So, at ten o'clock, they were all there, Buster too. They set off to find Kosy-Kot. They met a postman and he told them where it was.

They soon found it. It was a little bungalow set in a trim little garden. At the back was a shed.

"I bet that's where they keep the bicycles," said Fatty. "Now—how can we get a peep inside?"

"I know!" said Pip. "I've got a ball. I could chuck it into the garden, and then we could go and ask if we might get it back—and you could peep into the shed, Fatty. If a bike is there with a hooter on, we'll wait about for the man who lives here, and see if we recognize him as the one who spoke to you, and had a bike with a hooter. We might recognize the bike too, if we see it."

This seemed a good and simple plan. So Pip proceeded to carry it out. He threw the ball wildly, and it flew into the garden of Kosy-Kot, actually hitting against the bicycle-shed.

"Blow!" said Pip loudly. "My ball's gone into that garden."

"We'll go and ask if we may get it," said Daisy. So into the gate they went and up to the front door.

A woman opened it. "Please, our ball has gone into your garden," said Pip. "May we get it?"

"Yes, but don't tread on any of the beds," said the woman, and shut the door. The children went round to the back of the house. To their annoyance they saw a man there, digging. He stared at them.

"What do you kids want? "

"Oh—excuse us, please, but your wife said we might come and get our ball," said Fatty, politely. "I hope you don't mind."

"Well, get it, then," said the man, and went on digging. Fatty made for the shed and pretended to hunt round about. The door was open and he looked inside. It was full of garden tools and old sacks—but there was no bike there at all. How annoying!

"Haven't you found it?" said the man, and came over to look too. Then Fatty gave an exclamation and picked up the ball. He looked at the neat little shed.

"Useful sheds those, aren't they?" he said. "Jolly good for bikes. Wish I had one like that."

"Oh, I don't use it for bikes," said the man. "We haven't any. I use it for my garden tools."

"Oh," said Fatty. "Well—thank you for letting us get our ball. We'll be going now."

They went out into the road and crossed over to talk. "Hasn't got a bike! But that boy at the shop distinctly said that the man at Kosy-Kot bought a hooter," said Bets indignantly. "He must have got a bike. Why should he pretend he hasn't got one? "

"It's a bit suspicious," said Pip. They walked on, puzzled. Suddenly, round the corner, they heard the noise of a hooter! Parp-parp! Parp-parp! The children clutched at one another, thrilled. A hooter! Perhaps it belonged to tihe man with odd eyes! Perhaps it would be his bicycle coming round the corner!

But, round the corner, ridden at a tremendous pace, came a child on a tricycle. He ran right into Fatty, who gave a yell, and hopped round on one leg, holding his right foot in his hand.

"You little idiot! What did you come round the corner like that for?" yelled Fatty.

"Well, I hooted!" said the little boy indignantly. "Didn't you hear me? I hooted like this."

And he pressed the rubber hooter on his tricycle and it parp-parped loudly. "It's a new hooter," he said. "My Daddy bought it for me. You should have got out of the way when you heard me coming round the comer."

"We weren't expecting a tricycle," said Pip. "We thought the hooter was on a bike, coming along the road, not on the pavement."

"Well, I'm sorry," said the little boy, beginning to pedal again. "But I did hoot. I hoot at every corner. Like this."

Parp-parp went the hooter and the five children watched the little boy pedal swiftly down the pavement then cross the road, and disappear into the gate of Kosy-Kot.

"I feel like saying 'Gah!'" said poor Fatty. "Wasting our time looking for a hooter that's on a child's tricycle—and getting my foot run over!"

"Never mind," said Bets consolingly. "You'll be able really to limp this afternoon, when you're the old man again."

They all went back to Pip's. It didn't seem any use trying to find the owner of the other hooter. They couldn't possibly go round looking at every one in Peterswood to see who had odd eyes. It was very disappointing about the tricycle.

"I think this is a very slow sort of mystery," said Bets. "It will be time to go back to school again before we've even begun to solve it!"

"What's the date?" said Pip. "Let me see—it must be the seventh of September—no, the eighth. Gracious, we really haven't much more time!"

"Perhaps something will happen soon," said Larry hopefully. "You know how sometimes things sort of boil up and get terribly exciting all of a sudden."

"Well, it's time this one did," said Fatty. "It's been in the refrigerator long enough!"

Every one laughed. "I wouldn't mind sitting in a frig myself," said Daisy. "Let's get our bathing things and go and bathe in the river. I'm so awfully hot."

So down to the river they went, and were soon splashing about happily. Fatty, of course, was a very fine swimmer, and could swim right across the river and back. Bets splashed happily in the shallow water. The others swam about lazily just out of their depth.

Bets thought she would swim out to them. So off she went, striking out valiantly. She didn't see a punt coming smoothly through the water, and before she could save herself, she felt a sharp blow on her shoulder, and screamed.

The punt slid on, unable to stop, but a boat following behind, swung round, and a man caught hold of her and held her.

"You're all right, aren't you?" he said, bending over her. "Can you swim?"

"Yes," gasped Bets, striking out again. "Fatty! Fatty! Come here quickly!"

The others swam over to the frightened little girl. They helped her to the shore and she gazed after the distant boat, and gulped.

"Oh," she said, "oh, I've missed the most wonderful Clue! But I couldn't help it! Oh, Fatty, the man in that boat had odd eyes—one blue and one brown. I couldn't help noticing them when he caught hold of my shoulder. And now the boat is gone—and I never even noticed its name!"

"Oh, Bets!" said every one, and Bets looked ready to cry. "Didn't you notice what colour it was, or anything?" asked Larry.

Bets shook her head. "No—I suppose I was too frightened. Oh, I'm so sorry. It was such a wonderful Clue—and a Suspect, too—and I've lost them both!"

That afternoon things really began to happen. Fatty disguised himself once more as the old man (who was keeping remarkably out of the way), and went to the bench in the village street as usual. He limped most realistically this time, because his foot had swollen up from being run over by the tricycle. He had provided himself with plenty of newspapers to read, and he sat down as carefully as ever, letting out a little groan as he did so.

In the sweet-shop opposite sat Mr. Goon, clad as usual in flannel trousers and a cream shirt open at the neck. He looked extremely hot, and was beginning to long for some bad weather—frost and snow if possible! Mr. Goon had never felt so hot in his life as in this blazing summer.

Larry went into the shop and sat down to order lemonade. Mr. Goon was getting used to the fact that one or other of the Find-Outers always seemed to be there. He took no notice of Larry. He just propped his paper up in front of him, and kept a watchful eye on the old fellow nodding on the bench across the street.

It looked as if Fatty had gone sound asleep. Larry yawned and wished he could go to sleep too. Then he noticed something. A man was standing in the shady doorway of a nearby shop, and he seemed to be watching the old man. Was he thinking of giving him a message?