Dave Dawson at Truk Page 7

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  _Spy Trap_

  The new dawn sun was well up over the eastern rim of the world and wasdriving the shadows of night over the western lip in a hurry when DaveDawson and Freddy Farmer sighted the flight of American patrol planes.They were Navy long-range Catalina flying boats and they were comingstraight on toward the Flying Fortress.

  "Nice!" Dawson grunted with a nod of his head. "That's something I washoping that we'd see just about now. Asleep at the switch once, maybe,but not twice. Nope, not a chance."

  "All of which sounds very interesting," Freddy Farmer murmured, andrubbed a dirty hand over his tired-looking face. "But do you mindexplaining what you mean? I'm afraid I'm a little bit too done in thismorning to bother making guesses. What about those Catboats, Dave?"

  "That they're there, and coming toward us on a beeline," Dave repliedwith a nod toward the approaching flying boats. "It means that they aresure on the alert at Pearl Harbor, these days. Obviously they picked usup on radar, and radioed those patrol planes to come out for a look atus. In other words, there'll never be a second sneak attack on theHawaiians."

  "Oh, I see," Young Farmer grunted. "Yes, I guess you're right. I fancythat ... oh-oh. Half a minute, Dave. They're on the radio. I'll handleit, if you wish."

  Dawson nodded and watched the three Catalinas move into line formation.The request for an identification signal was already sounding in hisearphones.

  "Sure, go ahead, kid," he said. "But watch your English accent. Theymight wonder, and start to get funny. And I don't want to play aroundany more. I want just to get my feet on firm, hard ground for a change."

  Freddy Farmer made a face at him, and then put his lips to the radiomike.

  "Fortress to Catalinas!" he barked. "Plane XFT, Captain Dawson incommand. Request permission to proceed to destination Four-Seven-Six.Over!"

  There was a moment of silence; then they both heard the reply.

  "Patrol to XFT! Proceed to destination. Welcome. Did you have a nicetrip? Over!"

  Freddy Farmer glanced at Dawson out the corner of his eye, and grinnedimpishly.

  "XFT to Patrol!" he called out. "A jolly fine trip, old tin of fruit.Top-hole, really, what? Really a bit of all right, I fancy, old bean!Off!"

  Young Farmer started to switch off but at that instant came sharp wordsfrom the Catalinas.

  "Patrol to XFT!" the voice crackled in their earphones. "Who is thattalking? I thought you said Captain Dawson was in command."

  Dave quickly shook his head as Freddy started to reply. He spoke intothe radio mike, instead.

  "Captain Dawson speaking, sir," he said. "And I am in command of thisaircraft. That was an English refugee who gave you our identification.Name of Captain Farmer. Sorry he hasn't been able to master the languageyet, sir. If you were to meet him, and see what he looks like, you'dunderstand."

  Laughter burst out in the earphones, and thunderheads clouded up inFreddy Farmer's eyes. He glared at Dawson, but after a moment or two hesmiled sheepishly.

  "All right, all right," he said in a resigned voice. "I should haveknown that I couldn't top you blasted Yanks in such a situation. I'llnot forget it, my lad, though. Just remember that!"

  Dawson chuckled, and made a face. Then the two of them watched the threeCatalinas swing gracefully away and go back onto their patrol course.Some twenty minutes later they picked up Diamond Head on the Island ofOahu, and shortly after that they were circling slowly over HickamField, waiting for permission to land.

  "You know, Freddy," Dave murmured as he stared down at the huge militaryaviation base, "in a way the Japs almost did us a favor by pulling thatsneak attack. Take a look down there. That's really something, now,isn't it? The very latest of everything. No long lines of planes, now,to make perfect strafing targets. Every single plane dispersed just asit should be. And look at those flak batteries, will you! Boy! Amosquito's life wouldn't be worth a thin dime around here, once thoseguns opened up."

  "Yes, the chaps are certainly ready and prepared for anything andeverything now," Freddy Farmer said softly, and let his gaze wander."But what a blasted shame they had to be caught off guard that day. Theone thing that amazes me, though, is the way you Yanks can dig in andclear up things. I declare you'd never guess, now, that such terribledamage had been done that way. It's positively amazing, really."

  "Just an old American custom, Freddy," Dave said lightly. "When wereally start to do a thing, we do it, trimmings and all. We don't kidaround. We roll up our sleeves, and ..."

  "I know, I know!" Freddy cried with a wave of his hand. "You Yanks arepositively wonderful. That is, next to the British, of course. Now,there is a people who ..."

  "And there is the signal to come on in!" Dawson interrupted. "And praiseAllah for that! But tell me about the British people again sometime,will you, pal? Say about ninety-nine years from now, huh?"

  "What a shame I haven't my usual strength this morning!" young Farmergrowled. "If I had, you'd go down by 'chute, and I'd take this thingin."

  Dave laughed, and then concentrated on circling into the wind andsliding the Flying Fortress down to a perfect landing on the stripordered by the officer in the control tower. As soon as the huge craftcame to a full stop both youths breathed deeply, and then grinned ateach other.

  "Feels good, doesn't it, Freddy, huh?" Dawson said.

  "Don't think it ever felt so good before," young Farmer agreedinstantly. "English-born I may be, but I'm afraid I'm definitely not afollower of the sea. I always feel much better when there is the groundunderneath me."

  "Well, it's there under us now, and both of us are stationary, praisebe!" Dawson said. "And between you and me, if there wasn't anybodylooking, I'd get down on my hands and knees and kiss it, I feel so goodto be here. Frankly, this flight's one that I'd like to forget in ahurry. And that's no kidding, either."

  "Definitely not!" young Farmer echoed. Then with a frown he said, "Butthat business last night still bothers me. Somehow, I just can't see howthat Japrat we met at San Diego could possibly have had anything to dowith it. Just sabotage, I think, and we happened to be the two unluckyones who took this aircraft off the L.A. base field."

  "Maybe," Dawson said with a shrug. "But until I get a better explanationI'm going to continue to pin it on that Japrat. Anyway, here we are, andthat Japrat back at Dago is a forgotten issue, as far as I'm concerned.Now it's for that dirty Nazi in a Yank Naval Aviation uniform, thestinker."

  "Quite," Freddy Farmer murmured. "And here comes the receptioncommittee, or something. Looks like they don't trust you to taxi thisthing in. The signal tower says for us to stay put. Just as well, too.You can mess up an airplane even on the ground, you know."

  Dawson had a fitting crack to that remark, but he sighed and let it gounspoken. An Air Forces jeep had come rocketing out to the FlyingFortress, and braked to a stop just under the left wing. Dave half wavedat the occupants of the jeep, three Air Forces officers and a Navycommander, and then slid out of his seat, and made his way aft to thebelly exit of the plane.

  A couple of minutes later they were facing the wide-eyed stares of thejeep's riders.

  "I'm Captain Larkin, duty officer," one of the Air Forces officers said."But, what happened to you two? You run into trouble? From here you looklike you bumped into the whole Jap air force."

  "We had a little trouble," Dawson said with a grin. "But ..."

  That's as far as he got. The Navy commander gave a sharp shake of hishead, and stepped forward.

  "Sorry, Captain Larkin," he said with a pleasant smile, "but these twoare to report to Vice-Admiral Stone at once. Any report is to be madeto him."

  Captain Larkin frowned, then shrugged and returned the other's smile.

  "Yes, of course, Commander," he said. "I understand. But ... well, letit go. Welcome to Hickam, you two. If you get the chance, drop back overhere and tell us what's new on the mainland, eh?"

  "We'll do that, if we get the chance," Dawson assured him.

  "Oh, quite," Freddy
Farmer murmured.

  And then the Navy commander took charge of them. He introduced himselfas Commander Drake, and he talked pleasantly of everything save theirflight to Oahu as he led them off the field and over to a waiting Navycar, with a rating at the wheel.

  "Sorry to choke things off that way," he said as they climbed in. "Butthe vice-admiral's orders were that you were to talk to no one. Not evento me. So we'll get going, and then you can report all to thevice-admiral. And from the looks of you, I hope he permits me to remainand hear it."

  "Where is the vice-admiral, sir?" Dawson asked as the Navy rating behindthe wheel shifted the car into gear, and got it rolling.

  "The Kaneohe Naval Air Station on Mokapu Point," the commander replied."It's a few miles, but one of the prettiest drives on the Island. You'llsee some of the real Hawaiian scenery."

  They did. But reaction was catching up with Dave Dawson and FreddyFarmer. And fatigue, too. And so they were really too worn out fromtheir harrowing experiences of the night to be able to pay properattention to the gorgeous scenery that rolled by on either side of thecar. As a matter of fact, Freddy Farmer fell sound asleep twice. AndDawson caught his own eyelids sagging a few times. Obviously CommanderDrake noticed these signs, because when they rolled through the gatesthat opened onto the Kaneohe Naval Air Station, he ordered the rating atthe wheel to drive them to his own quarters, instead of to thecommandant's office.

  And when they reached the commander's quarters they were treated to thatspecial brand of thoughtfulness and courtesy for which the U.S. Navy isso famous. Commander Drake played the magician in the fullest meaning ofthe word. He produced warm baths for the two dead tired pilots, cleanfresh uniforms for both of them, a pharmacist's mate to check theirburns and fix them up, and last but not least as far as Freddy Farmerwas concerned, a breakfast such as you probably wouldn't get even in theWhite House. And not once did he bother them with questions, or even actas though he couldn't keep his tongue still any longer. In short, by thetime the Navy officer took them over to meet the station commandant hehad made himself their friend for life, and they both felt as thoughthey had just got up from a perfect night's sleep, instead of havingjust completed a nerve-racking twenty-four hundred and two mile flight.

  "If you don't mind my saying so, sir," Dawson said as he breathed deepof the invigorating Hawaiian air, "you're a miracle man, if I ever metone. I was dreading trying to keep awake while I made my report to thevice-admiral, but now I feel like a million dollars. And not a centunder it."

  "Quite, sir!" Freddy Farmer echoed instantly. "I only hope that some dayDawson and I will have the opportunity to do the same for you."

  "Well, thanks, but I hope not," Commander Drake said with his pleasantlaugh. "Of course, I'd love to be your guests at your air base someday. But definitely not in the condition you two were in. You sure gaveme a start when you climbed down out of that Fortress. You gave all ofus a start for that matter."

  Dawson grinned, and then his grin faded as memory started to return.

  "Well, it was sure one of the happiest landings I ever made, I can tellyou that, sir," he said soberly.

  "Amen," Freddy Farmer echoed just as soberly.

  That ended the conversation between them, for they had reachedVice-Admiral Stone's office, and the station commandant had risen frombehind his huge desk and was smiling his greeting while at the same timefaint puzzlement played about in his steel blue eyes.

  "Glad to meet you, Captains Dawson and Farmer," he said, and shook handswith them both. "Be seated, please. No, Commander, don't leave. I thinkyou'd better listen in on this. You had some trouble, Captains?"

  As the station commandant spoke the last he glanced down at the hands ofthe two air aces, and the strips of surgeon's plaster that showed whiteagainst the sun- and wind-bronzed skin.

  "A little trouble, sir, yes," Dawson answered for both of them. Then,lifting his hands a little, "But luckily we came through it with no morethan these, and a pretty ticklish few minutes."

  "I'm glad of that," the vice-admiral replied. Then as he seated himselfat the desk, he said, "But we'd better keep things in order. Naturally,I know something of what happened. I mean, over on the mainland.Vice-Admiral Carter radioed me in code. It would be better, though, foryou two to tell it to me in your own words. Begin right at thebeginning, and don't leave out anything, if you can possibly help it."

  Twenty minutes later Vice-Admiral Stone and Commander Drake knew as muchof what had happened as Dawson and Farmer knew themselves. Silencesettled over the room, and all four frowned deep in thought.

  "There's a question I'd like to ask, sir," Freddy Farmer spoke up."Something that's been bothering me. Probably unimportant, but ... well,I'd like to ask it, if you don't mind, sir?"

  "Of course I don't," came the instant reply. "Go right ahead, CaptainFarmer. What is the question?"

  "The business during the flight across, sir," the English-born air acesaid. "Do you...? I mean, do you think it was just accidental sabotage?That is, as far as Dawson and I are concerned? Or do you really thinkthat that Jap followed us north and was instrumental in having thosetime fire bombs put in the mail sacks?"

  The frown that already knitted the vice-admiral's brows deepened and hedid not answer for a moment or two.

  "We will probably never learn one way or the other, Captain Farmer," hefinally said slowly. "But my personal feeling is that the Jap is, orwas, the skunk in the woodpile. The longer this war goes on the moreamazed I become at the fiendish, devilish ingenuity of the Japs, oncethey put their minds to it. In countless things they are unquestionablythe stupidest people on the face of the earth. But for devilish tricksthat have to do with torture, maiming, and ruthless slaughter, they arethe world's best. They could give lessons to the Nazi Gestapo and SecretService any time. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised ifthe Nazi cunning in the matter of booby traps actually originated inTokyo. So I'd say, yes, Captain Farmer. I'd say that mail sack businesswas definitely linked to that Jap spy."

  "Thank you, sir, for your opinion," Freddy Farmer said with a smile.Then he added in a brittle voice, "I sincerely hope that I meet up withthat blighter again. Under more favorable circumstances, of course."

  "And I hope you do," the vice-admiral said with a grave nod. "But thereis something you must keep in mind every minute of the time until yourspecial mission is accomplished. It's that that spy is but one of many.Bluntly, you two are marked men. I don't mean to alarm youunnecessarily, but you both bumped into something that is of vitalimportance to the Japanese command in the western Pacific. You _know_that there is a dangerous Nazi spy, serving as a fighter pilot aboardone of our newest and most powerful carriers. We must accept theundoubted fact that the Jap at Dago, and that Nazi, now at sea, believeyou two heard much of their conversation there in that shack. That theNazi was not arrested when he went aboard his ship simply proved to themthat you did not know his name. But remember this! The Jap in questionobviously followed you to the Los Angeles base. Maybe he did put thosetime fire bombs in the mail sacks, hoping that you both would lose yourlives en route to Hawaii. And maybe he didn't. But either way it doesn'tmake much difference. I mean, we have got to assume that the Jap knewyou were heading for Hawaii, and why! In short, to identify this Naziwhen his carrier arrives."

  "But why does that make us marked men, now that we are here, and notback on the mainland, sir?" Freddy Farmer asked with a frown.

  "I think I can answer that, Freddy," Dave Dawson spoke up with anapologetic glance at the senior naval officer. "Because of whatVice-Admiral Stone just told us. That our little Japrat is not the onlyJap around. He may have spies of his own right here in the Hawaiians.And there's such a thing as short-wave radio, you know. To play itsafe ... I mean, in case we did reach Hawaii, which we have, he mightradio one of his pals to do what he wasn't able to do. And to do itbefore that Nazi carrier put in to Pearl. Isn't that what you had inmind, sir?"

  "That is it, exactly, Captain Dawson," the vice-admiral said,
giving hima nod of approval. "You two, and you two alone, can block this thing. Sountil the force puts into port, which will be the day after tomorrow,you are marked men. At least we have got to assume that such is thecase, until we know better. And that brings us up to the matter of thecarrier force arriving, and you identifying this Nazi for us ... if youcan."

  The senior officer paused and stared at them both a little hopefully.Dawson grinned and nodded.

  "We'll spot him, sir," he said with all the assurance in the world inhis voice. "We didn't get much of a look at him, and nothing that we sawof him stood out in a noticeable sort of way. But I know very well, sir,that I'll recognize him when I see him again."

  "And so will I, sir," Freddy Farmer echoed with a confident nod. "It'sjust one of those things that a chap can't put into words. I mean, Icouldn't for the life of me tell you _why_ I'll be able to recognizehim, but I know that I will."

  "Well, you'll both certainly get all the chance in the world to do justthat," Vice-Admiral Stone said.

  "And it will be a happy moment when we see your men take him in charge,sir," Dawson said grimly. "I'll er--no, sir?"

  Dave stumbled, and mumbled the last as he saw the station commandantshake his head.

  "No, we're not going to do it that way," the Navy officer said. "Oh,we'll grab him in time, but not the very next moment after you pointhim out to us. You're forgetting that address over in Honolulu, whateverit is. You will point him out to us, but in such a way that he'll neversuspect. We plan to let him leave ship unmolested. It is our plan totrail him to his destination, and ... well, the rest is obvious, isn'tit? We'll catch the lot of them. Instead of catching just one Nazi spy,we'll clean out an entire nest of them that is still causing us concernhere on Oahu, almost three years after Pearl Harbor."

  As Vice-Admiral Stone spoke the last he glanced over at Commander Drake,and nodded. The junior officer returned the nod.

  "Let us hope so, sir," he said quietly, but with a certain grimness inhis voice. "Nothing I'd like better than to smoke them out into theopen."

  Vice-Admiral Stone saw the questioning looks that came to Dawson's andFarmer's faces, and he hastened to explain.

  "Commander Drake is chief of Naval Aviation Intelligence, here on Oahu,"he said. "During the last few months a couple of things have happenedthat shouldn't have happened. Sabotage, missing papers of importance,and that sort of thing. The commander has been in charge of breakingthe thing, and has made some arrests. Japs every time. Born and raisedhere in the Islands, but still Japs. Didn't do any good, though. Everyone of them killed himself rather than talk and save his life. Theyactually killed each other. A suicide pact. I'll spare you the gorydetails. All we were able to learn was that the root of the wholebusiness, the main nest, is somewhere in Honolulu. But Honolulu is afairly big place. So, naturally, we are hoping that your lead will takeus straight to that spot, and make it possible for us to wipe out themenace once and for all."

  "I see, sir," Dawson said after a moment's silence hung over the room."But you spoke of pointing him out so's he wouldn't suspect. Just how,sir? He probably got a look at us, at the time that Jap was scared offbefore he could finish us. So when he sees us come aboard his carrier,whichever one it is, he'll know us instantly. I mean, even if no move ismade toward him, he'll certainly know _why_ we are there. And later he'sbound to guess that we pointed him out so that he could be followed. Oram I getting this all mixed up?"

  "No, you make your point clear enough," the vice-admiral said with asmile. "But we're not going to advertise it as much as that. You twowill see him, I hope. But he certainly won't see you. I've got all thatarranged, so don't worry. You'll get a good look at every fighter pilotin the three-carrier force, but not one of them will even know thateither of you are aboard. Just leave that part to me, and don't worry.I'll explain my little plan later. Right now, I guess we've talkedthings over enough for the first meeting. You two could do with somerest and relaxation. So I'll say again that I'm very pleased to meetyou, and express my sincere hope that we can clean up all this verydirty business within the next seventy-two hours. Meantime, I'm turningyou over to Commander Drake. He'll act as the Navy's official hostduring your stay here on the Islands."

  The vice-admiral stood up, and smiled. The other three stood up,saluted, and then went outside.

  "Well, what will it be first, Captains?" Commander Drake asked when theyreached the golden sunshine. "Feel like a sight-seeing tour about theStation, a little nap, or what?"

  "Those eggs we had for breakfast, sir," Freddy Farmer said with asheepish smile. "The way they were cooked. I've never tasted anything sodelicious. I ..."

  Dave Dawson groaned aloud and shook his head sadly.

  "Here we go again, Commander," he said. "You might just as well get usedto it. There are perpetually three things that Farmer always wants to domost. One is eat, two is to eat some more. And three is to eat again.It's a habit that will never be broken, I'm afraid. So we might just aswell humor him, or we'll have a terrible grouch for company."

  "Rubbish!" Freddy Farmer snapped angrily. But just the same, he lookedhopefully at Commander Drake. And then grinned broadly when the Navalofficer nodded, and started leading the way over to his quarters.