Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Child Beauty Queen

NO CRIME WENT UNSOLVED in the otherwise normal town of Idaville. Although everyone credited Chief Brown of the Idaville police for this incredible record, the truth was that his 10-year-old son, Encyclopedia, solved the toughest cases. Encyclopedia’s real name was Leroy, but everyone called him Encyclopedia because he knew everything. An encyclopedia is a series of books that contains all the facts in the entire world written from a Eurocentric perspective.

In the summertime, Encyclopedia ran a detective agency out of his garage with Sally Kimball, his junior partner. Sally was the prettiest girl in the fifth grade and the toughest, too. She was the only person who could stand up to Bugs Meany, the leader of the local gang, the Tigers. Sally’s parents worried that she might be a lesbian.

One Tuesday morning Encyclopedia hung up his sign on the garage:

Brown Detective Agency
13 Rover Avenue
Leroy Brown, President
No case too small
25 cents per day
plus expenses

Right away a man and a woman approached Encyclopedia and Sally. The man carried a large envelope.

"My name is John Ramsey and this is my wife, Patsy. We need to hire you to prove our innocence, Encyclopedia Brown." The man stepped forward and put a cashier’s check for twenty-five cents on top of Encyclopedia’s piggy bank.

"Everyone thinks we murdered our beautiful baby," sobbed Mrs. Ramsey.

"Tell me what happened," Encyclopedia said to Mr. Ramsey.
"It was two days after Christmas. That morning we received a ransom note saying that our daughter, JonBenet, had been kidnapped. But before we heard any more from the kidnappers, I found her dead in the wine cellar," Mr. Ramsey said, opening the large envelope and placing some pictures on the table in front of Encyclopedia and Sally.

Encyclopedia and Sally looked at the pictures. There was a picture of the ransom note and another photograph that showed JonBenet with red ligature marks around her neck. A ligature is a cord that is used to tie things. Another picture showed the little girl walking across a stage, dressed in a sequin-and-rhinestone cowgirl outfit that made her look like a six-year-old whore. A whore is another name for a prostitute. A prostitute is someone who gives sexual favors to men in return for money.

"The police think we did it, but the night it happened Patsy saw Bugs Meany lurking in our backyard," said Mr. Ramsey. "The police questioned him and they said his story checked out, but I’m certain he’s behind it. His sister, Regina Meany, was JonBenet’s biggest rival on the children’s pageant circuit, and I wouldn’t put it past him to pull a fast one."

"Bugs—I knew it!" Sally exclaimed.

"I think we better pay Bugs a visit," Encyclopedia said, reaching for his bicycle.

"Maybe we should take my Town Car instead," Mr. Ramsey said. A Town Car is a luxury automobile known for its comfortable ride and smooth handling.

Sitting in the back of the Town Car, Sally rubbed her hand across the seats.

"Is this real leather?" Sally asked.

"Corinthian," sniffled Mrs. Ramsey from the front seat. "Imported." Corinthian means coming from or originating in Corinth. Corinth is the isthmus connecting the Peloponnesus to the rest of Greece.

"Very nice," Encyclopedia said, patting Mrs. Ramsey on the shoulder.

[ Chapter 2 ]