t on the last raid?" His eyes
moved from man to man.

A corporal stepped forward. "I did, sir."

"Was the tank full when you rolled her out?"

"Yes, sir. I rechecked. She was full up." The corporal was positive.

"Did you gas her up immediately before the flight?"

"No, we always gas up as soon as the Spits come in, so they'll be ready
without delay. Sometimes they go right back up."

Stan nodded. He had known that. "Was the squad out for breakfast?"

A sergeant spoke up. "Yes, sir. Lieutenant Garret sent us all out
together. Squad Four was on duty down the line and could keep an eye on
things and shove out for us if a call came."

"He went with you?"

"Yes, he walked as far as his mess with us."

Stan smiled. "Thanks," he said. "My gas turned out a bit short and I got
a ducking in the channel."

He saw the men begin eying each other when he said that. He turned and
walked away. Garret had fixed himself a slick alibi. Stan was sure he
would have little luck cracking it. As he neared the door Arch Garret
entered.

"Hello, Garret," Stan said and grinned.

Garret stared at him for a minute, then his dark face flushed and his
eyes gleamed with smouldering anger. He stepped closer to Stan.

"You think you can railroad me clean out of this man's army, but you'll
get yours, and I'll be back in the air again."

"If any other funny things happen to my ship I'm going to take a poke at
that pretty face of yours," Stan said.

Garret quickly backed away and hurried into the hangar. Stan walked
across the square to his mess. Garret was a dangerous fellow, there was
no mistake about that, and he hated Stan Wilson. Stan had a feeling,
too, that Garret was going to make good on his threat.

He wasn't sure how Garret intended to do it, or how much the fellow
knew, but there was no doubt he was a dangerous antagonist. And Stan had
an uncomfortable feeling that Garret knew or at least suspected the
truth about a certain phase of Stan Wilson's past that Stan had hoped he
could leave behind him when he came across the sea to fight the Nazi war
machine.

But that, he grimly told himself, was too much to hope for. No man can
ever wholly escape his past. Fate has a way of stepping in and smashing
the best-laid plans of humans. And Stan had a premonition that Fate had
selected Arch Garret as its instrument to ruin his careful plans.

CHAPTER IV

NEW QUARTERS

O'Malley sat at a table with a whole pie before him.