Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way by Donald J. Sobol Read Free Book Online

The Case of the Growling Dog
    Crime was increasing everywhere in the United States. Except in Idaville.
    No one—child or grown-up—got away with breaking the law in Idaville.
    Apart from catching crooks lickety-quick, Idaville was like most seaside towns its size. It had rich families and poor families, lovely beaches, three movie theaters, and two delicatessens. It had churches, a synagogue, and a Little League.
    And it had ten-year-old Encyclopedia Brown, America’s Sherlock Holmes in sneakers.
    Encyclopedia’s father was chief of police. People across the country thought he was the smartest police chief on earth.
    Chief Brown was smart. His officers were brave. But once in a while they came up against a crime they could not solve.
    Then Chief Brown knew what to do. He went home.
    Over dinner, he told Encyclopedia about the case. If Encyclopedia didn’t solve the mystery before he finished his first glass of milk, his mother was disappointed. He was an only child.
    Chief Brown would have liked to see a statue of Encyclopedia placed outside the FBI building. He hated keeping his son’s detective work a secret.
    But what good would it do to tell?
    Who would believe that the mastermind behind Idaville’s wonderful police record could live happily on bubble gum and popcorn? So Chief Brown said nothing.
    Encyclopedia never breathed a word about the help he gave his father. He didn’t want to seem different from other fifth-graders.
    But he was stuck with his nickname.
    Only his parents and his teachers called him by his real name, Leroy. Everyone else called him Encyclopedia.
    An encyclopedia is a book or set of books filled with facts from A to Z. So was Encyclopedia’s head. He was really more like an entire library, only better! His pals could ask him questions without having to whisper.
    One evening over soup, Chief Brown said, “I think I know who stole Mr. Dale’s electric drill last night.”
    “Who?” asked Mrs. Brown.
    “Ed Baker,” answered Chief Brown.
    “Isn’t he the teen-ager who stole a car in January and wrecked it over in Glenn City?” asked Encyclopedia.
    Chief Brown nodded. “Ed was seen running near Mr. Dale’s house last night around the time someone broke into the garage and stole the electric drill and some other tools.”
    “Did you arrest him, dear?” asked Mrs. Brown.
    “I can’t prove he did it,” said Chief Brown. “Ed claims he was running to get in shape for football. He says he ran by Mr. Dale’s house, but didn’t stop.”
    “Don’t you have any clues?” asked Encyclopedia.
    “Two,” replied Chief Brown. “We found one perfect footprint in the back yard. A left sneaker print. It was made in a spot of soft earth.”
    “Does it match Ed’s sneaker?” asked Mrs. Brown.
    “It’s a half size too small,” said Chief Brown heavily.
    “Perhaps Mr. Dale made the print himself,” suggested Mrs. Brown.
    “Mr. Dale insists that no one has been in the back yard for nearly a week,” said Chief Brown. “The rain yesterday afternoon washed out all the old footprints.”
    “So the sneaker print is new,” said Encyclopedia. “It has to be the thief’s. What’s the second clue, Dad?”
    “A piece of a shirt,” said Chief Brown. “It got caught on a branch six inches above the ground.”
    “Did you find a torn shirt at Ed’s house?” inquired Mrs. Brown.
    “No,” said Chief Brown. “Ed probably didn’t realize he had left a footprint. But he would have discovered the rip and thrown the shirt away.”
    Chief Brown took a spoonful of soup. Then he continued.
    “Ed must have been crawling on his stomach in order not to be seen,” he said.
    “What makes you think that?” asked Mrs. Brown.
    “If Ed had been walking, the low branch would have ripped the bottom of his trousers, not his shirt,” said Chief Brown. “But what he did next is the puzzler.”
    “How come?” said Encyclopedia.

    “But the question is, how did he get past Rover?”
    “The low