“How long have you been here?” Bruce continued.
“Three days, come Friday,” was the answer. “Have you anything for me?”
“Yes,” Bruce almost shouted in relief. He took the package of plans from Gale and handed them to the man. “You’re Stubby?”
He heard a low chuckle from the man. “Yes, where is Brent?”
“He said we weren’t to tell you and you must not make any attempt to reach him,” Bruce said. “You are to start work immediately.”
“Tell him the plane is all ready for the motor. It will be ready for the races.” The man turned away then. “Thanks,” he called over his shoulder before he disappeared.
“We might as well go home,” Gale said with a sigh.
“We might as well,” Bruce agreed.
They went back through the woods to where they had left their bicycles propped against a tree. They rode most of the way in silence. It was only when they came into town and stopped before The Kopper Kettle that Gale looked closely at her companion.
“Bruce!” she cried, half laughing, “You’ve got a black eye!”
He touched it gingerly and grinned.
“How will you explain it?” she wanted to know.
“I walked into a door—or was it a tree?” he said laughingly.
“Look,” Gale cried, “the whole gang is here.”
The Kopper Kettle was a combination sandwich shop and ice cream store where the Adventure Girls and their especial friends were wont to gather in much of their free time. Now the other girls, that is all but Phyllis, were lined up on stools before the soda fountain and with them were Peter and David. The newcomers were hailed with various cries.
“Who hit you, Bruce?”
“What a shiner!”
“Wait until Coach Garis sees that!”
“Did you do it, Gale?”
“Can’t blame it on football!”
Bruce remained mysteriously silent as to how he had acquired the bruised eye and the others could decide on no satisfactory solution. Gale would in no manner aid them to solve the mystery, merely looking unaccountably delighted in their mystification. Secretly she was congratulating herself and Bruce for coming off their mission so lightly. If Stubby had not appeared when he had there is no telling what might have happened.
CHAPTER V
Complications
“Ten yards—nine yards—two—he made it! He’s over! We win!” Jubilantly Janet threw her arms about Carol and the two danced in glee.
The occasion was the opening game of the football season. The Marchton High School had come through with flying colors, having three touchdowns to their opponent’s two.
As they walked homeward through the early twilight Janet demanded of the other girls:
“Wasn’t Mark Sherwin wonderful?”
Valerie winked at Gale. “Why Mark Sherwin particularly when there were ten other boys on the team?” she asked.
“Haven’t you heard?” Carol pounced on Valerie, eager to impart her bit of friendly gossip. “He is Janet’s latest crush. He took her to the movies the other night and since then—”
“So that is the way the wind blows,” Madge laughed.
“I haven’t a crush on him,” Janet said with dignity. “Crushes are for children.”
“Is he going to take you to the Senior Prom?” Gale asked.
“If he asks me I shall die of joy!” Janet declared ecstatically.
“Then you wouldn’t be able to go,” Madge said smiling. “I think you will rally sufficiently to accept.”
“I shall say I would!” Janet declared. She turned in at the gate to her front yard as her younger sister called a greeting to the others. “See you tomorrow, gals!”
“Sweet dreams!” Carol bid her.
Carol and Madge were the next to depart. Slowly the other three walked homeward.
“Have you seen the pilot any more?” Phyllis asked of Gale.
“Not since yesterday,” was the answer.
“How is his ankle?” Valerie wanted to know.
“Getting better,” Gale said. “He can hobble about a little now without much pain.”
When Gale left Phyllis walked beside Valerie in deep thought.
“Do you think Gale likes Brent Stockton?” she asked at last.
Valerie smiled. “She must. She goes over to the island a lot. I think he is nice, too,” she declared. She had journeyed to the island one afternoon with Gale.
“Oh he is nice,” Phyllis said hastily. “What I mean is, do you think—Gale really likes him? An awful lot I mean?”
Valerie regarded her friend silently, puzzledly for a moment. “How do you mean?”
“Well,” Phyllis coughed embarrassedly and wished she had never mentioned the subject. “He is young, handsome, and quite charming. Gale might—”
“You mean Gale might fall in love with him?” Valerie asked aghast.
“Well—yes,” Phyllis said in confusion. “Do you suppose she might?”
Valerie laughed. “But she is still in High School!”
“That doesn’t make any difference,” Phyllis assured her.
“No,” Valerie said after a moment, “I don’t suppose it does. But Gale isn’t any older than we are. Seventeen! He must be—oh, well, in his twenties. Whatever gave you such a crazy idea?”
“I don’t know,” Phyllis said hurriedly. “Forget I said anything.”
“Have you said any more to your Aunt about Briarhurst?” Valerie wanted to know.
Phyllis shook her head and snapped her history book open and shut.
“No, I’m half afraid to.”
“We will keep our fingers crossed. She may come around to your way of thinking yet,” Valerie said cheerfully. “So long, Phyl!”
Phyllis watched Valerie’s form retreating along the stone flagged path to the Wallace house, a house where Valerie was free to come and go as she pleased, where she was assured of warmth and love and laughter. Phyllis went more slowly on her way. All that was waiting for her in the house at the top of the hill was a cold bedroom where she would study her next day’s lessons in silence and then eat a silent dinner sitting opposite her Aunt. After that, there was nothing for her but to retreat to her own room with her books and to bed, to wait for the next morning when she could again escape from the cold, old house.
After dinner Gale stepped out onto the porch and viewed the sky overhead. It was studded with stars and high in the East rode a giant yellow moon. She looked out over the lawn to where deep shadows lay thick beneath the trees and about the shrubs. There was a decided tinge of early winter in the air. The football game this afternoon had been another hint that winter was officially on the way. It had been an exciting game! A thrill every minute. She lived over again the exciting last touchdown.
Gale had been leaning idly against the white porch pillar but suddenly she straightened up with a jerk. A shadow had moved stealthily from the street through the gateway to a position under the linden tree. Gale could not see the identity of the intruder but it was someone she did not expect, of that she was sure. None of her friends would come silently, like a thief. Any of the Adventure Girls or the boys with whom they associated always descended much like pirates besieging a treasure ship, with whoops and plenty of noise. Not so this person, whoever he was.
Gale considered shouting for her father, when she remembered he had gone out to see a client. Her father conducted a successful law practice and often made trips out at night to interview his clients.
Gale decided to stay where she was and watch. She did not want to alarm her mother, and besides the person had not done anything yet. Perhaps it was just someone who had made a mistake in the houses. It might be a respectable visitor of one of the neighbors.
She had held her position for about five minutes, her eyes never wavering from the spot under the linden tree where the shadow had stopped, when she saw a white hand beckoning to her. Should she go down and see who it was? Very clearly she remembered the night when she
and Bruce had almost lost Brent Stockton’s plans for his airplane engine. Suppose this was another thief who had learned that she knew where the pilot was! What would he do?
Almost imperiously this time the hand beckoned again. There seemed a suppressed urgency about it. She decided to throw caution to the winds and go down to the linden tree. As she stepped from the porch she shivered with excitement. It was all so thrilling! She would keep the girls spellbound with a recital of this tomorrow. She walked swiftly across the lawn. Now that she had decided what to do she wanted to hurry before caution changed her mind. She parted the low hanging branches and stepped into the shadow beyond.
“Did I scare you?”
Gale almost laughed aloud. It was Stubby, Brent Stockton’s mechanic.
“You did!” she declared. “What do you want? How did you know where I lived?”
“It was easy to discover that,” he said brushing her question aside. “You have to take me to Brent. Where is he?”
“He is—” Gale stopped herself. She remembered how firmly Brent had said the mechanic was not under any circumstances to communicate with him. “Why do you want to see him?” she asked. “He said you shouldn’t.”
“I’ve got to see him,” Stubby said firmly. “Something has gone wrong with the plane and he is the only one who can fix it. He knows his engine backwards.”
“But—” Gale hesitated, torn between Brent’s wishes and this new emergency. If something really were wrong with the engine he would want to see the mechanic, wouldn’t he?
“Where is he?” Stubby persisted.
“On the island,” she said slowly. “In our clubhouse.”
“Can you take me over in a boat? Or how can I get there alone?” Stubby asked quickly.
“I’ll take you,” Gale said. “We can use Bruce’s—that’s my friend—he lets me use his boat.”
“Fine!” Stubby rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Let’s go.”
“Wait until I get my coat,” Gale said.
She ran back to the house. In the hall she slipped into her light sports coat and called in to her mother in the living room.
“Going out for a while, Mother. I won’t be late!”
A minute later she was walking swiftly down the street beside the thick figure of Stubby. It took them only a few minutes to reach the shore and with Gale at the wheel, Stubby crouched low in the stern, holding his hat for there was a stiff breeze on the water, the boat shot toward the island.
Gale was feeling a little nervous. Brent Stockton had been so insistent that they bring no one to see him, that they should reveal his whereabouts to no one, that now she felt afraid he might be angry that she was bringing Stubby. Still it was important she argued with herself. He wanted his airplane in shape for the races and every day was precious.
She led the way up the beach to the cabin. There the pilot met them at the door. He greeted Stubby as an old friend and some of Gale’s fears were allayed. The two men talked long and earnestly but most of their conversation was so complicated and technical that Gale could not grasp the full significance of it. She waited patiently until they were finished so she might take Stubby back to the mainland in the boat.
“Then if everything isn’t all right by Saturday I will come over myself,” Brent said in conclusion.
“You are leaving the island?” Gale asked. Somehow the thought alarmed her.
“Perhaps,” Brent smiled. “I’m not sure yet. I don’t want to leave until the day of the races but I might have to.”
“Are you perfectly comfortable?” Gale asked eagerly. “Can I get you something?”
“You might bring some books for me the next time you come,” he said. “I don’t know what to do with myself all day long.”
“I’ll bring some over tonight,” Gale promised.
“There is no need for that,” he said. “Wait until tomorrow.”
But Gale did not want to wait. Immediately the boat nosed into the wharf, Stubby departed as silently and mysteriously as he had appeared in the Howard yard. Gale went home and into her room. Books overflowed a large bookcase against one wall and peeped from under the window seat. She chose four volumes she thought he would like and decided to find out his favorite authors and take more on the morrow.
She peeped into the living room before she went out again. Her mother was asleep. Gale smiled softly and closed the door behind her.
Brent Stockton accepted the books eagerly. It seemed she had brought just what he would like.
“Then you aren’t angry?” she asked when he was walking slowly, with the aid of an improvised cane, beside her to the boat. “You aren’t angry with me for bringing Stubby over?” she insisted, stopping and looking up at him, young and slight in the moonlight.
“Angry?” His free hand fell lightly upon her shoulder. “My dear child, I couldn’t be angry with you.” Suddenly he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Now run along home, youngster!”
Gale tried to say something but words stuck in her throat. Silently she climbed into Bruce’s boat. Her hand shook as she snapped the motor on. All the way across the bay she seemed wrapped in a vague, glorious dream.
Later as she buried her hot cheeks in her cool pillows and tried to stop thinking about Brent Stockton she could feel a thrill run all through her. She had not been like the other girls, Carol and Janet. She had never had a—as they called it—crush on any boy before. She admitted to herself, but to no one else, that she thought Brent Stockton was pretty grand. He was everything the other boys she knew were not.
CHAPTER VI
At the Airport
At the wharf the next afternoon she found Stubby awaiting her.
“Have to take me to the island,” he said without preliminary. “Brent must come to the airport!”
“Can’t you manage the plane without him?” Gale asked.
“No. Something is wrong. I can’t get the motor to hum right. Brent is the only one who knows enough about it.”
“But he said he didn’t want to go to the airport until the day of the races,” Gale said petulantly.
“If he doesn’t come now his plane won’t be in the races,” Stubby declared bluntly.
Gale sighed and stepped into Bruce’s boat. Stubby was a silent passenger all the way to the island.
Brent was not pleased at the news Stubby brought him. Finally he sighed and admitted it would be best if he did go to the airport to supervise personally the installation of the new motor.
“But not until tonight,” Brent said. “After dark perhaps Miss Howard will motor me across the bay. I’ll come then.”
“Of course I will,” Gale said. “If you are going to stay in Marchton you can live at my house, too,” she said breathlessly. “I already suggested it to my mother and she would like it too. You have no place else to go, please say you’ll come,” she pleaded.
“I’ll talk to your parents first,” he said.
As soon as it was dark that night Gale motored across the bay and returned with Brent Stockton for dinner at the Howard home. Later, when he declared his intention of going to the airport, Gale pleaded to go along. They were just leaving the yard when Bruce appeared.
“Hullo,” he said in surprise at the sight of Brent. “Where did you come from? I thought you were still on the Island?”
“No. I’m needed at the airport and I’m staying at Miss Howard’s home while I am in Marchton.”
“Going to the airport now?” Bruce asked. “May I come along?”
The three of them walked to the corner bus stop. The bus took them to within a square of the airport. The buildings, three in all, were dark, shrouded in black silence. A knock at the small door at the side of the private hangar where Brent stored his planes brought a crack which widened into a yawning black hole when Brent was recognized. The three of them stepped within and immediately the door was closed behind them.
Gale felt nervous. The mystery made her apprehensive. In the darkness she caugh
t at a friendly hand. When a dim light flashed on she hastily disengaged her hand from Brent Stockton’s grasp, blushing furiously at the thought of what he must be imagining. She had no idea it had been his hand she was holding on to.
“Why all the secrecy?” Bruce demanded of Stubby who had opened the door.
“We’ve had other visitors tonight,” Stubby replied. “Not very welcome ones either.”
“Has someone been here again?” Brent Stockton demanded.
Stubby nodded. “The same one who tried to get the plans from this young fella.” He indicated Bruce and led the way past a huge nondescript shape, which Gale supposed to be the plane, but in the darkness could not discern clearly, into a small office. There he lounged against the wall while Brent eased himself into the chair before an untidy desk and Gale and Bruce sat on the radiator by the window.
“What did he do?” Brent asked; his voice was low, strained with anxiety. “Did he get to the motor at all?”
“That he did not!” Stubby said, bristling with indignation. “It’s my job to protect it and I did!”
“But what did he do?” Bruce pursued.
“Well, it was this way,” Stubby said, “along about seven o’clock I heard a funny scratching sound. I put out the light and went out to the door. He was fooling with the lock, trying to get in. I slipped back the bolt and jerked the door open, meaning to catch him. He ran, that’s all.”
Bruce and Brent were talking with Stubby about the strange man while Gale, her attention wandering, looked out the window. The moonlight illuminated the field as brightly as any searchlight. Suddenly she stiffened to attention. A skulking figure had just straightened up from the corner of the hangar. This hangar and office were built together much like the letter L, the office sticking out like the foot of the letter. From her position at the window Gale could clearly see the whole one side of the hangar. Now, watching the man in the shadows, her eyes fell to the white bit of something which he had left lying on the ground. Running swiftly the man disappeared off the left side of the field in the direction of the highway.
Gale, her actions unnoticed by the other three who were deep in conversation over a set of blue prints, slipped out the door into the blackness of the hangar. She stumbled over tools and walked into ropes as she found her way to the door. It took but a moment to slip back the bolt and step out into the moonlight.
The Second Girl Detective Megapack: 23 Classic Mystery Novels for Girls Page 268