Read Online Final Turn: A story of adventure, intrigue and suspense. by maurice engler - Free Book Online

mountains looked just that way. It happened just as the sun came up and it caught Roger as he drove to the west. Coming over a crest in the road, before him the earth fell away gently as if scooped out by a giant shallow dish. Beyond, higher but still not in the light of the sun, the rumpled skin of the earth was pushed against the rocks and lay in dark, layered folds. Against the inky, purple sky, the mountains sat aglow in satiny pink, occasionally cut with lines of fire where late summer snow patches caught the ruby sun. The inside of the car turned a rosy pink as the light streamed in through the window from the sunrise behind him. This was what had kept Roger here for many years. This could not be seen in any other part of the country. A small corner of the province, a patch of high country blessed by warm winter Chinooks and the summer sun, had held his heart for the last thirty years.
    The Cu-Nim Gliding Club lay nested in a crook of the Sheep River just seven miles west of the small town of Okotoks. Twenty miles to the west stood the mountains. It was only a thirty-minute drive from the edge of the city to the airfield. Roger had picked up a young fellow who needed to be checked out in the tow planes. That was part of Roger's job as Chief Tow Pilot for the club. They would get there early while the tow planes were still free and fly for an hour or so. Sandy Sedelmann had learned to fly at Mount Royal College and now had his commercial and instrument ratings. What he needed was hours in his logbook to land a job with an airline or an oil company. Towing gliders was a good way to build up time in the air and the College had been a good source of pilots for the club.
    Sandy was about twenty-two, tall with wavy dark hair and a Mediterranean complexion. He was well tanned, had soft dark eyes and a Hollywood smile. Nothing about him supported a name like Sandy. He had an eager inquisitiveness about him and a sharp eye for what went on around him. Those were good traits for a pilot.
    "How long has this club been around?" he asked. They had both been silent since topping the crest and coming upon the splendor of the mountains as if for the first time. Roger reached to turn the radio off so they could talk. It was just into the local news broadcast and he heard something of interest. He turned the volume back up.
    The announcer was saying, "earlier this morning the police released a written statement concerning last week’s armored car hold up in the city. They report that the methods used by the hold-up men were unusual. Security guards told police that the entire armored car, with them locked inside, appears to have been lifted or hoisted onto a truck. It was then driven for some miles before the guards were during an intense thunderstorm they forced from the armored car while the robbers took the contents of the car. The guards were then forced back into the armored car and it was driven back to a point near the city. Here the armored car was pulled from the other truck. A passing motorist found the car and opened the doors to free the guards. The security company guards who were abducted stated that the windows of the armored car were blocked off during the entire episode. They were not able to see out at any time. The hold-up men communicated with them by placing signs against the front windshield with messages that could be read from the inside. Police suspect that the truck was an enclosed type that would have allowed the armored car to be transported without attracting attention. They are not releasing any further details at this time. We now return to our regular broadcasting..." Roger turned the radio off.
    "Did you hear that....", Roger said almost to himself.
    "What's that?" Sandy asked looking across at him.
    "Uh? Oh nothing. Sorry, I just wanted to hear that news item. About the Club. Yeah, it’s been around a long time. Over forty years now. Some of the original members were Germans who had learned to fly in