Free Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablos Nose by Donald J. Sobol Page A

facts he needed to solve it.
    Suddenly his mother straightened. “Isn’t John’s uncle that retired lawyer who is rather strange? He’s always dashing around the world, photographing the longest of anything.”
    â€œThat’s right,” Chief Brown said. “Already this year he has photographed the longest bathroom shelf and the longest cigar ash.”
    â€œI’ve heard,” Mrs. Brown said, “that he has ten albums filled with photos of the longest of almost everything.”
    â€œI suppose everyone ought to have a hobby,” Encyclopedia murmured.
    â€œThe uncle hoped to photograph the longest cockroach and the longest whatever else he can find in Brazil,” Chief Brown said.
    He put down his soup spoon before continuing.
    â€œThe safe with the ring in it is hidden behind a picture of the longest undershirt,” he said. “On the safe itself, in the uncle’s handwriting, is the word
sleeveless.
”
    â€œWhy write sleeveless? It isn’t the longest word,” said Mrs. Brown, who had taught high-school English and other subjects. “The longest is a Greek word. In English, it has one hundred and eighty-two letters. The word is lopadotemachisel … oh, I can’t remember the rest—”
    She broke off. Encyclopedia had closed his eyes. He always closed his eyes when he did his hardest thinking.
    When at last he opened his eyes, he asked his one question.
    â€œDoes the uncle have a poor memory?”
    â€œWhy, as a matter of fact, yes,” Chief Brown said. “Not only can’t he remember what he had for breakfast, he usually can’t remember
where
he had it.”
    â€œI guess he got so busy in Brazil chasing down the longest things that he forgot the date of the wedding,” Mrs. Brown said.
    â€œBut why did he write
sleeveless
on the safe?” Chief Brown said. “It’s such a common, everyday word.”
    â€œCommon, yet uncommon, Dad,” Encyclopedia said.
    Father and mother looked at their son questioningly.
    Encyclopedia said, “The uncle wrote
sleeveless
on the safe because it’s the longest example of a certain type of word. Every time he uses the safe,
sleeveless
reminds him of the combination.”
    Chief Brown knitted his brows thoughtfully. “Why didn’t he simply write down the combination and keep it in his wallet or in a drawer?”
    â€œBecause it might fall out of his wallet,” Encyclopedia said. “If he hid it somewhere, he might forget where.”
    â€œLeroy!” cried Mrs. Brown. “What is the combination to the safe?”
    â€œTell us,” said Chief Brown, “before John gets married tomorrow! He wants to use his grandmother’s ring so badly!”
    Encyclopedia smiled.
    Softly he said, “The combination to the safe is—”
What Is the Combination?
    (Turn to this page for the solution to The Case of the Sleeveless Lock.)

The Case of the Smoke Signals

    B esides helping his father solve mysteries, Encyclopedia helped the children of the neighborhood.
    When school let out for the summer, he opened his own detective agency in the garage. Every morning after breakfast he hung out his sign:
    Brown Detective Agency
13 Rover Avenue
LEROY BROWN
President
    No case too small
25¢ a day plus expenses
    The first customer Tuesday was Muriel Rivers. Her hobby was Native American customs and crafts. Her favorite tribes were the Creek and the Susquehanna.
    â€œI want to hire you,” she said, and handed Encyclopedia twenty-five cents. “Bugs Meany cheated me.”
    Bugs Meany was the leader of a gang of tough older boys. They called themselves the Tigers. They should have called themselves the Pots and Pans. They were always cooking up trouble.
    Encyclopedia stayed busy keeping Bugs from bullying the little kids of the neighborhood.
    â€œHow did Bugs cheat you?” Encyclopedia inquired.
    â€œHe took my totem