“G. Codd, what did you discover?” Judge asked.
I described the items I had found in the tower's broadcast room. I told her I thought they'd been used to trick the guests into thinking they were watching the plane land.
“You mean John might not even have landed at all? He could be lost at sea or…” Her voice trailed off.
Not knowing what to say, I glanced around. We were somewhere behind the mansion. Tall, dark pine trees loomed over us, their branches whipping in the wind. Suddenly we heard a strange flapping noise coming from the forest.
“What's that?” Judge asked.
I don't know,” I said, “but I think we'd better go and find out.” Cautiously we made our way through the dim light under the trees.
“Look—up ahead—I think there's a clearing,” Judge said softly.
We broke through the trees and found ourselves standing on the edge a long, grassy field. I took in the wind socks flapping in the wind, and the trees that had been cleared to create a long, rectangular space.
“It's a hidden airstrip!” I said. The questions in my mind quadrupled as I looked down toward the end of the runway. I could barely see the outline of a large objects sitting there.
Judge and I went to take a look. A tarp made of camouflage material covered a giant lump underneath. By now it was pretty clear what the lump was.
Together, we pulled at the wet tarp—and found ourselves face to propeller with an aircraft.
“Another plane!” I cried. I noticed it was the same model as JENNY, John's airplane. “Did you know about this?”
“No,” Judge answered. “I've been here many times and I never even knew there was another airstrip. From the looks of those stumps, the trees were just recently cut down to create this landing area.”
“Let's look inside,” I said. The door opened easily, and I peered into the cockpit. The fuel gauge read full. But the inside of this airplane was as empty as the other one. At least that's what I thought until I noticed an object that must have rolled to the back of the storage area.
I lifted the bottle carefully by its lip, not wanting to disturb any existing fingerprints.
“Can I have your handkerchief, G. Codd?”
I fished it out of my pocket with my other hand and gave it to her. She wrapped her right hand in the cloth and carefully took the bottle from me, not wanting to smudge or destroy any evidence.
Judge held the bottle under her nose and winced. “It's Scotch,” she said.
“What?” I had heard her, but I found it hard to believe.
She nodded. “There was a kind of whiskey in this bottle. You can still smell it. If the bottle wasn't empty, It'd be illegal to even be holding it. It would also be extremely valuable on the black market.”
“But it is empty…”
“Thank goodness. For a moment, I thought John might be mixed up in something,” Judge said. “But this isn't even his plane! His plane is outside the Great Hall, so where did this one come from?”
“Is it from the fleet of your air courier business?” I asked. “Maybe it's here to make a delivery?”
Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the craft. “I don't recognize it. But I brought the business records and books with me this weekend. I had planned to go over a few things with John's father. The books are in my room. Let's go check and see whether this type of plane is listed there.”
With Judge carrying the bottle, the two of us started back toward the house. Just then a thought struck me, and I stopped.
“What is it?” Judge asked.
“Wait one second,” I told her, turning back to the second airplane. “I have to grab something.”
Back in the Great Hall