"Arthur, Robert - The Three Investigators 001 - The Secret of Terror Castle" - читать интересную книгу автора (Arthur Robert)

house for his next picture,” Pete said. “Dad heard
about it at the studio.” Mr. Crenshaw was a special-
effects man who worked at one of the movie studios in
Hollywood, a few miles away across the hills.
“A haunted house?” Bob frowned. “How can you
solve a haunted house?”
“We can investigate the haunted house and find out
if it is really haunted or not. The publicity will get our
name known and The Three Investigators will be
launched.”
“Only Mr. Hitchcock hasn’t asked us to investigate
any haunted houses for him,” Bob said. “Is that what
you call a small obstacle?”
“We shall have to persuade him to engage our
services,” Jupiter said. “That’s the next step.”
“Sure,” Bob said with rich sarcasm. “I suppose we
are going to march into the office of one of the most
famous movie producers in the world and say, ‘You
sent for us, sir?’”
“The details are not quite correct but the idea is
roughly accurate,” Jupiter told him. “I have already
telephoned Mr. Hitchcock for an appointment.”
“You have?” Pete asked, looking as surprised as
Bob. “And he said he’d see us?”
“No,” the stocky boy admitted. “His secretary
wouldn’t even let me talk to him.”
“That figures,” Pete said.
16
“In fact, she said she would have us arrested if we
came anywhere near him,” Jupiter added. “It turns
out that Mr. Hitchcock’s temporary secretary this
summer is a girl who used to go to school here in
Rocky Beach. She was a number of grades ahead of
us but you should remember her. Henrietta Larson.”
“Bossy Henrietta!” Pete exclaimed. “You bet I
remember her.”
“She used to help the teachers and boss all the little
kids around,” Bob added. “Do I remember! If
Henrietta Larson is Mr. Hitchcock’s secretary, we’d
better forget it. Three tigers couldn’t get past her.”
“Obstacles,” Jupiter replied, “are what make life
interesting. Tomorrow morning we will all drive to
Hollywood and call on Mr. Hitchcock in our new
temporary car.”
“And have Henrietta set the police on us?” Bob
yelled. “Besides, I have to work at the library all day
tomorrow.”
“Then Pete and I will go. I will phone the Rent-’n-
Ride Auto Rental Agency and tell them I shall start
my use of the car at ten o’clock tomorrow morning.