George came back into the shop after seeing to Timmy and Buster who were patiently waiting outside. Fatty had his notebook and pencil in hand.
"Right. Now, everybody think hard about what they remember about the whole incident. It's good we had so many of us there who are trained observers! Hopefully, we shall each remember something different that will give us a clue. Let's start with the obvious. The man had a hat and dark glasses on. What else can you remember?"
"Well, his head came up to the picture hanging on the wall there," said Dick. "Shall I measure it?"
"Yes. Good," said Fatty. "What else? A trenchcoat, beige in colour."
"Brown shoes," said Julian. "Quite neat-looking, clean, unremarkable. No moustache or beard."
Fatty nodded as he jotted it down. "Clean-shaven, yes."
"Red watch-strap," said George suddenly. The others looked at her.
"Red? Are you sure?" asked Larry. "That doesn't sound like a man's wristwatch."
"Yes," George nodded. "I was facing the door, you see. I noticed when he opened the door, his sleeve was pulled back and I could see the colour then. It reminded me I need a new strap for my own watch." She rummaged in her pocket and held out a wristwatch with a broken strap. "You see? I wanted a boy's watch for my birthday but Mother insisted I have this one. I thought a red strap for it might be rather jolly." She put it back in her pocket.
"Well done, George," said Fatty. "I believe that is rather a smashing clue. An unusual watch strap."
"I say," spoke Larry, "is that clue something we should - errr, keep to ourselves?"
"Not tell Mr Goon, you mean?" asked Julian. "But he's a policeman, as fat-headed as he seems to be."
Fatty, Larry and Pip exchanged glances. "Well, you see . . . " Pip began to explain.
Too late! There was a stern knocking on the shop door and the fat policeman could be seen through the glass.
George went to unlock the door and he strode into the shop masterfully.
"Oh ho!" he said, upon spying Fatty. "A mystery right under your very nose!"
"Hello, Mr Goon," said Fatty resignedly. Goon ignored him rudely and began studying the shop counter and the till.
"Well, then, perhaps you best tell me what happened," he said to Julian. "You were the one that phoned me, weren't you?"
"Yes, sir. We were sitting at the front of the shop there, where the tables are pushed together and a man came in wearing dark glasses and a hat. Emmaline had just gone upstairs to the flat for a moment when he came in. He went to the till, opened it and emptied it into a small bag before dashing out. We tried to follow him, sir, but he picked up a bicycle and sped away on it."
Goon wrote all of this laboriously in his notebook. "And do you have a physical description of the Perpetrator?"
"Yes, sir," replied Julian. "Dick, show Mr Goon how tall he was."
Dick obliged.
"Hrmm. About 5ft 10 inches," said Goon, writing it down.
"He was wearing a dark hat and glasses, a beige trenchcoat and brown shoes. He was clean-shaven and unremarkable," supplied Fatty from his notes.
"Anything else?" Goon asked rudely.
Fatty exchanged another glance with Pip and Larry.
"He had a red watchstrap," he said finally.
"Gah!" snorted Goon in disgust, not bothering to write it down. "Another of your funny jokes. Where is Miss Masters?"
"Upstairs, with Anne, Daisy and Bets. I'll fetch them," said George, and dashed up the stairs. She found the girls in the small sitting-room.
"Mr Goon would like to speak with you," she said.
"I expect we will have to be leaving anyway," said Daisy regretfully. "It's nearly tea time."
Emmaline glanced at her wrist as if looking for the time again.
"I'll fetch your watch for you," said Bets kindly. "Did you say it was on the dresser?" She made as if to go into the bedroom.
"No!" cried Emmaline. "Err - my bedroom is a frightful mess, I'd be dreadfully embarassed if you saw it. I will fetch it later. Now I shall go down and meet with Mr Goon."
The girls followed her downstairs.
"I don't think I will be requiring the presence of you children any longer," said Goon officiously.
"It's nearly tea time anyway," Fatty said reluctantly.
"Ho! You don't need it," said Mr Goon unkindly.
"That was very rude and unnecessary, Mr Goon," said Fatty icily. "Come on, everyone."
"We'll come and visit you tomorrow, Emmaline," promised Bets.
"Thank you," sniffed Emmaline and the children filed out of the shop.
"Well!" said Fatty as they gathered out on the footpath much to the delight of Timmy and Buster. "A mystery for all of us. Shall we meet at my shed tomorrow and go over the clues? I think we shall manage to squeeze in and I rather think Cookie might be able to do us some buns or something."
"Smashing," replied Julian. "We'll be there!"