At four o’clock in the morning Captain Bingham reluctantly brought his abortive inquiry to a close. He warned us that when we reached Alexandria the following day we must all receive permission from the police, to whom he would there hand the matter over, before we were free to go ashore; and at last allowed us to retire, weary and oppressed, to our cabins.
I had a badly needed brandy with Harry and Clarissa in their stateroom before turning in. We were all badly shaken by the night’s events, and it was lucky for me they had some brandy there, as I never drink whisky. I don’t like it and I don’t like beer; probably because I have an exceptionally sweet palate. My drinks are cider and every kind of wine and liqueur. I am particularly fond of rich hocks and Chateau bottled Sauternes of the Yquem type and I eat a great many sweets. It is quite wrong to imagine that sugar is necessarily fattening; that is only so if one’s glands are not functioning properly or one is mentally lazy. Sugar is the finest brain fuel in the world and providing one does not gorge oneself on quantities of meat one can absorb a great deal of sugar without putting on a surplus ounce of fat.
I saw with pleasure that the Belvilles’ friendship for me appeared not to have weakened in the least, and their main preoccupation now seemed to be the horrible business of breaking the news to Sylvia Shane in Cairo, together with the question of Sir Walter’s burial.
Owing to the climate in Egypt Sir Walter would have to be buried immediately the police had viewed his body, which seemed a good thing as it would save Sylvia the ordeal of the funeral, and Harry undertook to make the necessary arrangements. Neither of the Belvilles had the least reason to suspect any particular person of the crime and, up till that evening, had believed Sir Walter and themselves to be the only people on board who even knew of the existence of the tablet. Very gloomily we parted for what was left of the night.
Before going to my own cabin I remained for a bit leaning over the ship’s rail. It was the first chance I had had of being alone to try to think things out. All of us had been chain-smoking too, owing to our frayed nerves, and the fresh salt breeze was just the thing to clear my head before I got between the sheets.
The night was fine, the ship ploughing along at a steady eighteen knots, her bow cutting the dark sea with a soothing hiss as the great combs of phosphorescent, foam-flecked water curved up and slid along her sides to form the long track of silvery white in her wake. The sky was almost cloudless and the stars glinted brightly in the purple-dark vault overhead. The decks were deserted and, free from the bustle of the daytime, showed long, empty vistas of spotless planking fading into mysterious gloom where their ends merged into the darkness fore and aft.
In reply to a question from Captain Bingham, the Chief Purser had stated that there were no known crooks on board; but I knew definitely that there was at least one; that is, if such a Prince of Evil as O’Kieff could be labelled by so ordinary a word as ‘crook’. What he was doing on his way to Egypt I had failed entirely to discover; but it did seem to me that, although he was certainly not the man to commit a murder with his own hand for any ordinary haul of jewels, however large, he might well be concerned in the present business.
I went over again in my mind the extraordinary story Sir Walter had told me less than an hour before his death and, fantastic as it sounded, I was forced to admit that it had the ring of truth about it. His word could certainly be taken that history would confirm the fact that Cambyses’ army having set out to make new conquests and lost its way in the vast, sandy wastes of the Libyan Desert, never to be heard of again. If Sir Walter were right about the memorial tablet he had found giving the site where those 50,000 men had perished of thirst under the merciless sun, it really did mean that one of the biggest fortunes in the world was involved.
Even the bones of the Persians would probably have disintegrated in the shifting sand and wind by now, but their spears, helmets, armour and the immense loot in gold and jewels they had taken out of Egypt would be lying in the sand where they discarded them, as they dropped to die, two thousand four hundred years ago. A million pounds would be a modest estimate for the value of that treasure; it might even run to five million, ten million, or more. O’Kieff’s organisation for espionage, dope-trafficking and white-slaving, immense as it was, could not bring him such a huge fortune even in a life-time. Knowing O’Kieff to be utterly unscrupulous, the more I thought of it the more plausible it seemed to me to suspect that he was either Sir Walter’s murderer or responsible for his death.
My sole reason for sailing in the ‘Hampshire’ was that O’Kieff had booked a passage in her; and during those long, lonely months since he had wrecked my career the desire to get even with him had gradually crystallised into a fanatical determination to do so even at the risk of my own life. No one on board, apparently, had the least suspicion that he might be involved in Sir Walter’s murder, and that suited my book. If my blind guess were correct here was a heaven-sent opportunity to secure my vengeance by bringing the crime home to him.
One fact stood out a mile; whoever now had the tablet had been concerned in the murder. Captain Bingham had naturally realised that and would take all possible steps to find it; but it could not be got out of the ship until we reached Alexandria so, to avoid upsetting his passengers, it was a fairly safe bet that he would postpone any organised search for it until then. If I could locate it before that, and I was right about O’Kieff, I might have the inestimable pleasure of personally handing him over to justice.
O’Kieff had his valet, a big, bull-necked, shaven-headed Esthonian named Grünther, travelling with him, and I thought it very likely that he also had other accomplices on board. Probably one of them had committed the murder and had already secreted the tablet in some carefully selected hiding-place until such time as it could be safely smuggled ashore. On the other hand, O’Kieff would certainly not wish anything so valuable to be out of his possession for longer than he could help and, again, if he had done the job himself he might not yet have had an opportunity to pass it on to a confederate. In consequence, there was just a chance that he was keeping it for the time being in his own cabin. After all, there was nothing whatever to connect him with the crime in the minds of the Captain or the Belvilles; and he had no reason to suppose that anyone on board knew of his previous criminal activities.
The result of my deliberations was that instead of leaving a message that I was not to be called, as I should normally have done after such a gruelling night, I turned in to get a few hours sleep with every intention of becoming exceedingly active first thing the following morning.
It seemed that I had hardly closed my eyes when the steward roused me with my morning tea and I saw daylight flood in through the square deck window of my stateroom. I would have given a lot to turn over and go to sleep again, but I roused myself with an effort as my plan, made a few hours before, came back to me. Having drunk the tea I dragged myself out of bed to bath and dress, after which I felt considerably better. I then went out on deck and sauntered idly past O’Kieff’s stateroom, which was only two doors from my own.
Having kept him under observation for a good portion of the time since he had come on board at Marseilles, I knew his habits. He was called at 8.30, the same time as myself, by his man Grünther who got his bath ready, put out his clothes and left him again about nine; O’Kieff went down to breakfast about half-past, while Grünther did not usually appear on deck again until he came up to put out his master’s clothes for dinner.
I had hardly passed the cabin when Grünther came out, drawing the cabin door to after him. Taking up a position by the ship’s rail I awaited events. In due course I heard O’Kieff emerge behind me but I did not turn round until he was some way along the deck.
The second he had disappeared down the companion-way I glanced swiftly to left and right. A few people were already settling themselves for the morning in some steamer-chairs further aft and one couple had commenced their ‘daily dozen’. I waited until they had passed me and rounded the c
orner under the bridge, then I dived straight into O’Kieff’s cabin.
I knew that if I were caught there rummaging through his things I should be taken for a thief, and a most unpleasant scene might follow, but I had to risk that and, with O’Kieff and Grünther both out of the way, I did not think there was much likelihood of my being disturbed. The only snag was that O’Kieff breakfasted off coffee and a roll, which occupied him less than ten minutes, so I had no time to lose.
Harry had described the tablet to the Captain the night before as a slab of granite, packed in sacking, measuring thirty-one by twenty inches, so it was much too large to be easily concealed. A quick glance round failed to show me any likely package but naturally O’Kieff would not have been such a fool as to leave it lying about where the steward would comment on it, if only as a strange addition to his luggage made since the previous night.
I picked up a large suitcase from the corner, but its lightness told me at once that the tablet was not in it. His wardrobe-trunk was locked; such trunks have drawers down one side and hanging-room the other so it might have been in the space beneath his coats. Grabbing it by the top I shook it violently, but there was no loud bump such as one would have expected if the weighty stone had been loose in its bottom.
A square leather hat-box and the flat, steel-lined despatch-case were both too small to contain it. The only other place to look was in the cabin-trunk under the bed.
I pulled it out and lifting one end found that it weighed much too heavily to contain only clothes. It was locked, but I had come prepared to force locks if necessary, and took out my jack-knife. Inserting the blade under one of the catches I gave a quick wrench. Something snapped and it sprang open the other offered equally little resistance.
It was at that second I heard the thumping of a broom against the partition of the cabin and realised with quick dismay that I had completely forgotten all about the steward. While the passengers were breakfasting he would naturally be tidying up. He had done my cabin after I had left it and I knew that the occupant of the one next door had gone down to breakfast a few minutes before O’Kieff, so the steward might come in to do his, and catch me, at any moment.
In feverish haste I lifted the lid of the trunk and peered inside. The tray contained O’Kieff’s dress-shirts. Pulling it up with one hand I thrust in my other, which came in contact with a litter of dirty washing. For a moment I fumbled wildly then, right at the bottom of the trunk, my fingers touched some sacking stretched taut over a flat, heavy object. My heart fairly leapt with exultation. It was the tablet, I felt sure, and if I could only verify the fact, I had as good as got O’Kieff for murder.
I had only one hand to work with as with the other I was holding up the tray and lid of the trunk, and the tangle of underclothes prevented my actually seeing the package although I could feel the stout cord that bound it. I was just thrusting aside the dirty linen with my one free hand when I heard the slam of the door and a heavy footfall on the deck outside. The steward had done his job in the adjoining cabin. It was too late for me to get out and next moment he would catch me red-handed in the act of rifling O’Kieff’s baggage.
4
Illicit Entry into Egypt
There was only one thing for it. I let the tray fall back, slammed down the lid of the trunk, thrust it under the bed and dived into the bathroom. I was not a second too soon. As I swung-to the door behind me, gripping its handle firmly so that it should not slam, I saw the curtain of the cabin entrace twitch.
Very gently I released the knob of the door and slid home the bolt, while I stood there striving to control my rapid breathing. I was safe for the moment. Even if the steward decided to do the bathroom first and found it locked he would assume that O’Kieff was still in there and clear off again to give him a chance to finish dressing. But in the meantime I was trapped. The steward would almost certainly wait about outside for O’Kieff to emerge; and when he appeared unexpectedly along the deck from the companion-way, they would both immediately investigate the question of the locked bathroom.
For what seemed an age I stood there, holding my breath as I waited for the steward to rattle on the bathroom door; but to my immense relief he set about tidying the cabin first. That left me one chance of getting out before O’Kieff made his appearance.
The bathroom window was oblong and as large as any of the others which lined the inner side of the promenade deck, but was of frosted, instead of plain glass. With quick fingers I twiddled its wheel until it slid down a little and I could cautiously peer out. The two promenaders were just passing again and another couple were lounging in deck-chairs about twenty feet further aft.
I waited for a moment until the backs of all four were turned, and got the window open to its fullest extent, slid back the bolt of the door and jumped up on to the bath. It was a tricky business wriggling out of that window feet first, but by clinging to a girder inside the bathroom, I managed it. Fortunately, I am fairly tall, five feet eleven and a half, so I was able to get my feet on the deck outside without dropping far and making a heavy thump. A girl in one of the deck-chairs turned her head to look at me but I had righted myself by that time and, although she may have wondered where I had appeared from so suddenly, she took no further notice. I breathed again.
Getting my own chair I planted it in its usual spot, outside my cabin, where I could keep observation on the entrance to O’Kieff’s. My heart was still hammering as I congratulated myself on having got out of such an awkward scrape and on my luck, as I believed, in having located the tablet. Yet I could not swear that the package I had felt was actually it, and my elation was a little damped as I thought what a fool I should look if I went to the Captain with my story and charged O’Kieff with being concerned in the murder, if the thing in his trunk turned out not to be the tablet at all.
The situation was a decidedly tricky one. I had to keep on reminding myself that poor Sir Walter’s death was really a side-issue as far as I was concerned. My objective was to get O’Kieff either gaoled or put out of the way altogether. Nothing could have suited my purpose better than proving him guilty of murder, but if he were innocent precipitate action might ruin my whole campaign. At the moment I had the inestimable advantage of his not having recognised me, but once I allowed myself to be drawn into personal contact with him, which would be inevitable if I charged him with the crime, it was almost certain that he would do so; and that would mean goodbye to any hope of catching him out in one of his nefarious operations during the coming weeks in Egypt. In consequence I decided that I dared not risk carrying my suspicions to the Captain.
I would have cheerfully given a year of my life for another five minutes alone in O’Kieff’s cabin but, unfortunately, people were now starting to make themselves comfortable on the deck in considerable numbers, and there was little chance of its being deserted again before we reached Alexandria, where we were due that afternoon.
O’Kieff came on deck, fetched a book from his cabin and sat down to read. His lean, clever face with that unscrupulous, rat-trap mouth made an interesting study, but I knew it well enough already and had little chance to examine it further, even had I wished, as I was kept busy for the next hour or more on the unpleasant job of fobbing off all sort of curious people who wanted particulars about the murder.
I don’t doubt the Captain had done his best to keep the matter dark, but it is impossible to conceal such things in the close intimacy of life on board ship, and it had leaked out together with the fact that I was concerned in it. The whole ship was agog with excited speculation and every sort of tittle-tattle.
To my great relief Harry and Clarissa put in an appearance a little after eleven. Her red curls startled the eye with more than usual violence in the brightness of the morning sunshine but her piquant features showed no trace of the trying night she had been through, except in unusual gravity. On the other hand, Harry’s good-natured, rather stolid countenance gave ample indication of worry and curtailed sleep. Their arrival gave
me a chance to break away from the morbid seekers after gory details, and the three of us moved to the ship’s side, where we could talk without being overheard.
‘Anything fresh?’ Harry asked. ‘We tried to sleep late, but the row out on the deck got us up much as usual.’
‘Nothing official as far as I know,’ I said. ‘But I believe I’m on to the murderer.’
‘Good God! Not really?’ His blue eyes popped, while Clarissa gave a little squeal of excitement.
‘Yes. It was pure chance but I happened to know that there’s a crook on board. I came up against him once before, although how doesn’t matter for the moment and I don’t want you to give it away to anyone that I even know him. While he was at breakfast I had a look round his cabin and there’s a package there which may, or may not, be the tablet. That’s the trouble. I was disturbed and had to make a bolt for it before I could find out for certain.’
‘We must tell the Captain, at once,’ said Harry quickly.
Without disclosing anything of my own past I told them the bare facts about my vendetta against O’Kieff and my reasons for preferring not to broadcast my suspicions at the moment.
Clarissa nodded. ‘All right, we’ll say nothing to the Captain for the time being, since you wish it. But surely he must know that the key to the riddle lies in the tablet; I wonder he hasn’t ordered a general search already.’
‘That’s because he doesn’t want to upset his passengers. Directly he hands over to the authorities in Alexandria, you may bet they’ll ransack everything.’
The Quest of Julian Day Page 4