ld at Cheyenne and Jane, still weak
from her sudden illness, wondered what he had learned.

Chapter Eighteen

Sue Plays Detective

Jane, who had been the most seriously ill of those aboard the _Coast to
Coast Limited_, was in the Omaha hospital three days. She was far from
well when she boarded a westbound plane for the inquiry at Cheyenne.
The incident had brought unfavorable publicity to the line, and the
personnel director was determined to get at the bottom of it.

The investigation was held in the administration building of the
Cheyenne airport. In addition to Mr. Speidel, Miss Comstock was there,
the pilots who had been on the plane, and Sue.

Jane was questioned first.

"Did you prepare the food which was placed aboard the plane that day?"
the personnel chief asked her.

"Not all of it," she replied. "The salad was supplied by the caterer,
but I made the sandwiches and prepared the iced tea."

"Did anyone else touch the food?"

"Not that I know of."

"Was anyone else in the commissary while you were working?" continued
the personnel director.

Jane was about to reply that she was alone when she remembered that
Mattie had been there.

"Mattie Clark was there," she said, wondering just what Mr. Speidel was
attempting to learn from her.

"You know what caused the illness aboard the plane?" he went on.

"It was a strong irritant of some kind," she replied, "but I wasn't
told at the hospital just what it was."

The personnel director switched to another track.

"You wouldn't have had any reason to place anything in the food, would
you?"

Jane's face flushed, and it was a struggle to keep from showing her
intense anger, but she finally managed to reply "no," in a calm voice.

"Do you know anyone who would do it as a grudge against you?"

"That question is hardly fair," retorted Jane. "If I mention any names
I might unjustly throw suspicion on someone who is not guilty."

Through her mind, though, raced thoughts of Mattie and her promise of
revenge. Mattie had been alone in the commissary long enough to dope
the sandwiches or the salad, and she was capable of stooping to such a
low trick. No matter what happened, as a result of the investigation,
Jane resolved to see Mattie and have a talk with her.

"What do you know about this, Miss Comstock?" asked the personnel
director, turning to the chief of the stewardess service.

"Very little, but I am sure that Miss Cameron is being treated