Encyclopedia Brown and the case of the midnight visitor by 1924- Donald J. Sobol, Lillian Brandi Page A
Authors: 1924- Donald J. Sobol, Lillian Brandi
their voices. She could scarcely hear them at all.
"She went to sleep. She was awakened by the closing of the front door and then went back to sleep.
"When she awoke this morning, Mr. Butler wasn't in the house. The front door was closed but unlocked."
''Wasn't Mrs. Butler worried?" asked Mrs. Brown.
''No," answered Chief Brown. "She thought her husband had dressed quietly so he wouldn't wake her and had gone to the office. He sometimes forgets to lock the front door behind him. She didn't report him missing until she got the phone call from the kidnapper."
"Wasn't she worried when he didn't return to bed after the visitor left?" said Mrs. Brown.
Chief Brown shook his head. "Mr. Butler often gets up at night to work in his den. She thought he had simply remained downstairs to go over some business."
"You don't have much to work with, dear," said Mrs. Brown.
"We know that whoever came to the door wasn't a stranger," said Chief Brown. "Mr. Butler never would have let a stranger into his house late at night. I think this is what happened.
"The visitor spoke with Mr. Butler in the den. Then he opened the window and made Mr. Butler climb into the back yard, where other men were waiting. They
forced Mr. Butler into a car on the dark street and drove away. The visitor left by the front door."
''Wasn't that dangerous?" said Mrs. Brown. "Someone might have seen him under the night light."
"He was probably afraid that he'd been seen entering the house. So he had to be seen leaving. He was prepared to say that Mr. Butler was still in the house when he left. But no one saw him enter or leave."
"Then you really have no clues," said Mrs. Brown glumly.
"Only a calendar," replied Chief Brown.
He got up from the table and returned with his briefcase. He took out a calendar. On it was handwritten in pencil, "7891011."
"Mrs. Butler had been in the den last night with her husband just before they went upstairs to the bedroom," said Chief Brown. "She said nothing was different on his desk this morning but the writing on the calendar. That is, this number."
Chief Brown passed the calendar to Encyclopedia. "Make anything out of it, son?" he inquired.
'My only clue is a calendar/' said Chief Brown.
Encyclopedia studied the number and the calendar. He closed his eyes. He always closed his eyes when he did his hardest thinking.
... 7891011 ...
"Does Mr. Butler have any enemies?" asked Mrs. Brown.
"Every wealthy man has enemies," said Chief Brown. "He is known to have argued with Arthur Jason, John McNear, and Matt Short. There are probably a dozen others."
"I argue with my closest friends," objected Mrs. Brown, "and I haven't been kidnapped."
Encyclopedia opened his eyes. He asked his one question. He seldom needed more than one question to break a case that his father brought home to dinner.
"Was there any paper on Mr. Butler's desk?"
"Just a small pad by the telephone," said Chief Brown. "But it was blank."
"Is that a clue, Leroy?" said Mrs. Brown anxiously.
"Yes," said Encyclopedia. "When the visitor went to open the window, Mr. But-
ler seized the moment to write this number on the calendar."
"What does it mean?" asked Mrs. Brown.
**It tells us the visitor's name," said Encyclopedia. *'The rest should be easy, right, Dad?"
WHAT WAS THE VISITOR'S NAME?
(Turn to page 103 for the solution to The Case of the Midnight Visitor.)
UieCaseof Bndden Penny
Encyclopedia wanted to help the children of the neighborhood. So when school let out for the summer, he opened his own detective agency in the garage. Every morning he hung out his sign:
^ - 13 Rover Avenue'"
Uwjv Brown, presideKt Mo case too small ,
^plus expenses ^^^
On Tuesday, business was slow all morning till Elmo Thomas came in. Elmo was Idaville's junior yo-yo champion.
''Mothers/' he grumbled. "They don't understand kids."
^'That's no way to talk," protested Encyclopedia.
"If my mother understood me, I wouldn't have got kicked in the rear and had my
"She went to sleep. She was awakened by the closing of the front door and then went back to sleep.
"When she awoke this morning, Mr. Butler wasn't in the house. The front door was closed but unlocked."
''Wasn't Mrs. Butler worried?" asked Mrs. Brown.
''No," answered Chief Brown. "She thought her husband had dressed quietly so he wouldn't wake her and had gone to the office. He sometimes forgets to lock the front door behind him. She didn't report him missing until she got the phone call from the kidnapper."
"Wasn't she worried when he didn't return to bed after the visitor left?" said Mrs. Brown.
Chief Brown shook his head. "Mr. Butler often gets up at night to work in his den. She thought he had simply remained downstairs to go over some business."
"You don't have much to work with, dear," said Mrs. Brown.
"We know that whoever came to the door wasn't a stranger," said Chief Brown. "Mr. Butler never would have let a stranger into his house late at night. I think this is what happened.
"The visitor spoke with Mr. Butler in the den. Then he opened the window and made Mr. Butler climb into the back yard, where other men were waiting. They
forced Mr. Butler into a car on the dark street and drove away. The visitor left by the front door."
''Wasn't that dangerous?" said Mrs. Brown. "Someone might have seen him under the night light."
"He was probably afraid that he'd been seen entering the house. So he had to be seen leaving. He was prepared to say that Mr. Butler was still in the house when he left. But no one saw him enter or leave."
"Then you really have no clues," said Mrs. Brown glumly.
"Only a calendar," replied Chief Brown.
He got up from the table and returned with his briefcase. He took out a calendar. On it was handwritten in pencil, "7891011."
"Mrs. Butler had been in the den last night with her husband just before they went upstairs to the bedroom," said Chief Brown. "She said nothing was different on his desk this morning but the writing on the calendar. That is, this number."
Chief Brown passed the calendar to Encyclopedia. "Make anything out of it, son?" he inquired.
'My only clue is a calendar/' said Chief Brown.
Encyclopedia studied the number and the calendar. He closed his eyes. He always closed his eyes when he did his hardest thinking.
... 7891011 ...
"Does Mr. Butler have any enemies?" asked Mrs. Brown.
"Every wealthy man has enemies," said Chief Brown. "He is known to have argued with Arthur Jason, John McNear, and Matt Short. There are probably a dozen others."
"I argue with my closest friends," objected Mrs. Brown, "and I haven't been kidnapped."
Encyclopedia opened his eyes. He asked his one question. He seldom needed more than one question to break a case that his father brought home to dinner.
"Was there any paper on Mr. Butler's desk?"
"Just a small pad by the telephone," said Chief Brown. "But it was blank."
"Is that a clue, Leroy?" said Mrs. Brown anxiously.
"Yes," said Encyclopedia. "When the visitor went to open the window, Mr. But-
ler seized the moment to write this number on the calendar."
"What does it mean?" asked Mrs. Brown.
**It tells us the visitor's name," said Encyclopedia. *'The rest should be easy, right, Dad?"
WHAT WAS THE VISITOR'S NAME?
(Turn to page 103 for the solution to The Case of the Midnight Visitor.)
UieCaseof Bndden Penny
Encyclopedia wanted to help the children of the neighborhood. So when school let out for the summer, he opened his own detective agency in the garage. Every morning he hung out his sign:
^ - 13 Rover Avenue'"
Uwjv Brown, presideKt Mo case too small ,
^plus expenses ^^^
On Tuesday, business was slow all morning till Elmo Thomas came in. Elmo was Idaville's junior yo-yo champion.
''Mothers/' he grumbled. "They don't understand kids."
^'That's no way to talk," protested Encyclopedia.
"If my mother understood me, I wouldn't have got kicked in the rear and had my
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