by B. M. Bower
CHAPTER TWENTY
MARY V TAKES THE TRAIL
On a Saturday afternoon Spring Street at Sixth is a busy street, astimid pedestrians and the traffic cop stationed there will testify. Intimes not so far distant the general public howled insistently for asubway, or an elevated railway--anything that would relieve thecongestion and make the downtown district of Los Angeles a decentlysafe place to walk in. But subways and elevated railways cost money,and the money must come from the public which howls for these things.Gradually the public ceased to howl and turned its attention to dodginginstead. For that reason Sixth and Spring remains a busy corner,especially at certain hours of the day.
On a certain Saturday, months before the traffic cops grew tired ofblowing whistles and took to revolving silently at stated intervalswith outspread wings after the manner of certain mechanical toys, MaryV Selmer came from the Western Union's main office, and thanked heavensilently that her new roadster of the type called the Bear Cat wasstill standing at the curb where she had left it. Just beyond it onthe left a stream of automobiles grazed by--but none so new and shiny,so altogether elegantly "sassy" as the Bear Cat. Mary V, when shestepped in and settled herself behind the steering wheel, matched thecar, completed its elegant "sassiness," its general air of gettingwhere it wanted to go, let the traffic be what it might anddevil-take-the-fenders.
Mary V was unhappy, but her unhappiness was somewhat mitigated by theBear Cat and her new mole collar that made a soft, fur wall about herslim throat to her very ears and the tip of her saucy chin, and theperky hat--also elegantly "sassy"--turned up in front and down behind,and the new driving gauntlets, and the new coat that had made dad groanuntil he had seen Mary V inside it and changed the groan to a proudlittle chuckle of admiration.
Mary V was terribly worried about Johnny Jewel. She had been sure thathe had come to Los Angeles, and she had pestered her dad into bringingher here in the firm belief that she would find him at once and "haveit out with him" once and for all. (Just as though Mary V could eversettle a quarrel once and for all!) But though she had haunted all theknown and some of the unknown flying fields, she had found no trace ofJohnny. That messenger boy in Tucson had insisted that the planeclimbed high and then flew toward the Coast. And at Yuma she hadlearned that the Thunder Bird had alighted there for gas and oil andhad flown toward Los Angeles. But so far as Mary V could discover, itwas still flying.
Hoping to wean her from worrying about Johnny, dad had bought the BearCat. Mary V had owned it for ten days now, and its mileage stood at1400 and was just about ready to slide another "1" into sight. TheBear Cat had proven itself a useful little Cat.
Now she shifted from neutral to second, disdaining low speedaltogether, and swung boldly out into the stream of traffic. A Fordshied off with a startled squawk to let the Bear Cat by. A hurryingtruck that was thinking of cutting in to get first chance within thesafety zone passage thought better of it when Mary V honked her bigKlaxon at him, and stopped with a jolt that nearly brought the Ford togrief behind it.
But Mary V ignored these trifles. She was busy wondering where sheshould go next, and she was scanning swiftly the faces of thepassers-by in the hope of glimpsing the one face she wished most of allto see.
She reached the corner just as the frame closed against her, and withone small foot on the clutch pedal and the other on the brake, sheleaned back and scanned the crowd. Abruptly she leaned and beckoned,saw that her signal went unregarded, and gave three short but terrificblasts of her Klaxon. Five hundred and forty-nine persons reactedsharply to the sound and sent startled glances her way. The trafficcop whirled and looked, the motorman on the car waiting beside herleaned far out and craned, and the conductor grasped both handrails andtook a step down that he might see the better.
Mary V ignored these trifles. Bland, for whom she had meant it, jumpedand turned a pale, startled pair of eyes her way, and to him shebeckoned imperiously. He hesitated, glanced this way and that, makinga quick mental decision. Mary V had once been candidly tempted toshoot him and had dallied with the temptation to the point of cockingher sixshooter and aiming it directly at him. She looked now quitecapable of repeating the performance and of completing what she hadmerely started last summer. He went to the edge of the curb, obeyingher expectant stare. The expectant stare continued to transfix him,and he stepped off the curb and close to the Bear Cat that was growlingin its throat.
"Bland Halliday, where have you _been_, for gracious sake? And where'sJohnny?"
"I ain't been anywhere but here--and I wisht I knowed where Johnny was.I--"
"Bland Halliday, you tell me instantly! Where's Johnny?"
"Honest, I don't know. I been looking for him myself, and--"
"Bland Halliday, do you want to be torn limb from limb, right here onthe public street before everybody? I want to know where Johnny is,and I want to know _now_."
"Aw, f'r cat's sake! I ain't saw Johnny f'r three weeks--not since thenight we got here. I been looking--"
Behind them sounded a succession of impatient honks that extendedalmost to Seventh Street. The traffic cop had blown his whistle, thestreet car had clanged warning and gone on. The truck had shaved pastMary V and the Ford had followed. Other cars coming up behind hadmistaken the Bear Cat's inaction for closed traffic and had stopped.Others had stopped behind them; then two other street cars slid up andblocked the way around.
Mary V was quite oblivious to all this. She was glaring at the onelink between herself and Johnny Jewel. She was bitterly regretting thefact that she had no gun with which to scare Bland into telling thetruth, and she was wondering what other means of coercion would proveeffective. Bland knew where Johnny was, of course. He was lying, forsome reason--probably because he had the habit and couldn't stop.
Bland kept an eye on Mary V's right hand. He suspected a gun, andwhen, in involuntary obedience to the frantic honkings behind her, shelet her hand drop to the gear lever, Bland turned to flee.
"Bland, you come back here!" Bland came. "What do you mean, trying toavoid answering a perfectly civil question?"
"I did answer it," Bland protested in his whining tone. "I said Ididn't know--"
"That's no answer; that's nothing but a plain old lie. You do knowperfectly well where he is. You left Tucson with Johnny, and you leftYuma with him. Bland Halliday, what have you done with him?"
Bland's eyes turned slightly glassy. Like a trapped animal, he sentroving glances here and there--and took in the purposeful approach ofthe traffic cop. He turned again toward the curb.
"Don't you dare attempt to leave before--"
"What's the matter here? What you blocking traffic for? Don't youknow I can--"
"Oh! Am I in the way here? I shall move immediately, of course.Thank you so much! It's really no trouble at all, and I'm tremendouslysorry if I have inconvenienced you or the general public any. Ibelieve you are really _glad_, down deep in your heart, when somebodygives you an excuse to leave that horrid little square spot for aminute. Don't you nearly go wild, having to--Bland! What are youstanding there holding up traffic for? Get in!"
Looking completely dazed and helpless, Bland got in.
"Now we're all ready, Mr. Policeman. Run along back and point the herdagain before all the nice little tame Fords get walked on. I hear onesqualling now. And thank you so much."
Mary V let in the clutch. The Bear Cat slid out across the street,scattering pedestrians and jeopardizing wheels and fenders as it duckedpast them. The traffic cop stood still for a minute, rubbing his chinvaguely and staring after Mary V. Then he went back to his post,grinning and frowning--which gave him a strange, complex expression.
"Aw, say, Miss Selmer--"
"Will you be quiet? Haven't you done harm enough, for gracious sake?Aren't you satisfied with getting me almost put in jail innocently? Ifyou had told me at once where Johnny is, I'd be miles away by now. Butno--you hold up traffic trying to deceive me, and I almost get pinched
.I should think you'd be ashamed. Where is Johnny? If you have doneanything to him, Bland Halliday, I'll--hang you!"
"I been telling yuh all I know about it. I don't know where he is, andI don't know where the plane is. They're both of 'em gone, and that'sGawd's truth, Miss Selmer. Last I seen of Johnny he was goin' in theAlexandria. He said he was going to stop there. He registered allright--I seen his name. He stayed all night, and he was gone the nextday when I went after him. And the plane's gone, I been out there, andI can't find so much as a sign of it. And that was three weeks ago.And you kin hang me till I'm dead, but I can't tell nothin' more.Don't yuh spose I want to know where's he at?"
"Well--" Mary V crossed the path of a street car, leaving the motormanshivering while he stood on the bell that clamored wildly. "Maybe youare telling the truth--but I doubt it." They were across FigueroaStreet and speeding out toward Westlake. The Bear Cat was breaking thespeed law, and Mary V had no time to say more.
"Where you takin' me, f'r cat's sake?"
"Oh--for a ride. Don't you like to ride?" Mary V's voice was filledwith amiability; too much so to satisfy Bland, who eyed her withsuspicion.
"Aw, a fellow can't never git a square deal no more. Here I beenhunting the town over trying to git some line on Skyrider. Went andleft me in the lurch after me helping him to a roll of kale that wouldchoke a nelephant! And I never charged him nothin' for flying, exceptjust what we agreed on before he got throwed in jail. Handed him overclose to five hundred dollars when he come out--piloted him here, tookhim into town, and was planning on helping him to make more money, andwhat does he do? Ducks into the Alexandria, leavin' me waitin'outside, hungry and thirsty and tired as a dog. Him with five hundred,me with seventy-five! And _he_ wouldn't a knowed any different if I'dtrimmed him! Who was to keep tabs on how many passengers I took up?And what does he do? Gives me the slip right there in the Alexandria,that's what he done. I ain't been able to locate him yet, but if everI do--"
Mary V swung the Bear Cat out and passed a limousine as though it werestanding still--which it emphatically was not. What if Bland weretelling the truth? What if Johnny had actually dropped out of sightwith five hundred dollars in his possession? That would mean--sherefused to consider just what it would mean. She would wait until herdad had gotten the truth out of Bland Halliday. She was taking Blandhome, hoping that her dad was there so that she would not be compelledto keep Bland any longer than was necessary. Bland was seedier than hehad been in Tucson, if that were possible. Too evidently he had nopart of the seventy-five dollars left, if he had ever possessed thatmuch. Mary V would like to disbelieve everything he said, but atroubled doubt of his falsity assailed her.
She drove a little faster and presently brought Bland to the door of acheerful, wide-porched bungalow patterned somewhat after the Rolling Rhome. Old Sudden was just pulling on his driving gloves ready to stepinto his own car when the Bear Cat slid up and stopped. He looked atBland casually, looked again quickly, pursing his lips. Whereupon hispoker face hid what he thought.
"Dad, come back into the house and talk to Bland Halliday. He told methe strangest story about Johnny, and--and I wish you'd just talk tohim and see if it's true." Mary V was not altogether withoutconsideration for the feelings of another, but candor was the keynoteof her nature, and she was very much perturbed, and she did not reallyfeel that a fellow like Bland Halliday had any feelings to consider.
Sudden smoothed a smile off his mouth. "Well, now, this is verythoughtful of you; very thoughtful. I appreciate your coming toconsult me before you have settled the whole thing yourself. Come intothe house, young man."
An hour later, Sudden leaned back in his chair and looked at Mary V.Tight-lipped, paler than she had any right to be, Mary V met the lookwide-eyed. Bland moved his feet anxiously, watching them both.
"I played square with him," he whined. "Either he didn't, or else--"
Sudden's eyes turned to Bland and settled there meditatively. "Yes, Iguess you did," he admitted. "Looks like you had played fair. Whereare you stopping? I'll take you back down town. Need money?"
"Dad! Aren't you going to _do_ anything? If Bland is telling thetruth, don't you see what it means? Something must have happened--"
"Well, now, that will all be attended to, kitten. According to Bland,Johnny checked out before he disappeared. Also his airplanedisappeared with him. That doesn't look like he'd been made away with,exactly. He's all right, probably--but we'll find out. I've a rightto know what he did with that flying machine; it's security for thatnote of his!"
Mary V sprang to her feet and faced him. "Dad Selmer, I would neverhave believed a person on oath if they had said you could be soperfectly mean and mercenary! If that's all you care about, why takethe Bear Cat and give me that note! Go on--take it! I guess Johnnyhas a right to do as he pleases until the note is due, at any rate.You might at least treat Johnny with ordinary business courtesy, Ishould think. You know perfectly well that you wouldn't dare houndyour other creditors like that. But if you are really worried aboutthat note, I shall deem it a pleasure and a privilege to pay it myself,and I'm sure the Bear Cat is good for the amount, or if you prefer youmay hold back my allowance, and I shall go without clothes andeverything until it is paid. It's a perfect outrage to keep naggingJohnny when he's doing his level best and not asking any help from youor any one else. I'm sure I honor and respect him all the more, andyou would too if you had a drop of human blood--now what are yougrinning for--and trying to hide it? Dad Selmer, you do make meperfectly furious at times!"
Mary V laid hands upon her father and for his shortcomings she"woolled" him until his grizzled hair stood straight on end. Suddenprotested, tried to hold her off at arm's length and found her allclaws, like an excited wildcat.
"Now, now--"
"Tell me then what you are going to do. And don't try to make mebelieve you only care for that horrid note. Every time I think of youmaking that poor boy sign over everything he had on earth, except me,of course, and you wouldn't let him have me when he wanted--why, dad, Icould shake you till--"
Bland was edging to the door. He had no experience with families anddomestic upheavals, and he did not know just how serious this quarrelmight prove. He expected Sudden to order Mary V from the house--todisown her, at the very least. He did not want to be a witness whenSudden broke loose. But Sudden called him back and turned to Mary V.
"Here, let me go. You're scaring off the only evidence we've got thatJohnny landed here. You stay right here and behave yourself, younglady. I might want to 'phone you, if I get a clue--"
"Oh, dad! Cross your heart you'll 'phone the very instant you find outanything? Here's your hat--do, for gracious sake, hurry!"