BIGGLES ON THE HOME FRONT

by Captain W. E. Johns

XII. THE TRAP (Pages 145 – 158)

“That the plan did not work out as anticipated may have been due to any one of several reasons. It may be that Biggles, as a result of talking so much about it, had taken it for granted that his services would not be required until a jewel robbery had been committed”. Additionally, “he did not for a moment suppose that Laxter would turn up at the hotel without letting him know he was coming”. None of these things happened. At five minutes to seven Biggles was reaching for his hat to walk the short distance to Victoria, to meet Algy and Bertie as arranged when Ginger sees from the window, the Daimler pull up outside. There is a tap on the door and Laxter walks in. Laxter says the boss wants a word with Biggles: Now. Biggles says “You’ll have to give me a minute to put a few things in a bag”. “You won’t need much” says Laxter. “I wasn’t thinking of bringing a trunk,” said Biggles curtly, “but I’m not going away for the night without my small kit”. “What about my friend here?” asked Biggles indicating Ginger. “He’d better come along with us. Naturally, you’ll want to keep together, apart from which we may find a job for him. There’s plenty of room where we’re going”. Ginger wonders why Laxter wants to get them together. “It may seem odd that the true reason did not occur to him, but the fact remains, it did not”. Ginger goes to his room to put his “small kit” in his bag and he thinks about going to the ‘phone at the bottom of the stairs, but Laxter stands in the door of Biggles’ room, from where he can look out into the corridor. They all go downstairs and get into the Daimler. Laxter sits next to the chauffeur with Biggles and Ginger sitting in the back. Ginger looks at his watch and it is nearly twenty past seven. They drive to Gortons. Laxter doesn’t say a word and when Biggles attempts to start a conversation, Laxter tells him there will be plenty of time for talking presently. The thought dominant in Ginger’s mind was that they were out on their own, far from the reach of help should they need it. Should there be a jewel robbery that night, as Gaskin did not know they were at Gortons there would be no cordon round the place, as had been arranged. They arrive at Gortons and go into the hall. Laxter opens a door at the end of the hall and says “Meet the Boss” in a mocking, sardonic tone of voice, closing the door behind them. “Seated in an arm chair by the fireplace was the bearded man Bertie had described, the man who called himself Carlton, but who was known to Gaskin as the Count”. He greeted them with a smile. “Come in, Inspector Bigglesworth,” he said suavely. “We are delighted to see you. As you will observe, we have arranged a little party for the occasion”. (I still found this a surprise despite Johns telegraphing this well in advance and giving it away by calling this chapter “The Trap”. Luckily, I hadn’t really noticed the chapter title as I read the book!). Ginger feels a gun pressed into his back and Laxter holds a gun to Biggles’ back. Ginger can see in a mirror that it is Dusty Brace, the pickpocket, behind him. “His eyes went on round the room. It was well furnished, partly as a sitting room and partly as a library. Standing around at intervals, grim and unsmiling, were Swell Noble, Gus Norman, Darkie Brown and two men who Gaskin has said were in the same smash and grab team – he had forgotten their names. These, then, with Laxter and Dusty Brace, were the reception committee. Biggles and Ginger both have their automatics taken from them. “Well, what have you to say?” prompted the Count. “Say? Nothing – except that I never saw a better collection of gaol-fodder under one roof” says Biggles. The Count says “Then you’re not denying that you’re an amateur detective employed by Scotland Yard?” Biggles looked pained. “You do me less than justice. I think I can by this time claim to be a professional”. The Count tells Biggles “I don’t think you can quite have grasped the situation” and he adds “By this time tomorrow I shall be far away, and all that will remain of this house will be a heap of cinders. I deplore the necessity, but you will be among the cinders”. When Biggles remarks on the expense, the Count tells him the house is rented. He asks Biggles “What caused you to suspect that my little aero club was not entirely what it pretended to be?” “It’s a long story, but it all started with a little piece of green glass,” said Biggles. “Now tell me, what gave you the idea that I wasn’t what I pretended to be?” The Count replies “That was quite simple. I couldn’t associate the name Biggles with Walls, so I made a few inquiries, which were confirmed when my observant assistant, Mr. Laxter, saw you carrying an envelope expressly produced for Her Majesty’s Service”. “That was careless of me,” admitted Biggles. The Count says “As a result of Reverley’s ill-advised remarks I learned your name and you learned of my club. It was a great pity for all concerned”. “That was hardly sufficient reason for you to murder Reverley,” said Biggles, coldly. The Count’s eyebrows went up. “Ah! So you worked that out. Very clever of you. It was Laxter’s idea and I thought it was a very good one. Frankly, I could see no alternative. Reverley was altogether too inquisitive. That was his mistake. You have been too inquisitive. That was yours. There is now no doubt in your mind as to why I had you brought here?” Biggles tells the Count that he has called his gang together for no other purpose than to show them what a clever fellow the Count is. “There you are quite wrong,” said the Count imperturbably. “I called them together for quite another reason. They will be my operatives in a final coup, in this country, for when I leave it with its miserable climate I shall not go with empty pockets, you may be sure of that”. Biggles and Ginger are taken away at gun point and are locked in a wine cellar at the rear of the house. Biggles flicks on his petrol lighter to look around and then they both stack two wine cases to make a seat. Biggles tells Ginger “It’s almost as if Fate deliberately takes the mickey out of you, just to show you that you’re not as smart as you thought you were”. “I can’t see that you’re to blame for this,” protested Ginger. “I can,” answered Biggles. “This situation was on the boards – obviously, since it has happened – and I should have made provision for it. It would have been so simple. I had only to tell Gaskin and the others that if we were missing they’d find us here. I forgot to do it and this is the result”. “They’ll guess it,” asserted Ginger, confidently. “Yes – but when?” asks Biggles. “What’s going to happen is plain. That bunch of crooks upstairs will pull off another big jewel job – probably two; a smash and grab raid and a cat-burglary. They’ll bring the loot here. The Count will pay them, and with Laxter at the joystick fly to France”. Biggles says he should have been suspicious and tells Ginger “He wasn’t leaving you behind to tell anyone that he’d called and that I’d gone off with him. I should have guessed from that we’d been rumbled” before adding “But it’s no use talking about that now. We’re here, so we’d better decide what we’re going to do about it. Not that I think there’s much was can do. The Count would hardly be so dumb as to put us in a place from which there was the slightest chance of getting out. Let’s have a look”. “In the flickering flame of Biggles’ lighter the prison was explored, and it needed only a minute to confirm Biggles’ opinion. The walls were plain solid brickwork, whitewashed. There was not even a ventilator”. They examine the door. It was of soft wood – deal, Biggles thought, but it was thicker than a modern door. The lock, and the latch were of iron, large and old-fashioned, and intended for a long life. Biggles put an eye to the keyhole. “They’ve left the key in the lock”, he observed. (“Biggles put an eye to the keyhole – see page 156” is the illustration opposite page 160). “If you’re thinking of the old trick of pushing it out so that it falls on a sheet of paper which can then be pulled back under the door, it won’t work,” said Ginger, bitterly. “The door fits absolutely flush and the key’s a big one. I made a point of looking at it. We shouldn’t have let them put us in here”. “How would you have prevented it?” inquired Biggles, with faint sarcasm. “We should have fought it out upstairs”. “In which case you would by this time be lying on the floor with several holes in you. Don’t suppose I didn’t consider it. But we hadn’t a hope. There were eight of them., probably all armed with a weapon of some sort. Laxter, having committed one murder, had nothing to lose by doing another. As it is we’re still alive, and that suits me much better. While you’re on your feet anything can happen. When you’re dead it doesn’t matter what happens. Let’s have a look at this door”. Biggles examines the door and concludes they could cut a hole through it to put an arm through, but it would take the best part of a week with a penknife and broken glass from a bottle and anyone passing the door would hear what was going on. Ginger decides he would rather have a go than do nothing. Working in the dark, Ginger spends an hour on the door, but only makes a deep scratch. “It’s no use. The job would take as many days as we have hours” says Ginger adding “We’ll have to bash them on the head when they open the door”. “You mean if they open the door,” corrected Biggles. “Personally, I don’t think they will. After all, if they intend setting the house on fire why should they?” Silence fell.