Janet Hardy in Hollywood

Then Helen’s father changed his mind. “No, I’ll talk it over with him tonight if he’s home.”

He phoned the general manager’s home, found Rexler there, and informed him he was coming over.

“We’ll see what he thinks of your suggestion,” he flung at Janet as he hurried out the door.

“Shall we wait up and learn the outcome of the conference?” asked Helen. “Just think if they should decide to work out a climax along the line you suggested.”

“I’m all for waiting up, but I’m afraid my suggestion is pretty weak,” said Janet.

At eleven o’clock Mrs. Thorne decided to retire and urged the girls to do likewise, but they insisted upon awaiting the return of Helen’s father.

Midnight passed and finally the clock struck one A. M.

“I’m too sleepy to stay up any longer,” admitted Helen.

“Oh, wait half an hour more,” urged Janet, and Helen agreed.

It was 1:20 when Director Thorne reached home. There were hollows under his eyes and he looked unusually tired, but in his eyes burned a spirit of elation that fatigue could not beat down. Mrs. Thorne, in a dressing gown, joined them.

“What’s the decision?” asked Helen.

“We’re going to work out the climax along the line suggested by Janet,” replied her father. “Rexler called two of the writers down and they’re working right on through the night on a new treatment for the whole script. It must be done tomorrow noon. We’re to start shooting next week. It means another bouquet for you, Janet.”

Janet blushed. “It was just luck.”

“No, it wasn’t luck. It was good, clear thinking and the ability to recall a worthwhile incident. Incidentally, both of you are going into the cast of ‘Kings of the Air’.”

“But, Dad, you can’t mean that!” exclaimed Helen.

“I mean just that,” retorted her father, “and I wasn’t the one who suggested it. Rexler insists that you be included. It’s his way of trying to repay Janet for her suggestion.”

“Then that means we’ll get another chance in a picture,” said Janet, and she felt her heart beating like mad.

“Indeed it does and you’ll be in the biggest feature the Ace company is producing this year,” Helen’s father assured them.

Chapter XXV

THE STARS VANISH

Janet and Helen did get rôles in “Kings of the Air” and even though they were very minor parts, both girls were elated. They were cast as waitresses in the restaurant which served the pilots at the main western terminal of the air mail line.

Almost every contract player on the Ace lot was in it, with a good, substantial rôle going to Curt Newsom, who was taken out of Billy Fenstow’s western unit long enough to play the part of a bitter field manager. Even Bertie Jackson got a part as a gold-digger who was out to get all the information she could from the pilots and was suspected of selling secrets to a rival air line.

Janet and Helen saw little of Helen’s father for the next few days. He was immensely busy on the details of the production and a complete airport was set up out in the California desert for one of the major sequences would revolve around this lonely outpost on the air mail route.

The sequences in which Janet and Helen were to appear were shot at Grand Central at Glendale, actually in the field restaurant and were among the first to be taken.

Janet had only four lines and Helen had three. All of them were in a brief scene with Curt Newsom and his encouragement helped them through for it was hard work under the glare of a brilliant battery of electrics. What made it all the harder was that Mr. Rexler was with the company the day this particular sequence was shot, but somehow they managed to get through with it. After that they were free to stay with the company and watch the rest of the shooting schedule until Billy Fenstow called them back for his next western.

It was during the second week of shooting that things started to go wrong. There were innumerable little delays that were maddening in themselves and when a dozen of them came, almost at the same time, even level-headed Henry Thorne showed signs of extreme exasperation. The cast was large and expensive and a dozen planes had been leased. The daily overhead was terrific and each day’s delay sent the cost of the picture rocketing.

When they went on location out in the desert Curt Newsom, lunching with Janet and Helen, gave voice to his fears.

“This outfit is getting jitters,” he said. “I heard this morning that one of the pilots found several of his control wires half way eaten through by acid. That’s bad business.”

Janet, looking up from a dish of ice cream, spoke slowly. “Then that means someone is deliberately trying to cripple the company?”

“It means someone is doing it. That flyer pulled out; refused to take his plane off the ground again and some good shots are already ‘in the can’ with his plane in it. Means they’ll have to get another plane and fix it up like his or shoot over a lot of footage. Either one will be expensive.”

That night Henry Thorne called the company together. Their location was at the edge of the ghost town of Sagebrush, and members of the company were sheltered in the three or four habitable houses which remained. All of them had grumbled a bit, but there was nothing that could be done about it for the nearest town of any size was too far away to make the drive back and forth daily.

Helen’s father spoke plainly.

“There have been a series of accidents,” he said. “These have slowed up production and put us almost a week behind schedule. All of you know what that means on a picture of this size. I am convinced that someone in the company is aiding in this sabotage and I am giving fair warning now that this town will be patrolled at night and that all equipment will be watched. The guards are armed and have orders to shoot first and ask questions afterward.”

That was all, but it started a buzz of conversation that lasted nearly an hour. When the company finally broke up to go to quarters, Janet happened to be watching Bertie Jackson and she saw the blond actress, slip between two buildings and vanish into the night.

Helen was some distance away and Janet, playing a hunch, followed Bertie at a safe distance.

There was no moon, but the sky was studded with stars. The walking through the sand was hard going, but noiseless, and Janet, keeping low, could discern Bertie’s silhouette.

Suddenly the older actress stopped and whistled softly, a long, a short and a long whistle. The sound could not have carried back to Sagebrush and Janet, vaguely alarmed, waited.

Almost before she knew it another figure joined Bertie and she could hear the two conversing, but she didn’t dare move closer. The newcomer struck a match to light a cigarette and carefully shielded though it was, Janet was close enough to glimpse his face. It was that of a stranger. The match went out and the night seemed darker.

Janet wanted to get closer, but as she moved forward she stumbled over something in the dark and plunged headlong into the sand.

Before she could regain her feet she heard a muttered exclamation and knew she had been discovered.

Then the thin beam from a shielded flashlight struck her face.

Janet knew her only chance was to run for it and she tried to rise, but her feet were entangled in a tough creeper.

“Look out! She may scream!” warned Bertie.

Janet opened her lips to cry out, but before she could do it, the man with Bertie leaped forward and thrust a heavy hand against Janet’s mouth. Suddenly the world went black, the stars vanished, and she dropped into the sand.

Chapter XXVI

BOMBS FROM THE SKY

It was later in the evening when Janet was missed. Helen thought her companion had gone to visit some other member of the company and it was well after ten o’clock when she became alarmed and started making inquiries.

“Looking for someone?” asked Bertie Jackson, who seemed to be everywhere.

“I haven’t seen Janet for several hours.”

“Maybe she’s got a date with a boy friend in the desert.”