Inspector Badger
A detective who wants every detail in order.
Inspector Badger is methodical, serious and devoted to getting the facts straight. Odd witnesses are his greatest test.
The case of the silent bell
Inspector Badger was summoned to the town hall. Its grand bell had failed to ring at noon. He interviewed the caretaker, examined the rope and measured the dust beneath it. Everything appeared perfectly ordinary, which made him even more suspicious.
He stood under the bell at twelve the next day, notebook ready. Nothing happened. Stanley pointed to a small card on the wall: BELL TEST MOVED TO ONE O'CLOCK. Badger read it twice. “An excellent disguise for a clue,” he said.
At one, the bell rang so loudly that Badger dropped his pencil. His notebook landed open on the page headed SUSPECTS. There was only one name: THE BELL.
Badger closed the case and wrote a new rule at the top of his notebook: READ THE NOTICE BOARD FIRST. He underlined it three times.