking for an expensive gift for his elderly mother. As soon as the store clerk opened the jewelry cases, the thief grabbed the most expensive jewels and ran. Priceless pieces had disappeared into his pockets.
    â€œBut you caught the thief, dear. I wonder why you don’t sound happy,” Mrs. Brown said, rubbing her eyes.
    â€œMr. von Martin got his jewelry back,” Chief Brown explained. “And we have clear pictures of the thief from security cameras in other stores. We know he’s guilty, but the thief says he can’t remember where he hid the jewels from his other robberies. I spent all afternoon questioning him, but he didn’t give up any clues.”
    â€œI’m sure Leroy can help you solve the case.” Mrs. Brown sniffed and rubbed her eyes again. “My eyes sting,” she said. “Were the jewels very valuable?”
    â€œYes,” Chief Brown said with a sigh. “The very first store he robbed didn’t have insurance. The owners will be ruined if we don’t get their jewels back.”
    â€œCould the thief have a partner?” Mrs. Brown asked. “Could he have given the jewels to his mother?”
    Encyclopedia listened carefully as his mother spoke. He knew she was asking questions so he would have all the facts.
    Chief Brown said, “She was terribly shocked when she heard her son had been arrested. She seems like a nice woman. I don’t think she’s involved.”
    â€œHave you searched the thief’s home?” Mrs. Brown asked.
    â€œWe’ve gone over every inch,” Chief Brown said. “We found pictures of jewelry, books about jewelry, and maps of towns with jewelry stores in them. But no jewels.”
    Mrs. Brown glanced at Encyclopedia. He wasn’t ready to ask his one question, so she continued. “What about his car?”
    â€œThere was nothing in his car, except some letters he hadn’t gotten around to mailing to his mother.” Chief Brown patted his pocket. “He even asked if he could write her another one after lunch this afternoon.”
    â€œAre there clues in the letters?” Mrs. Brown asked.
    â€œNot that we can tell,” Chief Brown answered. “Perhaps he really doesn’t remember where he hid the jewels.”
    â€œHmmm,” Mrs. Brown said thoughtfully. “If I was that forgetful, I would write things down. Perhaps the letters are written in code.” Mrs. Brown coughed. She was too polite to ask the biggest question on her mind—and up her nose. “Read the letters to Leroy,” she urged. “He’s broken codes before.”
    Mrs. Brown looked at her son again. The boy detective had closed his eyes and taken a deep breath. He always closed his eyes when he did his deepest thinking. Suddenly his eyes opened.
    Encyclopedia asked the question his mother wanted to. “How come you stin …er, smell so awful, Dad? What’s that smell?”
    Mrs. Brown seemed tempted to scold her son. The question wasn’t a very nice one. But she was curious about the answer, too.
    Chief Brown