BIGGLES - AIR DETECTIVE

by Captain W. E. Johns

THE CASE OF THE BRILLIANT PUPIL (Pages 54 - 64)

Detective Air-Inspector Biggleworth and Inspector Gaskin of New Scotland Yard are talking and Gaskin mentions Toff Gestner, born Hubert Roland Gestner, "Toff" is an appellation he has picked up for being well-dress, good-looking, oily-tongued and from a well-off family. He went off to Canada after coming out of prison and Gaskin has recently spotted him in Piccadilly. Having made enquiries, he finds that he is now going by the name Lancelot Seymour and learning to fly at the Home Counties Flying Club where he has got his 'A' Licence and is working on his 'B' Licence. The surprising thing is that enquiries at Canada reveal he has already learned to fly over there and was graded as a top-line pupil. Biggles thinks about this and says in order to get a 'B' Licence you have to make a cross-country flight at night. If he disappeared for while and just said he lost his way, he could do all sorts of things and go to all sorts of places. Biggles goes to see Ginger who is working with Flight-Sergeant Smyth on one of the machines and they fly down to the Flying Club. Biggles goes to see the club secretary, Tommy Clewson, whom he knows. They discuss Gestner, alias Seymour and Biggles finds out that he is a brilliant pupil having sailed through everything, apart from the cross-country night flight which he failed last week. He is due to do it again tonight. When Seymour goes to take off that night, the driver of his car runs up and says he has forgotten his pyjamas and gives him a brown-paper parcel. Biggles is watching and stops him. The chauffeur runs for it and Ginger trips him. "I'll sue you for wrongful arrest," declares Seymour. "You haven't been arrested yet," Biggles pointed out. When the parcel is opened, they find a miniature parachute and bundles of one-pound notes, tightly packed. Seymour says it's his money but Biggles recognises the serial numbers and says it is the property of Barclay's Bank, stolen last week between Euston and Crewe. Biggles says "Gestner, you're under arrest, and I think you'll find it hard to prove there's anything wrongful about it". Back at the Yard, Gaskin confirms the chauffeur happens to be Tod Mills and the police have been looking for him for months.