BIGGLES FLIES AGAIN

by W. E. Johns

XIII. THE LAST SHOW (Pages 214 – 224)

At last, our heroes head across the Channel towards the English coast. Biggles sees a Handley-Page 42 class, better known as the Heracles, obviously bound for London from Paris and decides to follow the air liner into Croydon. As they pass over Dungeness, a small flat object, detaches itself from the air-liner and drops like a stone through space, landing on the sand a few yards from the water’s edge. Biggles decides to land and collect the item. He hears the sound of a Puss Moth aircraft flying over and thinks it is coming to his assistance, assuming he has made a forced landing. (Biggles darted back to the “Vandal” and climbed into his seat - is the illustration opposite page 216). Algy waves his thanks to the aircraft and takes off. The Puss Moth follows them for a while then overtakes and leaves them behind. Biggles takes the package into the cabin and returns a few minutes later as the control tower at Croydon gives them permission to land. “They touched their wheels on an English aerodrome for the first time for many months”. “Well, here we are,” observed Biggles, pushing up his goggles. “It seems a long time since we left South America, and we’ve been a long way round. It’s time the old ‘Vandal’ had a rest, she has certainly done some work”. Biggles decides to give the package to the Traffic Manager. They go through customs and say they have nothing to declare when two men approach and one asks Biggles what the package is. “Now there are moments when every Englishman, no matter what his rank may be, knows instinctively when he is in the presence of authority, and for Biggles, this was one of them. Nevertheless, he bridled under the abrupt question. “What the devil’s that got to go with you,” he snapped. “I am Detective-Inspector Myhew of Scotland Yard” was the curt reply. The man rips off the covering to disclose a red morocco case and part of a heavily embossed coat of arms. “And I arrest you for being concerned with the theft of Lady Nunheaton’s pearls,” concluded the officer. Biggles says he was going to hand it to the Traffic Manager. “Of course you were,” smiled the officer and says he is taking them both to Scotland Yard. They arrive at the Yard and are told to go in. “It took them a couple of minutes to realize they were alone”. “Where’s that detective chap?” Biggles asked the doorkeeper irritably a few moments later. “They said they were going to put the car away,” was the reply. Biggles asks about Inspector Myhew but the constable on duty has never heard of him. Biggles asks to see the Inspector in charge. When he finishes telling that Inspector the story the officer says “Well it looks to me as if you’ve been done, and very cleverly”. The French police have been looking for the jewels since the theft and rather than risk them being found at Croydon, they dropped them at a pre-arranged spot. The fellows in the Puss Moth gambled you were going to land at Croydon and “got in ahead of you, put their story over the customs officer – who can’t be blamed, because he knows we’ve been on the lookout – and then waited for you”. The police Inspector says the Insurance company have offered a £2,000 reward for the return of the necklace. Biggles pulls the necklace out of his pocket and says “Where do we collect the cash?” When the jewels were stolen, Biggles can prove he was in Cairo by his log-book and carnets. “I can account for every minute of my time till I booked out from Le Bourget, Paris”. Biggles said he opened the package and guessing something was wrong, put the pearls in his pocket and then resealed the package. The crooks “took it for granted that the beads were still inside. They weren’t, and they’ve either kicked themselves to death by now or else they are hanging about outside waiting for us to come out”. The Inspector rushes out to look. Biggles says “Smyth will be getting anxious. And then we’ll have a rest ourselves; we’ve earned one, I think”.