Chapter Eighteen

Sue Plays Detective

Jane, who had been the most seriously ill of those aboard the _Coast to Coast Limited_, was in the Omaha hospital three days. She was far from well when she boarded a westbound plane for the inquiry at Cheyenne. The incident had brought unfavorable publicity to the line, and the personnel director was determined to get at the bottom of it.

The investigation was held in the administration building of the Cheyenne airport. In addition to Mr. Speidel, Miss Comstock was there, the pilots who had been on the plane, and Sue.

Jane was questioned first.

"Did you prepare the food which was placed aboard the plane that day?" the personnel chief asked her.

"Not all of it," she replied. "The salad was supplied by the caterer, but I made the sandwiches and prepared the iced tea."

"Did anyone else touch the food?"

"Not that I know of."

"Was anyone else in the commissary while you were working?" continued the personnel director.

Jane was about to reply that she was alone when she remembered that Mattie had been there.

"Mattie Clark was there," she said, wondering just what Mr. Speidel was attempting to learn from her.

"You know what caused the illness aboard the plane?" he went on.

"It was a strong irritant of some kind," she replied, "but I wasn't told at the hospital just what it was."

The personnel director switched to another track.

"You wouldn't have had any reason to place anything in the food, would you?"

Jane's face flushed, and it was a struggle to keep from showing her intense anger, but she finally managed to reply "no," in a calm voice.

"Do you know anyone who would do it as a grudge against you?"

"That question is hardly fair," retorted Jane. "If I mention any names I might unjustly throw suspicion on someone who is not guilty."

Through her mind, though, raced thoughts of Mattie and her promise of revenge. Mattie had been alone in the commissary long enough to dope the sandwiches or the salad, and she was capable of stooping to such a low trick. No matter what happened, as a result of the investigation, Jane resolved to see Mattie and have a talk with her.

"What do you know about this, Miss Comstock?" asked the personnel director, turning to the chief of the stewardess service.

"Very little, but I am sure that Miss Cameron is being treated very unfairly if anyone thinks she deliberately planned such a distressing incident as the one which took place aboard the _Coast to Coast_ the other day."

"But isn't it true that Miss Cameron is one of your favorites?"

"I am no more partial to her than to the other girls. It happens that she is a most efficient and personable stewardess. I only wish that all of the girls were as capable as she."

The pilots also spoke a good word for Jane, but she knew she was in a tight spot. Someone had prejudiced the personnel director against her and she strongly suspected the fine hand of Mattie Clark, working through her uncle.

Then Sue took a hand in the proceedings.

"I've been doing a little investigating on my own account," she said. "It may interest you to know that a member of the stewardess staff bought the drug which was used to cause the illness aboard the plane."

"What do you know about this?" demanded Mr. Speidel.

"Enough to clear Jane of any part in it," replied Sue. "I have a sworn statement from the druggist who made the sale. He knows the stewardess who made the purchase and named her in the affidavit."

Sue waved the paper and the personnel chief seized it eagerly.

"I think this investigation is over," he said as he finished reading the affidavit. "I am sorry, Miss Cameron, to have caused you any embarrassment."

Once outside, Jane hugged Sue enthusiastically.

"You were a peach to do that piece of sleuthing," she said. "For a while it looked like I was in a tight place."

"But you haven't asked me who bought the drug," said Sue.

"I don't need to. It was Mattie. I remembered seeing her in the commissary the other day. Honestly, I hardly thought Mattie would stoop to such a trick. Why, think what would have happened if the pilots had eaten any of that lunch."

"I did," replied Sue, "which is one reason why I went sneaking around the drug stores in Cheyenne. Mattie was pretty sure of herself for she bought it in the store where we usually go for our sodas. The druggist didn't want to give me an affidavit, but when I threatened to swing all of the stewardess trade to the store across the street he decided to sign."

They were having dinner that night at Mrs. Murphy's when Alice, just off a run from the east, came in.

"Guess who I saw leaving the field?" she said.

"Mattie Clark," replied Jane.

"You're a mind-reader. It was Mattie and she was going as a passenger. What's up?"

Sue told Alice briefly what had taken place during the afternoon.

"Serves Mattie right," said Alice. "Everything will be smoother now that she's gone. But I've got some news none of you will guess."

"Don't keep us waiting too long," smiled Jane.

"Roscoe James, the famous film director, came out on the plane from Chicago."

"That's nothing. Frederic March flew east with me the other day and never even looked at me," said Sue.

"Yes, but Roscoe James stopped here."

"Which means what?" asked Jane.

"His company, the Mammoth, is going to film an air story with the Cheyenne field for the background."