Sky and the Starlets

Fiction by Frank Knebel

Chapter 1

“I always thought that the country around home was beautiful, but I never really knew how beautiful until I could see it like this!”

     Copper Ryder, in the pilot’s left front seat of the Cessna 310B, turned her head to look at Joan O’Connor who was peering out of the plane’s rear starboard window. Joan’s face was flushed with excitement and delight as she looked at the rugged landscape nearly a mile below them. The attractive blonde grabbed the sleeve of the other young blond woman in the back seat and pointed eagerly.

     “Look, Diana!” cried Joan. “There’s Las Vegas coming up on the right!”

     The other girl looked in the direction of Joan’s point.

     “It looks so tiny from up here!” exclaimed Diana Malloy.

     “Will we be able to see much of the Grand Canyon?” Joan asked eagerly.

     “Well, we won’t have a close up view, as you film people would say,” replied Julie Ryder, in the copilot’s seat next to Copper. “But it’s so big that you can’t miss it. When we turn south, it’ll be on our left.”

     The two beautiful blondes looked ahead.

     “I think I can see it already!” said Joan.

     For the next ten minutes Joan and Diana marveled at the panorama of the immense natural wonder to the east, pointing to various features and talking excitedly and giggling to one another. As the plane continued its southerly course, the sights gradually became less enthralling and the two women settled back in their seats.

     “Thanks so much for taking us past it, Copper!” said Joan. “That view was simply spectacular!”

      “It’s absolutely beautiful, and so huge!” added Diana. “At least it is to a girl from Cincinnati who came to Hollywood by train.”

     The others laughed. Julie smiled back at the actresses.

     “Seeing something like that is only one of the benefits of having two pilots in the family.”

     “Three, now that you have your license too, Julie,” put in Copper.

     “I just can’t imagine anything as exciting as having your own plane!” said Diana. “And this is such a beautiful new one, too!”

     “I remember the old Hummingbird, Copper,” said Joan. “How long have you had this new one, and what do you call it?”

     “Oh, it’s still the Hummingbird,” Copper replied. “It’s a newer version of the same type of plane we had before. We had some trouble here a couple months ago where we had to tangle with somebody flying this model. Sky had been thinking of getting a new plane for some time and that cinched it. It’s too bad that he had to attend that cattlemen’s convention and couldn’t be the one to fly you home.”

     Joan smiled at Julie.

     “But that would mean that there wouldn’t have been room for Julie,” she protested. “I’m so glad to have a chance for some girl talk with you two on the trip.” Joan cocked an eyebrow as she looked from Copper to Julie. “And from the way you said ‘some trouble’ I guess that the fact that Sky’s married hasn’t stopped you from helping out Sheriff Winchell like you did before.”

     Julie chuckled.

     “It would take a lot more than a woman to get Sky to give up adventure, Joan.”

      “Yeah,” added Copper. “Especially when his new wife likes adventure just as much as he does.”

     “And you too, Copper,” Joan retorted playfully. “I seem to remember you having quite a nose for trouble when I lived in Kermit. And friends who still live here tell me that you’ve both had some pretty exciting times lately while I’ve been gone. I’m so jealous!”

     Copper’s mouth fell open. She turned back to look at Joan.

      “You’re jealous of us?” said Copper. “You, who’ve had a starring part in a real movie and mingled with all those glamorous Hollywood people? You’re jealous of us here in Kermit?”

     Julie Ryder glanced from Copper to the two starlets and back. While she was amused by Copper’s surprise, she also felt a pang of compassion for her husband’s niece, who was obviously a bit jealous of their two passengers. Though Joan O’Connor was in the movie business, she did not look or act much like a movie star, at least not yet. Sitting in the back seat of the plane in minimal makeup and casual clothing she looked like thousands of other young women: the all-American girl next door grown up to astonishing beauty. Her white blouse and khaki slacks had not been chosen to show off her figure, and yet somehow her exquisite shapeliness was apparent. Her friend Diana Malloy, though dressed similarly in a madras print blouse and dark blue slacks, showed the Hollywood influence with more noticeable, though tasteful, makeup and hairstyling. But Julie’s appraising glance told her that, as attractive as the two fresh young creatures might be, neither face had the arresting individuality of a true film star. Unless they developed as compelling actresses, both girls would probably enjoy a few years as leads in small pictures or secondary roles in larger ones after which they would retire to raise their children away from the movie business.

     “Why sure we’re jealous,” Joan continued. “What you’ve had here are real adventures with crooks and spies and hijackers and real bad guys!”

     “And bad girls,” added Copper. “Why just a few months ago, Julie and I were taken prisoner by a couple of ---“

      Julie laid a hand on Copper’s arm and turned to the two actresses.

      “We want to hear all about this new movie that you two are in.”

      The blondes looked at one another and exchanged a giggle.

      “What’s so funny?” asked Copper.

      Joan started to laugh but stopped when Diana glared at her. Joan began the explanation.

     “It’s nothing really, just that the picture’s not exactly Gone With the Wind. It’s called The Monster of Rock and Roll Beach, just a kind of drive-in movie aimed at teenagers. It’s mostly an excuse to put a lot of pretty girls and handsome guys in bathing suits and have them dance. And the monster, to be honest, is kind of ridiculous. He looks like a giant broccoli floret with teeth.”

      She began to laugh again. Diana gave her an irritated look.

      “It’s easy for you to laugh, Joan. You’re one of the leads in the picture, you get top billing and you have all those romantic scenes with Troy Donovan.” She pouted expressively. “And in the end you get rescued from the monster while some of us get eaten in the fourth reel.”

      Copper’s shoulders shook slightly as she stifled a laugh. Julie smiled sympathetically.

      “Is that what happens to you, Diana?”

      Diana tried to remain dignified, elbowing the grinning Joan as she answered.

      “Yeah. The mad scientist who creates the monster keeps raiding the beach to supply him with food, namely us. Four or five of the girl extras and girls with lesser parts get kidnapped and tied up and fed to him. It’s really hard to scream in terror while you’re being approached by a giant broccoli!”

      Joan burst into laughter.

      “Stalked by broccoli!” she gasped before collapsing.

     They all laughed uproariously. Copper had some difficulty controlling the Hummingbird.

      “Thank goodness you survived that!” said Julie wiping away a tear of hilarity.

      “Oh, yes, thank goodness for Troy Donovan!” said Joan dabbing at her eyes with the hem of one of her short sleeves. “He and the mad scientist fight and the evil doctor gets fed to his own broccoli while Troy rescues me. The monster tries to chase us and Troy knocks it into the water where it’s ground up by a boat propeller.”

      “Inventing broccoli cuts!” Diana added before breaking up herself.

      They all roared again. Copper struggled for enough breath to add one more.

      “After being told all these years to eat your broccoli, now it eats you!”

      They were all helpless with laughter for a minute or so. Julie was first to recover.

      “Well, it’s a good sign that neither of you have lost your perspective or sense of humor over this. I won’t worry too much about you getting a swollen ego over your triumphal return to Kermit.”

      Joan had drawn out a white handkerchief to wipe her eyes. She handed it to Diana so she could do the same.

      “I’d hardly call it a triumph, Mrs. Ryder,” said Joan. “We’re not stars; just a couple of working actresses. In Hollywood, any screen exposure is good exposure.” She looked affectionately at Diana. “And no matter what happens to her in the movie, Diana looks great in a bikini.”

      Diana smiled and patted Joan’s knee as she handed the handkerchief back.

      “Well, I’m sure that you got the lead in the picture ‘cause they thought you looked the best in a bikini. And even if the movie turns out to be a clinker, you did a great job in the part.”

      “Still,” said Julie, “even with all the superficiality and uncertainty in the movie business, I’ll bet that there aren’t too many girls in Kermit who wouldn’t trade places with you.”

      Joan and Diana exchanged an uneasy glance. Joan looked down. Diana spoke.

      “Maybe there’d be more who wouldn’t if they knew about some of the letters we get. Why for the last month or so Joan’s been ---“

      A burst of static and some garbled words from the radio interrupted her.

      “What was that?” asked Diana.

      Copper shook her head.

      “I couldn’t make out much of it, but it sounded like a distress call.”

      All four women leaned closer to the radio and listened. More static came from the set. As Copper adjusted the frequency and squelch controls they could hear a woman’s voice amid the interference. The last words of the message came through clearly.

      “... We need help! Can anyone hear us? Over.”

      Julie took the radio handset from its cradle and pressed the transmit button with her thumb.

      “Distress caller, this is the Hummingbird en route to Kermit airport. We read only part of your last transmission. Please say again. Over.”

      She released the switch and they all waited. The reply came through but again the interference was quite heavy. They could make out several words here and there.

      “... Pilot very ill... Managed to set us down on a road... Please help!”

      Julie took up the transmitter again.

      “Distress caller, this is Hummingbird. Can you identify yourself? Do you know your location? Over.”

      There was another period of heavy static. The woman’s voice came through for a moment.

      “... About (inaudible) miles northeast of Nolan Wells...”

      Julie looked at Copper.

      “We’d better take a look, Copper. I’ll call Tim at the airport to tell him what’s happened. Maybe he can find out who it is and send some help.” She looked at her wristwatch. “Sky and Ted are due back from Houston anytime now. They might be able to help, too.”

      She raised the radio handset.

      “Distress caller, this is Hummingbird. We’re coming to help. Out.”

      Diana looked eagerly to Joan.

      “What a bit of luck, Joanie! A real adventure!”

      As Copper turned the plane northeast, Julie put in another call.

      “Kermit airport, this is Hummingbird. We are responding to a distress call from an unknown aircraft....”

“Well, about half an hour until we’re home, Sky. Can you take her for a minute?”

     “Glad to, Ted,” said Sky Ryder putting his hands on the yoke in front of him and his feet on the rudder controls.

      The tall, lean man in the pilot’s seat stretched his long legs and pushed his cap back a bit to scratch a spot in his neatly combed dark hair.

      “Sure is nice to have another pilot with me for those times I need a stretch,” said Ted Barry. “You’re taller than I am. I don’t know how you stand sitting like this for so long.”

Sky chuckled.

“You get used to it.”

Ted stretched again. He regarded Sky with some awe.

      “Yeah, I guess after flying all those long missions during the War, a flight from Tucson to Kermit must seem like a short hop to you. But that’s something we younger guys wouldn’t know about.”

Sky turned to Ted and grinned.

“I hope you won’t put me out to pasture quite yet.”

     “Of course not,” replied Ted with a smile. “We’ll just wait for a few more years of married life to take its toll on you. Speaking of Julie, when do she and Copper get back?”

Sky checked his wristwatch.

     “They could be getting ready to land right now, if they haven’t run into some kind of trouble.”

     Ted laughed.

      “They’ve got a brand new plane, the weather’s great and Julie’s a qualified pilot now. Their mission is to fly in a couple of actresses from L. A. to be guests of honor at Kermit’s Wild West Days. What kind of trouble could they possibly have?”

     Sky looked at the younger man and smiled ruefully.

     “You just don’t know Copper and Julie like I do.”

After Julie’s call to the airport, the Hummingbird continued on its northeasterly course for several minutes. All four women were on the alert, scanning the landscape in all directions from the windows.

     “I think I see it, Julie!” Copper cried, pointing ahead.

     The others raised themselves from their seats to look in the direction Copper had indicated. A single engine plane was sitting on a strip of paved but deserted-looking road. One man lay outside the plane in the shade of the overhead wing. A woman was kneeling beside him and another man and a woman were sitting nearby. They either spotted the plane or heard the approaching 240-horsepower Continental engines, for the two seated people leaped to their feet and ran a few steps toward the Hummingbird, waving their arms as they came.

     “Must be some kind of trouble with the engine or the pilot,” said Copper.

     “Are we going to help?” Joan asked eagerly.

     “We have to,” said Julie. “Out here getting help fast can mean the difference between life and death. If the pilot’s ill and he’s the only one who can fly, it’s a bad situation for all of them.”

     “Are you going to try to land?” Diana asked Copper.

     “The road they’re on looks pretty level,” Copper answered. “I’ll go down for a closer look. If it seems okay, we’ll put down close to them.”

     Julie turned to face the passengers.

     “There are some extra water bottles, some blankets and a first aid kit behind you, girls. We may need them. I’d better report this to Tim at the airport.”

     As Joan and Diana searched for the water and aid supplies, Julie took up the radio handset again. She pressed the transmit button and called the airport, but when she released the button for the reply, Tim’s voice could barely be heard over heavy static.

      “We’re getting some kind of interference,” she said. “I can hardly hear Tim.”

     “Do the best you can, Julie,” said Copper. “I’m going down for a look.”

     She pushed the yoke forward.

In a few minutes they were landing. The road proved an excellent landing strip and Copper was able to taxi the Cessna to within fifty yards of the single engine plane. As their rescuers drew nearer, the man and woman who had run forward and waved were called back by the woman who was tending to the man lying near the plane. They were all huddled around him as Copper shut off the engines. Julie opened the cabin door and led the others out. She trotted toward the party as Copper and Joan waited for Diana to hand down the emergency supplies.

     “Are you all right?” called Julie. “Is he the sick pilot?”

     There was no answer. The three remained bent over the man. Julie heard him groan.

      “We’re here to help,” Julie began. “We have a first aid kit in---“

     She stopped abruptly as all three suddenly turned to her. The man who had been lying down and moaning jumped to his feet. All four now had their faces covered with dark cloths that completely covered their faces save for eyeholes. Both men and one of the women were pointing pistols at her. Julie slowly raised her hands.

     “Very kind of you, I’m sure,” said the woman without a gun.

      Julie studied her for a moment. The woman wore a plain, light green dress that fit her snugly about the upper body and waist while the skirt hung just past her knees in loose folds. Her figure was quite curvaceous, her calves smooth and shapely. A pile of well-arrayed, reddish-brown curls showed above the cloth mask over her face. To top off the out-of-place effect, she wore black high-heeled pumps and, in white-gloved hands, carried a handbag that matched her shoes.

      Julie looked from the woman to her companions. One of the men was rather short and wore a cheap-looking brown suit. The taller man who had played the sick pilot wore khaki slacks, a white shirt and a dark tie. The other woman, a bit taller and no less shapely than the speaker, was more appropriately dressed for outdoor activity in a pair of dark colored Capri slacks, a light blouse and sneakers. She and the shorter man stepped quickly toward the Hummingbird, brandishing their pistols at Copper and Joan.

      “All right, ladies,” the man announced. “Everybody out of the plane.”

      Julie turned to the woman who had spoken first.

      “What’s this all about?” she demanded. “We came here to help you.”

      “Haven’t you heard the old adage, Mrs. Ryder? The one about being punished for every good deed?”

      The tall man chuckled behind his mask. The woman opened her handbag and pulled out a compact. She used the mirror to flash a signal toward a rock formation not far away. As the other man and woman herded Copper, Joan and Diana, all with their hands raised, from the Cessna toward the smaller plane, an open Jeep and a panel truck appeared from behind the rocks and headed for them.

      “You know who we are then?” Julie asked.

      The woman closed the compact with great deliberation, dropped it in her purse, and slipped one arm through the carrying straps before folding her arms under her prominent breasts. Her voice was cool and efficient.

      “Of course we know who you are. All of you.”

      Copper, Joan and Diana and their captors joined them.

      “You are Julie Ryder, former Air Force captain, now married to Schuyler Ryder, prominent Arizona rancher.” She nodded at Copper. “This is Sky’s niece Copper Ryder, and the other young ladies are Joan O’Connor and Diana Malloy, both actresses.”

      “So are we being kidnapped?” Copper asked.

      “You are not being kidnapped, Miss Ryder, nor is Mrs. Ryder. We are only interested in Miss O’Connor and Miss Malloy.”

      “But why?” asked Joan. “We’re not famous and neither of us come from wealthy families.”

      “So many questions!” said the woman. She turned to the other woman. “Get started.”

      The dark-haired woman tucked her pistol into her waistband. The short man reached into his left-hand coat pocket and produced several pieces of rope. He held them out to the woman who took them then stepped behind Diana. She reached up and pulled the blonde’s raised right arm behind her back.

      “Okay, Blondie,” she said. “Hands behind you, and don’t try anything stupid.”

      “What’re you going to do?” asked the frightened actress.

      The woman grabbed Diana’s left wrist and twisted her arm behind her back to join the right. With a quick and practiced move, she circled the starlet’s crossed wrists with rope and pulled the loop tight. She tied a firm knot then made another set of loops at right angles to the first set. When she pulled the seizing lines tight, her captive cried out in pain.

      “Oww! That’s really tight!”

      “Careful there, Gloria,” cautioned the tall man. “We don’t want to hurt the merchandise.”

      “We don’t want it to get away either,” the woman leader said coolly. She pointed to the shorter man. “Get to it, Jackson.”

      The man in the cheap suit stepped behind Joan. Transferring his pistol to his left hand, he drew more ropes from his right coat pocket.

      “Okay, Beautiful,” he said to Joan. “You’re next. Hands behind your back, and no tricks. This gun won’t be far away.”

      The other man gestured with his pistol toward Copper and Julie.

      “And that goes for you, too.”

      With a worried glance first at Diana then at Copper and Julie, Joan lowered her hands and placed them behind her back. The shorter man put the pistol into his coat pocket and began tying Joan’s hands.

      “I don’t understand!” protested the young actress. “What do you want from us?”

      Diana nudged her friend with her elbow.

      “Joan!” she whispered. “Those letters!”

      The woman leader’s body stiffened.

      “That will be enough out of them.”

      The dark-haired woman reacted swiftly. She reached her left hand over Diana’s shoulder and clapped it over the actress’ mouth. When the short man had finished tying Joan’s hands, he reached into his pocket again, took out a brilliantly white handkerchief and handed it to the brunette. She withdrew her left hand just long enough to force the cloth into Diana’s mouth.

      The Jeep and truck pulled up near them. Men wearing hoods with eyeholes drove both vehicles. A similarly hooded man rode in the passenger seat of the Jeep and a hooded woman in the rear. When the vehicles stopped, the driver of the truck hopped down from the cab, went to the rear of the truck and opened the doors. The male and female passengers got out of the Jeep while the driver remained. The man was of medium height but powerfully built, broad and thick in the shoulders and chest. The woman was slender and shapely, and moved with cat-like grace though she was nearly as tall as the man was. The ends of blond hair showed at the bottom edge of her hood and over one shoulder dangled a well-loaded canvas bag.

      “Any trouble with ‘em?” asked the man. He had a strong though somewhat grating voice, like a bass-baritone foghorn.

      “They’ve all been as sweet as can be,” the woman drawled sarcastically.

      The new man turned to his woman companion.

      “Give ‘em a hand with the gags, Arlene.”

      “Sure thing,” she replied.

      She opened the bag and took out several pieces of white flour sacking, which she passed to Jackson and Gloria. Jackson wadded one piece of the cloth into a ball and wrapped it in a longer strip. He held the wad up to Joan’s mouth.

      “Open up, Honey,” he ordered.

      The bound blonde shrank back from the wad.

      “No,” she pleaded. “Please. It’s not necessary. We won’t scream.”

      “I know you won’t,” Jackson replied. He pulled Joan’s head back and, as the girl opened her mouth in an exclamation of surprise, forced the gag into the starlet’s mouth.

      Gloria stretched her piece of sacking into a long band and passed it between Diana’s teeth to secure the wad. She tied the ends behind her head.

      “There you go, Darlin’,” she said mockingly. “No complaints now.”

      Arlene had taken more ropes from her bag. She gave a couple long pieces each to Gloria and Jackson keeping a shorter piece for herself.

      “Your turn, Miss Ryder,” the woman leader said to Copper.

      Copper lowered her arms and placed her hands behind her.

      “I thought you said that Julie and I weren’t being kidnapped,” she said to the leader.

      “You’re not. We’re just making you cooperative,” said the woman.

      The other members of the gang chuckled.

“Say that again, Tim. We’re having trouble receiving you. Over.”

     Sky Ryder released the transmit button of the radio handset.

      “I’ve tried all the airports around here and there’s no record of any flight over the area where Copper and Julie received the distress call. Over.”

      Ted Barry looked at Sky.

     “Maybe somebody went off course, Sky,” he said. “It could happen if the pilot became suddenly ill.”

     Sky nodded.

      “That’s true, Ted. The part I really don’t like is that Tim hasn’t been able to reach them since they went over for a look.”

     Ted considered for a moment or two.

     “It could be something strange caused by the mountains.”

     Sky nodded again.

     “But it can’t hurt to take a precaution or two.”

     He raised the handset again.

     “Tim, Ted and I are going over for a look of our own. I’m going to call Winch to see if he can get someone out that way in a hurry. There’s something about this I don’t like. Over.”

     “Roger, Sky. Kermit out.”

     “Do you suspect something, Sky?” asked Ted.

     “When Joan and I talked about having us fly her home, she mentioned some vague threatening letters she’d been getting for the last month or so.”

     “What kind of threatening letters?”

     “She didn’t say anything specific, and she asked me not to mention them to Copper.”

     Ted shrugged.

     “You know Hollywood types. It could be some publicity stunt. You know: ‘Madman Threatens Beautiful Star.’”

     “In a case like that, I’d think that the actress would be in on it. And Joan O’Connor’s not the type to go for something like that.”

     “Maybe the studio’s press people are doing it without her knowing anything.”

     “Could be. But I’m not taking a chance here.”

     He raised the radio mike and called the Kermit Sheriff’s office.

As Arlene completed a set of rope loops around Julie Ryder’s arms and body, Julie looked down the line of her fellow captives. Diana and Joan were securely bound, hands behind their backs and arms secured tightly to their backs and sides with multiple loops from their waists to almost their shoulders. Their gags had been made more effective by the addition of several strips of wide adhesive tape over the cloth wads and securing cloth bands. Both blondes were watching apprehensively as Gloria and Arlene completed the securing of Copper and Julie. Gloria was pressing tape over Copper’s already gagged mouth as Arlene tied off the last knot of Julie’s arm-and-body loops.

     “You know that you can’t get away with something like this,” said Julie as Arlene held up a cloth-wad-and-strip gag.

     The woman leader chuckled. Arlene forced the gag packing into Julie’s mouth and pulled the ties taut.

     “You should have let one of our young actresses deliver that line Mrs. Ryder,” the leader said, “though I must say you did it with a good amount of conviction for an amateur.” She turned to Jackson. “Get them to the truck.”

     Jackson extended an arm toward the truck and gave a mock-chivalrous bow.

     “This way, ladies,” he said.

     Arlene pressed the last of three pieces of tape over Julie’s gag. The helpless women shuffled in the indicated direction. Jackson and Gloria prodded Diana and Joan toward the back of the truck. Arlene stepped in front of Copper after the two starlets had passed.

     “Not that way,” she said flatly. “You two in the Jeep.”

     The two bound women climbed awkwardly into the Jeep helped by Arlene and the lean, hooded driver. Arlene sat in the rear between Copper and Julie. The strongly built man took the front seat next to the driver.

      “Okay, Jonesey,” said the man. “Let’s go.”

     The Jeep slowly swung in a U-turn. As they increased speed, Julie and Copper could see Diana and Joan sitting on the edge of the rear compartment of the truck. Gloria and Jackson were binding the women’s legs at the ankles and above the knees. The two blondes looked imploringly at their friends as they passed. A little farther away the tall man was helping the masked woman leader into the small plane.

     Copper tested the bindings, trying to move her hands in some way. It was no good. They had been tied by experts. She looked at Julie who shook her head slightly. Arlene laughed.

      “Can’t get loose, ladies? I’m not surprised. We’re pretty good at our work.” She pulled both women closer. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t give up trying, ‘cause it’ll be quite a while before anyone finds you out here. You may be able to free yourselves in a day or so. Maybe.”

     The Jeep continued toward the rocky mounds from which it had come only twenty minutes before.

     Arlene reached to either side and pinched the cheeks of both women.

     “Of course, we’re not quite done with you yet.”

     She laughed unpleasantly.