Chapter 22: Guerrero Insures Himself

Chapter 22: Guerrero Insures Himself

The flight departure announcement meant something different to each person who heard it.

To some it meant a business trip, to others a holiday and the possibility of adventure. To some it meant the sadness of parting, and to others a happy meeting. Some heard the announcement with fear, and others with joy. They were all about to leave the safety of the ground for the adventure of the skies.

More than a hundred and fifty Flight Two passengers heard the announcement, and hurried to Gate 47.

Gwen Meighen welcomed them on board the plane. For her, the other girls and the three men in the team, this was the beginning of many hours of hard work.

Mel Bakersfeld heard the announcement, and remembered that the Golden Argosy was Vernon’s flight. He wished that he and Vernon could find some way of being polite to each other. Perhaps they couldn’t be friends, but he didn’t want them to be enemies for the rest of their lives. Part of the trouble was that Vernon, like many pilots, was terribly proud.

Mel wished that he was still able to fly a plane. He had enjoyed being a pilot, but now he could only fly as a passenger. He was jealous of the people who were flying off into the Italian sunshine. He needed a little sunshine in his life, too.

---

Ned Ordway heard the announcement as he sat in his small office. He had just received a message from a police car, telling him that the Meadowood people had arrived at the airport.

---

Mrs Ada Quonsett stopped talking for a moment, and listened to the flight announcement. She was sitting next to Peter Coakley and telling him all about her dead husband.

‘Such a dear person,’ she sighed. ‘So wise and good-looking. When he was young he looked rather like you.’

Peter Coakley was tired of hearing about Herbert Quonsett. He felt such a fool, sitting here in his uniform looking after this old grandmother. It was bad luck that her flight to Los Angeles had been delayed by the storm. He hoped that it would be able to take off soon.

He had already forgotten Tanya’s warning: ‘Be careful. She’s full of little tricks.’ He didn’t realize that making him tired of her could be part of the old lady’s plan.

‘Rome!’ Mrs Quonsett cried. ‘Imagine that! It must be so interesting to work in an airport, especially for an intelligent young man like you. My dear husband always wanted us to visit Rome, but we never did.’

While she was talking, she was also thinking. Why not go to Rome? That would be a story to tell her daughter! Her greatest success of all! She knew that she could easily escape from this child in a man’s uniform. Gate 47, wasn’t it? Yes, she would try.

Suddenly she made a low noise and put her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh dear! Oh dear!’ she cried weakly.

Peter Coakley looked frightened.

‘What is it, Mrs Quonsett? What’s wrong?’

She closed her eyes, breathing noisily.

‘I’m so sorry. I’m afraid I don’t feel at all well.’

‘Do you want me to get you a doctor?’

‘I don’t want to be any trouble!’

‘You won’t be.’

‘No.’ Mrs Quonsett shook her head weakly. ‘I think I’ll just go to the ladies’ room. I expect I’ll be all right.’

The young agent looked doubtful.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes, quite sure.’

She took his arm. At the door of the ladies’ room she turned to him and said: ‘You’re so kind to an old lady. Thank you so much. You won’t go away, will you?’

‘No, of course not.’

In the ladies’ room she looked for a woman with a kind face. She soon found one.

‘Excuse me,’ she said. ‘I’m not feeling very well. Could you help me?’

‘Of course. Would you like-?’

‘No - please. I just want to send a message. There’s a young man in a Trans America uniform waiting outside the door. His name is Peter Coakley. Please tell him that, yes, I would like him to send for a doctor.’

When he had gone to fetch a doctor, she sent the woman off to tell her daughter what had happened. Her daughter, she said, was “a lady in a long blue coat, with a little white dog”. She hoped that the woman wouldn’t waste too much time looking for her! She was feeling quite proud of her powers of imagination.

When the kind woman had gone, Ada Quonsett came out of the ladies’ room and walked quickly towards Gate 47.

Tanya Livingston was dealing with a passenger who said that his luggage had been damaged, and demanded that the airport should buy him a new case. Tanya didn’t believe that the case had been damaged at the airport. It looked very old. Some people will always try to cheat, she thought.

She decided that when she had finished with this man, she would go to Gate 47. Perhaps she would be needed there.

---

D. O. Guerrero heard the flight departure announcement while in the line of people waiting in front of the insurance desk. It was Guerrero, appearing hurried and nervous, whom Vernon Demerest had seen arrive there.

There were still four people in front of him. He would miss the flight. But he must not! He could not!

He was shaking with nerves. He looked at the clock again. He had to do something! He could not just stand still and see his plan fail!

He pushed his way to the front of the line. ‘Please - my flight has been called - the one to Rome. I need insurance! I can’t wait!’

‘We’re all waiting,’ a man said. ‘Get here earlier next time’ Guerrero wanted to say: ‘There won’t be a next time,’ but instead he looked at the girl and said: ‘Please!’ again.

To his surprise she smiled and asked: ‘Did you say you were going to Rome?’

‘Yes, yes. The flight’s been called.’

‘I know. The Golden Argosy.’

She smiled at all the people who were waiting.

‘This gentleman seems to be in a hurry. I’m sure you’ll excuse me if I see to him first.’

---

The girl was called Bunnie Vorobioff. She was a great success at selling insurance.

When she smiled at the people who had been waiting before D. O. Guerrero, nobody complained. Even Guerrero, who did not usually take much notice of women, thought that she was attractive. She had a wide, white smile and a wonderful figure.

Bunnie knew exactly how much power she had over men. She was using that power for a special reason today. D. O. Guerrero could not know this, but the insurance company that Bunnie worked for was holding a competition, with a big prize for the girl who could sell the largest amount of insurance. Guerrero was going to Rome. Bunnie hoped that she would be able to sell him a large policy for such a long flight.

‘What kind of policy do you wish to buy?’ she asked him.

‘Life - seventy-five thousand dollars.’

This policy would cost him two and a half dollars.

He could hardly speak, and when he tried to light a cigarette his hand shook violently. He felt sure that everyone was looking at him and wondering why he wanted such a huge policy.

‘But that is a small policy! ’ Bunnie cried. She leaned forward and smiled invitingly at him.

‘Small? - I thought it was the biggest.’

‘Oh no!’ Bunnie laughed. ‘Why not take a three hundred thousand dollar policy? Most people do. It only costs ten dollars.’

He had not known that! It would be a fortune for Inez.

‘Yes,’ he said eagerly. ‘Please - yes.’

Then he remembered something. Did he have ten dollars left in the world?

He began to search feverishly through his pockets. He found four dollars. Behind him the other people were beginning to complain again.

‘You can give me Italian money’ Bunnie said.

‘I don’t have any’. He realized immediately that this was another mistake. Now he had told one person that he had no luggage, and another that he had no money. But the plane will be completely destroyed, he reminded himself. No proof will remain.

To his surprise he found five dollars in a pocket. Then he found a few coins. Yes! He had enough! He could not hide his excitement.

But now it was Bunnie’s turn to stop. She had been watching his face while he counted his money, and in it she had seen hopelessness. Should she refuse to sell this man a policy?

Bunnie wanted to win the prize. She paused for only a few seconds before she insured D. O. Guerrero’s life for three hundred thousand dollars. He posted the policy to his wife, Inez. Then he rushed towards Gate 47 and Flight Two.