"THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT!" Fatty cried suddenly, making the others jump violently. "I'VE GOT IT!"
"You solved the mystery?" Daisy asked in a small voice who was the first to recover from this sudden shock.
"I think so. Just need to confirm. We'll have to go to Brown Hill Mansion and see Alice. I need to ask her something" Fatty said.
"What is it? Can you tell us now?!" Pip asked excitedly.
"Of course not, we've got no time. Either solve it yourself or wait till I confirm" Fatty said.
He hurried out of the room and was at the edge of the landing when he realised that the others were not with him. He stopped.
"Aren't you'll coming?" Fatty shouted across the landing. The others hurried and joined Fatty half way down the stair case.
They were soon outside on their bicycles when Mr.Goon came on his cycle towards them.
"Solved the mystery, Mr.Goon?" Fatty asked mockingly and they all rang their bells loudly,producing a loud, shrill noise as a result. Mr.Goon nearly fell off his bicycle and became purple with anger.
"Unusual mystery, this one. No interruption by Mr.Goon" Pip said as they turned a corner. "Solved it, Pip?" Fatty asked .
"Nearly. Now all I need is the confirmation" Pip said modestly.
"Great! Now two of us know the solution" Fatty said.
They soon reached Brown Hill Mansion. They entered straight away through the kitchen door as they found it open. Alice was there, thankfully.
"Hello, Alice. You might not know us-" Fatty started but Alice but in.
"Nonsense! Of course I know you'll. You'll are those mystery-solving kids, right? And you're called the five find-outers and dog, right?"
"We're famous, Daisy" Bets whispered in her ear.
"Right" Fatty told Alice. "We just wanted to know-"
"whether you found the key to the kitchen door anywhere in the kitchen?" Pip finished. He caught Fatty's eye and they grinned at each other.
"Yes,yes I did, over there" she said pointing to a place near the sink, beneath the window sill.
"That's it!" cried Pip and Fatty in chorus.
"Is Ms.Hilton there now?" Fatty asked her.
"Yes,she is. But how did you know that I lost -"she started but the duo had run out of the kitchen, through the dining room into the hall.
Ms.Hilton was sitting by the fire, her back facing them with a mug of some steaming liquid on her lap.
"Hello,Ms.Hilton" Fatty said and made her jump that she almost toppled the beverage on her lap. She turned to face them. She looked quite old and had a kind face. For a moment, Fatty thought he was looking into the face of an old Bets as Bets resembled her great aunt very much.
"Sorry to but in like this" Fatty said humbly.
"Oh, it's you Philip and..."
"This is my friend, Frederick Trotteville" Pip said. "We have discovered who stole your things. Can we please use the telephone for a minute?" he asked, his eyes raking the room for a telephone.
"What?! Ohh... Sure, you may use the telephone" she said pointing to a small round table in the corner of the room. It was draped with a lacy, light blue coloured cloth and on top of it stood a telephone that was the same pale blue as the curtains.
"Thank you" Fatty said and ran to the telephone. Pip followed him when the others entered the room with Buster.
"Hello. It is Frederick Trotteville here" Fatty was saying in the telephone, "I need to speak to Superintendent, please" Fatty paused.
"Hello, sir. It's me, Frederick" he said, trying his best to keep his voice calm. Pip was standing just behind him , breathing on his neck and trying to hear what the Superintendent was saying. "Sir, you must've heard about this theft in Peterswood? In Brown Hill Mansion?"
"Solved that too, I expect?!" said the cheerful voice of Inspector Jenks from the other end.
"Yes,sir. Could you please come over to Brown Hill Mansion, now?"
"Yes, Frederick. I'll be there by half past ten."
"Thank you, sir" Fatty said and placed the receiver delicately back in its place.
"He'll be here in half an hour" Fatty announced.
Bets, Larry and Daisy were utterly puzzled. They didn't have a clue about what was going on. They all waited silently in the hall and half an hour went very quickly. They heard the sound of a car coming up the drive. Pip looked out of the window and saw the Superintendent getting out of his magnificent black car. There was a sharp rap on the front door. Pip, being the swiftest of the lot, sped to the door to open it. He returned with Inspector Jenks by his side. The Superintendent wore his usual broad grin on his handsome face. Pip and the burly policeman came and sat down on either side of Fatty.
"Tell me, Frederick, who did the robbery?"
"Sir, this time, it is ot only me who solved but also Pip... So I think he should tell you" Fatty said modestly. Pip caught his eye and mouthed the word 'thanks'. The Superintendent turned towards Pip.
"So,Philip, you're called Pip, is it?" he asked.
"Erm..." said Pip who had quite not expected this question, "Yes" he said after a few seconds.
"So now, tell me who did it, why and how they did it" the Superintendent said calmly.
"Sir, it is Edward Williams, a garage owner in Taplow" Pip started. He narrated everything about Mr.Williams, the footprints they had found outside the kitchen door, the ones made by Williams outside the garage. He told him about the strange mark and showed him the copy of the mark and the footprints.
"Now, why do you say that he is the thief?" Superintendent Jenks asked.
"Oh, that's easy. He stole the keys from Alice when she had gone to Sheepridge, came and took what he wanted,locked the door so that nothing seemed suspicious and he left. Later that night, he came back and put the key in through the kitchen window, so that only Alice would be suspected. He must've dropped it down by accident and that is what made the mark."
"It does resemble that of a key" Jenks said, looking at the copy of the mark.
"If the evil rouge had been cleverer, he should have put the key back in Alice's place or from wherever he stole it. He put it back here and that gave him away" Pip said, grinning all over his face.
"Good work, find-outers. Solved yet another mystery, if I may say so" Inspector Jenks said, standing up. "Now, please come with me and show me the way to this gentleman's garage"
Ms.Hilton, Daisy, Bets and Larry had not uttered a single word since the Superintendent's arrival.
"Thank you very much, children. Very intelligent" Ms.Hilton said.
The five children and Buster sped away with the Inspector in his magnificent car to Mr.Williams' garage in Taplow. They reached the garage much faster than they would have by bicycle. Mr.Williams was arrested, Ms.Hilton's things were returned. Alice was not suspected anymore. She payed Mr.Williams what she owed him. All was well.
So reader, let us wish the great five find-outers and dog many more happy and succesful mysteries.