Excerpt
From Chapter Seven:

Alfie hooked up with Corky Carter, a thin, wiry man with short dark hair—he could have been a trapeze artist. Corky was an airman in the RAF reserve.

Tonight, he wore civilian clothes, another ugly Christmas sweater featuring Father Christmas. He had just gotten back from a flight delivering relief supplies to Karykistan. And he had some things to say to Alfie after downing his pint.

“It was a peculiar flight,” Corky said. “Orders had been changed at the last minute at Churchill Airfield. Two officers on the manifest were inexplicably replaced. One by this blond army colonel with a mustache. He kissed our pilot as he went on board.”

“Are they gay?” Alfie smirked.

“Hardly,” said Corky. “The pilot’s a pretty redhead bird...and this colonel…he seemed to do all right with the ladies.”

“Interesting.” Alfie continued, “But any news about the Duke’s son, Commander Barrett?”

“You’ll find this most interesting,” said Corky. “The other officer was Commander Barrett. And he had a blooming black eye like he’d been in a row.”

“Did the Commander return home with you?” Alfie asked.

“No,” said Corky. “Neither did his colonel friend.”

“At least there’s a sign of life.” Jane turned to Alfie. “The Duchess will be glad to know that.”

Alfie pressed on with Corky. “If the Commander was sent to Karykistan, why doesn’t his CO know about it?”

“Why do you ask that?” asked Corky.

Then Jane explained Captain Whitlock’s visit. “The Captain sure wanted to know if the Duke knew where his son was. It seems the Commander had gone missing.”

“Or he wanted the Duke to think that.” Corky grimaced. “As far as I know, the Commander’s still in Karykistan. That’s all I can tell you.”

“You have mates serving there, right?” asked Alfie. “Could you do this old mate of yours a favor and see if they know anything more about the Commander?”

Corky grinned. “I can make some inquiries...for a price.”

“We’re tight on cash with this recession and all,” said Alfie.

“And we haven’t been paid in months,” Jane said. “Except what we make on the side...and as you see, it’s spent on ale.”

“What else do you got?” asked Corky.

“What about a fruitcake?” Alfie offered. “Jane makes a fruitcake to die for.”

“It’s a deal." Corky smiled, and they shook on it. “It’s one of the few fruitcakes I actually enjoy eating instead of tossing in the rubbish bin.”

“Great.” Jane made a face at Alfie. “Now I do more baking.”

“But you enjoy it.” Alfie flashed a smile. “At least we have a lead on the Duke’s son.”

“YUFOS meeting starts after Cosmic Chronicles,” said Corky to his mates as the next show was about to begin.

The club now focused on Cosmic Chronicles, which chronicled the strange, the spooky, the sensational, the unexplained, and the unknown.

“Remind me how this helps find Burt?” asked Jane.

“Watch the master at work.” Alfie cracked his knuckles. “Before this meeting is over, many of my mates will volunteer to look for clues as to what happened to poor old Burt.”

“This I got to see.” Jane adjusted her ears as spooky background music of tonight’s show began.