On board the Golden Argosy Captains Harris and Demerest were enjoying a good meal. They had exactly the same to eat as the first-class passengers, but without the wine, of course.

Suddenly, their meal was interrupted as a radio message came through. While Vernon wrote it down, his face changed. He passed it to Harris and Jordan.

There was only one sensible thing to do - turn in a wide circle that the passengers would not notice, and return to Lincoln International. Harris began to do this immediately. Vernon sent for Gwen.

'What do you want?' she asked as she came in. 'If it's more to eat, I'll have to say no!'

'We want you to look for a passenger,' Vernon told her. 'Look, you'd better read this message.'

As she stood by him reading, he watched her face. She looked serious, but not frightened. He remembered that she had told him that she loved him. He wondered whether he himself had ever really loved anybody. Perhaps what he felt for Gwen was the nearest that he would ever come to love.

For a moment he felt angry about the change in plans. They would not get to Naples now as quickly as he would have liked to. A second later he was the complete professional pilot once again, with thoughts only for his plane and his passengers.

'Find this man, Gwen,' he told her. 'See how easy it would be to get the case from him.'

'I've already noticed him,' she said quietly. 'I don't need to look again. He wouldn't let me touch his case when I took him his dinner. Another reason I remember him is that he's sitting next to our old lady stowaway. He's between her and the window.'

'That will make it difficult for us to get the case away from him.'

For the first time Vernon began to feel that they were in danger.

'If only we could think of some trick,' he said slowly. 'Did you say that he's next to our little old stowaway?'

'Yes.'

'And she doesn't yet know that we know who she is?'

'That's right.'

'Listen. I have an idea. It may work.'

***

Mrs Quonsett was just finishing her meal. 'That was very nice, my dear,' she said to the girl who had come to clear the empty meal containers.

Then she noticed another girl standing by her. She had black hair, an intelligent face, and strong, dark eyes. Mrs Quonsett had noticed her earlier.

'Excuse me. May I see your ticket?'

'Why, of course,' Mrs Quonsett said. She knew what was happening, but she never gave up without a fight.

She pretended to search her handbag. 'How strange! I simply can't seem to find my ticket!'