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  DAVE DAWSON AT CASABLANCA

  BOOKS BY R. SIDNEY BOWEN

  DAVE DAWSON AT DUNKIRK

  DAVE DAWSON WITH THE R. A. F.

  DAVE DAWSON IN LIBYA

  DAVE DAWSON ON CONVOY PATROL

  DAVE DAWSON AT SINGAPORE

  DAVE DAWSON WITH THE PACIFIC FLEET

  DAVE DAWSON WITH THE AIR CORPS

  DAVE DAWSON ON THE RUSSIAN FRONT

  DAVE DAWSON FLIGHT LIEUTENANT

  DAVE DAWSON WITH THE COMMANDOS

  DAVE DAWSON WITH THE FLYING TIGERS

  DAVE DAWSON ON GUADALCANAL

  DAVE DAWSON AT CASABLANCA

  _by_ R. SIDNEY BOWEN

  THE WAR ADVENTURE SERIES

  CROWN PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

  COPYRIGHT 1944 BY CROWN PUBLISHERS

  _All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form._

  Printed in the United States of America

  DEDICATED TO JOHNNY BOGARDUS

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I THE MAN IN GRAY 13

  II JUST IN CASE 23

  III SILENT LIPS 37

  IV ORDERS FOR EAGLES 46

  V WHISPERING DEATH 58

  VI CHANGED ORDERS 76

  VII BLACKOUT 90

  VIII EAGLES CAN TAKE IT 103

  IX DEATH STRIKES 112

  X INVISIBLE EYES 125

  XI MIDNIGHT RAIDER 138

  XII FIGHTING HEARTS 149

  XIII LURKING WINGS 163

  XIV GOERING'S SNOOPERS 179

  XV DEATH TAKES WINGS 194

  XVI BLAZING DOOM 207

  XVII VULTURES' NEST 224

  XVIII EAGLES COME THROUGH 236

  DAVE DAWSON AT CASABLANCA

  CHAPTER ONE

  _The Man in Gray_

  The four-faced clock over the information booth on the Upper Level ofthe Grand Central Station in New York City showed exactly twenty-fiveminutes after three. Dave Dawson paused in his restless pacing up anddown to look at it for the hundredth time in the last half hour. Heglared at it, sighed heavily, and made noises deep in his throat.

  "Where is that Freddy Farmer guy, anyway?" he grated to himself. "Forhalf an hour I've been pounding shoe leather here waiting for him.Darned if he isn't worse than a woman, not being at a place on time. Buthe's probably lost. And if he is, he can stay lost for all I care."

  With a sharp nod for emphasis, he walked over to the newsstand andbought a bar of candy. The Union News lad back of the counter glanced atthe row of decoration ribbons under Dawson's wings, and gave him a smileand the kind of look that said he'd like to hear about some of Dawson'sexperiences. Dave ignored the look, however, and turned away. He didn'twant to talk about the war. In fact, he didn't even want to think aboutit. Freddy and he were enjoying a much-deserved leave, and they stillhad four days to go. And until those four days had come and gone, thewar could be on another world as far as he was concerned. Right! Theheck with it for four more days!

  For the hundred-and-first time Dawson looked at the information-boothclock. The hands said twenty-seven minutes of four now, and Dave madenoises in his throat once again. He pulled two hockey-game tickets outof his tunic pocket and looked at them.

  "For two cents I'd leave him flat and get somebody else to go with me!"he muttered. "I should have drawn the bum a map so he could use it toget over here from Times Square. He--"

  He let the rest trail off as he saw Freddy Farmer hurrying toward himfrom the direction of the IRT shuttle train to Times Square. He fixedthe English-born air ace with a disgusted eye and watched him approach.Freddy came up to him all smiles and slightly flushed.

  "Waiting for somebody, old thing?" he greeted Dave.

  "No!" Dawson snapped. "And my mother taught me never to speak tostrangers. So scram, before I call a cop."

  "Speaking of your New York cops," Freddy Farmer chuckled, "I wouldn't behere now, if it hadn't been for a bobby in the Bronx."

  "Bronx?" Dawson exploded. "What the heck were you doing up there? Thismorning you said you were going to hear Benny Goodman's band over at theParamount Theatre."

  "And so I did," Freddy replied with a nod. "And it was absolutelytopping. But--"

  "Topping, he says!" Dawson snorted. "You should show your passport whenyou use words like that. You mean keen, or in the groove, or on thebeam, or strictly the nuts. But what about the Bronx? Did Goodman lead aparade?"

  "If you'll be so kind as to shut that big mouth of yours, I'llexplain!" Freddy snapped. "After the show I had something to eat, and--"

  "As if I couldn't guess _that_!" Dawson grunted. "And so?"

  "And so when I came out of the restaurant it was snowing," the Englishyouth said. "And--"

  "Snowing, in _January_?" Dawson mock-gasped and widened his eyes. "Well,what do you know about that? So you just stood there and watched itsnowing in January, of all times, while I cooled my heels here waitingfor you!"

  "Do you want to listen, or would you rather give that tongue of yoursexercise?" Freddy Farmer bit off.

  "Okay, okay, but make it good!" Dawson sighed. "I've got two tickets forthe Ranger-Chicago Hawks hockey game tonight. Make your story good, orsomebody else goes with me!"

  "What?" Freddy cried. "You've got--Good grief! Now we've got four!"

  "Four what?" Dawson demanded. "Or am I supposed to guess?"

  "Four tickets to the hockey game," Freddy Farmer said, and produced twofrom his own pocket. "I couldn't remember who was to get the tickets. Soafter I came out of the restaurant, I walked up to Madison SquareGarden and got two tickets just to be sure. And--What's the matter,Dave? You suddenly sick, or something?"

  The last was because Dawson had made a face, groaned, and clapped onehand to his forehead. With the other he reached out and grabbed Freddy'shand that held the hockey-game tickets, and jerked it up until thetickets were about an inch from the end of the English youth's nose.

  "Boy, are you something!" he groaned. "Take a look, Bright Eyes! Take agood look! You went to the wrong window. Those tickets are for theRanger-Boston Bruin game next Wednesday!"

  "Oh, good grief, no!" Freddy cried. "I didn't know there was any specialwindow. I just went to one and asked the chap for two good tickets tothe next game. And he gave me these. I'll take t
hem back and--"

  "No, you won't, sweetheart!" Dawson interrupted, and shook his head."You'll just be out that dough, and maybe it will teach you to use yourhead next time. We'll give the tickets to the first two soldiers wemeet. But let's get back to the Bronx. Did the ticket fellow send youup there?"

  "No, it was one of your blasted tube trains!" Freddy Farmer growled. "Iasked the chap what tube I should take to get to Grand Central. Hedidn't understand me until I remembered that you call the _tube_ thesubway. So--"

  "You mean you English guys call the _subway_ the tube," Dawson cut inagain. "How many times have I got to tell you that when in Rome shootRoman candles! So you went to the subway, and--? Now what?"

  Freddy Farmer didn't reply. He stood staring at something behind Dawson.Dave turned impulsively, but all he saw was a lot of people hurryingtoward their respective destinations. He turned back and looked atFreddy.

  "Okay, come up for air!" he growled. "What's eating you, anyway?"

  "That chap over there by the ticket window," the English-born air acefinally said. "The chap in gray. I've seen him half-a-dozen timestoday."

  "So what?" Dawson grunted. "It's a free country and a small world. Whatof it?"

  "Nothing, except that the first time was in the lobby of the hotel asyou and I were leaving," Freddy said. "And the next time he was threeseats away from me in the Paramount. And the next time was in therestaurant; then at Madison Square Garden; and up in the Bronx, too."

  "No kidding?" Dawson echoed, half expecting his pal to pull some kind ofa gag.

  "No kidding at all," Freddy replied promptly. "I'm certain that the chaphas been following me around."

  "Could be," Dawson murmured, and casually turned around so that he couldget a look at the man in gray. "Frankly, though, you _do_ look like aguy with itchy fingers, and we've got a lot of expensive things in thistown. He's probably a plain-clothes detective from Police Headquarters."

  "Then I'm definitely in a mess now!" Freddy Farmer snapped right back athim. "I'm sure it's a crime in any country to be caught talking to thelikes of you! See him, Dave?"

  "Yeah," Dawson grunted, turning back. "A nice-looking guy. And he didn'tget that overcoat with cigarette coupons. We'll check up in a couple ofminutes and see if he continues to trail you. Right now, though, I canhardly wait. What about the Bronx, anyway?"

  "I took the wrong tube train, that's all," Freddy said. "And I wentright to the end of the line, which was in the Bronx, but not a singlestation said Grand Central. I got off and asked a bobby how to getthere. He was a very fine chap, and straightened me out. But, goodgrief, I've certainly seen a lot of New York today!"

  "Well, don't ever take a subway to Brooklyn!" Dawson advised. "Youwouldn't be back for a week. What shall we do now? Where'll we go, Imean. Want to take a subway ride?"

  "Deliver me!" Freddy Farmer groaned. "Definitely, no! Personally, I'mhungry. Let's go find a nice restaurant and fuel up, what?"

  "Okay," Dawson sighed. "I suppose you've got to have a nine-course snackto keep you from fainting until supper. Okay. But let's go to the diningroom in the Biltmore Hotel next door. If your friend in gray follows youthere, we'll know he's up to something. Ten to one, though, you've beenhaving a pipe dream."

  "Perhaps," Freddy Farmer admitted as he dropped into step with Dawson."But that's definitely the same chap I've been seeing all day long. Iwonder why the blighter _is_ following me around? No, no, my little man!Just keep your opinion to yourself. I--I say, wait a minute, Dave!"

  Freddy Farmer left Dawson's side and went over to two Yank soldiers whowere obviously going no place, but just taking in the sights. Theysaluted him as he came up and stopped in front of them.

  "I say, you two on leave, what?" he asked with a grin.

  "Yes, sir," they replied together, and gave him a funny look.

  "Will you be in town come next Wednesday?" Freddy asked again.

  "Yes, sir," they replied in the same breath.

  "Good!" Freddy beamed, and held out the hockey tickets. "Use these, ifyou like. And half a minute! Here, buy yourselves some little thing,what? And good luck."

  Freddy Farmer added two one-dollar bills to the hockey tickets andwalked away. The two soldiers gaped down at the two tickets and the twodollars.

  "What's the matter with that guy; is he touched?" one of them mumbled."And did you hear him, Fuzzy? He didn't even speak English!"

  "Who cares?" Fuzzy asked as he came out of his trance. "Twofour-buck-forty hockey tickets, and two bucks in cash! Who cares if theguy is touched? He's okay by me!"

  "Well, well!" Dawson chuckled when Freddy joined him. "Darned if the kiddidn't at that! And even let go of two bucks."

  "All I had on me," Freddy said with a smile. "So that makes you the oneto pay for our meal, see?"

  "Oh, yeah?" Dawson jeered. "Well, don't look right now, but standing inyour shoes is a guy who's heading for a lot of dish washing in theBiltmore kitchen!"