by W E Johns
‘The only answer to that is, Cornelli must have told someone that was where he was heading for,’ said Eddie.
The car was now racing along the main road.
‘I’d say they were the people who’d previously rung up the hotel asking if Cornelli was there,’ went on Eddie. ‘The hotel man told us someone had phoned a coupla days ago. It could have been them.’
‘I think you’re right,’ agreed Biggles. ‘Who else could it have been? The county police wouldn’t ring up. They’d get their local officer to call. It looks as if those two rang up from London and asked if Cornelli was there. Being told he was they caught the night train, hired a car at Aviemore and arrived, like we did, just in time to miss him. Cornelli must have learned that someone had been asking after him; maybe the hotel proprietor told him; that’s why he skipped in such a hurry.’
Bertie was looking constantly at his watch. ‘We shan’t do it,’ he decided. ‘Not if the plane leaves on time. Ten miles in twelve minutes was a bit much to expect, if you see what I mean.’
He was right. The car was still on the road a mile from the aerodrome when a big machine took off and headed south.
‘There she goes,’ observed Biggles. ‘We’ve missed ‘em again.’ He called to the driver. ‘All right. There’s no hurry now.’
‘Sorry.’
‘That’s all right. You did your best.’
‘What are you going to do now?’ asked Ginger. ‘Take our own machine and follow on?’
‘We might as well follow, but we shan’t overtake them. Not that it matters. There’s no need for us to break our necks attempting the impossible. The machine won’t stop between here and London, so the sensible thing to do would be to phone Gaskin at the Yard and ask him to lay a man on to meet the plane. He could tail Cornelli to his hotel, or wherever he decides to stay, and give us the gen when we get there.’
‘That’s the plan, old boy,’ agreed Bertie. ‘We’ll catch up with the blighters yet,’ he added, cheerfully.
‘We’ll go back to Inverness and put the call through from there,’ decided Biggles. ‘Then we’ll have some lunch and fly home.’ He stopped the car and told the driver to turn back.
‘Those two fellows at the station were watching the passengers board the London train,’ said Ginger. ‘Apparently they didn’t think of the air service.’
‘They may not have known there was one. It’s a queer business altogether. The last thing I expected was to find someone else on the same job as ourselves. I wonder who those two fellows are and what their game is. They look like a couple of gangsters to me, particularly that slick type with the blinding necktie.’
Eddie let out a curious noise, as if he had started to yell and choked it back. ‘You’re right,’ he exclaimed. ‘You’ve got it!’
‘Got what?’
‘Gangsters. I knew I ought to know that little guy. Now I’ve got him.’
‘Who is he?’
‘The Viper. That’s what they call him. I can’t remember his real name — if I ever heard it. I’ve never seen him before in the flesh, but I’ve seen that ratty face of his a dozen times when I’ve been going through our mug-shot albums.’
Biggles frowned. He looked serious. ‘So that’s it. If you’re right it would explain a lot. You realize what it means?’
‘Sure. It means Cornelli has double-crossed the gang and they’re out to get him. I don’t see how it could mean anything else. They didn’t come to Scotland for the fishing.’
‘That could be the answer, but I can think of another reason why they might be here. They know Cornelli has got the boy. With all your press publicity at home they’re bound to know that. It may be the boy they’re after. Cornelli may have grabbed the kid for spite, but the rest of the gang can have no such motive. What did you say the reward was for the return of the boy?’
‘A hundred thousand dollars, but no doubt his pop would pay a million to get the kid back safe and sound.’
‘That’s big money in any language.’
‘Sure is.’
‘If Cornelli has pulled a fast one on his pals, who would I imagine expect to share the ransom money, the Viper may be here with two ideas — to bump off Cornelli and grab the boy into the bargain to get the cash. Anyway, it’ll be one or the other. As you say, quite obviously the Viper hasn’t come all this way merely to admire the scenery.’
‘You’re dead right. The only sorta landscape that type is interested in is the one with mountains of dollars in the background.’
‘It boils down to this,’ went on Biggles, gravely. ‘We’re now up against a very different proposition from the one we started out on. We shall have to watch we don’t step on this particular snake. All vipers are venomous, but if I’m any judge of character the one we’ve been talking about has more poison in his fangs than the ordinary sort. We shall have to keep our eyes open for him when we get back to Inverness.’
‘And Cornelli will have to watch his step, too, when he learns who’s on his trail,’ declared Eddie.
‘The way he left Tomintoul suggests he may have tumbled to that already,’ conjectured Biggles.
The car took them back into the town, dropping them at the general post-office. Leaving the others to pay the driver, Biggles went in and put through a call to Inspector Gaskin at the Yard. When he came out he nodded. ‘That’s okay,’ he said. ‘Gaskin’s taking care of things. He made a sound suggestion. Instead of us rushing straight back to London he advised me to take time, have some lunch, and he’d call me here. He’ll have Cornelli tailed and will tell me where he’s staying. I told him we’d take the call at the Station Hotel. Let’s get along. I could do with a square meal. This Highland air gives one an appetite.’
‘That sounds a bright idea to me,’ said Ginger.
They went to the hotel dining-room and there, without haste, had their meal. As they lingered over coffee Biggles looked at the clock and remarked: ‘Cornelli’s plane should just about be touching down in London. Allowing time for him to get to a hotel we should be hearing from Gaskin in about another hour.’
Hardly had the words left Biggles’s lips when a page appeared, calling him by name. For a moment Biggles looked startled. ‘My word! That was quick work,’ he exclaimed.
‘Telephone, sir,’ said the page. ‘This way please.’
The others waited for him to return. When he reappeared Ginger took one look at his face and said softly: ‘Hello. Something’s come unstuck.’
As he sat down again at the table, Biggles said in a curious tone of voice: ‘That was Gaskin. He was calling from the airport.’
‘Well?’
‘They weren’t on the plane.’
There was a brief interval of stunned silence while this unexpected piece of information soaked in.
‘Not on the plane?’ said Bertie, incredulously.
‘That’s what Gaskin says. He was at the airport to meet it, so he should know.’
‘But that’s fantastic! They told me at the booking office—’
‘What did they tell you?’
‘That Cornelli and his son had taken tickets for the flight to London, today.’
‘So they took tickets.’
‘I didn’t say I’d seen ‘em board the plane,’ protested Bertie. ‘But they certainly booked the seats because I saw their names on the passenger list.’
‘All right. There’s no need to blow your top off. I’m not accusing you of anything.’
‘There were only four other passengers so the Cornellis couldn’t have lost their seats because, by some mistake, the machine was already loaded to capacity.’
‘In which case there would be no need to lay on a reserve aircraft. I wish I’d known that when I was talking to Gaskin. That’s what he thinks might have happened, so in making inquiries about it he’s wasting his time. I told him we’d wait here so that he could let us know if he found out anything.’
‘Well, can you beat that?’ muttered Eddie. ‘Cornelli must have missed th
e plane.’
‘He may not have tried to catch it.’
‘I don’t get it. Why pay for seats and then not take them?’
‘Why did Cornelli say he’d provide his own transport to the aerodrome instead of taking the service bus which would have cost him nothing?’
‘You tell me.’
‘I’d wager he hadn’t the slightest intention of taking that plane. He was playing the old trick of trailing a red herring. He knows he’s being tailed by someone although he may not know by whom. That’s why he left Tomintoul in such a hurry. Knowing he might be followed he’s started laying false trails, and this air trip south was one of them. We fell for it. The Viper may fall for it too, if he inquires at the air terminal. He’ll think Cornelli has fled south unless he goes to the aerodrome to check up. That, of course, is exactly what Cornelli wants him to think.’
‘The Viper may not trouble to go to the aerodrome,’ said Eddie. ‘If he learns Cornelli bought tickets he’ll assume he’s gone back to London.’
‘In which case we shall know what he doesn’t know — that Cornelli wasn’t on the plane. But it’s no use sitting here any longer. The first thing to do now is to slip out to the aerodrome to see if anything is known about Cornelli not taking up his seats. There’s a chance he did really miss the plane. Or he may have rung up to say he’d changed his mind about travelling today and switched his tickets for tomorrow or some other day. Let’s go to the garage and get a taxi. If we happen to strike that same driver he’ll think we’re crazy.’
They didn’t find the same car, but they found another and were soon on their way.
‘What are you going to do, stay here or go back to London?’ Ginger asked Biggles on the way to the aerodrome.
‘I’ll hear what they have to say at the airfield before I make up my mind about that,’ replied Biggles. ‘It needs thinking over. We’ll ask our driver to wait in case we decide to go back to Inverness.’
They learned practically nothing at the aerodrome. The Cornellis, they were told, had been expected, and when they did not turn up on time the plane had actually been delayed two or three minutes, waiting for them. Eventually it had gone without them. Nothing had been heard from them. The tickets had not been cancelled, or switched. There was no other plane that day. That was all.
‘So where do we go from here?’ murmured Ginger, as they turned away.
‘The burning question is, where has Cornelli gone?’ returned Biggles.
‘And if it comes to that, where has the Viper gone and what will he do next?’ drawled Eddie.
‘Let’s sit on this seat a minute or two and think it over,’ suggested Biggles. ‘We’re in no great hurry now. I must confess this has got me foxed.’
‘What I’m wondering,’ resumed Eddie, as they sat on the seat provided for waiting travellers, ‘is how the Viper and his pal got here to Scotland. I mean, how did they get out of the States? They wouldn’t be likely to have passports. But I suppose, like Cornelli, they could get forged ones.’
‘Have your police anything against them?’
‘Not at the moment as far as I know.’
‘In that case, if they applied for passports in the ordinary way they could hardly be refused. Your people might be only too glad to see the back of ‘em.’
‘I’ll call my chief tonight when the lines are clear and ask him if he knows anything about them,’ rejoined Eddie.
‘Speak of the devil...’ quoted Biggles. ‘Look who’s here!’
‘Well, how about that?’ breathed Eddie.
‘Life is full of surprises.’
‘Sure is — particularly in Scotland.’
Into the hall had marched the Viper and his companion. From their manner their mission was urgent. They pulled up dead when they saw who was sitting on the seat.
‘They’ve spotted us,’ said Biggles. ‘That’s shaken them, too. I don’t think they could have followed us. It’s more likely it has suddenly dawned on them that Cornelli may have left for the south by air.’ He smiled wanly. ‘They seem to be as busy as we are. They’re coming over. I wonder what line they’ll take now? Be careful what you say, everyone. I’m not telling them anything.’
CHAPTER 6
THE VIPER ASKS SOME QUESTIONS
THE two men strode over and stopped facing the seat, the Viper with his feet apart in an aggressive attitude, his expression, if not actually hostile, dark with suspicion.
Biggles frowned. ‘What’s the idea?’ he demanded. ‘Are you following us around?’
The question was ignored. ‘What’s your game?’ was the reply, snapped in a brittle voice.
‘Game? What are you talking about? We’re not playing any game, and I can’t see what business it would be of yours if we were.’
‘You told us you didn’t know Cornelli,’ accused the Viper.
‘I told you that as far as I’m aware I’ve never seen a man of that name in my life. Isn’t that enough for you?’
‘Don’t give me that. We know better.’
‘How very interesting. Tell me, what gives you the idea I know this man?’
‘We’ve been back to Tomintoul. You were there asking after Cornelli.’
‘Who told you that?’
‘The boss o’ the hotel. He said he was sick of answering questions about Cornelli.’
‘That doesn’t mean we were asking the questions.’
‘It couldn’t have been no one else.’
‘Why couldn’t it?’
‘Because there was no one else there to ask ‘em. It happened Cornelli had left, so we just missed him.’
‘Bad luck. Forgive my curiosity, but why are you so anxious to find this fellow?’
‘He owes us money, and plenty.’
‘I see. If it’s of any interest to you we saw a station wagon move off just as we arrived at Tomintoul. This man Cornelli may have been in it.’
‘He was.’
‘Then why aren’t you looking for it?’
‘We are.’
‘And you expected to find it here?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well, go ahead and look for it and stop worrying me with your troubles.’
‘What’s your business with Cornelli?’
Biggles sighed wearily. ‘Why on earth should I have any business with him?’
‘If you’ve no business with him why are you looking for him?’
‘You’re the one who’s looking for him. Carry on. I’m not stopping you.’
‘Why did you come here if you weren’t following him?’
Biggles shook his head. ‘What a persistent fellow you are. If you must know, we came here because we happen to have our aircraft parked here.’
This obviously came as a surprise to the Viper. ‘You gotta plane?’
‘I have. So you see, if I was looking for this man Cornelli you keep on about, if he’d left here by air I’d still be following him, wouldn’t I, either in the same plane or in my own?’
The Viper looked puzzled. ‘Yeah. That’s right.’
‘Good. Now I hope you’re satisfied. Trot along and leave us alone.’
‘If—’
‘I’m not answering any more questions,’ broke in Biggles, impatiently. ‘If I have any more trouble from you I’ll tell the police you’re pestering me, and then you’ll learn we don’t stand for that sort of thing here.’
The Viper glared. ‘You try that sorta talk with me you’ll be sorry.’
‘Be careful,’ warned Biggles. ‘That’s a threat, and for that, too, in this country, you can get into trouble.’ Seeing the Viper’s hand go with an instinctive movement to his pocket Biggles went on: ‘I’ll tell you something else I think you should know. It’s illegal here to carry a lethal weapon.’
The Viper drew a deep breath. ‘Okay, wise guy. Have it your way, but don’t get in mine, or else—’
‘Else what?’
‘You’ll see.’
‘Remember what I said about threats. You’re not i
n America now.’
‘Who says I came from America?’
‘I do.’ Biggles smiled faintly. ‘From the way you talk you couldn’t have come from anywhere else. My advice to you is to go back.’
‘I don’t need your advice,’ growled the Viper.
‘Talking of America,’ Biggles continued, evenly. ‘How in the world did you hear of a place like Tomintoul?’
‘My pal comes from these parts so he knows his way around. He also happens to be a pal of Cornelli. Maybe that’s how. Get it?’
‘More or less. If that’s all you’d better trot along and find Cornelli.’
The Viper took a last long look at Biggles’s face. Then he turned about, and followed by his companion strode away.
As they turned the corner, Bertie, polishing his eyeglass, ‘Well, blow me down! What do you make of that?’
Biggles took out his case and lit a cigarette. ‘It’s fairly simple. We haven’t fooled them. They know we’re looking for Cornelli. What they don’t know, and what must be puzzling them, is why. They must also be wondering who we are. Let ‘em guess. It’ll be some time before they get the right answer. I told them nothing, and the only thing the Viper told us was this curious fact of his pal coming from these parts. I believe that. He speaks with a Scottish-American accent. There’s a hook-up there. I mean, there may have been some talk between them of Scotland in general and Tomintoul in particular. I’m pretty sure it was the Viper who rang the Richmond Arms hotel from London asking if Cornelli was there. It would only need a word from the proprietor to Cornelli, that someone had been asking after him, to set Cornelli on the run. That’s what happened. In fact, I don’t see how it could have been anyone else that caused Cornelli to bolt as he did. The police would hardly be so careless. But we needn’t waste time guessing about that. Cornelli heard a whisper and took fright. He’s on the run, and the Viper is after him. So are we, but I haven’t a clue as to where to look next.’
‘Do you believe this about Cornelli owing the Viper money?’ asked Ginger.
‘There could be something in that. More likely those two were in the kidnapping racket, and Cornelli — we’d better call him that — ran out on them. Or Cornelli might have been financed by the gang — but what does it matter? I don’t care a hang about what happens to Cornelli. It’s that unfortunate boy I’m worried about. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, and come what may I’m afraid unless we can get hold of him first his only taste of freedom is bound to end badly for him. If Cornelli doesn’t murder him, the Viper will.’