"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 02 - And His Jetmarine" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

"Here he comes now."
Tom peered out the green-tinted glass windows and spotted Dansitt's plane
approaching the field.
"I'm going to talk to him," Tom told the dispatcher.
A BRAZEN DENIAL 17
As Tom left the tower, Dansitt was banking his plane sharply and coming
down for a landing without bothering to fly the prescribed traffic pattern.
"A real hotrock!" Tom exclaimed angrily.
Dansitt sped his plane down the runway, then turned to taxi slowly back to
the parking apron. Tom stood waiting as Dansitt stepped out. The young inventor
was surprised to discover that the pilot was alone.
"What was the idea of that show you put on? You almost killed three people!"
Tom cried.
The cocky stranger's thin lips curled into a sneer.
"You didn't get killed, so what are you beefing about?" he asked huffily.
"You saw me in front of your plane," Tom said with mounting anger. "What
was the idea of trying to run me down?"
"I almost didn't see you. I-I looked down at the cabin floor for a second,"
Dansitt replied evasively.
Tom thrust his hand into his pocket and flashed the dog's-head coin in his
open palm.
"Were you looking for this?"
Dansitt stared at the coin and started to grab it. Then, changing his mind, he
gazed insolently straight into Tom's eyes.
"I never saw that coin before," he said.
Tom pocketed the piece. "Dansitt," he said, "one more exhibition like today's
and it will be your last as a pilot!"
Without waiting for any comment from Dansitt, Tom turned on his heel and
strode off toward the Swift home. A few minutes later a mechanic pulled
18 TOM SWIFT AND HIS JETMARINE
up in a jeep and gave the young scientist a lift the rest of the way.
Entering the house, he found his mother and Sandy gravely discussing Uncle
Ned's disappearance.
"It's terrible not to have any inkling of what happened to Ned," Mrs. Swift
said. "I feel so sorry for Mrs. Newton and Phyllis."
"She'll take it hard," Tom said, thinking of Ned's pretty, dark-haired daughter
Phyl, whom he dated.
Sandy interrupted. "Dad's coming into the driveway now. He looks excited.
Maybe he has news."
Mr. Swift strode into the house. "We've received word from Ned!" he cried.
"Listen to this!"
"Then he's alive!" Mrs. Swift exclaimed in relief.
Tom and Sandy shouted joyously.
"Yes, he's alive, but a prisoner," Mr. Swift said. "He must have used that
transmitter in the pencil you gave him, Tom. I unscrambled his message on the
radityper. It breaks down to:
'Ned Okay Dog Eight Days! Don't Contact.' "
"Have you any idea what 'Dog' means, Dad?" Tom asked.
"Not exactly," his father said thoughtfully. "Except that 'Dog' may bear some
significance to where Ned's being held captive."