CHAPTER THIRTEEN
_All Or Nothing_
Commander Drake, of U.S. Navy Intelligence, took off his cap and ranfingers through his hair, and gave a little shake of his head. He hadjust completed a minute inspection of the house where Dave Dawson andFreddy Farmer had been held prisoner, and now he stood with the two ofthem in the very prison room. The sergeant, who it seemed was namedRyan, and a whole squad of troops were standing guard on the building.The two still cringing brown men, who Commander Drake guessed wereKoreans, were in the sergeant's custody. And the street out in front wasnow packed with the curious who had been drawn like flies to the scene.And incidentally, the bodies of Yammanato and Kato had been carted awayfrom the public view.
"It's still like somebody telling me a crazy dream he had!" CommanderDrake gasped, and jammed his cap back on his head. "I can still hardlybelieve it!"
"Well, it was real enough, sir," Dawson said with a grin. "There are acouple of witnesses right here to back up that statement. But as the oldsaying goes, truth is lots of times stranger than fiction."
"You're telling me!" Commander Drake said, and made a gesture with onehand that included the entire house. "This nest of the little yellowrats right here under my very eyes all this time. And it took you two tosmoke them out. And I don't mean that as a pun. Why, heaven knows howmuch information they've collected in this very house, and then slippedout of the Islands to be used against us. Why, that radio down in thebasement is just about as powerful as the naval radio at Kaneohe."
"I sure wish that Yammanato hadn't gone yellow and taken his life,"Dawson said grimly. "That's why I shot him in the hip. To save him foryou, I hoped."
"Well, don't let it make you feel too bad," Commander Drake said with ashake of his head. "There's one thing about a Jap, and I suppose weshould give him some credit for it. I mean, when he doesn't want totalk there's nothing in the world that can make him talk. When you shothim he knew that he had failed, and would be in disgrace as long as helived. So the only thing left for him to do was to take his life.Yammanato, he called himself, eh? Well, I'll bet a small sum of moneythat I won't find him listed under that name, or even listed as livinghere, when I look him up. Dawson, and you too, Farmer, do you realizewhat you've done for me? Why you've accomplished in a day what I haven'tbeen able to do since the time of Pearl Harbor. Why, what there is herein this house may prove to be of inestimable value to the Navy, and tothe Army, too. Those files in that room downstairs may have every Japspy this side of Tokyo listed."
"I hope so, sir," Dawson murmured as he stared up at the smoke-smudgedskylight. "But as far as I'm concerned it's a failure. Farmer and Imissed the boat. And that is exactly what I mean."
"Quite," Freddy Farmer echoed gloomily. "If we hadn't been so utterlystupid as to let ourselves get captured that night, we might haveidentified that Nazi who is aboard one of the carriers. He might evenhave led us here, and the whole thing would have been cleared up verynicely. As Dawson says, it's a blasted failure for me, too. Good heaven!Just think of what may happen to that carrier force. You say you didn'tgain an inkling of his identity, sir? Not one of the fighter pilotsaboard the three carriers made any suspicious moves."
Commander Drake didn't reply for a moment or two. He frowned, pursed hislips, and balled one clenched fist into the palm of the other hand. Thenhe sighed, and shook his head.
"Not one blessed thing," he said sadly. "When you two seemed to havedisappeared from the face of the Islands, I took the job in hand andpersonally checked every fighter pilot aboard. Not to anyone's knowledgeaboard, of course. And I had what men I could spare check on fighterpilots' moves ashore for the day they were in port. Of course I didn'thave enough men to assign one to each fighter pilot, but I doubt if Iwould have been any more successful.
"But the force sailed!" Dawson said with a groan. "Why? Couldn't youhave got Vice-Admiral Stone to delay sailing? Or couldn't you have takenevery fighter pilot off the carriers, and replaced them with others? Imean ... well, wasn't there _something_ that could have been done,sir?"
Commander Drake shook his head, and sighed again.
"No," he said quietly. "The mission that force is on now has beenplanned for months. To hold it up would upset our entire plan of war inthe Pacific. The carrier force simply had to sail on schedule. Therewasn't anything else we could do but take the chance that that Nazi spywon't be able to get away with whatever he plans to accomplish."
"But why won't he, sir?" Freddy Farmer protested. "Nobody knows who heis!"
The Naval Intelligence officer gestured with his two hands, palmsupward.
"You're right, nobody does, Farmer," he said. "But all the fightersquadron and division commanders were called before Vice-Admiral Stonebefore the force sailed. They were told the whole story and ordered tokeep an eye on their pilots at all times. Because of one rat in theirmidst all the others have got to suffer for it. But that's the way itis. Also, certain other officers aboard the carriers were told thestory, and they will keep a strict watch of the deck beginning withsundown. And another precaution has been taken, also. It's probably theone that will get us the best results, if there are to be any results."
"And what precaution is that, sir?" Dawson asked as the commander pausedfor breath.
The Naval Intelligence officer permitted a faint smile to light up hisgrave face for a moment.
"That was my contribution to the affair," he said. "A part of thedestroyer escort will sail the same course but exactly four hours behindthe carriers. You heard that Jap in San Diego tell the Nazi that theflares will burst into light some three to four hours after they havebeen in the water. Well, the destroyers will steam four hours behind thecarriers, so their look-outs should certainly spot any flares, if thereare any about."
"My compliments, sir," Dawson said with a smile. "That was a very goodsuggestion. It should work. And if you must know, it makes me feel alittle better about the safety of that carrier force. But now I'd liketo make a suggestion to you, sir, if you don't mind? Or to be exact,it's a request. Something I'd like to ask you to do."
The commander nodded and waved one hand.
"Then go ahead and ask it by all means, Dawson," he said. "What is it,anyway?"
Dawson hesitated a moment while a faint frown played across his brows.
"I feel a little better about the safety of the carrier force, sir," hesaid presently. "But I still feel that Farmer and I have failed in whatwe set out to do. So if you could arrange it, Commander, I'd like to askyou to arrange for us to see Vice-Admiral Stone. And as soon aspossible, too, sir."
"That's just about the easiest thing for me to do, Dawson," the Navyofficer said with a grin. "I got in touch with the vice-admiral fifteenminutes after your phone call brought me here on the run. I gave himmost of the picture then, and he was very pleased. Naturally he'll wantto congratulate you. I'll drive you to the Kaneohe Naval Air Base rightaway. That is, just as soon as I leave some instructions for the guardsdownstairs. I've a car right outside."
"Thank you, sir," Dave told him. "I'd be very grateful if you'd be kindenough to do that."
"Wait right here and consider it done," Commander Drake said, and movedtoward the door. "I won't be five minutes."
"Now what, Dave?" Freddy Farmer asked as the Naval officer disappeared."I certainly don't feel like seeing Vice-Admiral Stone. At least notright away. Even in spite of the luck we had in this Yammanato business,I couldn't look the vice-admiral in the eye and not feel that we hadn'tlet him down something frightful. And that's to say nothing of how welet down the officers and men in that carrier force."
"Yeah, I know what you mean, Freddy," Dawson said with a nod. "And Ifeel pretty much the same way. But I'm willing to face the look in thevice-admiral's eye if I can only get him to let us carry on with theunfinished business."
For a brief instant young Farmer stared at him as though he wereslightly crazy.
"Unfinished business, Dave?" the English-born air ace presently gasped."You mean that Nazi spy?"
r />
"Certainly," Dave said. "What did you think I meant? As long as that guyand I are alive in the same world I'll not have a moment's peace ofmind. Sure I meant him. And I still want to show him up for the sneakingskunk he is, hiding in a U.S. Navy uniform!"
"Well, naturally I want to do the same thing," young Farmer saidquickly. "But I don't think I quite follow you. How in the world do youfigure you can reach him? The carrier force is almost three days outfrom Pearl Harbor now."
Dawson opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment Commander Drakecame back up the stairs.
"Let it ride, Freddy," he said in a low voice. "You'll hear me explainit to the vice-admiral. And maybe it would be bad luck if I spoke aboutit first to anybody else. Just cross your fingers and hope."
"I'll do both of those things, right enough," young Farmer replied. "Butyou had better make it pretty good, what you're going to say to thevice-admiral. He may be pleasant enough to us, but I fancy he won't fallall over himself with joy at seeing us again."
"Just do what I said!" Dave growled as he moved toward the door. "Justkeep your fingers crossed, and hope, that's all."
A short time later Commander Drake ushered Dawson and Freddy Farmer intoVice-Admiral Stone's quarters. The base commandant seemed genuinelypleased to see them. In fact, he said so, and congratulated them on theYammanato business.
"Commander Drake told me over the phone that there is enough stuff thereto sink a ship," he said. "That's fine. Now maybe we can spend all ourtime thinking about the Japs away from Pearl Harbor, instead of thosewho are here, and about whom we know nothing. It was a good job, youtwo, and I thank the powers that be that you came out of the thing withyour skins. I must admit that we worried more than a little about youwhen you did not return here to the base last Monday night."
The vice-admiral paused and suddenly turned full face to Dave Dawson,and gave him a searching look.
"I have a feeling that you have something on your mind, Captain Dawson,"he said. "Am I right? And if so, then go ahead and speak. You have myfull permission."
Dave hesitated and glanced sidewise at Freddy Farmer for a little moralsupport, but the English-born air ace was watching the vice-admiral.
"I'm no good at making speeches, sir," he said a moment later. "And Icertainly won't take up your valuable time trying to make one. I onlywant to say this, sir. The job in so far as Farmer and I are concernedis not finished. We came out here to the Islands to identify him so thathe could be put where he wouldn't give anybody any trouble. But wedidn't do that, sir, and it was through our own fault. You warned usthat we might be marked men, and we were dumb enough to forget yourwarning and walk right into something that only phenomenal luck got usout of. I suppose everybody makes mistakes, but only fools make the samemistake twice. And that's just what we did. Once outside that shack inSan Diego, and once last Monday night up by Kahuku Point beach. Inshort, sir, I want, and I'm sure Farmer does, too, another chance tograb that Nazi spy with the carrier force."
"Well, for a man who says he can't make a speech, that one wasn't toobad, Captain Dawson," the vice-admiral said with a smile. "But aren'tyou forgetting that the carrier force has sailed? That it's almost threedays out from Pearl Harbor?"
"No, sir," Dave replied instantly. "Naturally I haven't forgotten that.But ... well, look, sir. Technically, we are under your command rightnow. I was wondering if you couldn't order us to fly to the carrierforce. Aboard one of the mail Catalina boats. A Cat-boat could reach theforce quite some time before the force is within fighter plane range ofTruk. That's true, isn't it, sir?"
"Absolutely," the senior Naval officer replied. "Truk is most certainlyin the force's plans, but it is not steaming directly there. It will notbe within a thousand miles of Truk for several days yet."
"Then there's still a chance, sir," Dawson said eagerly. "Couldn't youassign us as special observers of the mission for you? In that way wewouldn't be confined to just one of the carriers. We could fly on andoff all three. That way we could get a good look at one time or anotherat every fighter pilot in the force. And ... well, as we once said,we'll know him the instant we set eyes on him. I know it may sound likea slightly mad suggestion, sir, but I sincerely hope that you will grantpermission to carry it out."
"And I would like to express my sincere hope that you will grant it,too, sir," Freddy Farmer spoke up quietly. "Captain Dawson didn't tellme that he was going to make this request, but now that I've heard it, Iam completely in favor of it, sir. We fell down on our job, sir, and weonly want the chance to make up for our failure, if we possibly can."
The vice-admiral didn't say anything for several minutes. In fact, hedidn't even look at either of them. He scowled silently at his fingersdrumming on the top of the desk. When eventually he did lift his gazeand look at them he was still frowning.
"It is quite an unusual request," he said. "The Navy doesn't usuallyfight a war that way. After all you are Army pilots, so it would be moststrange for you to act as observers for the Navy. Then, too, the momentthe carrier force sailed from Pearl Harbor it was under the completecommand of Vice-Admiral Macon, whose flagship is the Carrier Trenton. Ihave nothing to do with it at all. It is quite possible thatVice-Admiral Macon will maintain radio silence, save for ship to plane,throughout the entire voyage. A most unusual request, Captains Dawsonand Farmer. Most unusual."
The vice-admiral frowned down at his drumming fingers again, and DaveDawson had the sensation of his heart sliding down into his boot-topswith a thump. Then suddenly after a moment or two of complete and uttersilence, the vice-admiral looked up from his desk with a grunt.
"However," he said quietly, "there are such things as extenuatingcircumstances. Exceptions that prove the rule, and so forth. That Nazispy is on his way to Admiral Shimoda with valuable information we canill afford to have fall into Japanese hands. Also, _if_ he does slipaway from the force he will naturally report on the force to AdmiralShimoda, and that could prove very disastrous for Vice-Admiral Macon'sships. So for those and other reasons, I am in favor of _every_ effortbeing made to identify this man so that he can be put under arrest."
The senior Naval officer paused to clear his throat, but Dawsoncouldn't hold his tongue any longer.
"Then you will, sir?" he blurted out. "You will give us another chance?"
"That's right," the vice-admiral said, and tried not to smile. "Therehappens to be a Catalina with mail and some priority things leavingKaneohe tonight. I will arrange for you to be on it. I will also giveyou a letter to Vice-Admiral Macon stating the reason you are joiningthe force, and what you wish to do. That is as far as I can go in thematter. I cannot order Vice-Admiral Macon to do anything. I can only askhim to co-operate with you in this matter, but I feel quite sure that hewill. All right, then, Captains, your special request is granted. And,naturally, I wish you all the good luck and good hunting in the world."
"Thank you, sir, thank you," was all that Dawson could say, becausesuddenly he was too choked up to speak other words.
And it was the same with Freddy Farmer. One more chance! It was a timewhen mere words could mean everything, or nothing!