"Arthur, Robert - The Three Investigators 002 - The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot" - читать интересную книгу автора (Arthur Robert)

It was the home of Malcolm Fentriss. a retired Shake-
spearian actor and a good friend of Alfred Hitchcock, the
famous director of suspense and mystery films and tele-
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vision programmes. In their capacity of investigators, the
two boys had come to offer to aid Mr. Fentriss in finding
a missing parrot. Mr. Hitchcock had mentioned to them
that the actor had lost his parrot and was very anxious
to get it back.
Then had come the unexpected cry for help. Now they
were crouched in the shrubbery, awaiting developments.
“Whiskers. Jupe! ” Pete said in a low voice. “We started
out to look for a missing parrot. Now before we even get
to the house, someone is screaming for help! I hope this
isn’t going to be another case like the last one.”
“On the contrary.” his stocky partner whispered back,
“it is starting very promisingly. But all seems quiet now.
We’d better approach the house and find out what is
happening.”
“That isn’t a house I want to approach,” Pete told him.
“It looks like a house full of locked rooms that shouldn’t
be opened.”
“A very good description,” Jupiter replied. “Remem-
ber to tell it to Bob when we get back to Headquarters.”
Bob Andrews was the third member of the firm. He
kept the records of their cases and did necessary research.
Jupiter started to slip towards the house, moving be-
tween bushes and flowers without stirring a ripple of
movement in the vegetation. On the other side of the
path, Pete kept abreast of him. They had come within a
hundred feet of the house when something grabbed his
ankle and he was flung to the ground. As he tried to pull
free, the unseen hand gripped more tightly and jerked him
back. Flat on his face, he couldn’t see who or what had
grabbed him.
“Jupe! ” he gasped. “Something’s got me!”
For all his stocky build. Jupiter moved swiftly. He
darted across the path and was at Pete’s side almost be-
fore the other boy finished speaking.
“What is it?” Pete croaked, rolling his eyes sideways at
his partner. “Something’s dragging me away. Is it a boa
constrictor? This garden could hide anything.”
Jupiter’s round, determined features looked unusually
grave.
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“I’m sorry to tell you this. Pete,” he said, “but you
lave been trapped by an unusually vicious specimen of
vitis Vinifera.”
“Do something!” Pete gasped. “Don’t let vitis whatever
it is get me!”