Astounding Science Fiction (British Edition), April 1944 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

20 and told me he had found a remarkable engine. However, it had been stolen from him by force, and he was anxious to trace the ownership. I took Air Commissioner Blakeley down to see him; and he insulted Blakeley in such a fashion that I broke off our friendship. I suppose Blakeley and I should have realized there was more be- hind Pendrake’s refusal to talk than bad manners, but I must admit I was too furious to reason about it. “I subsequently regretted my ill-temper, but I didn’t quite know what I could do about it. You may check all this with Blake- ley. I believe he is ill at the moment.” “Yes. At what time did you arrive at Crescentville?” - “About half past three.” “What did you do?” “IT couldn’t find a taxi. Walking along the main street, I suddenly noticed there was a LETSTOP meeting at the church. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my masks with me, but I went in and spent ten minutes describing what had happened to me in a Jap prison camp.” “It was after this meeting that you went to see Mrs. Pendrake?”’ ~ Yes.” “You walked?” “It was less than a mile, and very pleas- ant, mostly under trees; and I reached the little bridge which crosses Pendrake Creek about two hundred and fifty yards from the house at twenty-eight minutes after four. I know that was the time because I looked at my watch. A minute later I emerged from the shelter of the trees and there was the Puma cabin plane drawn up on the road in front of the house, as I have already described in a written statement.” “I’m using that as a basis for my ques- tioning. The sight of the plane surprised you?” 3 “It did. I couldn’t see how it had landed. The road offered no runway to speak of. And then I saw that it had no propeller. | That made me think it must have been there for quite a while. “It is that propellerless part of your story I want to question you about. But first— what happened next?” “Horrible screaming of women followed by the clatter of machine guns.” Hoskins shuddered. “I can just picture those women suddenly realizing they were going to be murdered.” “What then?” ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION “Four men came out, one of them carry- ing the limp body of a young woman.” “You recognized her as Mrs. Pendrake?” “No, it was too far to see faces. I only assume now that it was she.” “Ah! Enters the element of doubt. It was too far. You couldn’t recognize faces —or the presence of propellers?” “I didn’t say that!’’—sharply. “All right, all right, let that pass. The four men emerged from the house, climbed into the plane with a woman and—” “The plane made a run measurable in feet, then rose straight up into the air.” “Ah, yes, yes. But let’s skip that, too, for the moment and return to the men. Was one of the murderers a one-armed man?” “T don’t think so.” “But you won’t swear it?” “I am convinced I would have noticed. When I first learned two years ago that Pendrake had lost his right arm in a crash, it was a great shock to me. You may recall that Pendrake was the Air Force’s Man of Steel. He was the greatest physical per- sonality of the war. Knobs came off when he opened doors hastily. When he was excited, objects he was holding lost their shape. He—” “But you won’t swear he wasn’t there?” *““No-o!”—reluctantly. “I was lying in the ditch in a very amazed frame of mind.” “In the ditch—you weren’t being very brave!” “To the contrary, I felt no fear. I saw everything that happened with absolute clarity.” “But you were in the ditch, safe?” “IT was indeed. If I had been excited, I would probably have dashed forward to my death. As it is I am here alive, an earnest testimonialist to an astounding event. I saw a propellerless plane shoot up into the air like a bullet.” “We'll come to that. What did you do when the plane had departed?” “I rushed forward and into the house intending to phone Crescentville. In the hallway I stumbled over the body of the first woman. In quick succession I found the bodies of two men, a big Negress and a maid. It was the maid who was clutching the note, in which Pendrake is accused of the crime, an obvious frame-up because the girl didn’t have time to write anything.” “The frame-up is not so obvious to the rest of us. But let us go on. You—” The stocky man reached the hotel through the secret entrance. He felt himself scruti- oO CcomiclooksS.c©