It's September, 1935, and senior year is tough for Nick Grant.  He'd spent months building Pacific island bases for Pan Am's great flying boats, the Clippers.  Life aboard the supply ship, piloting the Clipper, and fighting Japanese spies makes life at Alameda High School dull.  At least his part-time job at Pan Am's Clipper base provides some relief from the monotonous routine of high school.

Suddenly, a series of strange "accidents" cast suspicion on Nick and a Japanese-American mechanic who has become Nick's mentor.  Has Japanese master spy Miyazaki returned to threaten the Clippers?  Only Nick's quick thinking had intervened and stopped Miyazaki in the earlier attempts to destroy the flying boats.  If the spy has returned, Nick will need help in stopping him -- but from whom?  The FBI ignores his suspicions and most of his co-workers think he is imagining things just to get attention.  Then two new teens enter his life and things only get worse.

Chapter One: The Butt of the Matter

 

7:10 a.m., Saturday, October 19, 1935
Alameda Airport, Alameda, California

 

Nick’s footsteps echoed in the light fog as he made his way along the deserted flight line. Ahead he could barely make out the glowing end of the night watchman’s cigarette. The cold San Francisco Bay fog defused and muted its weak orange light. Nick shivered and his breath showed against the chilly grey backdrop. It did little to lighten his glum mood. His recurring nightmare had returned to haunt his dreams and rob him of his sleep.

He walked on, and the night watchman’s nebulous form morphed into the familiar. The watchman jumped and then smiled. “Morning, Nick! You gave me quite a start!”

“Sorry, Mr. Jackson. Good morning. Quiet night?”

“It’s been quiet ever since the murder. It’s a shame that the killer’s still out there somewhere.”

Nick recalled the death of his mentor and friend Joe McMillan. Had it only been six months since Mac’s death? “Someday, I’ll find that murderer.”

“Well, I wouldn’t hold my breath! The police have no leads.” He stubbed out his cigarette and gazed toward the airfield. “There’s been lots of changes around here. Even Mac would have to admit things have gotten better since Pan Am arrived.”

“Maybe.” A fresh wave of sadness swept over Nick and he tried to push it out of his mind. “Nice talking to you, Mr. Jackson, but I’ve got to get to work.”

“See you, Nick.”

Nick waved and walked on towards the old yacht club building. A single light bulb illuminated the sign over the door: Headquarters, Pacific Operations Division, Pan American Airways. It was a grand name for a dilapidated building, but the new hangar next to it was very impressive. Inside, Nick felt the warmth of row upon row of high intensity ceiling lights. The lights glinted off the metal hull of the world’s largest airliner, the China Clipper.

He had watched with a mixture of envy and frustration as the last survey flight lifted off for Guam on October 5th. He so wanted to be aboard. Captain Sullivan and Tilton were out over the Pacific even now, flying a heavily modified S-42, the Pan American Clipper. It was the same plane he’d saved from destruction in August. Tilton had asked to take Nick along “for good luck” and Colonel Young considered it for a time. Then Nick’s mother found out and squashed his trip. She’d been emphatic. “No more gallivanting to God knows where! Your job is to finish high school!”

Nick smiled at the memory. His mom sure was something! His thoughts returned to the plane in front of him. The clippers were flying boats and the China Clipper sat high and dry on her beaching cradle. Even out of the water, she looked sleek, elegant and huge. Mechanics fussed around the giant airliner like worker bees tending their queen. Some workers were on high scaffolding in front of the four massive engines. Others stood underneath polishing her hull.

A short middle-aged man of Japanese ancestry clapped Nick on the shoulder. “Hey, Nick, you’re early. You afraid the Clipper might go without you?”

“Something like that, Mr. Nieshe.” Nick was scheduled to fly on a test flight later in the day.

Nieshe looked up at Nick’s six foot two frame. “Good. I can use you. Get into your coveralls, pick up a wrench set, and come join me plane-side.”

In the locker room, Nick struggled into white coveralls. The wall mirror reflected his sun-streaked blond hair. Five months’ work on the Pacific atolls had done that, but his deep tan had long ago faded.

The indigo blue Pan Am logo emblazoned on his coveralls was the kicker. When so many were out of work, he had landed a dream job - working on the Pan Am’s flying boats! He still could not believe the way it had played out, that he got to work on and fly the most technological advanced marvel in the world.

Nieshe saw him as soon as he returned to the hangar. “Follow me and don’t forget that wrench set.”

They climbed caster-mounted wooden stairs that led to the forward crew hatch, some two stories above the concrete floor. Nick followed Nieshe through the hatch and aft into the first passenger lounge. The smell of the new leather permeated the air, but so did something else – gasoline.

Nieshe looked at a set of blueprints and pointed toward the deck. “Nick, pull up these access panels.”

The panels revealed a compartment several feet deep and a maze of tubing.

Nieshe stabbed a finger at the plans. “We are here. Crawl forward to the next bulkhead and check for a fuel leak.”

“Where the fuel lines exit the main tank?”

“Exactly.”

“Why? We just installed the fuel lines last weekend. I screwed them in place.”

Nieshe chuckled. “Screwed them up is more likely.”

“You can’t hang that on me. I followed the manual to the letter and you certified the work.”

“True, but it’s great fun teasing you. Anyway, yesterday, during a power run up, the engines quit right after the engineer switched to that tank.”

“An obstruction?”

“Maybe. That’s what I need you to find out. In you go.”

Nick lowered himself into the hold, careful not to damage the fragile fuel lines. Flashlight and wrench in hand, he got down on his belly and shimmed along on his elbows. The passage was tight and Nick bumped his head repeatedly. The closer he got to the bulkhead, the more powerful the smell of high octane gas. Nick pulled out a kerchief and tied it across his face in an attempt to cut the fumes. It was no good. The foul smell seemed to pass through the cloth untouched.

Nick called back over his shoulder. “Don’t light a match! There are small pools of fuel everywhere down here.” Nick rolled on his side, careful to avoid the spilled fuel. He transferred the flashlight to his mouth to free up his hands and started the inspection. Surprisingly, the fuel lines were loose to the touch and came free by hand. A small rivulet of fuel poured out of the loose end and soaked into Nick’s overalls.

Great, I can’t breathe and now I’m a human wick.

Nieshe yelled down the compartment. “Smelled it yesterday but couldn’t locate the source. Aren’t you done yet?”

Nick ignored the question and continued the inspection. He discovered that all four fuel lines were loose and leaking. He tightened the nuts, fixing the problem, and began to back out on his elbows. At the access panel, he poked his head out of the compartment and gulped in the fresh air.

Nieshe took the wrench. “Geez, Nick, you smell like a gas station.”

“Thanks a lot! Hey, pass me some rags and a bucket. I need to mop up the fuel that leaked out of the tank.”

A bundle of rags tucked inside his coveralls, Nick maneuvered the bucket to the bulkhead. Half an hour later, he emerged with an armful of fuel-soaked rags and a bucket of spilled aviation gas.

Nieshe looked at the wall clock. “Come on, it’s coffee break time. Besides, you need to get out of those clothes.”

The Clipper lay deserted but they could hear the men in the adjoining canteen. “Dump those shop rags in the laundry and change your coveralls. Then, if you don’t smell too foul, come join us in the canteen.”

“You’re too kind, Mr. Nieshe.” Nick’s sarcasm was lost on the older man.

In the deserted locker room, Nick tossed the rags into an open hamper. He noticed the window next to the hamper was open. Strange - it’s too cold for an open window. He started to pull off his coveralls when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flicker of movement. A lit cigarette butt sailed in the window and landed in the open hamper. The gas-soaked rags instantly ignited and flames shot towards the ceiling.

Nick yelled, “Fire!” at the top of his lungs, and rushed to close the lid. Even closed the flames continued to lick out of the sides. One arm of his coveralls caught on fire. He hopped on one foot as he struggled out of them.

First one leg then the other…it’s taking too long! Nick’s frantic movement had moved him around and his back was toward the window. He thought he heard movement outside. He turned to investigate, felt intense pain sweep through his head, and he collapsed into darkness.

Advance Praise for

China Clipper, A Nick Grant Adventure

by Jamie Dodson

 

The popular Nick Grant series continues with China Clipper, a fast-moving, fun tale of adventure, flying boats, spies, and the sea. I love this series! Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys/October Sky

****

China Clipper is a terrific read! It’s accurate, fast moving and filled with surprises; perfectly for young people interested in history and aviation.

Walter J. Boyne, multi-published author, Former Director, National Air & Space Museum, and enshrined in National Aviation Hall of Fame

****

China Clipper, a Nick Grant Adventure is an engaging, action-packed escapade! Dodson ingeniously weaves fact and fiction and captures the Golden Age of flying boats, including the most romantic aircraft of all, the China Clipper. Nick Grant is a teen caught in a world struggling with the Great Depression and heading into World War II. It’s a dark, violent world. The murderous spies, diabolical sabotage, and dedicated counterintelligence contrasts the bright world of adventure, fast cars, and a senior year romance. Dodson’s second Nick Grant novel is fast-paced and does not flinch when confronting the prejudices and heroism of the time. Larry Weirather, author of China Clipper, Pan American Airways And Popular Culture

****

Action-packed and full of intrigue, the China Clipper transports you to a fascinating time in America’s biography with its loving attention to historical accuracy. Rich Pearce and Ken Story, authors of Dorkman

****

In 1935, America is looking for heroes. Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes are heroes to some. But the real heroes are the honest, hardworking people; the ordinary folks who do the extraordinary when called upon. Nick Grant is just such a hero. From the first page of China Clipper I was on a white-knuckled ride through paradise with Nick, Leilani, and the evil Japanese spy, Miyazaki. I can’t wait for the movie! C. M. Fleming, author of Finder’s Magic

****

Once again, Jamie Dodson has written a book chock full of skullduggery, history, and inclusion of the human impact. The story line and plot is riveting, leaving one with the urge to jump hurriedly into the next chapter, and looking forward to the next book of the series. Jamie has a very colorful ability to write. Rev. Evan G. Butterbrodt, author and newspaper columnist

****

China Clipper is a thrill ride. The action and perils never stop as young Nick Grant faces attacks on his life and his reputation while he helps Pan Am test its new plane. And his problems continue at school where he deals with anger and prejudice while making new friends. It’s an exciting way to learn about a fascinating time in our history! Ann Marie Martin, Huntsville Times book columnist