by W E Johns
‘Yes.’
‘Which means the Viper didn’t hear it?’
‘Exactly. He didn’t know the man at the desk was ringing Cornelli to advise him to expect visitors.’
‘I’m with you. I can guess what’s coming.’
‘The page knocked on Cornelli’s door. There was no answer. He knocked several times, but not getting an answer came to the natural conclusion that Cornelli was out. That’s what he told the Viper.’
‘Was that correct?’
‘Too true it was. In the few minutes the Viper was getting there Cornelli had bolted.’
‘How can you be sure of that?’
‘Because when the page went back to the desk and reported, the man in charge was so puzzled, having spoken to Cornelli only a moment before, that he went up and opened the door with his master-key. The room was empty. And we can guess why. Cornelli was taking no chances. He must have guessed it was the Viper, or the police, and he didn’t want to see either. He probably didn’t want to see anyone.’
‘How did Cornelli get out?’
‘The man at the desk says he didn’t use the lift or the stairs or he must have seen him. Gaskin thinks he must have gone down an emergency fire exit. There’s at least one on every floor. That’s all. Gaskin’s man was of course watching the main exit so he didn’t see him go. So we’ve lost him.’
Biggles sat back. ‘This rascal Cornelli has the luck of the devil, on top of which he’s as slippery as an eel. What’s Gaskin doing about this?’
‘He says there isn’t much he can do except watch all ports in case Cornelli tries to leave the country. Actually, he believes he’s more likely to head back for Scotland, to the place where he left the boy. He’s put a good man on to watch Euston station in case he returns north by train. He can’t arrest him even if he sees him because he’s no charge against him.’
‘What about the hotel?’
‘He’s having the Grosvenor watched on the off-chance of Cornelli going back, although he thinks that’s unlikely.’
‘So do I. What about the Viper and his pal?’
‘Nothing has been seen of ‘em since they walked out of the hotel. Mr Salvatore has been given police protection although he doesn’t know it. Incoming phone calls are also being checked at the Barchester in case Cornelli tries to make contact with the old man to fix another appointment. The appointment at the Grosvenor is off, of course, after what’s happened. That’s about all.’ Ginger sat down. ‘We’ve been busy, I can tell you.’
‘So the question is now, where has Cornelli gone?’ mused Biggles.
‘And what does he aim to do next?’ added Eddie.
Biggles took a cigarette from his case. ‘What a mess,’ he muttered. ‘We seem to be getting nowhere — fast.’
‘We could do with something to eat,’ said Ginger. ‘We’ve been on the hop since early this morning.’
‘Okay,’ answered Biggles. ‘Let’s eat, and I’ll tell you how far we’ve got at this end.’
‘Do you want us to go back to London?’
‘Please yourself. There’s nothing you can do there now you’ve lost Cornelli. Not that there’s anything you can do here unless we pick up the trail.’
‘We might as well stay for a bit in case anything turns up,’ decided Ginger.
CHAPTER 12
ANOTHER DISAPPOINTMENT
THEY had a meal in the dining-room, talking over the new turn in their quest, and continued the discussion afterwards in Biggles’s room without reaching any new conclusions. Ginger and Bertie were told of Carlo’s visit to Inverness in the Rolls belonging to Major Grey.
With nothing more to say Eddie continued the telephone inquiries at the Speyside hotels, and having got up the river as far as Grantown-on-Spey, without success, left the instrument saying he was so sick of getting ‘no’ for an answer he’d lay off until the morning.
Hardly had he done this than the phone bell rang with an incoming call.
‘Now what?’ muttered Biggles, reaching for the receiver. ‘I suppose it’s for me.’ The others saw him stiffen, and he whispered: ‘It’s Gaskin.’
He listened for some time, seldom speaking; so long, in fact, that it became evident that more news was coming through. When at last he hung up there was a gleam in his eyes. ‘I think we’ve got him at last,’ he announced.
‘Got who?’
‘Cornelli. Who else?’
‘Gaskin seemed to have a lot to say,’ prompted Ginger.
‘Plenty. Cornelli’s on the night express from Euston to Inverness.’
‘You don’t say!’ exclaimed Eddie.
‘I do say, and there’s no possible doubt about it. Gaskin’s sleuth, the one who’d been watching the Grosvenor and knows Cornelli by sight, was switched to watch the trains going to Scotland. He saw Cornelli board the train and he hadn’t come out when it left. So he’s on the way back to the boy — at least, that’s what it looks like. Unfortunately that’s not all. The Viper and his pal are on the same train.’
‘Great grief!’ cried Eddie. ‘If that’s the case Cornelli will be lucky to reach Inverness alive.’
‘You may be wrong there.’
‘How so? The Viper has only to walk along the corridor looking into every compartment and it’ll be curtains for Cornelli.’
‘Hold your horses until I’ve finished,’ requested Biggles. ‘It’s by no means certain the Viper knows Cornelli is on the train. Nor, for that matter, may Cornelli know the Viper’s travelling north with him. I’ll tell you what happened, as Gaskin has just given it to me, and you’ll understand why it took him some time. Cornelli arrived at Euston two hours before the train was due to leave. Closely watched by Gaskin’s man — who of course he didn’t know — he bought a first-class ticket to Inverness. He then went to the sleeping car booking office where it seems he had a slice of luck. There wasn’t a sleeper left. They were all booked. He must have been an optimist if he thought he could get one at a moment’s notice at this time of the year.’
‘Then where does the luck come in?’
‘With Gaskin’s man watching all this the clerk told Cornelli that if he cared to wait there was just a chance there might be a cancellation. There was, so he got a sleeper after all. After that he went and sat in a corner of the tea room; but when the express was shunted in, about half an hour before it was due out, he was already on the platform. He went straight to the sleeping cars, saw the attendant and took up his reservation. Up to the time the train steamed out he hadn’t even put his head outside. He was taking no chances. Anyhow, as he didn’t leave the train he must be on it.’
‘But what about the other two?’ queried Eddie. ‘They must have been tailing Cornelli.’
‘That doesn’t follow. From what Gaskin tells me it looks more as if they, too, had decided to go back to Scotland, anyway. All I can tell you is this. Gaskin’s man, never having seen the Viper although he’d been given a description of him, couldn’t swear that it was him and his pal. But he’s pretty sure of it. Remember, he was standing on the platform. At the last minute before the barrier was closed they came rushing through and caught the train by the skin of their teeth. With the whistle blowing all they could do was jump in one of the rear coaches. It’s most unlikely they could have got sleepers, so unless they knew Cornelli was on the train there wouldn’t be much chance of them seeing him. The sleepers are always up in front. They were well behind.’
‘Then the show-down looks like coming when the train rolls into Inverness,’ opined Ginger. ‘There’s every chance they’ll see each other then.’
‘We shall be there, too,’ said Biggles, smiling faintly. ‘As I say, Cornelli can have only one reason for coming north and that’s to rejoin Carlo. All we have to do is follow him and he’ll take us to the hotel where the boy is staying. Then we pounce. We’ll have a car outside, so no matter where Cornelli goes or how he travels we shall be with him.’
Eddie grinned. ‘It sounds almost too good to be true.’
>
Biggles shrugged a shoulder. ‘It’s hard to see how anything can go wrong. Our one difficulty might be to prevent the Viper barging in on us again. If he sees Cornelli get off the train — well, anything could happen. But we’ll deal with that should it arise. There’s no need for us to do any more telephoning. In fact, there’s no need for us to do anything except be at the station tomorrow morning when the London train is due in. We’ll check the time. In fact, we’ll get a time-table, then there can be no mistake about it. Let’s leave it at that. You please yourselves what you do, but I’m for bed.’
The next morning, after a good night’s sleep, found them early on the move, getting organized to meet the seven-ten train out of Euston station, London, due in at Inverness, as they had confirmed, at a few minutes before nine - 8.54 a.m. to be precise. There was not much to be done. As they walked round to the garage to hire a self-drive car Biggles remarked: ‘This fellow will soon begin to wonder what sort of a game we’re playing — unless he’s already decided we’re out of our minds.’ However, whatever he may have thought the garage proprietor did not comment. He let them have the same car as before, the Humber, which was driven round to the station and parked in a convenient place. After that, all that was necessary was to put themselves in handy positions from which they would be able to watch the arrival of the train without being seen.
Said Ginger, as they waited: ‘The Viper certainly has a nerve to come back to Inverness with the police after him for car stealing.’
Biggles answered: ‘He may not know the police are looking for him. I mean, he may suppose the police haven’t a description of him.’
‘What about the forester who was knocked out and lost his jeep?’
‘It was nearly dark at the time. The Viper may be gambling the man didn’t get a really good look at him. Anyhow, he’s obviously prepared to take a chance on that.’
‘Why not tell the local police he’s coming in on the London train?’
‘I’ve considered that and decided it may complicate matters.’
‘How?’
‘The police would probably want us to go with them to the police station, for identification, when the charge is made. I think it’s better to leave that for the moment. We can always call up the police if the Viper looks like getting in our way.’
Conversation lapsed and tension mounted as the time for the train’s arrival drew near.
Dead on time, panting steam after its long run, the big engine ponderously drew its long line of coaches into the station. As soon as it had stopped the passengers began to alight. There were a good many. No one in Biggles’s party spoke as they streamed off the platform, the porters busy with luggage. Some minutes passed. Cornelli did not appear. Nor did the Viper and his accomplice. The passengers were soon thinning out, but still there was no sign of them.
In a quarter of an hour it was all over. The train stood with its doors gaping. The engine driver and his mate climbed down. The guard walked along carrying his little black bag.
‘So they weren’t on the train after all,’ said Eddie, in a curious voice.
‘They weren’t on it when it arrived here, that’s certain,’ replied Biggles.
‘I don’t get it.’
‘Neither do I. All I know is they must have been on the train when it left London or Gaskin wouldn’t have said so.’
‘Looks like they’ve tricked us again,’ muttered Eddie, bitterly.
Biggles agreed. ‘Cornelli’s ticket to Inverness must have been another ruse to cover his tracks.’
‘What do you reckon has happened?’
‘That’s fairly simple to answer. Cornelli must have got off at one of the intermediate stations.’
‘What about the other two?’
‘If they saw him get off they’d get off too, and follow him.’
‘Unless they bumped him off on the way.’
‘I doubt if that could happen.’
‘Why not? If they walked the length of the train they might have spotted him.’
‘I don’t think so. Cornelli had a sleeper. Being the sort of man he is he would probably have locked himself in. In fact, most people travelling in a sleeper put the catch on the door when they turn in for the night. I’d say Cornelli had no intention of coming to Inverness.’
‘Then why take a ticket for Inverness?’
‘What was in his mind when he did that I don’t know; but apparently he had a reason. After all, we have reason to suppose he left the boy fishing the Spey. That being so, why should he come here? Inverness is nowhere near the Spey. The train ran alongside the Spey some distance back, but as I remember the map the main line leaves the Spey at Aviemore Junction, which is thirty-odd miles from here. It’s the branch line that follows the Spey. I have a feeling we haven’t been very clever.’
‘What you mean is, Cornelli got off the train at this place Aviemore and took the branch line.’
‘Something like that. He could of course have got off at one of the small stations on the Spey before reaching Aviemore.’
‘But I thought this train was an express!’
‘So it is. But like many long distance expresses it stops to drop off passengers at small places near the end of its run. Let’s have a look at the time-table and see where it stops actually on the Spey. I know there are several little stations but I forget their names.’
As they walked back to the car Ginger said: ‘This might apply to Cornelli, but why should the Viper get off the train at a Speyside station? He wouldn’t be likely to know the boy was fishing the Spey.’
‘I think there’s only one answer to that. The Viper saw Cornelli get off the train, and if he hadn’t time to get off himself he’d certainly get out at the next station. That’s how I see it, to account for why none of ‘em were on the train when it got to Inverness. If I’m right, anything could have happened by now, so we’d better get cracking.’
In his seat in the car, Biggles, with the A.A. Guide on his knee, thumbed quickly through the time-table.
‘Here we are,’ he went on. ‘On the Spey, before we come to the Junction, there are several stations — Newtonmore, Kingussie, Kincraig.... I think the first thing to do is inquire at these stations for a man who got off with an Inverness ticket. There shouldn’t be much difficulty about that. I mean, there can’t be much traffic at these wayside stops, and the porter or stationmaster would remember anything unusual.’
‘Suppose Cornelli got off at Aviemore and took the branch line along the Spey to Grantown and wherever else it goes?’
Biggles shrugged. ‘If our first inquiries fail we shall have to try that line, although don’t forget we’ve spoken to most of the hotels on the lower Spey on the telephone. We’ll start at Aviemore and work back up the river from there.’
‘We could ask for Major Grey,’ suggested Ginger. ‘Even if he isn’t known people will have noticed his Rolls. There can’t be many about. Carlo, not expecting Cornelli back so soon, may be fishing with him.’
‘That’s quite likely,’ opined Biggles. ‘What I’m most afraid of is, if the Viper finds Cornelli in some lonely spot, he may, under the threat of bumping him off, demand to be told where the boy is staying.’
‘He’d probably bump him off anyway,’ put in Eddie, sourly.
Biggles folded the map and put it with the time-table in the slot in the instrument panel. ‘We’ve wasted enough time guessing, let’s get on with it.’
‘You wouldn’t think, in a little country like this, anyone would be so hard to find,’ said Eddie, morosely, as the car moved off. ‘This sure is a crazy business.’
Biggles smiled. ‘Never mind. Let’s not get in a tizzy about it. At least we’re seeing some delightful scenery.’
‘I can see that at home,’ growled Eddie. ‘The scenery I want to see is Carlo Salvatore. You can have the mountains, brother.’
The car went on through the outskirts of the town and was soon speeding across the open countryside.
CHAPTER 13
‘FOR a start,’ said Biggles, as they neared Aviemore, ‘we’ll try the railway stations. If we have no luck with them we’ll see if the hotels can tell us anything.’
‘There’s at least one fair-sized hotel at all these places, sometimes two or three,’ informed Ginger, who was checking with that invaluable handbook for tourists, the Automobile Association Guide.
The first stop was Aviemore, where it may as well be said at once they drew blank, learning nothing either at the station or at the two hotels. There were some houses where paying guests were taken, but these they did not bother about, for, as Biggles said, it seemed unlikely that Cornelli would stay at such an establishment, and to call at all of them would occupy too much time. What they did discover was, the Rolls was less likely to help them than they had reason to suppose, for salmon fishing on the best rivers, of which the Spey is one, is an expensive pastime, and it was not uncommon for a wealthy visitor from the south to arrive in a Rolls Royce.
They had no better luck at the next halt, Kincraig, so, with the river flowing through the strath on their left they pushed on to Kingussie. More than once they saw people fishing, but none looked like those who were the object of their quest. However, at Kingussie station they struck the trail, although it did not get them far. A porter who had collected the tickets from the passengers who had got off the London train remembered two who answered to the description of the Viper and his companion. Not only did he recall that their tickets were for Inverness, but they had asked him at what time there would be a train going back to Newtonmore, which had struck him as somewhat odd since the train from which they had alighted had just come through that station, and had stopped there. On being told there would not be a train for some time they had asked about the possibilities of hiring a car. What happened to them after that the porter did not know. They had put their bags in the left-luggage office and then left the station.
‘I can see what happened,’ said Biggles, as they went on to the big hotel, the Duke of Gordon. ‘It was what I said I thought might happen. Looking out of the window as the train steamed out of the station the Viper saw Cornelli standing on the platform. As it was then too late for him to get out of the train all he could do was drop off at the next station, Kingussie, and go back.’