BIGGLES OF THE INTERPOL

by Captain W. E. Johns

5. THE LADY FROM BRAZIL (Pages 89 – 95)

“Air Detective-Inspector Bigglesworth, walking down the corridor towards his chief’s office in Scotland Yard, gave a second glance at a man who was just leaving. “Wasn’t that Foster, of Customs and Excise?” Biggles asks Air Commodore Raymond. Raymond explains that Foster has come to them with a problem. “There lives in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro to be precise, a handsome young lady named Dolores Cantani. She is a cabaret dancer in a well-known night club. One of her several friends is a man named Jose da Silvaro, who derives a considerable income from emerald mines somewhere in the interior. He has a brother in London who looks after the European side of the business”. Dolores visited London and had with her, as presents for her friends, a small parcel of inferior emeralds. She declared them and paid duty. It struck Foster as odd that a dancer should spend several months’ pay on an air fare to come here for a week. Three months later, she turned up again, this time with a few mediocre uncut diamonds. Foster had her searched but nothing was found. Six months ago she came again, bringing a few presents on which she paid duty without a whimper. Again she was searched and nothing was found. Foster had to apologise and pay compensation for a certain amount of damage done to her luggage. Biggles wonders if her “gem-king boy friend paid the bill”. Raymond asks “By why trips to Europe? What pleasure could da Silvaro get out of that?” “Having no girl friends I wouldn’t know” says Biggles. Dolores has just bought another return ticket and leaves for London next Saturday. “That gives you a week” Raymond says to Biggles “To get out there and travel back with her. Keep an eye on her. Spot what she’s doing and how she’s doing it. She may have a confederate on the plane. If so, signals will pass between them”. Biggles stubbed his cigarette. “This isn’t really my line but I’ll see what I can make of it”. Raymond says he will radio their agent in Rio to book Biggles a seat on the plane as close to number seven as possible. That’s the number of her seat and she always has the same one.

“When, on the following Saturday, the Inter-Atlan Douglas left Rio for London, Biggles was sitting a few seats behind the good-looking, expensively-dressed brunette who had been pointed out to him as Dolores Cantani”. He had watched her and ten other passengers, board the plane without any sign of recognition. He had checked the bona fides of the passengers and found them all in order. Six were British. All were in legitimate business. “She took the meals served by the air hostess with the healthy appetite of one without a care in the world. Between meals she read a book, twice ringing for a drink. From time to time she chewed gum, a habit not uncommon in aircraft. Nothing happened at the Azores, and the plane was now on the last leg of its journey to London”. The big machine touched down in London and the passengers filed away for passport and customs formalities. Foster comes up to Biggles and asks him if he has seen anything but Biggles can only say “If she’s carrying contraband you’ll have to find it. I haven’t a clue”. Biggles watches the pilots and crew pack up and walk away, their work finished, and the maintenance men arrive. “With them came a plain, dark-eyed girl carrying the equipment to spray the interior of the machine with insecticide and so prevent the importation of malignant mosquitoes or other objectionable insects. A slight frown lined Biggles’ forehead as he watched her go to the open door. Her jaws moved in the manner of one chewing gum. Dolores had chewed gum. Was it coincidence or was there more to it?” Biggles walks to the door and looks inside and sees the girl stooping over seat number seven. Biggles steps out and Foster returns to say “She’s beaten us again. A few small emeralds which she declared”. Biggles asks Foster is he knows the girl disinfecting the plane. Foster says it sounds like Miss Varros. “Let’s see how well she does it,” suggested Biggles. “She chews gum. It can be useful stuff. There was a time when most long-distance pilots carried it to plug a possibly leaky tank”. Biggles stops the girl as she comes down the steps of the aircraft and asks if she likes chewing gum. “I’m wondering if it’s the same brand that Miss Cantani uses. May we see it? Biggles tells the girl to be careful not to swallow it. The consequences could be serious. The girl ejects something into her hand and passes it to Biggles saying “I see you know. I told her she’d do it once too often”. In the gum are two magnificent emeralds. Foster asks the girl why she did it and she explains “Dolores is my half sister. She and Mr da Silvaro, for whom I used to work, and who helped me to get this job, persuaded me into it. It looked easy, I must say”. Said Biggles: “She stuck the stones under seat seven with chewing gum; you collected them and handed them to her later”. Foster thanks Biggles. “If ever you’re out of a job come and see me”. Smiling, Biggles took a cigarette from his case. “Not for me,” he murmured. “Being flown by people I don’t know frightens me to death. You can buy me a drink, instead”.