“It’s more than that,” Dave said firmly. “You’ll get a big kick out of seeing it, particularly from the air. You see the whole works that way, from end to end. Oh, sure—”
“Just a minute, now!” Colonel Welsh cut in. “Why should you and Farmer go to the Canal Zone? What in thunder do you—?”
The senior officer stopped short, clenched his teeth in a gesture of self-exasperation, and whistled air between them.
“Of course, of course!” he grated. “What in thunder is the matter with me today.”
“You get the idea, sir,” Dave said with a grin. “Second Lieutenant Marble, of the Ninety-Sixth Attack Squadron, is in the Canal Zone. Can you arrange with Army Air Corps H.Q. in Washington to have us assigned for duty with the Ninety-Sixth?”
“I can do much better than that,” Colonel Welsh replied. “If you were assigned strictly to the Squadron for active duty, your chances of getting around—in the event you did get hold of something—might be a bit limited. And that’s not even mentioning the suspicions you might create. I’ll see that you are assigned to Ninety-Six, but for special duty, we’ll say. It will appear that you’re making some kind of an inspection trip on orders from Washington. That way you can come and go as you please, and nobody will think anything of it.”
“Swell!” Dave breathed. “It couldn’t be better.”
“If, and when, you arrive in the Canal Zone,” Colonel Welsh said almost in a tone of prayer.
“Oh, we jolly well will, sir!” Freddy Farmer spoke up. “Now that I’ve the chance to see that wonderful feat of engineering, no blasted Axis agents are going to stop me. At least, not if I can help it!”
“Atta boy, Freddy,” Dave chuckled. “We’ll give them the works, hey, kid? Well, Colonel, I guess that’s about all, isn’t it? Isn’t now as good a time as any to make that Washington call, and bait our little trap?”