Airship City

Chapter 29

IONE

She was waiting at the passenger terminal from soon after ten, looking out anxiously for Joseph’s face in the crowd. As he wasn’t on a scheduled flight, she really had no idea of his arrival time, so all she could do was wait, and hope that the captain of the Lotus Flower was a reasonably punctual man.

Unfortunately it was nearly noon by the time she saw Joseph, towering over the other passengers as he made his way along the concourse. She stood up, waving frantically, and eventually he spotted her, and made his way over, smiling.

“Hello, Ione,” he said. “It’s good to see you again.”

She grinned at him. “Come on. I’ve got a surprise for you.” She grabbed his hand, and rushed off through the crowds, fairly dragging him along. He laughed good-naturedly, and did his best to keep up.

Before long she had led him to a little cafe overlooking the promenade. She found a table next to the windows which gave a wonderful view out over the promenade, and the deck beyond. Joseph looked at her quizzically. 

“This is very nice,” he said, gesturing at the cafe around them. In truth it was rather plain, and half-filled with men in greasy overalls, but it wasn’t for the ambiance that Ione had brought him here. She grinned at him. 

“Sit down, and look out of the window. Towards the deck.”

Joseph obeyed, staring out with a slight frown. Just at that moment, they heard the sudden roar of a high-powered aero engine, and Joseph’s eyes widened as he spotted a little plane starting down the runway that bisected the deck area directly in front of them.

“That’s a Spitfire!” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes, that’s why we’re here. After your little flying adventure the last time you were with us, I thought you’d like to watch the Spitfires taking off and landing, while we have lunch.”

Joseph glanced at her, eyes shining. “You’re definitely right about that.” He turned back to the window, and watched the plane take off and fly away, until it was no longer in sight.

She watched him indulgently, gratified by his happiness. He turned back to face her, smiling contentedly.

“Thank you. It’s very thoughtful of you to do this.”

She smiled back. “It’s my pleasure.”

After the waitress had taken their order, a second Spitfire came in for a high-speed landing, and he watched it attentively all the way in, right until it had turned out and lined up next to the other parked Spitfires, and the pilot had killed the engine. She began to realise that she hadn’t quite thought through her little plan. It was actually quite annoying to be with someone whose attention could be so completely captured by something else.

 At last he turned back to her. “So, have you picked up any more mysterious radio messages?” He grinned as he said it, which annoyed her. It was as if he didn’t take her concerns seriously.

“No, I haven’t. Although I’ve only been listening now and again.”

He nodded, eyes already wandering back to the runway. She fought down her annoyance, and ploughed on. 

“But I have been following Thornton again, although he hasn’t done anything else suspicious. Still, I’m certain it’s him, based on that conversation I overheard.”

At this Joseph’s attention snapped back to her, and his forehead creased in a frown. “Are you certain that you didn’t misunderstand what was said?”