CHAPTER FIVE
_Westward Ho!_
"Pretty, pretty, hey, kid?" Dawson grunted, and made a sweeping gesturewith one hand.
"What is?" Freddy Farmer murmured absently. "Oh, you mean thisCalifornia scenery? Yes, it's very nice, but stop talking about it somuch, will you? You'll have me believing that you are a native of thisstate."
"No, dope!" Dave snapped. "I don't mean the scenery, though it really issomething. I mean those Flying Fortresses and Liberators, lined up overthere. Remember? This is the Los Angeles Air Forces base. We flew uphere last night from Dago. We're ferrying one of those jobs out toPearl. Or don't you remember? Oh, I get it. You're in _that_ kind of adaze, huh?"
"What do you mean, that kind of a daze?" young Farmer demanded. "I wasjust wondering if ..."
"Sure!" Dawson broke in with a chuckle. "Just what I mean. You'rewondering if there's time to slip out to Hollywood so maybe you can getDorothy Lamour's autograph, and Hedy Lamarr's, and ..."
"Rot! That's kid stuff!" Freddy snorted as his cheeks went a beet red."Of course ... well, I mean, they are both very lovely ladies, and ..."
"Okay, we'll skip it!" Dave laughed as Freddy started to stammer in hisconfusion. "We'll pretend you were wondering something else, which yourface says you weren't. What was it?"
"Definitely something else, and please go walk into one of those revvingpropellers, will you!" Freddy said hotly. "Frankly, I was wondering whythe vice-admiral sent us up here to fly an Air Forces plane out insteadof sending us over by a Navy plane. A Catalina, or a Coronada, forinstance."
"I wondered about that myself, for a while," Dave replied, as the smilefaded from his lips. "But I think I figured it out."
"All right, master mind!" young Farmer said with a patient sigh whenDawson didn't continue. "I'll be nice and polite, and ask. What did youfigure out?"
"That Jap, who hasn't been caught yet, and probably won't be," Davereplied. "He knows very well he didn't kill us, so it's a cinch hefigured that we would tell what we knew, which we did. And it's justpossible that he was in a position to keep an eye on us. So if he saw ustake off in a Navy plane bound for Pearl he would know very well that weheard about his Nazi boy friend heading that way on one of our carriers.I mean, it stands to reason that he doesn't know how much we heard. Ifhe saw us head for Pearl he'd know for sure that we heard plenty, andmaybe there is some way he can contact that Nazi. Or even better,contact that rat in Honolulu and have him clear out before the Nazishows up. In case he's spotted and trailed. See what I mean?"
"Well, you make it just about as clear as mud, but I think I followyou," young Farmer said. "So to throw off the Jap, in case he waswatching us, the vice-admiral sent us up here, as though we had beentransferred to the Air Forces, eh?"
"Go to the head of the class," Dave said with a nod. "That's just how Ifigure Vice-Admiral Carter reasoned. To ship us both north to an AirForces base may give that Jap, if he was watching us, the idea that wehadn't learned a thing."
"Well, we're here, anyway," Freddy Farmer said with a shrug. "A thoughtcomes to me, though."
"Grab it and hang onto it hard, kid," Dawson laughed. "Those things arerare as far as you're concerned, you know."
But Freddy didn't rise to that remark. He stared fixedly at the twentyor more Flying Fortresses and Liberators lined up on the far side of thehuge Los Angeles field.
"I wonder if that Nazi fighter pilot _is_ aboard one of those carriers?"he suddenly said in a low voice, as though asking himself the question.
Dawson gulped as he suddenly realized that possibility.
"Sweet tripe!" he gasped. "That _is_ a thought! Maybe, knowing that wewere listening, they decided to take the chance of his going aboard.Maybe they ... But nuts! That's crazy!"
"How so?" Freddy questioned.
"Well, look at it," Dave argued, and gestured with one hand. "That Naziwas all set as a fighter pilot aboard a Yank carrier. For him to jumpship, and not sail, would make him a marked man for sure. You don't missyour ship, and just walk into the Naval District commandant, and laughit off. You catch plenty. And in his case, if _he_ jumped ship _he_certainly wouldn't report to the Naval commandant. He'd make tracks inthe opposite direction. And his place as a spy in our forces would begone forever. No, I think he took the chance and sailed with her."
"There's one way we could find out," Freddy said. "Let's phoneVice-Admiral Carter. He can certainly find out in a minute if either ofthe carriers sailed with a fighter pilot missing. Or if one took areplacement aboard at the last minute."
"Hey, nix!" Dawson cried in alarm. "Call him and find out that a carrier_did_ sail with one fighter pilot less? And that there was no sense forus to fly to Pearl? And get recalled to Dago to go on instructing Navypilots? Are you nuts, Freddy? It may only be Pearl Harbor, but that'stwenty-four hundred miles nearer the war than we are right now! Do youwant to go back and...?"
"No, certainly not, Dave," young Farmer interrupted quietly. "But itdoesn't happen to be a matter of where we _want_ to go. It's what we can_do_ to help. If that Nazi didn't sail, then perhaps the vice-admiralwould want us to stick around to maybe identify a suspect that waspicked up later. After all ..."
"Okay, okay, you win!" Dawson groaned. "We better put it up to thevice-admiral, and find out what he has to say about it. We can phonefrom the Administration Building over there. But if he didn't sail, andwe hoof it back to Dago, just don't bother speaking to me for the nexttwenty years, will you?"
"And will you listen to the chap who just a couple of days ago was quitecontent to wait patiently for his next good break in this war!" FreddyFarmer jeered as he dropped into step.
"Yeah, but that was a couple of days ago!" Dave growled. "I'm justhoping that the chance hasn't come _and_ gone on account of your brightlittle suggestion."
"Well, I still think we should call him," Freddy said doggedly. "And sodo you, and you know it!"
"Oh, go walk a wing!" Dave mumbled. "Sure I do. And that's what burns meup!"
Forty-five minutes later Dawson and Freddy Farmer were back on theflying field, grinning from ear to ear, and walking over toward theOperations Office.
"Boy! Do I feel like a new man!" Dave said, and let out a happy sigh. "Isure was worried while that call was being put through. Not that Idon't like Dago, you understand. It's a swell town, but right now Icould do with some of the war."
"Me, too," Freddy said with a chuckle. "To tell the truth I was on pinsand needles, too. But everything is all right now. The carrier forcesailed with every fighter pilot aboard, so we're to carry on accordingto plan."
"Check, and double check," Dave echoed, and started up the steps of theOperations Office. "Pearl Harbor, here we come! I hope they give us agood crate to fly. What do you want, Freddy, a Fortress or a Liberator?"
"Either one will suit me," the English-born air ace replied. "Both arepukka airplanes. I ..."
Young Farmer stopped short as a field orderly came running up.
"Captains Dawson and Farmer?" he panted when he reached them.
"I'm Dawson," Dave said with a nod. "What's the matter, Sergeant?"
"The Naval Air Base at San Diego just called back," the non-com said."Vice Admiral Carter wants to speak with either one of you officers."
Dave scowled, and then looked wide-eyed at Freddy.
"What do you suppose now?" he murmured.
Young Farmer shrugged, but a worried look stole into his eyes.
"I haven't the faintest," he said. Then, looking at the non-com, heasked, "Can we take that call in here, or do we have to go over toAdministration?"
"I can have it transferred over here, sir," the sergeant said, andpushed open the door of the Operations Office. "Follow me, please."
A few minutes later Dave and Freddy were listening at a single receiverto Vice-Admiral Carter's voice at the other end of the wire.
"I want you two to take off just as soon as you possibly can," the Navalbase commandant told them. "Don't delay a minute longer than you haveto.
I've already spoken to the field commandant there, and he hasassured me that you don't have to wait and go with the group that'sflying over. So as soon as you hang up get busy, and get on your way.You will be met by a responsible officer when you reach yourdestination. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Dawson spoke for the two of them. And then after a splitsecond's hesitation, he added, "May I ask why, sir? I mean, hassomething unexpected happened?"
"Not exactly," the voice at the other end of the wire said. "It'ssimply that I don't want anything unexpected _to_ happen. The other onewe were hunting down here has turned up. At least it would seem that hehas. It was reported to me just ten minutes ago that one of our planeswas stolen shortly after you two took off last night."
"A plane swiped?" Dawson blurted out before he could check himself."What do you mean, sir? Who stole it?"
"Positive identification was not made," the vice-admiral replied. "Butthe guard, who was wounded, gives a description that might be our man.He was shot through the neck by a man in civilian clothes. The light wasbad, of course, and the guard didn't have the chance to get a good lookat his assailant, but he says he could be either Mexican, or Jap. And ofcourse he was Jap. _The_ Jap!"
"And you mean, sir, you think he's shadowed us up here?" Dawson asked.
"Quite probable," was the instant reply. "He could land his stolen planeany number of places up there, and not be seen, and make his way to yourfield on foot. Of course, it may not be that way at all, but we can'ttake any chances that it isn't. So get going, you two. Get your planeaway from there at once, and good luck."
"Yes, sir, and thank you, sir," Dave murmured, and hung up the receiver.
He turned his head and looked at Freddy Farmer's wide eyes, and tried tosmile, but it wasn't very much of an effort.
"Well, what do you know?" he breathed. "If it is that rat, then he's apilot, and he's catching our smoke. Gives you a funny kind of feeling,doesn't it?"
"Quite!" Freddy Farmer grunted, and ran a tongue across his lips. "Makesa chap feel like the witness of a murder, and the murderer still atlarge, and hunting you down so's you'll never be able to tell."
"Yeah, something like that," Dawson nodded with a shaky little laugh."But I wonder, though. I mean, we've been here quite a spell, and wehaven't bothered looking behind us. _If_ he's here, and has his gun,he's certainly had a lot of chances to let us both have it in the back.I wonder why not?"
"Well, stop wondering!" Freddy Farmer muttered, and got to his feet."Let's do as the vice-admiral orders, and get away from this place."
"But fast!" Dave echoed with a grim nod. "Suddenly I've had all I wantof California for a spell, anyway!"