Dave Dawson at Casablanca

by Robert Sidney Bowen

  CHAPTER NINE

  _Death Strikes_

  Brows furrowed in deep thought, Major Parker slowly packed tobacco intohis pipe, put the stem between his teeth, and struck a match. As heapplied the flame to the bowl, he raised his eyes and watched DaveDawson and Freddy Farmer putting away their second meal as his guests.This time, however, it was not in the Officers' Mess. The trio were inthe major's own quarters, and Dawson and Farmer looked none the worsefor their recent experience. Uniforms that fitted them perfectly hadbeen found, and it had been a matter of a couple of minutes to transfertheir insignia and incidentals from their torn and dirt-smeareduniforms. As a matter of fact, anybody stepping inside the major'squarters at the moment wouldn't have thought anything amiss. That is,unless he noticed the fixed scowl on the major's face.

  The major kept scowling until Dave and Freddy had fully satisfied theircraving stomachs. Then he poured coffee for the three of them andoffered cream and sugar. That done, he slipped a hand into his tunicpocket, pulled out his copper disc and tossed it on the table.

  "What else do I have to do to convince you two?" he asked quietly.

  Dawson lowered his coffee cup and looked at the major in mild surprise.

  "What's that, sir?" he asked.

  Major Parker jabbed his pipe stem at the copper disc.

  "That," he said, "is the only identification I can produce until ColonelWelsh arrives at midnight. That isn't far off, of course, but you tworan into some trouble tonight. Bad trouble, I'd say, and--Well, I'msupposed to be in charge down here, which automatically makes meresponsible for your safety. I fell down on the job, it seems. In otherwords, I'd like all the details so that I can start the wheels turningto round up this mysterious trouble-maker."

  Dawson smiled, gave a little twist of his head, and gestured with onehand.

  "That's just the trouble, sir," he said pleasantly. "There aren't anydetails, except the unpleasant ones that we've already told you. We wereheading back here when we were suddenly jumped and knocked cold. Whoeverdid the job tore our uniforms to ribbons searching us."

  "And what do you suppose he was searching for?" Major Parker askedshrewdly.

  "I don't know, sir," Dawson said quietly, and looked straight at him."Whatever it was, he didn't find it, because neither of us lost a singlething."

  "That's quite right, sir," Freddy Farmer spoke up. "I just had athought, though. Perhaps robbery was the main idea, but something orsomebody scared the beggar off."

  Major Parker made a face as though he suddenly had a bad taste in hismouth, and sighed sadly.

  "Look, Farmer, I'm all of thirty-three!" he said sarcastically, "I'vebeen around a little. Don't give me that kind of an explanation. It'ssilly. Whoever it was had time to tear your uniforms to shreds, but _no_time to grab your money. That is, if it _was_ robbery."

  "Well, it was just a thought, sir," Freddy replied with a weak grin.

  "Then let's skip it," the major suggested laughingly. Becoming serious,he said, "Don't think I'm trying to bust in on secret stuff. What isn'tmy business _isn't_ my business. I've been attached to Intelligence longenough to learn that. I ask for details simply because a couple of funnythings have happened around here lately. About ten days ago one of thefield laborers, hired by the British, was found dead with a bullet inhis brain. It turned out to be a Luger bullet. Three days ago somebodybroke into my office and tried to go through my private files. At least,that's the way it looked to me--though my hunch might be all wet. Tellme this, if you can: Did either of you get a look at whoever sluggedyou?"

  "I didn't see a thing, or feel a thing, for that matter," Freddy Farmersaid with a shake of his head. "I was just walking along, and the nextinstant I was out cold."

  Dawson started to shake his head, when suddenly he remembered. "I sawhis feet and legs up to his knees! As a matter of fact, he wasbarefooted, but he wore pants. That's all I saw. Just his bare feet andhis trouser legs up to his knees."

  "Barefooted, eh?" Major Parker murmured. "That could well mean one ofthe natives. There are certainly enough of them around here. Well, thatjust makes this confounded business much more mysterious. I'll certainlybe mighty glad when Colonel Welsh arrives."

  "I guess that goes for the three of us, sir," Dawson added with a smile.

  "Yes, very much so," Freddy Farmer chimed in.

  Then followed a few minutes of silence, while each was engrossed withhis own thoughts. Presently Major Parker sighed faintly, knocked thecoals from his pipe bowl into an ash tray, and got to his feet.

  "I have to make a little nightly inspection tour about the place," hesaid. "So, if you two will excuse me, I'll get on with the job. Don't goaway, though. I won't be long. I'll be back for another cup of coffeewith you. They certainly know how to make it down in this part of theworld."

  "All right, sir, we'll wait," Dawson answered for Farmer and himself."Unless there's something we can do to help? Doesn't seem quite fairfor us to eat your food, take up your time, and not do any--"

  "Forget it, Dawson," Parker interrupted. "I'm glad to have you here.Well, be seeing you shortly."

  With a nod and another wave of his hand, Major Parker went outside andleft the two youths looking at each other.

  "I like Major Parker plenty," Dawson said after a while. "And it suremakes me feel like a heel."

  "What does?" the English-born air ace wanted to know. "The fact that youlike him?"

  "Cut it out!" Dawson urged. "Of course not. I feel like a heel because Ican't come clean and tell him all that we know."

  "It isn't very much, if you ask me," Freddy said with a shrug and agesture.

  "I know, but just the same I wish I could tell him what little we doknow. I'm sure he knows that we're holding out on him. And like I said,he's such a swell fellow. And not the least bit dumb, what I mean."

  "Well, you can't be dumb and work for Colonel Welsh, I fancy," Freddymurmured.

  Dawson started to agree with him, but suddenly checked his words andshot a quick glance at Freddy. The English-born air ace was toying withhis cup of coffee and didn't see the grin that tugged down the cornersof Dawson's mouth.

  "Well, there is one exception," Dave said. "I could give you his namewith one hand tied behind my back."

  "And so could I!" Freddy said without so much as glancing up from hiscup of coffee. "His name is Dawson! Thought you were being very smart,little man, didn't you, what?"

  "Okay, pass the cream!" Dave ordered. "I know when I'm licked. I--Hey!You hear that?"

  "Hear what?" young Farmer asked, and looked up quickly.

  "I thought I heard a shout and a couple of shots from outside," Davetold him. "You didn't hear anything at all, Freddy?"

  "Not a blessed thing, except your confounded voice," Freddy told him.

  That was all the English youth did say, because at that instant theyboth clearly heard wild shouting and the savage yammer of machine-gunfire. For about half a second they sat perfectly still. Then as one theyleaped to their feet, whirled, and raced out the door of Major Parker'squarters. Outside, it was dark, and the sudden change blinded them both.But only for a moment, and at the end of that moment they saw two orthree moving lights over at the southwest corner of the base, andseveral figures running across the field toward those moving lights.Impulsively, Dawson reached for his holstered service automatic andbroke into a run.

  "Let's go, kid," he called back over his shoulder.

  The last was unnecessary, because young Farmer was in motion, too, andright there at his elbow. Together they ran across the field and reachedthe small group gathered about three figures holding powerfulflashlights. The beams were being played on something on the ground, andas Dawson took a look he gasped and instantly pushed his way forward. Onthe ground, and just being helped up by a guard corporal, was MajorParker. The officer, in spite of his leathery tan, looked very pale. Andthere was a trickle of blood running down from a cut on his foreheadjust over the left eye.

  "Take it easy, sir; I'll get the ambulance," th
e guard corporal wassaying as Dawson reached the injured man. "And we'll get the guy thatdid it, too."

  "Don't bother about that, Corp," a voice said. "I saw him running afterthe major fired, and me and little Betsy, here, knocked him out. He'sover there and not talking to anybody. He'll never talk again, not thatbird!"

  Dawson had raised his head at the sound of the voice, and saw asquare-jawed American soldier not ten feet away. The soldier was holdinga sub-machine gun in the crook of one arm, and patting it affectionatelywith his hand. He paused in his patting long enough to jerk a thumb tohis left. Dawson looked in that direction and started inwardly as hemade out the huddled figure of a dead man on the ground. The thing thatmade him start was the fact that the dead man was barefooted. Oneglance, and Dawson turned his attention to Major Parker, who was now onhis feet, gently pushing aside the guard corporal's efforts to keepholding him.

  "It's all right, Corporal, thanks," Major Parker said. "And I don't wantany ambulance. Somebody loan me a handkerchief until I can get a realpatch for this thing."

  "I've a First Aid patch right here, sir," Freddy Farmer spoke upquickly. "Here, let me put it on. There! I say, sir, what happened?"

  The major tested the First Aid patch with his fingers and grinned atrifle stiff-lipped at Dawson and Farmer.

  "He seems to have gone in for numbers tonight," he said. "I was justcoming around the corner of the Non-Coms' mess over there, when Ithought I heard a sound behind me. I turned, but it was quite dark atthat spot, so I didn't see anything clearly. Just--well, just somebodydiving at me. I didn't bother to ask questions. I dropped and went formy gun. That's what saved me a really nasty crack, I guess. It messed uphis aim, because he had to reach out farther. But I missed, too, when Ishot at him as we both fell to the ground. Singed him, though, becausehe cried out. The crack he gave me made me see a few stars, so I missedagain as he jumped to his feet and started running. Private Marvin,here, arrived on the scene just in time, and Private Marvin is the kindwho doesn't miss. Let's go take a look."

  The whole group moved over to the dead man on the ground. The flashlightbeams were played on him. Somebody leaned down and turned the corpseover on its back. The dead man was dressed in cheap native clothing, andhis skin was burned almost as black as the night sky. There wassomething about the features, particularly the wide forehead, thatarrested Dawson's attention. As he leaned closer for a better look, hecaught sight of a corner of white showing beneath a tear in the deadman's shirt. On impulse, Dawson reached down and pulled. Out came awhite envelope, and Dave's heart leaped up into his throat. He didn'thave to look inside the envelope to know what was there. Instantly herecognized it as the letter of authority Colonel Welsh had given Farmerand him to carry.

  "Holy smokes!" he whispered to himself. "So he _did_ get something offus. This! I'd forgotten all about this thing."

  "What thing?" Major Parker asked sharply, and stepped close.

  Dawson hesitated, but when he saw that the major and he were standing alittle apart from the others, he removed the letter of authority andsmoothed it out so the senior officer could read it. Major Parker didjust that.

  "But you didn't give me any--" he began, and stopped short as Dawsonnudged him quickly.

  "I know, sir," Dave said in a low voice. "We decided it best to destroythem, after the message we got from Tiger. We did just that about fiveminutes before your corpse there jumped us. He didn't find what hewanted, but he did find this letter. No doubt he figured that we'd giventhem to you, or, at least, that you had been given yours. He went afteryou, and--" Dawson came to a halt and gave a little angry shake of hishead. "I seem to be doing fine, I don't think!" he grated after amoment. "I guess you could almost say, sir, that I gave you that crackon the head. I was responsible for it, anyway."

  "No, that's not true, Dave!" Freddy Farmer spoke in his ear at thatmoment. "I'm the thoughtless blighter. Don't you remember? I begancarrying that letter at Puerto Rico. I confess I had forgotten all aboutthe blasted thing."

  Dawson looked hard at his pal and then shrugged.

  "Okay, you or me, what does it matter?" he sighed. "The major should beplenty sore at both of us."

  "You can skip that, both of you," Major Parker spoke up instantly."After all, maybe it's a break in a way. The rat is dead, and that makesone less of his breed to bother us. Ten to one he killed that fieldlaborer and searched my office. If so--"

  The major let the rest slide, for at that moment all heard the roar ofan approaching aircraft. It was coming in fast from the north, and asDawson stared in that direction, he caught sight of the winking greenand red running lights. A couple of moments later, the field lights wereturned on to light the long runway. Shortly after that an American B-25slid down to a nice landing, and went trundling over toward theAdministration Building. Dawson, glancing at his watch, saw that it wasexactly midnight.