STRATOSPHERE EXPRESS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 23, 7 November 1938, Page 7

STRATOSPHERE EXPRESS

By ALROY WEST.

CHAPTER XXTI. MANELLI'S STARTLING CHARGE. ManolU flicked the ash from his cigarette. “I won’t weary you with the details of my search, but I managed to run my man to earth. He proved to bo a squat Dutchman. Van Loon by name. I palled up with him and plied him with, drink. Then I put forward a plan. “I wanted quick results, so I ran considerable risks. I had a theory, and I banked everything on it. I knew of three aeroplane accidents—and there was a man who might have had an interest in each one. There was the most recent one—Macready. There was the other one, when the monoplane had been tampered with. And,” ho drawled; “there was one other.” “I don’t get that,” said Bessiter. “What other was there?”

“Quite a time back,” said Manelli, “when Malcolm Williams and young Rush crashed,.” Man da looked up, her face suddenly white. She sprang to her feet and darted to Manelli’s side. “Was my brother—?’’ she didn’t finish the question, for he slowly nodded his head, Bessiter moved forward. “Was that deliberate?” he roared.. VYes,” said! Manelli. “There was no incident about it. The machine was tampered with.” Manda turned away, so that her face was hidden* Bessiter made a move as though to comfort her, and then thought better of it. He pushed Storm back.

“Go on, Manelli,” he ordered. “So I made Van Toon think that J knew about the accidents, and that 1 wanted something similar done on my behalf. As. I have said, I plied him with drink and he became talkative.” He thrust his hand into his pocket and brought out a thin sheaf of papers. *

“I have a fairly good memory,” he announced, “so these may interest you.” Ho passed them to Bessiter. “I copied his story down as soon as I could and then hurried to join you. I couldn’t deal with Van Loon, but I hoped that his ‘hang-over’ after the drinking Would! bemuse him too much. Evidently, though, he managed to recall something of what had taken place, and communicated with Lovac. I’ve beeh dodging ever_since.” ■ Manda came back and stood by Storm. Ho noticed that her head was held high. , . “And it was Lovac who engineered things ” Bessiter shot out. Manelli flashed his *eeth again. “So. Although some of the things have been done on his behalf.” “Then it was Dickin.”

Manelli shook his head. “Ho knew about some of it, though,” ho added.

Bessiter stepped forward and gripped Manelli’s shoulders. Then who, in the name of all that’s wonderful, was it?” Manelli flicked his cigarette. ‘(Pureelow,” he said softly. BESSITER UNVEILS SOME OF THE MYSTERY. Bessiter leaned hack in his ehaii. Several days-had elapsed since Manelli had revealed who had been employing Van Loon. They had been days of miprocedontod activity. Storm and Manda’felt that they had been cast aside by a powerful tidal wave. Bes-, siter was never at home. He seemed to he darting all over the country. There were occasional glimpses of Manelli, always showing his teeth in a smile; of Mackley, passing strong fingers through a mop of redl hair; and of Larkin, his face lined with worry huh.his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. Storm-amT Manda-were forgotten. Bessiter had no immediate use for them. There were whispers of this and or that. Pureelow had been warned by Van Loon and had Vanished, even as Dickin had disappeared. Hush had not been murdered—it was a clear ease of suicide. Something in life had proved too much for him. The weakest to the wall. That was the rulo of survival. * . . The four, engines of the stratoplane, each one fitted with a new type of super-charger for work in rarified a - mosphere, -had been brought out from their hiding place and fitted to the ever-growing structure. Certain tests had been made, ana Larkin had announced that he was satisfied! Mackley was poring over charts and diagrams.; And how there was a lull. Bessiter was leaning back in his chair, a cigar stuck between his lips. ~ “We’ve been kept out ot things, Storm complained. “I ; thought I was supposed to ho a help. “You are a help. But you’ll help m my way—not your own. I kept J mi m reserve, that’s all. And you d hettei hear in mind that I run this aftaii not you.” Storm grinned. “All right! No Heed to start imagining that I’m the enemy. I only wanted to lend a hand.” . , ~ •-i “You’ll lend a hand, all right, .aid Bessiter grimly. “Shall I?” the girl asked “There’ll ho something for you to do More long. But stop touring me! You’re like a couple of kids s J m doing the talking—see?”

there were two TRAITORS IN the camp.

Storm nodded. “That would be more like old. times, he declared. Bessiter scowled at him. “1 made a bad mistake,” he snapped at them. “That’s what I’ve been paying for the past few days. i took over the Essex. Street factory from its last owners, I kept the statt on. - I should have slung em out. 1 didn’t like any of ’em. I don t believe in liking people. They am t worth it. I only like one person—that s myself. “We’ve been finding out a tew things. Both Dickin and that rabbit Pui'celow were against me. Both were in touch with Lovac. But Lovac was cunning. He didn’t employ them imt it became imperative. AI J he offered to do was to pay for results, laid that trap, I argued that it any two of the three suspected men were

A Vivid Story of Realism and Romance.

:: (Copyright).

(Author of “ Messengers cf Death,” “Hate Island," Etc).

working against me, they would compare notes and take no action. Li other words, if-you were able to turn up at each of the three places without anything happening, it would meay. that there was more tljan one person against me.” “It might have meant, that nobody was playing you false,” Storm said.

Bessiter glared at him. “After that tiling being sent in the consignment to the secret works? Use your wits!” “Somebody else might. . .” “Fiddlesticks! You’ve got a. mind like a flat tyre! I knew who had the opportunity of doing a tiling like that. And don’t interrupt again ! This is my show.

“What I did not realise was that Dickin and Pureelow were against me —but were not working together. Both hoped to get the nice fat reward Lovac had offered. And, as Dickin had been given all the details of the earliest of the three assignations, Pureelow’s arrangements were valueless* Naturally, he realised that I had become suspicious of his movements and took every precaution to appear a faithful servant.

“I rather think that Lovac, who had kept both men under close observation, realised that it was advisable to come into the open. From that time he has directed all the operations.” “Do you think he can stop us?” Storm asked. RUSH MUST HAVE LEARNED ABOUT HIS SON. Bessiter shook his head. “Not a hope! Wc’ro going right ahead.” “I wonder why Rush . .. .” Manda. “Do you?” asked Bessiter, with a twist of his lips. “It seems clear to me. You ought to know—vou always protected him! He used to think that I sent that no-good son of his to his death. Maybe Dickin or Pureelow helped to give him that idea. Ah, well! Ho Was a weakling. If I’d have told him the truth—so far as I know it—he’d! have crumpled up and died. Perhaps it would have been better that way. Even weaklings can ‘do a fair amount of damage,” “But you always thought it was an accident,” Storm pointed out. “Of course I did! I told Rush it was an accident. But I knew that young Rush had been trying to steal Malcolm’s invention and sell it somewhere. I’d have had proof of Lovac’s complicity if the accident had not taken place. Why do you think I was holding my hand? I wanted to clear everything up.” “And you thing that Rush found out in the end that liis son ...”

Manda didn’t finish her question, for Bessiter nodded his head.

“That’s just what 1 d,o think,” he said, with an air of finality. Manda and Storm exchanged glances. “Manelli’s been working hard,” Bessiter said suddenly. “He’s a cunning creature. He managed to get word to Pureelow that Van Loon was doing a lot of talking. It seems that Purcelow and Dickin have been teaming up since the time it became certain that they would both get a substantial rakeoff/ So Manelli tried to get the information through to Dickin—but I don’t know whether that was successful. Next, Manelli traced Van Loon’s movements' since that interesting talk, and then got word to him that Pureelow was going to spill the beans. 1 don’t know how Manelli managed it, but he unearthed the fact that Pureelow is making a get-away in a Soviet ship, the Olenek, which is bound for Nova Zembla' and the Kara Sea. “The Olenek is sailing from Long Reach, hut Pureelow will he joining her not far from Saltfleet. She’s standing in to come near to the Spurn Light Vessel.” “Do wo do anything about it. Storm asked.

Bessiter grinned. “What do you think?” “I’d feel easier once I knew that the fellow was being carted away,” said Storm. Then ho glanced at Manda. “But I think that,he ought to have his wretched neck broken.”

Bessiter looked at the girl. “Anything to say?” he demanded. She shook her head. Bessiter turned to Storm. “Lovac’s had to go to New York. Otherwise Pureelow would have gone to him for assistance.” “Unless Lovac has dealings with the Soviet,” said Storm. Bessiter scowled and bit savagely on his cigar. “There might he something in that. Probably it is Lovac’s doing. Anyway, Manelli is trailing Pureelow, and 1 have a machine ready, with Mackley to pilot, it A so that we can got across to Spurn Light pretty quickly.” “But wo want a seaplane,” Storm declared.

Bessiter gave a sigh. “One of these days I’ll chuck you out,” ho muttered. “Do you think that never occurred to me? I think of everything! Everything! See?” (To be Continued).