Читать книгу Beak & Paw Detectives - Nataliya Bogoluibova - Страница 2

Not an hour later, the detectives were in the circus.

“How can we find Donut's dressing room?” asked Raja.

“His dressing room is the biggest in the circus. I think it won't be hard to find it, but to save time… it's better to ask,” Krish said and went to the circus pony with bright colored ribbons that were braided in its lush mane. “Can you tell me where Donut's room is?

“Turn the corner and the dressing room will be on the left,” answered the pony and galloped away.

“When we get to Donut's dressing room, be quiet and don't knock!” warned Krish. “The owner is missing. If there is someone in the room, it is better to catch him and ask who he is and how he’s got there.”

“Amita hasn’t shown up for work today. I’ll go to her house and find out what happened,” said Barry excitedly.

“Okay, let's split up. Find Amita! We'll take a look at the elephant's dressing room," said the peacock.

The huge dressing room was full of colorful circus outfits. Giant hoops, balls and pins were scattered everywhere.

“What a mess!” Krish marveled. “Look at this hat! I feel so small compared to it.”

“What a huge hula-hoop!” Raja exclaimed.

“Don't waste time! Look for clues,” said Krish.

“What should I look for?” asked the chipmunk.

“Weird things that don’t belong here.”

Raja walked to a large chest by the window. He opened the lid and examined the contents. The chest was almost empty, with two yellow buttons, a fake clown nose and some silver garlands at the bottom.

“Well, what is it?” asked the peacock.

“Nothing important,” said the chipmunk disappointedly.

“Keep looking.”

Raja went to the dilapidated wicker basket and looked inside.

“I think I'm lucky today! It's Donut's diary!” Raja shouted happily. “It might contain clues about his disappearance!”

Chipmunk opened the diary and muttered, “Oh, it’s like a chicken scratch! Impossible to understand!”

“Let me see. The last entry in the diary was yesterday. I can't make out what he wrote.”

“Donut must have been in a hurry,” suggested the chipmunk. “Yeah, it takes a bit of talent to read his scribbles! But I'll try!”

The lion cubs chewed on someone else's shoes,

Only half remaining, their mischief amused.

But punishment looms, severe and stern,

Yet the cubs prepare for a newfound turn.

The red wig, once green with anger's flame,

Crafts revenge mixtures, magic in its name.

Saffron and sandalwood form the base,

A brewing scandal, a captivating chase.

Hidden within our shoes, secrets lie,

Stage props kept safe, out of prying eye.

Amita dons her red nose, laughing loud,

But how dare you disrupt the playful crowd!

The elephant dances in his hat, in vain,

For amusement and jest, a harmless game.

Yet my hour nears, revenge shall unfold,

No hand-to-hand combat, a different mold.

Magic weaves like strings for marionettes,

The chief instigator reduced to ash, no regrets.

A tale of retribution, a lesson learned,

In this short verse, a twist unearned.

“These lines are relevant to our case. The lion cubs chewed their shoes, and some kind of punishment awaited them next!” Krish the peacock said thoughtfully.

“Who was going to punish them, I wonder? The clown? I can’t believe that! He's supposed to make everyone laugh!”

“Sparky the clown wears a red wig,” reminded the peacock.

“That doesn't prove anything. A wig can be stolen and used in such a way that everyone would think it was the clown's fault!”

“What does sandalwood magic have to do with it? I have a bad feeling about this. What are these revenge mixtures? If magic is involved, then the usual methods of investigation won’t be successful.”

“I don't know much about magic. You'd have to ask Barry.”

“What could be hidden in a shoe?”

“That's for us to find out!”

“Donut mentions the party. The elephant and Amita were there.”

“They were dancing and laughing. What went wrong?”

“The last quatrain really scares me,” muttered the peacock.

“Marionettes? That’s ridiculous!” exclaimed the chipmunk.

“Puppets? Dolls? What does Donut mean? How can you explain the last lines of the verse? It sounds frightening.”

“The elephant must have added it for fun or to rhyme the words,” suggested Raja.

Krish shook his head incredulously and continued, “I feel that there is much more hidden in this poem than we have realized. Let's show it to Barry the parrot.”

“Have you found anything here?” the chipmunk asked his partner.

“Yes. A little elephant figurine was under the wicker chair. It's made of sandalwood. Someone might have brought it here. It's too small to be Donut's. I'll show it to our experts.”