AIR GOLD

Waikato Times, Volume 120, Issue 20024, 23 October 1936, Page 3

AIR GOLD

By L. W. BROCKMAN.

Something New In Detective Stories.

svuoesis. - l Jimmy Kean, eager to have his revenge I on ' is responsible for uiufirnflizyigmxfiifigiuiigg and those of his “lii-i“: restaurant Jimmy is able to assist I girl who is in distress. CHAPTER I\'.—(Continued.) it is quite probable that Kathleen would have accepted his proposal. 31though she disliked him intensely. (0“ she. like Jimmy. had “WWW“ “'"h over-eager resignation the idea of self-martyrdom. The thoughts or re: lievins Muriel of all finani"ai worr). and of giving Jinim.V a “it “i her exDense. appealed to tier. The two of them would not wish her to do it. Of oourse,.but the idea appealed ‘0 and tickled her youthful vanltYSomerbell himself drove this out of her mind. he had learned that there was some indefinite attachment between the girl and a YOURS policeomcer. The affair was very Dim-side,“ It the time—Kathleen had scarcely noticed Robert Blake at all seriously, although he positively worshipped her from the first meetint‘J. “01‘9“ had only himself to blame for driving Jimmy's sister into BIHRE'S fll‘ms“lhen making his otter—it might be described as statin‘z his side of 9. bargain—he had mentioned the detective, and had hinted that he wielded sufficient power to break Blake is she dared to prefer the latter to himself. Again revealing a familiar family trait, Kathleen had immediately taken the threat at its face value. and had openly defied Somer‘bell to do his worst. instead of accepting martyrdom. she rallied to the defence of her previously un-considered lover. and only her fear that the consequences would fall on her sister caused her to turn down Robert's repeated proposals. In spite of all this she had not learned that the very games from which she hoped to win sufficient money to get both herself and Langfields freed from debt to Somerbell. were indeed owned by him. and could only lead her further in debt. Had she confided in Blake he would have helped. it’ only by opening her eyes to the true position. but although on several occasions- site made up her mind‘ to tell him. there was always some little thing that caused her to hold back. Bob was so straight and clean. she told herself. that he would not understand how she had drifted into Such an embarrassing position. Muriel knew only the broad outlines of all this. and as things stood when Jimmy faced her across the table. she could only tell him that Kathleen had made things much hardrr by her thoughtlessness, and that the alternative seemed that either Kathleen would be forced to marry stunt-rho“ or that he would seize Longtlclds. There had been times when the prospect of losing the place would not have appalled the young man. but after his brutal awakening in England and his experiences abroad. both the sleepy little village of Poucing and the tiny estate seemed twin parts of heaven. lie could not bear the thought that Somerbeli should pollute his home. There had been 3 little—a. very little—left from the wreck of his previous fortune. and he had not done badly in South Africa. but his money was of little use in the circumstances. The mortgage was past redemption ex—cept by Somerbell‘s consent. lie was able. however. to set many of his sister's fears at rest. The family would not be reduced to penury whatever their enemy might do, but he could not fall to see that nothing could console Muriel if Lansfields was lost to them. Even if Somenbeli did not want the place he certainly would not sell to them when he knew how much they loved it. Small wonder that for a long time after he had gone to bed, Jimmy's thoughts were occupied by the financier and his activities. He wondered if he still made a small fortune from gaming houses. and of course he puz—zled long on the problem of the murdered man who had lain in the sited. :\ full day had passed since he had last seen Bob Blake: perhaps the policeman had unearthed something —-had discovered some clue—that would eventually lead to the detection and downfall of Sonirrbcll? llc dropped into an uneasy sleep. and it seemed to him that he had not closrd his eyes for more than a few minutes before he was awakened. He lay for some seconds trying to determine whst had awakened him. when the noise was repeated. it was the telephone, and in the utter stillness of the night it sounded strident and urgent. He had not known that there was a telephone at the house. and in spite of his hasty conclusion. he was not at all sure that it was a telephone bell and not an alarm of some sort—perhaps a hurlrlar alarm that his sister had installed. None the less hr immndlateiy as—sociated the «all with Somertwli and Blake. and was not at all surprised whcn. after he had hurrlcd down to the instrument. h-- hoard the voice at the detective at tho othcr t‘i‘id. Fortunatcly it was a particularly clear line. and Jimmy soon learnmit that Blake was talking from a llttlei village in Tlmnrt. and that ho “spirit the young man in mine down to him as quickly as possible. Apparently a body had in-vn found in the sea. Just off IKinnsgatv, and the tictcctlve thought it .inst possible that it might l’m'thtl same as that which Jimmy Reed had won in ”10 grounds of The Beeches. " Cur-t down have as quickly as you can. if you really want to ilt'ip a real iivc detective," he said. "How con i conic at this time of night?" Jimmy “Skk‘dl “Night! it‘s morning unw. sleepy—ilf‘Rli. isn't there a milk train or sumcthlns from l‘ourln: in—thwhnllmv or whatever you mil It‘,‘ .\ny\\.n. Rot linun hi'l‘n- .is t‘.ll'i) .is you i‘.iii, “nether you \ml‘u. motor. or own li)‘. and he prvparml fur a nasty sight when you got iii-Im." llznl tho iintt‘l'livt- itcon :xltlc to srw .lluuny‘s [are when thing “as moniionmi llc might limo lwcn loss sur—prised at suitswtuz-nl t'\'~‘nl\. in his psimy days .lluuny lilnl ln-rn \t‘ry koen on ilyinx. and at llizil tunc had been one of tho rulnparatm- l‘vw owner—pilots. The grounds of Lon:— zllei had horn a little mow “\ii‘nsih‘ thvn. and it. “as unthinar unusual for ililll to some holns.ontlr-ly unvxpcctml. .iilli to land on the broad nxmdnw that hls sister wan oaruful in lump ulmt- of J” obstructions so that it “its always ready to receive bar erratic lirnlitvr. The machine had never been sold. and that last time. Jimmy had soon it it had stood. a reminder of his lit‘ parted “calm. at. the foot of what was

now the kitchen garden. •For a wild moment he thought of the machine and Blake’s suggestion that he should fls- down to the Kentish coast. Then he shrugged his shoulders and laughed at his foolishness. He was prepared to take many risks, but he was not prepared to take a c-hanoe with a machine that had not been flown for more than three years. The Idea was ridioulous. In addition, when Muriel had been foroed to sell some of the land, she had robbed him of a run-away. As he recollected, now there was a fence within twenty yards of the hangar gates. His sister’s voice broke in on his thoughts. “What is it, James?” she asked. “ Did I hear you talking to somebody?" “ Yes, on the telephone,” he answered. Then he told her as much as he thought necessary about Blake’s suggestion that he should go down to Thanet. “You will want to catch the early train, of course,’’ she said. “ I will get you some coffee. I had hoped that you would be ahle to stay with me for a little while. You will come back soon, won’t you?” “ Bob Blake wants me to fly down,” he said, musingly, for no particular reason. He laughed heartily when she replied: “Yes, of course, 'that would ibe much quicker. But you will be careful, dear boy, don’t let anything happen to you.” These words were as familiar to Jimmy as the grace he had been taught to say at his meals. Muriel had never opposed his desire to fly, but on each occasion she had used the same exhortation. “ You dgar old silly. How can I fly?” he asked. “ Surely you don’t think I could use the old bus after she has lain all this time. 'Only a crane could get her off the ground in her present condition. I was merely Joking when I mentioned flying.” “ But the aeroplane is in good condition,” she persisted. “At least it should 'be. I have paid Robins, the man at the garage, to look over it and keep it flt for use. He has been here every month. Only the last time he was here he told me that it was a shame that it should lie there idle, and that it was almost as good as new.” Jimmy exploded. “A garage man I What does he know about it? Most of these village motor mechanics know little enough about cars, unless they have altered a lot since I went abroad, and heaven help the flier w T ho trusted his machine to the tender meroies of one.” Muriel was not anxious that her brother should use the ’plane, but she felt that she was, as it were, on trial. Jimmy doubted her ability to look after his interests in his absence. “ Robins knows all about aeroplanes,’’ slie asserted. “He was an Air Force man, until he had an accident, and he came back here and set up on the main road with his garage. “ Besides,” Jimmy’s sister went on, “ Mr Loxley has flown the aeroplane several times. Robins told me that it was necessary for somebody to take it up. Of oourse, I don’t understand it, but Robins said it had to be done to get a certificate of some kind.” “ 'Certificate of airworthiness,” Jimmy supplemented, and Muriel nodded. Jimmy felt that he was being dictated to. His sister was leaving him no option but to fly, unless he could get the garage proprietor to support his explanation of the difficulties. He had ample time to do this, and still be able to catch the early train to London, en route for South-east Kent. Unfortunately, Robins did not turn out to be the ally Jimmy had expected. He seemed anxious that the aeroplane should be used, if only in order to prove that he had done his work honestly. The objection that there was no room to take off he soon overcame by pointing out that a portion of the fence could easily be taken down that the meadow could be used. Thus it was that Just as the day was breaking, Jimmy Keen climbed into the oockpit and began to look over the instruments and finger his controls in an endeavour to get back some of that familiar “ feel ’’ of the machine that is the flying man’s extra sense. 110 felt that he was somewhat in the same position as a child that has been led willy-nilly to the dentist’s chair, all his excuses and objections overcome, and" convinced, against his better judgment, that it will not hurt. There was one thing that Robins seemed to have overlooked —the fact that when Jimmy got into the air he had only done half, perhaps the easier half, of his job. lie had also to land. The young man had not forgotten this, but although he wanted to protesl, wanted also to get out of the machine and satisfy hirrself that everything was in order, he felt Robins’ eyes on him. The man, he had learned, was a qualified ground engineer, and would not be a party to sending a man aloft on a suicide trip. There was doubt in the mechanic’s expression. He. too, knew’ that Jimmy was not over keen on the flight but he attributed the hesitation to a reason other than* doubt as to the airworthiness of the machine. Jimmy Keen, lie concluded, was in a funk. This was more than Jimmy could stand. He became crisp and businesslike. “ All set,” he called. Then after he had warmed up the engine and was satisfied —“ Contact." There was a reassuring matter-of-fact efficiency in the way in which Robins responded, and then the Angel Bird—Jimmy had been very much in love with Angela Nelson w’hen he had christened the bus—was on her way, bumping slightly over the uneven ground. The tail came off almost at once, and there was just a second of panic as Jimmy saw the hedge rushing straight towards him, before Angel j Bird did all that might have been expected of her, and sailed over with yards to spare. Jimmy played for safety, and the man who watched from below grunted approval. Height w’as what the young man wanted, then he would have time to look about and think things over. Satisfied at last, he headed southeast. The sun was just peeping from behind a distant hill, and the young , man did not anticipate any difficulty , in finding his way. His direction must bring him over the. coast, and as soon as lie passed the mouth of the Thame? , he should have no trouble in locating . fhe little cliff-top village where Blake ’ awaited him. He did not know Kent— especially East Kent-c-very well, but he had s general idea that the county was

_____—_ ‘muinly :m‘rirnllm‘ul‘ I’nl‘ls M‘ 1110 ‘r'l‘hanl-t was! \wru fushiunnhlv rnsm‘ls, 11m know, mud Hlmw- would surely 1m :1 lxnlf vuurso un whlrh hu could wmn yduwn il' nu wlwth'r ground ofl‘m'ml‘ :\ gull" vuln‘sn miuht vasil)‘ he a dr‘ullh Imp, hut a careful man—2lml Jimmy intended to 1m wry r‘m‘r‘ful, indeed“should he shin m Hm! a suitable stretch or low! lurr, ‘ Ul'u 1m L‘UHIllllel.)