MASTERS OF THE PARACHUTE MAIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 39, 25 November 1939, Page 7

MASTERS OF THE PARACHUTE MAIL

j By PETER BENEDICT

:: (Copyright). j

y A Gripping Romantic Story of Modern Methods in an ancient l | & Smuggling Trade. J H fjgrjr..dtw & jjhj jw~ j~-JT-r.T.r.iT.jr.n»~_r_Tjr iw~. r_iwr~ r ffii' < — if rc" " f****’ * flB

CHAPTER VII.

“But—but wait a minute!” cried Peggy helplessly. “1 don’t see how—l mean, if I’m here waiting to be committed for trial, and then in prison on remand somewhere else, how on earth— I mean, I can’t be in two places at once; I’ve never learned bow.” “It’s asking a lot of you,” said Peter, “but you’d have to submit to it in any case, because I couldn’t just lug you out, much as I’d like to. This is roughly the idea. The ring, unluckily for them, had to put you in a position to he dangerous to them. They didn’t think you would. They thought you would be quite easily frightened into conveniently forgetting all about the incident. When they found that you didn’t frighten so easily, and that you were meditating a move against them, they instantly took steps to have you removed. They did it well. And candidily, if I hadn’t the eloquence of conviction, and the most pliable and softhearted chief constable in the country, their programme would have gone over without a hitch, and there would certainly have been a committal for trial, and quite probably a. conviction. But T have pulled strings, and offered bribes—not in money, don’t worry —and the upshot of it all is this. The ring think they have disposed of you. I'll go a step farther, and say they know they have disposed of you. Well, why should we lose the advantage of this simple faith ? Will you agree to go through with this horrible business—Look, I hate myself for this, but it’s necessary, 1 swear it is!—and let them commit you- for trial? There’ll be an appeal for bail; it will be refused. Your enemies will see you — I guess they’ll bo watching—carried away in a closed car to the remand home. They’ll heave a sigh of relief and self-approval, and go hack to work with easy minds. “And—this is where I really begin to feel I have something to offer you — halfway to the remand home I shall meet you with another car, and take you- away to my mother’s place, and the governor’s daughter, who is like-, enough to you in size and shape to satisfy any watcher they may conceivably place at the home, will transfer to your car and go placidly home again. They’ll know you’re safely out of their way. And you and I will catch them on the hop. How do you like it?” “If I could even believe in it,” said Peggy, in a ! dazed voice, “I should say it was perfect. But —hut these things don’t happen.” I

PETER UNFOLDS HIS SCHEME.

When Peggy was brought into the visiting-room to meet someone whom she had expected to come from home, and found herself facing Peter Milne down the short surface of the table, her first feeling was of acute disappointment. She said: “Oh, it’s you!” in no flattering tone, . as she sat down and leaned her elbows upon the table. She looked tired, but actively thoughtful, and most certainly not downed yet. "Yes,” -said Peter meekly, “I’m sorry!” Meekly, but ho had an unruly twinkle in his eye. For the first time Peggy found herself looking at him with real interest. He had one of those nondescriptT’faces which escape remembrance very easily; and yet it was a good enough face in its way, alive and strong, with very keen blue eyes which changed expression and colour very rapidly with every change of the light on them.

He had found this quality of evading recognition very useful upon occasion. He was, now that he faced her neat small person squarely across the table, much bigger, or at least taller, than she had thought him; but the same deliberate insignificance religiously observed in his clothes diminished him so that only this direct comparison could give her his measure. She wondered why he was there, and at the thought her hopes rose again; for there must be a reason. She waited to hear it.

“I haven’t forgotten,” said Peggy. ... at your remark about the police. I have every right to laugh, at the police, after working in close conjunction with them.for five years.” “Are you a policeman?” asked Peggy bluntly, doubling her fists underher square chin. “Is this one underhanded way of trying to get something more out of me? Because if it is, I’m sorry; you’re wasting your time.” Peter smiled. His smile could be quite grave behind the philosophical lightness which was its surface expression.

“No,” he said'gently, “no, I’m not. a policeman. Suppose I begin by telling you exactly who and what I am, and then you’ll understand better what I want from you.” “Want from me—?” said Peggy, startled.

“Yes, just that. You see, I’m merely a very small legal luminary who happened to find his real forte before he made a fool of himself with the ordinary Court cases. I don’t often practise law in the courts. My law is practised in dark corners of most of the cities in Europe, and a great many in Asia, too. Only a few officials in the world know it, but I am engaged in holding strings between all the international departments which are trying to stamp out the dope trade. International lav/ is my study, and I am what you might call a liaison officer among the lot of ’em — one of many, be it said, and one of the least of many. Shadowy people, we are. I like the shadowy side of the business best. I don’t confine my activities to an office.

“They do if I need them to.” “But the police—the chief constable —they’d never agree to it.” “They have. It hurts them horribly, but they have a little grotesque faith in me; and this is practically a national emergency, worth the sacrifice of any amount of X’ed tape. If I said I wanted Jerry the Lifter off the Moor, and sounded serious, I believe they’d give him to me. What I want is your agreement.”

“You’ve got it. From the word go. Of course, I don’t see in the least liow we’re going to set about it; but if I can really have another go at the gang who got me into this mess, I’ll do anything you say—anything. Only ” Her face clouded a little. “Well, how long is it to the Assizes?” “Nearly seven weeks.” “And you’ll have to produce me then. Of course, I give you my parole, and all that, but—well, it might be awkward. And I should have gained nothing if I had to come back and stand my trial after all.”

“Well, during the past year there has sprung up in this country, and J might say all over this country, one of the biggest, and the most cunning dope ring in years and years. Most dope rings last a short time and go out; they let things slip; and too, they have very keen rivals. Now these people seem to have obviated most of these difficulties, for we know nothing whatever about them, except one little phrase which we got hold of by sheer luck from a' blotting paper in a raided club—quite an innocent club, too, by the time we got there.

“Partner,” said Peter solemnly, “we shall have blown this case wide open by then.” “Do you really think wo shall?” she asked eagerly. “I honestly do. Now leave everything to me for the present. I’m going to see your parents, and tell them —not too much, just enough to assure them that so far from there being any stain upon your character, wo’re humbly begging you to save ours. Can they keep a secret?’-’

“So you see, we admit we’re up against it. They are never short oi goods, yet we never intercept one, singlo shipment. We have no jumping-ofl place. We have no information. But we’ve got to get hold of fliem. It may surprise you to know that if all drug supplies were cut off, we should have ten times more trouble than wo have now, and the biggest scandal which has ever hit the world. The lid would blow off London. But we are employed te keep it within some sort of bounds, and it’s straying, it’s straying badly. Now you see,” he said, looking at her gravely. “I’ve trusted .you completely. I do - trust you. I believe every word of your story. Will you help me to smash this racket?”

“You bet they can!” said Peggy. “Because, you see, my reputation depends on you, I’ve taken the entire responsibility for letting you in on this, and, believe me, it wasn’t easy to get them to consent te it, even then.” “I realise that,” said Peggy. “We shan’t let you down.” Her eyes were really shining how; she looked quite the most vividly alive thing he had ever seen. “What have I got to do?” “Pass the time here for the present, I’m afraid. I’m sorry about that. Would you like some books?”

Peggy, who had listened to this recital wide-eyed, sat back with a gasp. “Help you? Me? But how can I? To begin with, I’m suspect myself, and in prison into the bargain. How on earth ”

She nodded. “Have you got one about the drug traffic, and all that? Information might he useful, and you see, I know nothing at all. I could be reading it up.” “The perfect partner,” said Peter to the air, piously. “I always knew there must be one somewhere. Yes, my child, I can and will lend you such a hook, but it’s cheerless reading. What about a spot of something light to help it down?”

“I’m coming to that., You are a very valuable person, Miss Calder. You are the only person who knows what any member of the ring looks like. You’ve seen two of them. The man —and the girl—” ■ . “Yes,” she cried, her eyes beginning to sparkle. “Would you recognise them again? If they were very much changed? If you saw them, say, in evening dress, and the woman minus what may have been a wig?” “YOU WILL CHANGE CARS” Peggy considered, and her photographic mind made frantic notes npon the man’s remembered month, short, full, strong and vicious upon his bland, blonde face; upon the girl’s dark, fine eyes which had been hidden behind glasses and allied to straw-coloured hair with which they refused to blend; upon the emaciated figure and the town walk. She said with conviction: “Yes. Yes, if there was a real chance 1 should know them both again.” “You’re sure of it?” “I’m sure of it.”

(To he Continued.)

“And that’s how you’re going to help. Once point out to us those two, in their more usual incarnations, and in time we’ll collar the lot. We only want a lead, and we’re bulldogs.” Ho laughed, and stretched out a hand across the table, careless of all regulations. “You’re on?”