Nothing Like Flying

Nothing Like Flying - Part 16

Chapter 20

By the time the plane was placed to Ace's satisfaction and they had a moment to inventory the situation, the yellow Hillman Tourer had disappeared. The two downed spies had evaporated, too. As they scratched their heads over the matter, the first farmer rolled up in his truck to gawk at the roaring pillar of fire. The second appeared less than a minute later. Citizens and fire trucks and a country doctor converged on the spot.

But Ace flew away before the first reporter showed up.

♠♠♠

The yellow car eventually turned up in a New York used car lot. The pistols recovered at the scene were unremarkable Winchesters with the serial numbers filed off. The wallet taken from Eva contained only well-circulated, untraceable US dollar bills. Adam and Eva vanished like darkness at dawn.

The B-anthracite fire burned a hole in the asphalt pavement that reduced the highway to a single lane until the summer, when it could be repaired.

Clem Seville was arrested on charges of kidnapping. However, his physical description matched several crime reports from up and down the east coast. These cases involved robbery, gambling, and extortion. The legal proceedings were predicted to go on for quite a while. Although he claimed his real name was Amos Booker, his birth records could not be unearthed by investigators. Official court transcripts identify him as "John Doe" with a list of also-known-as monikers.

♠♠♠

On Sunday, tea and coffee could be had at the Fernwood residence, but no beer or wine. Jillian had scoured the house clean of all alcohol. "I developed an awful habit," Jillian said. She passed a fresh-baked biscuit to Ace across the kitchen table. "I shudder to think how it could have gone if it ... if it had gone the other way."

Ace slathered soft butter on the biscuit and took a big bite. She closed her eyes and hummed her approval at the taste.

Norman Fernwood sat at the table, too. His prematurely gray hair framed a haggard face, though his worries seemed to ease the longer he sat with his family at dinner. He reached to rub his wife's back. The two exchanged soft smiles.

"Open this, strong man," Vivian slid a sticky jar of jam to Gilbert.

Gilbert took it and began to twist, but stopped with a blink. He slid it back to Vivian. "Do it yourself. I know you can."

Norman Fernwood turned brown eyes to Ace and said huskily, "Miss Carroway, I know you said to think it over, but there's really nothing to think over. I accept your offer. I'll quit Boremack tomorrow."

Vivian's and Gilbert's heads snapped around so fast it's a wonder they didn't give themselves whiplash. "What?" they said simultaneously.

Ace giggled around her biscuit, then sprayed crumbs when she spoke to the twins. "I need a metallurgist at Carroway Aeronautics. So I offered Mr. Fernwood a job."

Norman said, eyes watery, "I won't be travelling anymore."

Jillian covered her mouth with a hand. Eyes wide, she said, "You won't be travelling?"

Norman shook his head in the negative. Jillian's chair tumbled over backwards as she leapt up and wrapped her arms around Norman and covered his face in kisses.

"Ew," Gilbert commented, though he wore a bright grin.

Ace held up a finger at the twins. "Not so fast, you two are part of the deal."

The twins glanced at each other, then back at Ace. "What?" they said together.

Ace schooled her face to neutral and raised one eyebrow. "You two have good instincts with machines. You're polite. You can follow orders. As a bonus, when I perform aerial acrobatics, you don't go green and lose your lunch all over."

Vivian stared at Ace. "Keep talking."

Ace smiled lopsidedly. "Well, I haven't dreamt up a job title, yet. Assistant apprentice airship yeomen or something. That's the basic idea."

Gilbert's words tripped over each other. "We'd learn to fly?"

"That's the plan."

Vivian said, "We accept, Miss Carroway. We'd love to learn to fly."

"Good," Ace said, a faraway look coming to her eyes. "There's nothing quite like flying."

♠♠♠

Dear Reader,

Thank you! I do hope you found this adventure diverting.

If you are intrigued by Cecilia "Ace" Carroway, I am happy to report that a binge-reading opportunity exists, as there are five published volumes recounting some of the adventures of this scarred, well-educated, non-super hero. The books are available pretty much everywhere. Visit guyworthey.net/the-ace-tracker/ for a list of paperback and ebook options.

Book five in the Adventures of Ace Carroway is called Ace Carroway and the Midnight Scream. In it, Ace's assistant Sam disappears, and she flies to his rescue in her first airship, Sky Arrow One. Two teenage assistants emerge from the airship's gondola, named Vivian and Gilbert. They appear without explanation, fully formed and somehow trustworthy enough for Ace Carroway to entrust a whole airship into their care.

The story you just read is my humble attempt to flesh out these characters, and also give a snapshot of the construction of Sky Arrow One.

By the way, Pennsylvania readers, you may notice I got the name of Lock Haven wrong. I took artistic license and called it Lark Haven, but I kept the town's geography and river intact. I  metaphorically preserved Lock Haven's important role in aviation history, which I will leave unsaid, but which every resident is surely aware.

Best regards, best wishes, and sincere thanks,

Guy Worthey