BIGGLES IN THE UNDERWORLD

by Captain W. E. Johns

11. BIGGLES GETS TOUGH (Pages 116 – 124)

“It was getting on for four o’clock, with the daylight beginning to fade, when Biggles and Ginger landed their Auster on the small, somewhat primitive airfield used by the Podbury Flying Club. Like many similar organizations of this class, the landing area had been nothing more than a large field, and that was really what it remained. But little more was required. What had been a farm worker’s cottage, an ancient half-timbered dwelling with a thatched roof, has been turned into a club-house, a windstocking on a pole in front of it proclaiming its new purpose. A car stood at the door”. There is a single hangar providing accommodation for aircraft, where two men were at work on an Aiglet aircraft. Biggles notices a Gipsy Moth aircraft to one side, alone and unattended. Biggles and Ginger go to find the club secretary and find a man just about to leave a room marked ‘Office’. “He was a shortish well-built man of about forty-five with a florid complexion, adorned by one of those outsize moustaches affected by some wartime pilots”. Biggles asks if he is Lieutenant Seaton-Thompson and asks to have a few words with him. Seaton-Thompson is reluctant to talk as he is off home. “No. Now” says Biggles. “We’re police officers from Scotland Yard,” Biggles stated. “My name’s Bigglesworth. I’m in charge of air operations”. “Oh, so you’re the famous Bigglesworth,” was the answer, spoken slowly with a suspicion of a sneer. “I’ve heard of you. All right. I can’t imagine what you want to see me about, but come in. You won’t find anything wrong here”. Biggles asks if there is amongst the members a man whose Christian name is Thomas. The answer is no. “You’re quite sure?” ask Biggles, to which the reply is “Dammit, of course I’m sure. We haven’t many members and I know them all intimately”. Biggles asks if he knows a man named Caine and again the answer is no. Seaton-Thompson concedes Caine may have dropped in for petrol at some stage and he is asked to check his books. Saying that will take too long without a date, Seaton-Thompson slips out to ask his two men if they know anything. They don’t. On returning, Biggles asks him about the Gipsy Moth and Seaton-Thompson says that is his and it is never let out on hire or used for training. Biggles asks if he has ever landed on a field in Hampshire. Again, the answer is no. Biggles asks if Seaton-Thompson has had any dealing with criminals and then looking him straight in the eye “Have you ever had an application from a man named Lazor?” “The brief hesitation before the question was answered was not missed by Biggles”. “Never heard of the man. Who is he?” “I can only tell you he’s an extremely nasty piece of work, so should he ever turn up here you’d be well advised to have nothing to do with him”, Biggles said, adding “Among other things he's just sliced half a man’s face off”. Biggles says the victim is the man he mentioned earlier, Caine, and he’s in hospital with twenty stitches in his face. Biggles and Ginger get up to go. As they do so, a man opens the door and calls out to Seaton-Thompson, “Good night, Tommy”. Under Biggles’ cold scrutiny the secretary’s face slowly lost its colour. “So you’re Tommy,” murmured Biggles. “I told you I was looking for someone named Tommy”. “You said nothing of the sort,” disputed Thompson. “You said you were looking for a man with the Christian name of Thomas. It didn’t occur to me that I was the man you wanted”. “All I can say to that is, it should have done,” retorted Biggles. Biggles accuses Seaton-Thompson of flying Lazor down to Hampshire in his Gipsy Moth and landing at Caine’s farm. “So Caine’s been bleating,” growled Thompson, “What are you going to do about it?” Biggles says “That, to some extent, depends on you”. Thompson says he wants to know what Biggles means and he has a right to know. Biggles shook his head sadly. “It’s extraordinary how people who break the law, when they’re found out, start talking about their rights. But let it pass. Very well. Let’s get down to brass tacks”. Biggles lit a cigarette. “Let’s have a light on the scene,” Thompson said, getting up and switching on the single electric bulb that hung down from the ceiling.