The Mystery of the Fire Dragon - Carolyn Keene [35]
One of the officers looked at her intently, then said, “I’m sure there’s no harm in telling you. Someone phoned the airport that a bomb was being carried in the hand luggage of a passenger on this plane. It must have been a crank. We did not find anything.”
“Thank goodness,” said Bess.
The officers left the plane, and a few minutes later the craft finally took off. It had been in the air about an hour when Nancy saw her father walking back toward her.
“I think it’s all right now for me to speak to you,” he said, a twinkle in his eye.
The lawyer perched on the arm of his daughter’s chair. “I’ve been engaging various men in conversation,” he said in a low tone. “All seem to be in legitimate businesses. I’m sure there are no suspects among them.”
“Did you know that the police were looking for a bomb?” Nancy asked.
Mr. Drew nodded.
Nancy told him about the bomb threat the girls had received and about her own ruse to keep one from being placed in the plane.
Mr. Drew frowned. “I believe your trick worked for a while, but the gang probably had you trailed to be sure. There was no time to place a bomb aboard, but they still hoped to scare you and try to keep you from going to Hong Kong.”
Nancy whispered, “This must surely mean the gang has transferred its operations to Hong Kong.”
Mr. Drew agreed. He got up and returned to his seat.
Gradually, during the flight, Nancy made the acquaintance of the students, and in her own subtle way quizzed each one to see if by any chance there was a suspect among them. She came to the conclusion there was none.
“Members of the gang holding Chi Che must have gone by some other route,” the girl detective told herself.
The great plane stopped at Anchorage, Alaska, for refueling. Nancy and her friends were intrigued by the beautiful city. They were amazed at its size and the tall modern buildings.
“This used to be the capital,” said Bess, “but now Juneau is.”
Nancy remarked, “I’d love to come to Alaska in the middle of winter, and ride on a dog sled!”
The travelers’ next landing was Tokyo, Japan. What a bustling place the airport was! The girls were fascinated by the native people, most of whom wore Western dress, but many had on kimonos and sandals. Everyone seemed good-natured and there was lots of laughter. Men and women always bowed low to one another in greeting or when saying good-by.
The twenty minutes during which the travelers were allowed to visit the terminal were soon up, and Nancy and her friends climbed back into the plane. It was now two o’clock Sunday afternoon. By the time they reached their destination, it was exactly eleven hours later than it was in New York.
As the plane began its Hong Kong descent, George looked at her watch and grinned. “It’s one o’clock yesterday afternoon in New York,” she said.
The plane set down and taxied toward the airport building. The landing and take-off strips of Kai Tak Airport fascinated Nancy. They were on a spit of man-made land and she realized how skillful a pilot had to be to use them.
“We’re on the China mainland,” said Bess. “Not Hong Kong Island at all.”
“That’s right,” said George, who had studied the map. “This Kai Tak Airport actually is in the city of Kowloon.”
“How do you get over to Hong Kong Island?” Bess queried.
“By ferry,” George replied.
All this time Nancy, who now had a window seat, was looking intently at the crowd of people waiting behind a wire-mesh fence. She hoped to see Ned Nickerson among them!
“Oh, there he is!” A tingle of excitement rushed up and down Nancy’s spine.
The plane stopped and the exit door was opened. First-class passengers disembarked. Mr. Drew hurried toward the fence behind which he had spied Ned Nickerson.
“Hello, Mr. Drew!” the tall, good-looking, athletic young man called. “Where are the girls?”
“They’re coming.” The lawyer laughed. “I traveled in style. They’re in the tourist section.”
At that very moment the girls were moving toward the exit. George was saying,