All the others agreed. They sat and thought about everything for a little, and then began to talk about it
"Somebody must have stolen Dark Queen, there's no doubt about that," said Fatty. "It seems as if it could only be old Luke; but we're all absolutely certain it isn't, so who else could it be?"
"Let's look for clues!" said Bets eagerly, remembering how exciting it had been to look for clues in the last mystery they had solved.
"Let's draw up a list of Suspects!" said Daisy. "We did that before."
"Now," said Fatty importantly, "it seems to me that the Five Find-Outers can really get to work again. I propose...."
"Look here," said Larry, "you're forgetting something, Fatty. I'm head of the Find-Outers, not you."
"All right," said Fatty, looking sulky. "Go ahead then. Only I've got far more brains than you have. I was top of my form last term, and...."
"Shut up, Fatty," said everyone together, except Bets. Fatty looked as if he was going to get up and go; but he was too excited and interested to be sulky for long, and soon the five children were eagerly discussing their plans.
"Now, let's think everything out clearly," said Daisy.
"Dark Queen was with the others until four o'clock, because it was then that Miss Tremble and Pip's mother saw her. She wasn't there when Clear-Orf and Tupping went to see them at five. So, in that hour, somebody must have gone to the cage, unlocked it, taken out the cat, locked the cage again, and gone off with Dark Queen, and either given her to someone else or hidden her away."