by Conrad Allen
“That doesn’t mean that it was the same bracelet.”
“It’s too big a coincidence.”
“No, Genevieve,” he argued. “What fool would steal something from one passenger in order to give it to another, knowing that she might wear it in public? It would be a ridiculous risk to take.”
“I thought about that, Lester. A bracelet is less likely to attract attention than the sapphire necklace and matching earrings that were taken. Dozens of ladies have gold bracelets,” said Genevieve, “and many look similar. He could have relied on my wearing it without being spotted by its former owner.”
“He’d still be taking a chance.”
“The Honorable Jonathan Killick lives by taking chances.”
“Not that kind.”
“Mrs. Penn’s bracelet was made in France, just like the one that I was given as a gift. It also had an unusual clasp that matched mine. She’s an old lady with poor eyesight,” explained Genevieve. “How could she possibly detect her bracelet on another woman in such a crowd? There are more than four hundred people in first class — safety in numbers.”
“I’m still not persuaded, Genevieve.”
“Then remember what Blanche Charlbury said about him. He’s a thief. He was expelled from school and sent down from Oxford for stealing. Also,” she went on, “there’s the small matter of how he can afford such a stylish way of life when he has no apparent income.”
“People like that always get by somehow.”
“And I think I know how. Jonathan Killick is our man.”
“You believe that he stole from Miss Stiller as well?”
“Probably.”
“What about Oskar Halberg? Is Killick a pickpocket?”
“I certainly wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Even you can’t accuse him of taking Mrs. Farrant’s purse,” he said. “However many chances he’d take, Killick would draw the line at going into a ladies’ cloakroom.”
“All I’m concerned about at the moment is that gold bracelet. If that’s hidden away in his cabin, then so are the rest of the things he took from Mrs. Penn’s jewelry box. Please,” she said, “let me have the key.”
The purser sat back in his chair. Since they had sailed from Southampton, all kinds of problems had been brought to his office and he had been able to solve most of them without undue difficulty. That was not the case here. There were too many imponderables.
“I don’t like it, Genevieve,” he told her.
“Why not?”
“Searching a cabin has to be a very last resort.”
“Lester, this is an opportunity for us to catch a thief. Let’s take it.”
“What does George say?”
“He was as suspicious as I was when he saw that gold bracelet. Whatever is a man doing with such a thing? George said it would bear further investigation.”
“But he didn’t actually urge you to go into Killick’s cabin.”
“No,” she admitted.
“Then I’d like to discuss it with him first.”
“But we might miss our chance if we delay,” she said. “Jonathan Killick is having coffee in the lounge with friends. This is a perfect time to act. I may not get an opportunity like this again. Terrible crimes have been committed aboard the Oceanic and George needs my help to solve them. I can’t do that if I’m running around after a thief.” She leaned over his desk. “Let me catch him, Lester. Then you can have the pleasure of giving Mrs. Penn’s jewelry back to her — and even to the others.”
“Mrs. Farrant is the real headache. Since Killick couldn’t possibly have filched her diamond earrings, we’re looking for two thieves.”
“He must have a female accomplice.”
“A very unusual one,” said Hembrow cynically. “What woman would help him to steal jewelry in order for him to give some of it to another woman?” He chewed his lip in thought. “Have you spoken to George since he and I went into that empty cabin?”
“Not yet.”
“He disagrees with you, Genevieve. He believes that the thefts are part of a deliberate plan to distract us from the murder investigation. In short, one person is behind all the crimes. Could you accept that?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Then you have to accept that Killick is both murderer and thief.”
“I think he’s capable of anything.”
“We need to bring George into this discussion.”
“He has enough on his plate,” she urged. “If George is correct and one man is responsible for the crimes, that’s an even stronger argument for searching Jonathan Killick’s cabin.”
“Even though he didn’t join the ship at Cherbourg?”
“Even then.”
“No, Genevieve. It’s too dangerous.”
“Give me the key,” she pleaded. “It will take me less than a minute to see if I’m right. What do we have to lose, Lester?”
He began to waver. “I shouldn’t be authorizing this, you know.”
“Pretend that I took the master key when you weren’t looking.”
“The captain would have me keel-hauled.”
“Not if we catch the killer.” She extended her hand. “Well?”
Hembrow capitulated. “You’ll need someone to watch your back in case he returns to his cabin,” he said, unlocking a drawer and taking out a key. “I’ll come with you.”
He handed the key to Genevieve. She thanked him then opened the door to find that three people were outside, waiting to see the purser. Hembrow invited the first one into his office.
“I’ll be with you directly, Miss Masefield,” he said.
The look in his eye told her not to take any action without him but Genevieve was afraid that any delay would rob her of an opportunity to search the cabin. Leaving the purser with the passengers, she went first to the lounge. Jonathan Killick was still there, conversing with a group of people over coffee. It was all the prompting that she needed. Walking swiftly along the corridor, she went down a companionway and located the number of his cabin. Nobody was about. She tapped on the door to make sure that no steward was there. The cabin was empty. Genevieve was inside in a flash.
She felt a sudden rush of fear. When she had set out, she wanted to prove that Killick was a thief but it now transpired that he might be a killer as well. The enormity of the risk she was taking paralyzed her for a couple of minutes. If she were caught, anything might happen. Genevieve had to force herself to do what she was there for, slowly opening drawers, searching the wardrobe, and checking all of the hiding places that thieves had used in the past to conceal their loot.
Jonathan Killick was a collector. When she opened a valise, she found a series of photographs, held together by a red ribbon. Genevieve flicked through them and saw that they were all pictures of beautiful young women, some of whom had written endearments to Killick on the backs of their photographs. Blanche Charlbury’s face suddenly came into view and it shocked Genevieve. She wondered if her friend knew that she was part of Killick’s private gallery.
Putting the photographs away, she felt inside the valise until her hand came into contact with a small silk bag. The moment her fingers closed around it, she knew that she had found jewelry and her heart began to pound. She took out the bag and emptied its contents into the palm of her hand. The gold bracelet was there and so were some brooches and a pair of diamond earrings. There was also a large bundle of notes, and she unfolded it to find British currency and American dollars, wrapped haphazardly together. The last item in the bag was even more conclusive. It was a business card bearing the italicized name of Oskar Halberg.
Genevieve was so thrilled with her discovery that she wanted to shout with joy. It was at that point that she heard a key in the lock.
ELEVEN
Genevieve was frozen to the spot. It flashed through her mind that her only faint chance of escaping detection was to dive into the bathroom with the valise and pray that nobody would come in there, but she was quit
e unable to move. Overcome with guilt and trepidation, she trembled as she put the jewelry back into its bag. She cursed herself for being so impetuous. Searching a cabin without a lookout to assist her was both foolish and reckless. Genevieve had been caught in the act. Her one hope was that the bedroom steward was about to come in.
She was out of luck. It was Jonathan Killick who entered the cabin and who stared at her with a mixture of hostility and amazement.
“What the devil are you doing in here?” he demanded.
“It’s not how it looks,” she replied meekly.
“I’d say that it’s exactly how it looks. Bless my soul! I knew that you were a cool customer, Miss Masefield, but I hadn’t realized that you were a thief. How did you get in here? Never mind that,” he went on, stretching out a hand. “Could I please have my property back?”
“If it really is your property, Mr. Killick.”
“Well, it’s certainly not yours. Of all the nerve! When I offered that gold bracelet as a gift, you refused it. Yet now you break in to my cabin and try to steal it.” His tone sharpened. “Give it to me!”
“We need to discuss this first.”
“I won’t ask again.”
Taking a step closer, he adopted a threatening pose. Genevieve was scared. She had fought her way out of awkward situations before but Killick was tall and powerful. Over dinner the night before, he had talked about his sporting achievements. Genevieve would be no match for him in a tussle and if, as she assumed, he might already have killed one victim, she did not wish to provoke him in any way. She handed over the bag and its contents. Putting them on the table, he stood there with his hands on his hips and appraised her.
“Now, then,” he said, “what am I going to do with you?”
“Could we go elsewhere to talk about this, please?”
“Oh no — you’re staying here.”
“You can’t keep me.”
“Yes, I can, Miss Masefield.”
“That’s not the behavior of a gentleman.”
“Stealing from my cabin is hardly the correct behavior of a lady,” he countered. “In the circumstances, I think that we can abandon the finer points of etiquette, don’t you? Sit down, please.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Sit down!”
He accompanied the order with a firm push. When she felt his hand on her shoulder, she realized how powerful he was. She was shoved down onto a chair without ceremony. He stood over her, his arms folded, his legs almost touching hers. Genevieve was in a quandary. To admit that she was a ship’s detective might give him a reason to silence her for good. If he were the person responsible for the crimes on board the ship, then he would certainly not give himself up. Somewhere in the cabin, he might have the knife that had killed Howard Riedel and the gun taken from the dead man. Genevieve did not want to give him an excuse to reach for either weapon.
She could scream for help but, with Killick so close, she knew that her cry would soon be stifled and that, in any case, there might be nobody near enough to hear. However loud she could yell, the insistent throb of the ship’s engines and the constant swish of the waves would muffle her voice. All that she could do was to keep her captor talking until the purser arrived to save her. Lester Hembrow knew where she was and — once he had disposed of the passengers who had come to see him — would start to look for her. That, however, might take too much time. Genevieve hoped that she would still be alive when he finally got there.
Killick was still gazing at her with mingled lust and calculation.
“You only had to ask,” he said, reaching out to touch her cheek.
“Ask what?”
“To have the gold bracelet.”
“I didn’t want it.”
“Then why did you try to steal it?” he asked. “Or did you wish to see what else I had so that you could take your pick? Is that what this comes down to — a question of choice?” She remained silent. “Out with it. Tell me the truth, Genevieve — I think I’m entitled to call you that, don’t you? Now that we’re on such intimate terms, that is.”
“I’d rather you didn’t touch me,” she said, moving her head away from his hand.
“I’d rather you didn’t sneak into my cabin, Genevieve, but you did and so I have to make the best of the situation. You’ve committed a crime and you have to be punished.”
“Report me to the purser,” she pleaded. “Take me to him now.”
“That would let you off the hook, wouldn’t it?”
“Would it?”
“Yes,” he said, leering at her. “You’d be locked up and I’d be deprived of your company. Nothing was actually stolen from me, after all. My property is still intact. I’m prepared to be forgiving.”
“Thank you, Mr. Killick.”
“My name is Johnny.”
“This has all been a horrendous mistake. I apologize profusely for coming in here. Let me go and I promise that I’ll never do it again.”
“We haven’t decided on your punishment yet.”
“You talked about forgiveness a moment ago.”
“Everything comes at a price, Genevieve.”
Her blood ran cold. “I’d rather be turned over to the purser.”
“I’m sure that you would.”
“Mr. Hembrow will know what to do with me.”
“But I have a much more appealing notion,” he said, holding her chin so that she was unable to move her head. “Something from which we can both reap enjoyment. I’ll strike a bargain with you.”
“Mr. Killick —”
“Johnny,” he insisted. “That’s my first condition. From now on, you call me Johnny. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Johnny,” she said.
“That’s better. I’ve so wanted to hear my name on those gorgeous lips of yours. Now, listen to my offer, Genevieve. I’m ready to forgive and forget this appalling intrusion into my privacy, if you let me have what I want.” He smiled. “I can’t be fairer than that, can I?”
Genevieve’s heart constricted. Her mouth was so dry that she could not speak. She felt almost dizzy. Her eyes darted around the cabin but there was no means of escape. She was trapped.
“Well?” he prompted. “What’s your answer?”
George Dillman was determined to find out if his steward was implicated in any of the crimes that had occurred. Manny Ellway was as friendly as usual when they met but the detective was not deceived by his surface geniality. There was something about the man that did not ring true, and his interest in the empty cabin had left a number of unanswered questions hanging in the air. Having taken the trouble to find out what Ellway’s routine was from the chief steward, Dillman knew that he had a mid-morning break when he was supposed to join his colleagues for light refreshment. He, therefore, positioned himself where he could watch Ellway’s cabin at the appointed time. Four stewards came out and three of them, including Sidney Browne, headed off toward their canteen. Holding back from them, Manny Ellway set off in the opposite direction.
Dillman followed at a discreet distance, wondering why the man did not go with his friends. Instead, moving furtively, Ellway went along a corridor and down a companionway that led to the second-class decks. Demarcation on board was very strict. Like passengers, stewards were confined to their particular class and forbidden to wander at liberty around the vessel. Ellway had no legitimate reason for being where he was. Dillman had caught him out in a breach of the rules. Reaching the bottom of the steps, Ellway had to unhook a rope that barred access to the second-class area. After looking up and down the corridor, he replaced the rope behind him and scuttled off.
When the detective went down the companionway, he was just in time to see Ellway turning a corner at the end of the corridor. Dillman removed the rope barrier then hooked it up behind him. His long strides took him at speed along the thick carpet. Ellway was up to something and Dillman wanted to know what it was. But he was too late. Peering around the corner, he saw to his consternation that
he had lost the steward. Somewhere in a long corridor, Manny Ellway had disappeared.
Genevieve Masefield did not know what to do. Her mind was racing but it offered her no easy solution. With her captor looming over her, a dash for the door would be pointless. She considered grabbing the valise so that she could use it to knock him aside but if that bid for freedom were to fail, she would be locked in a cabin with an enraged man. Another possibility was to fall back on deceit, pretending to faint in the hope that it would induce some sympathy. Genevieve quickly rejected that option. After one look at his face, she could see that he would take advantage of her defenselessness. Talking her way out of danger was the only thing that she could do. She ran a tongue over parched lips.
“I’m not waiting much longer,” he warned. “Decide.”
“I prefer to be dealt with by the purser.”
“That’s not a choice on offer, Genevieve.”
“Then what is?”
“An intelligent woman like you should be able to guess.”
“You want me to agree to your disgusting bargain.”
“Precisely.”
“Or?”
“I shall have to give you some encouragement.”
“Even you wouldn’t force yourself on me, surely?”
“I’d see it as my right, Genevieve. You’ve only yourself to blame for coming in here. I’ll tell you what,” he said, stroking her shoulder. “Just to show how magnanimous I can be, you can select any piece of jewelry as a keepsake — afterward.”
“I don’t want any of it.”
“Then why were you trying to take it?”
“I wondered why you had something like a gold bracelet in your possession,” said Genevieve. “When I asked you about it, you were so evasive that I thought it might have been acquired by suspect means.”
“Is that why you refused to take it?”
“That was part of the reason, Johnny.”
“You believed that I’d stolen it?”
“Jewelry of that kind is not a normal thing to find in a man’s cabin. You must admit that. And it’s not only the gold bracelet. There were other expensive items in that bag.”