SERGEANT BIGGLESWORTH C.I.D.

by Captain W. E. Johns

VI. GETTING WARMER (Pages 53 - 66)

At 3.45 am, Biggles wakes Ginger and they go to the aerodrome. They speak to the two guards looking after the Spur aircraft. They also hear work at the Renkell works and the guards say that whenever they have been there at night someone has been working in the Renkell machine shop. Ginger guesses they are making spare parts for the Renkell prototypes. "Either than, or they're building a new machine" says Biggles. Biggles and Ginger manage to break into Preuss's office. Here they find his overcoat hung on the inside of door. There is blood in the pocket where Preuss carried the weapon that killed Schneider before he got rid of it. They also find a shaving kit and fairs hairs in the grid at the top of the waste pipe. Biggles guesses that Preuss has shaved off his moustache having had part of it torn out in the struggle with Schneider. They find a wall map with pin holes in and one pin hole is in Castel Benito aerodrome at Tripolitania in North Africa. Biggles needs to know where Baumer and Scaroni served during the North African campaigns. Ginger waits for Preuss to return to see what he does whilst Biggles goes back to the hotel. When Biggles returns to Ginger, Preuss has still not returned but Biggles has heard from Algy that they found the wheel marks 20 miles north of Bahrein and it was four metres wide. Biggles says this is concrete evidence that the Renkell prototypes are being used by the crooks. Biggles has also found out that Scaroni was supply and transport officer with the Italian Air Force stationed at Benghazi, Castel Benito and El Zufra, an oasis in the Libyan desert. Ginger returns to the hotel to have breakfast and check out, bringing their kit back. Preuss still hasn't returned by 12.00 noon so Biggles and Ginger decide to fly down to Castel Benito, covering the 1200 miles between Augsburg and Tripoli in four hours. On arrival they see two aircraft painted yellow, on is the Swan and it takes off and flies due north. The other aircraft is the Renkell transport, recognisable from it's unorthodox lines but Biggles does not have enough petrol to follow it. Biggles lands and has to persuade a reluctant Italian to let them have fuel. The go to the restaurant for coffee and there see a man they both immediately recognise from his photograph as Carlos Scaroni. He is soon joined by an American who responds to a question from Biggles by saying "the dagoes have got a line running from Rome to Alex, via Tripoli and Benghazi. We're waiting for it, but like everything else in this goldarned country, it's late". After Scaroni whispers to the American however, the atmosphere changes. Ginger notices the little finger of the American's left hand is missing.