While Mr. McLeod conferred, sponsoring Don and his chums, Chick put a hopeful look on the face he turned to his comrades.
“We’ll have the real ghost by morning!” he whispered.
CHAPTER XXV
EIGHT HOURS’ LEEWAY
Taking their cue from the abrupt, antagonistic attitude of those who could overhear the Inspector’s words, the crowd began to mutter and to mill around, held back only by the lack of a leader. The lack might be supplied by any chance word of any among them.
“This is a pretty bad spot,” murmured Garry, softly, to Don.
“How about some football tactics?” hinted Chick. “We could break through the few between us and the helicopter. It would be warm enough to start easily.”
“We’re not flying any more tonight.” Don made a prediction he might find impossible to keep. “Here comes Doc Morgan, and the handling crew.”
Working their way through the crowd, the sturdy men who took the airplanes in charge, as well as several shop workers, led by the airport man-of-all-jobs, came around the edge of the staging, while Toby Tew pushed forward to join the group.
Toby, the theatre manager, with his sense of the way to handle an audience, stepped forward. The leader had arrived; but he was on the side of the threatened chums.
His brief speech, begun with a half-laughing, “Well, gentlemen, the show’s over,” and ending with a cleverly suggested hint that they might see something in the morning papers that would compel them to come to the Palace to see “Red Blood and Blue,” caused the crowd to suppose the whole affair was what theatre folks call “a publicity stunt,” devised to attract attention, bring about talk and advertise the picture.