Pilot
By Randall Parrish
7
Author of "Keith of the Border," "When Wilderness was King," Etc.
SYNOPSIS. In the smoking room of the Cedric, Hadley, an ma tear aviator, tells of the mysterious disappearance of the Desssud monoplane advertised to appear at the Chicago Aviation Meet. It seems
that Phillip Dessaud, a French army officer had discovered a silent engine which the German secret agents were after. He registered at the Conr.rees lintel, was aaaigned to Boom I-S4 and that waa the
last beard of him. Alter Hadley ceased speaking one of the gentlemen offered his card and slid: Messieurs, I am Phillip Desssud, and entiling tells the story: He reached Chicago in the afternoon, drove
with the French Consul to the Aviation Grounds, found everything in perfect condition, went back to the Congress Hotel, and while sitting in his room the phone suddenly rang and a lady'a voice Bays, "I
that you, Phillip? " He protested he did not know Msdemoiselle but largely out of curiosity consented to meet her in front of the Art Building at dusk. She pretended she had expected to meet Philip
Houser. As the lady appeared to be in distress and hungry, Desssud insisted chat they go to a restaurant. There she confeesed to him that she was Helen Probyn, a reporter, and had been assigned to in
terview him, the managing editor having outlined the plan she had followed; that after an interview of Schraitt with eoe Jobann Brandt she had seen a draft on a Berlin bank to Schmitt for $1,000; and that
from the peculiar nature of the assignment she wss sure scheme waa being laid to get the secret of the silent monoplane.
In the face of this warning, Dessaud went with the girl to an underworld cife, where she had been directed to take him. Schmitt, Brandt and others with them managed to meet Dessaud, they chatted
a while ever their wine, and as Dessaud and the whole party were leaving a fake fight was staged in which Dessaud waa knocked into insensibility. He wss thrown into a tail, taken to some hotel where on
regaining consciousness he hears Brandt and Frsmen discussing the incident.
PROBABLY at the Pre office by this
time, unless he ha had trouble with the
woman. She made some fiiHtt, didn't she T"
"I didn't wait to ace. 1 waa bupy help
ing you lug the fellow to the cab. Why
should she T Shfe was in on t he deal ? "
"Only partly; I wanted Schmitt to get hold of
the right kind, and slip her some coin, but I guess
he didn't want to spare any. He said she didn't
need to know: he'd make her believe it was a news
paper job, ana she'd fall for it easy enough. I guess
she did too, but that strongarm work was pretty raw,
and she didn't look to me the sort to stand quiet.
Did you notice her particularly?"
"Only that she was a mighty pretty girl, and
her eves were alwtys laughing."
"There was more to them than that, Fritg, a
damn sight more, ana there was
character in her face. It will
take a smarter man than Schmitt
to make a fool out of her. If,
by any chance, she has taken a
fancy to this Frenchman, she's
likely to make trouble. Go on
now, and call Schmitt up, and
hurry back; then we'll stir up
Monsieur."
I could iKTceive the fellow's
shadow as he passed across the
outer room, and then heard the
click of a closing door. Brandt
remained silent, except for the
soft rustling of some papers, and
I flipped quietly out of bed.
There was light enough to enable
me to find my discarded clothes
lying across a chair, and I donned
tliesc garments hastily, pausing
only to assure myself the pockets
had leen emptied, only leaving
me my money. It occurred to
me suddenly that this had been
the original purpose of the attack
a desire to secure my papers.
Brandt would naturally imagine
that I would have on my person
rwi ropraotai'i .rJ-jtsj4 iTt'ion;
if not a detailed sketch. That
would be all he would require.
Likelv enough he merely expected
to rob me of these papers, leave
mo in the cab, and escape. But
he discovered nothing, not so
much as a scrap, and was so
driven to other extremes. Yet
this very disappointment might lead to desperate
measures, and the cold chills ran over me as 1
realized the truth no one would ever know into
whose hands I had fallen. Even should I utterly
disappear no friend of mine would ever be able
to guess how it had occurred. Few of them knew
just where I was staying. Miss Probyn alone
possessed sufficient knowledge to pull aside the
curtains, but was she friend or foe T Probably
neither; merely one drawn unknowingly into the
affair, and glad enough now to slip quietly out of
sight, when she realised its seriousness. My only
hope of escape lay then in my own efforts.
I glided across to the nearest window, which
was open, and looked out. Below was a sheer
expanse of wall, revealing, perhaps, three stories
down, a dingy glass dome through which light
shown dimly. This would enclose the hotel lobby,
but escae that way was clearly impossible, the
slight coping along the wall barely two inches wide.
I sought in vain for some weapon, but found none:
very well, if I must fight my way out with naked
hands, it would be better to have only one antagonist
than two. Brandt was a giant of a man, and, no
doubt, knew the game, but I would have more
chance with him alone than I would if he had the
assistance of the mechanic. I started forward,
only to crouch down just inside the door. 1 was
already too late Frazen had returned.
"Well !" growled the chief, in no pleasant humor,
"you took your time."
"I couldn't get a booth, and the line was working
badly."
"Cut that and get to the business; what did
Schmitt say?"
"He let the girl go home; said she was hyster
ical, and he was afraid to have her around the office.
Sent her off in a cab."
"Where does sho live?"
" I never asked."
"Oh, hell ! Do you call that a head you have
cot on your shoulders ? It's too late now; we'll
have to risk her. Did you see Kiscnbarth any
where about ?"
"He is in tho lobby, watching the elevators."
"What did he have to say ?"
"It's all quiet out there. Kelly goes on guard
I I ,1
Vjf 'W
' can offer you $20,000 in American gold."
all right at midnight, but the two Frenchmen sleep
in the hangar. One of them drank heavily, but
the other wouldn't touch the stuff."
"Just as 1 sized it up, Fritz," the chief's tone
evidencing better humor. "They told me in Berlin
that De Yigne couldn't bo touched, but his assistant
drank like a fish. Oh, well, one man ought not
to be very hard to handle; I'm equal to that my
self," and he -struck the table with his fist, thrusting
back a chair as he arose to his feet. "Come
on, let's go in, and stir up Monsieur; we've got to
get action in the next few hours."
There was nothing left me to do but fight. I
straightened up, desperate and ready. Which
ever came first was the man. I hoed it might
be Brandt, but in this I was disappointed. It
was into Franzen's face 1 sent my clinched fist, hurl
ing the fellow headlong across the room. The
next instant I was at his chief, taking him sufficiently
by surprise to get in two short-arm jolts before he '
gripped me. He had the strength of a gorilla, and,
although I fought like a fiend to break away, his
vice-like fingers forced a passage to my throat, and
I was borne back choking for breath, with his huge
body holding me prone. We fell in the narrow
hall-way, etiU struggling madly. The outside door
opened, scraping my head as it swung, and two men
leaped in. Through the mist drakeuing my vision
I saw one wore the uniform of a bell-lwy. It was
the other, a stocky fellow with stubby mustache,
who spoke, dragging Brandt off me, and forcing
him to loosen his grip on my throat, as it seemeu
to me just in time.
"Here now I What's all (his mean? Do you
think you are in a bar-room ? Let loose ! "
For the life of me I could not sneak, my .swol
len tongue fairly choking me, but Brandt grasped
the situation in an instant.
"It's all right,", ho said, handing out a card.
"I am Captain Brandt, and this is one of my party,"
indicating me. "Crazy drunk, you understand,
and we're trying to keep him in the room until we can
sober him up, that's all. You are the hotel officer?"
"Yes, sir," more politely. "Need any help
handling the fellow?"
"No; he'll be quiet enough now; there's two
of us here, only he took us by surprise that time.
Sorry to have made such a row."
He slipped a bill into the of
ficer's hand, and lifted me back
into a chair. 1 made a desperate
effort to speak, to declare myself,
but the words would not articu
late; I could only pant painfully
for breath. I saw the detective
eyeing me, his hand on the knob
of the door.
"All right, Captain," he said
finally. "He looks quiet enough
now; just call me if you need any
help. What's your friend's name ?"
"Von Kist'l Baron Von Eisel;
he's not registered here."
"Oh, I sec; well good night,
sir."
"Good night, officer."
The door closed, and Brandt
walked over and locked it. Then
he came back, smiling broadly,
and whirled me around in the
chair so I would face the light.
At the same moment Franzett
made his appearance, both hands
Cressed against his eye. The woe
egone look of the fellow made
..van. smile, .eve! .as. . I . . gusped . . f oy .
breath. Brandt turned his head
to see what had amused mc, and
burst out laughing.
"We ve learned something to
night, hey, Fritg I" ho said gayly.
"That there is one Frenchman
who knows how to use his fists.
Where did you master that art,
Monsieur?"
I shook my head, but straightened up in the
chair, feeling a slight return of strength, and with
it a new desire to meet the issues squarely. At
least I meant to know exactly what Brandt a pur-
Fose was, and how he proposed achieving it. Yet
had no wish to assume the initiative. Fortunately
there was no necessity for my doing so, as Brandt
was anxious to disarm me of suspicion. Almost
with his first smooth utterance I grasped his in
tention, and determined to jMTinit myself to be
persuaded.
"Go bathe your eye, Franzen, while I have a
talk with Monsieur," he said shortly. "There is
some misunderstanding, 1 think," and he turned
again to mc, smoothing his ruflled cuffs. "What
did all this attempt at violence mean?"
"It rather occurs to me that I am the proper
one to ask that question," I returned, finding my
voice with difficulty still. "I was struck uncon
scious, and then held prisoner here."
"Oh, that's it I" he gave vent to a short laugh.
"Well, perhaps your mistake is natural enough.
However the truth is you were struck accidentally
in a street fracas, and were brought here out of
kindness."
"Then, I presume, I am at liberty to depart ?"
"Oh well; certainly, as soon as you are capable
of looking after yourself alone."
"Probably you retaiu tny personal property on
expense account ?"