Chapter VII
INVADERS
Gale stepped silently behind a tree and listened. Her heart was thumpingheavily. It sounded like thunder in her own ears. The voices were merewhispers now; only occasionally could she catch the words uttered. Shepuzzled over the snatches of conversation that drifted back to her.
"Alone--motor in the black plane--so he won't be able to flySaturday--now is our chance--worth five thousand to us." Here there wasa lengthy pause before Gale heard: "Let's go!"
The last sent her sprinting back the way she had come at top speed. Onlypartly did she understand, but this much was clear: The two men, shesupposed there were only two of them, had discovered that Brent wasalone at the hangar. They were going back there to dosomething--anything to keep him from flying in the races on Saturday.She remembered the night when she and Bruce had agreed to take the plansto Stubby. Brent had told them then that there had been a bold attempton his life once before. It seemed now there was to be another. Shecovered the distance to the hangar much more swiftly than she had leftit. Sheer terror lent wings to her feet.
Brent was sitting outside the hangar where she had left him. He stood upslowly when she came into sight.
"Gale!" he said incredibly, "what is wrong? Has anything happened?"
Gaspingly she told him of the two men she had overheard. He drew herinto the hangar while he thought quickly of what to do.
"You must get away," she said.
"And leave my planes?" he demanded. "I won't do it. But you mustgo--now!"
"Can't you telephone for help?"
He snapped his fingers. "Of course, I forgot." He drew her with him intothe little office. He picked up the receiver and jiggled the hook.
"Hello--Hello--Central!" He slammed it down. "Wires must be cut."
"Come," he added a moment later, "you must get out of here."
They went back to the hangar but discovered it was too late. Someone wastampering with the lock on the door. Brent made sure the inside bolt wassecure and drew her back to the office. He crossed to the window.
"Out you go. Back to town for help."
"Look!" Gale cried.
Even as she spoke a brick was hurled through the window, narrowlymissing Brent, and the head and shoulders of a man appeared. He had arevolver in his hand and as he pointed it Brent whisked Gale back intothe hangar and the office door shut behind him. He turned the key andhurried her across to the black and silver plane.
"Get in!" he commanded, boosting her up to the pilot's seat. "Keep yourhead down!"
"But----" she began.
"Keep quiet!" he cautioned. "You stay here no matter what happens. Theywon't see you."
She said no more but snuggled down, her head just below the edge of theseat. But the blackness and silence was more terrifying than the realdanger. Cautiously she raised her head. She wished she knew where Brentwas. What was he doing? What were those men doing? The man at the doormust have given up his work at the door for she could no longer hear thequeer scratching noise.
Rapidly she made a calculation as to the time. Did Bruce and Stubby haveenough time to get to the island and start back with the other motor?They had been gone quite a long time, but they had had a lot of work todo. She had no idea when they would be back.
"Brent!" she called in a cautious whisper.
"Here!" he answered at her side. He had been standing beside the planebut in the darkness she could not see him.
"Where are they?" she asked.
"In the office," he replied.
"Are your plans in there?" she wanted to know.
"No. They are here in the plane."
"Couldn't we make a dash for it out the hangar door if they are in theoffice?"
"We could," he said significantly, "but we have no idea how many moreare on the outside. We better sit tight and wait."
"But the suspense is terrible," she declared. "Do you suppose Bruce andStubby are on their way back?"
"They are our only hope," he said quietly. "Hush! Here they come! Headdown and quiet!"
He stepped away from the plane into the blackness as a rending crashsent the office door flying open. For an instant two shadows weresilhouetted against the light behind them and then they melted into thedarkness of the hangar. But suddenly a round circle of light appearedand moved quickly over the planes and the hangar. One of the men had asearchlight. Quickly Gale ducked her head as the circle of lighttraveled over the black plane. Vainly she waited for the shout that mustcome when they discovered Brent. But the cry did not come. Only silence.Where could Brent be? What was he doing?
"He got away!" a voice said.
"But the black plane is here. That is all we really want anyway," theother voice agreed.
Gale's heart beat alarmingly. She was in the black plane! The men'sfootsteps sounded on the cement floor. They were coming toward herplane. She gripped the sides of the cockpit and wondered if she shouldsit quietly or announce her presence with a scream. But there was noneed for either. A sudden sound and clank of metal. One of the mengroaned and fell to the floor. Brent with uncanny precision had thrown amonkey wrench at a point slightly above the circle of light from aflashlight. It had gone home to its mark. In an instant another spot oflight had fastened on him and the intruder's deadly revolver was aimeddirectly at Brent. But the pilot did not wait for the shot to come. Helaunched himself forward and both Brent and the man rolled on the floor.
Gale exposed herself now. How in the world could she keep hidden? Sheclimbed over the side of the plane and dropped to the floor. She movedslowly, carefully toward the wall. If only she could find the lightswitch! The sounds of the two men on the floor sent nervous chillsthrough her. They were thrashing about dangerously near to her when herfingers found the switch. Light disclosed the intruder astride Brent andpounding away viciously with his fists but Brent managed to throw himoff. At the same time the other man showed signs of life. Gale silentlystepped behind him and picked up the revolver he had dropped. As the mangripped the monkey wrench which had hit him and advanced on Brent, Galecried:
"No you don't. Stand still!"
The man halted in surprise.
"Brent----" Gale called. "I have this one's gun. I----"
The sound of a motor outside! Voices! Help at last! There was a heavytattoo on the door and Bruce's voice.
"Gale--Mr. Stockton!"
Cautiously Gale backed to the door to unlock it as Brent hauled hisvictim to a standing position by a heavy hand on the man's collar.
"Open the door, Gale, then we will see what this is all about."
But the second that Gale relaxed her attention from the man before herto unlock the door was their undoing. The door opened and at the sametime the two intruders made a simultaneous dash for the open. The onesoutside were too taken aback with surprise to stop them, and by the timeBrent and Gale had called a warning the men were dashing toward theroad, Bruce and David in hot pursuit. But it was no use. The moment'sstart was all the men needed.
"Talk about excitement----" Gale sighed when Bruce and David hadreturned. "I've had all I want for one night."
"I'll take you home," Bruce said immediately.
"I am going to sleep here tonight," Brent said. "I shall stay here untilafter the races. Good night, Gale."
Gale went off with Bruce and on their journey home told him of all thathad happened that night at the hangar--that is, all but her talk withBrent. That was for no one but herself!