The Pleasure Cruise Mystery (11 page)

On leaving Ricardo, Vereker was about to enter his cabin when he ran into Colvin in the alleyway. He was the very man he wanted to meet.

“Can I have a word with you?” he asked.

“Certainly,” replied Colvin, and on Vereker's gesture preceded him into No. 88.

“I've been thinking over this affair of Mrs. Mesado's missing necklace since we met this morning,” began Vereker, “and would like to make a suggestion. As I told you, I've done a considerable amount of detective work in very similar cases, and I might be able to recover the property for you without creating a scandal on board. I'd naturally work in secrecy. I would, of course, lay the whole matter confidentially before the captain, who is a friend of mine. Beyond him, yourself and perhaps Fuller, the steward, no one need know anything about the matter. I'm sure Captain Partridge will fall in with my plan. As you know, his aim is to make this cruise a thundering success. This is the Green Star's first venture in this direction, and they've taken the ‘Mars' off the ordinary passenger route to Canada for the purpose. The competition in pleasure cruises is now getting terribly keen, and any unpleasant occurrence on board would go dead against that desired success. That's how the matter stands. If you don't quite like the idea, turn it down and we'll say no more about it. I can assure you, however, that I'm confident I can get Mrs. Mesado's necklace back without setting the whole ship by the ears.”

For some moments Colvin stood hesitant. He was ostensibly reviewing the matter and envisaging other possibilities than were apparent to Vereker.

“I don't want to get anyone into trouble,” he said at length. “It's the last thing I want to do. If the property were mine I'd rather stick the loss than kick up a dust about it. But the necklace is worth some thousands of pounds; they are all specimen stones and we shall have to account to Mesado for it being missing. I suppose the captain must know?”

“I suggested telling him in order to safeguard myself. Without him my task might be impossible. A captain is ‘It' on board his ship. He can do anything except marry a couple. He can order a cabin or cabins to be searched if necessary. He can clap a man in irons. I think the best thing I can do is to have a quiet chat with him and lay all our cards on the table. But it's for you to decide… What d'you think?”

“Then I should say go ahead. If there's any likelihood of trouble arising, unexpected trouble I mean, of course you'd let me know. I don't want to make myself a nuisance or the cynosure of all eyes for the remainder of the trip.”

“You intend to complete the cruise?” asked Vereker, rather surprised.

“Constance and I have talked it over and think it's the best thing to do. There'll be a burial at sea. She will take all responsibility on that score, for she's Mrs. Mesado's sister. We see no purpose in taking the body ashore to be buried in a foreign land or getting it embalmed and taking it back to England. The latter is costly and is hedged in by all sorts of irritating formalities.”

“I see your point of view,” remarked Vereker with grave sympathy, “Perhaps you're doing the best thing in the circumstances.”

“I'm sure of it, and my wife agrees with me. She feels the loss of her sister terribly; they were very fond of one another. The cruise will switch her mind off her troubles and give her other and happier interests. As for her sister's necklace, I hope you can get it back. Naturally I can't ask you to do the work for nothing…”

Vereker raised a deprecatory hand. “We won't discuss that side of the question. I ask nothing for my work. If I can recover the necklace I'll be delighted. I'm not a ‘pro.' at the detective game. Must try and keep up my amateur status so to speak.”

“Very well, we'll leave it at that,” said Colvin and hesitatingly extended a hand.

Vereker shook it with more graciousness than warmth. He was particularly anxious not to be too friendly with Colvin at this juncture of his investigation, and yet he felt he must rouse no inkling of his purpose to probe deeper into the mystery surrounding Mrs. Mesado's death. In his own mind he was still uncertain in what relation Colvin stood to his sister-in-law's sudden death. That he was concealing something was to Vereker a fairly safe assumption, but such concealment, he felt, might in the light of further discoveries have either an indirect or no connection at all with such a serious thing as murder. In his statements Colvin had lied, but falsehoods are often uttered by men who, by ordinary criteria, would never be classed as criminals. He felt that he must keep an open mind. On reflection he decided that he must not be prejudiced against Colvin. Whatever weaknesses of character the man might display could not wholly efface a certain natural likableness, a kindly, easy-going disposition. Feeling that there was no reason for prolonging the interview he moved towards his cabin door and opened it.

“Now for breakfast,” he said, and then by one of those flashes of inspiration for which there is no accounting he suddenly turned to Colvin and asked: “By the way, it would be just as well if you gave me a description of the missing necklace to work on.”

“By Jove, yes,” replied Colvin. “I'd forgotten you hadn't seen it closely. It's a rope of specimen diamonds, cinnamon and white, strung together alternately. There's a circular ornament of diamonds, blue, white, black, yellow—a unique collection, beautifully mixed—forming a pendant. The clasp is a small platinum lizard set with finest emeralds and rubies. There's not another necklace like it on this ship, anyway.”

“From your description I'd have no difficulty in spotting it at once,” said Vereker, and as Colvin stepped out into the alleyway he added, “Our slogan must be secrecy first. Leave everything to me, and I'll keep you posted with all important news.”

“Mum's the word,” agreed Colvin, placing a dramatic finger to his lips as he stood for a moment facing Vereker before he turned and hurried back to his own cabin.

“Well, I'm damned!” exclaimed Vereker to himself as soon as Colvin had disappeared. “This is mildly surprising to say the least of it!” He stood for some moments fingering the stones of the necklace with the emerald pendant and emerald butterfly clasp which he was carrying in his left-hand trousers-pocket before descending to the dining saloon on deck A for breakfast.

I

When Vereker seated himself at the breakfast table neither the captain nor Doctor Macpherson was present. The chief engineer, a rubicund Scot with light shaggy eyebrows and a genial, hearty manner, took the captain's place and was inclined to be talkative. His conversation, however, turned on the subject of the belt of fog which the “Mars” had run into the previous night, a topic in which Vereker, occupied with the mystery of Mrs. Mesado's death, was not deeply interested.

“I'd rather have a sixty mile an hour gale than a fog,” remarked the chief engineer.

“Give me the fog,” replied Vereker with a smile. “I'm not a good sailor and a gale fairly lays me out.”

“Landsmen don't realise the danger of collisions in a fog. Did you hear that vessel pass us shortly after two o'clock this morning? She must have been less than a hundred yards off. She was travelling much too fast. Possibly a cargo boat making up for lost time reckless of consequences.”

“What could her skipper be thinking of?” asked Vereker to show he was listening to the engineer's conversation.

“Not always the skipper's fault. He has to answer to his company's directors for monetary loss. Delay would probably have been expensive. The truth seldom leaks out if there's a smash up. A master's lot is not an easy one.”

“I wonder where she was making for,” said Vereker, pouring milk over his porridge.

“God knows. Probably some French or Portuguese vessel heading for Lisbon.”

At this point Ricardo appeared and sustained the conversation with the chief engineer until, having finished his breakfast, the officer departed.

“Well, mon brave, any further discoveries?” asked Manuel eagerly as soon as they were alone.

“An amazing one, Ricky. I ran into Colvin after leaving you this morning, and we had a confidential pow-wow. He's a slick sort of gent, as I told you, and I've decided on the ‘helpful friend' approach as the best one to mask my real intentions.”

“Unscrupulous hound! If you want to beat your man, take my tip and let the helpful friend stand unlimited drinks. What happened?”

“I think I managed to deceive him up to a point. He was guarded, however, and seems devilish eager not to have any trouble about the missing necklace. He's hiding something, and it strikes me that the necklace is a subsidiary factor in this business.”

“It has nothing on a murder, anyway,” replied Ricardo and asked the waiter to bring him some grilled bacon and fried eggs.

“I promised to exercise my powers as a private 'tec and restore the necklace without fuss or trouble, if possible. I could see he didn't want anything in the nature of an inquiry or search,” continued Vereker.

“When you restore it without fuss or trouble your stock as a private 'tec ought to boom in his estimation. I'm beginning to think you're a hollow fraud, Algernon. I hope you didn't minimise the difficulties of recovering an article that was simply chucked at your head.”

“It's not going to be as easy as you imagine, Ricky. I've struck a nasty snag already. The necklace that was chucked at my head is apparently not the necklace that's missing.”

“It's certainly the one Mrs. Mesado wore,” said Ricardo emphatically.

“Are you sure that this is not a good paste affair?”

“My dear Algernon, I'm not a fool. As part of your sleuth's equipment I suggest you learn a little more about precious stones. Did Colvin describe the missing necklace?”

“It's a rope of alternate cinnamon and white diamonds—all specimen stones. The pendant is a circular one studded with different coloured diamonds. The clasp is a platinum lizard set with the finest emeralds and rubies.”

“Then where does the one you're cuddling in your pocket come in? It's one of Mrs. Mesado's and certainly not negligible.”

“I've got to find a solution to that little puzzle, but I've a hazy notion how it all happened.”

“Splendid, Algernon. You'd worm your way through armour plate. What's more, you've made me as keen on this business as a greyhound after an electric hare. I'm ready to start my side of the job instanter—no, not instanter, but after my second cup of coffee. Is there anything special you want me to find out?”

“Yes. If you can get into conversation with Gautier, Mrs. Mesado's maid, ask her all about her mistress's car smash, especially where it occurred. You're interested in motors, so it ought to be easy. Find out all about this man Miguel Dias from any source available. Miss Penteado will be most informative. Don't probe Colvin because there may be some secret bond between them. I'll investigate that line. Also question Gautier about the missing necklace and make certain whether Mrs. Mesado wore a signet ring or not on her left hand.”

“Don't overload me, Algernon, or I shall explode and make a mess of things.”

“Have you got clearly in your mind all I've asked you to find out?”

“Crystal clear. I don't feel equipped for the part without a revolver and a pair of darbies. Still, I can borrow a marline-spike and a bit of string from one of the crew. I shall be at the races with Miss Gautier, and at the swimming pool with Rosaura today. At least them's my intentions. To combine business with pleasure is nearly as profitable as combining it with religion.”

“Don't be too scrupulous in your methods, Ricky. The art of detection, like all great art, is above moral criteria. Morals are the outcome of social limitations, and the true artist's outlook is unfettered. ‘Find out at all costs' is the slogan of sleuthing.”

“I'm a go-getter, Algernon, and I'm glad to hear you disregard costs. I shall be as amoral as a tiger and as expensive as counsel. I'll see you before lunch. Have an apéritif ready in your cabin and I'll then display my catch of news.”

With these words Ricardo departed, and Vereker strolled out of the saloon and went up to the main promenade deck to sit and read in the sunshine.

The fog of overnight had vanished and the sea and sky were gloriously blue. As he hunted about for his deck chair he noticed that Mrs. Colvin was temporarily occupying it. This at once suggested an opening for conversation. She was seated with a rug wrapped about her, and on her lap lay a book which she was making a pretence of reading. Her soft, sweet face was drawn and pale and there were dark rings round her eyes. The tragedy of her sister's death had evidently been a great shock to her and had left its mark. At once she noticed that Vereker was in search of his deck chair and, sitting up, turned and glanced at the label pasted on the woodwork of the one she occupied. Vereker promptly seized the opportunity and approached her.

“Please don't rise. I can easily bag another chair,” he remarked pleasantly.

“I'm sorry,” she replied; “I thought I was sitting on my own. You're Mr. Vereker, I see. My name's Colvin. You've already met my husband, Mr. Vereker, and I was hoping I'd run into you before long.”

“Nice of you to say so, Mrs. Colvin,” said Vereker and, picking up the nearest vacant chair, seated himself beside her.

Anthony Vereker, in spite of his urbanity, was afflicted with that peculiar downright sincerity which finds it difficult to play the social humbug, and for some minutes his conversation, which was an expression of condolence, was halting and painful. He had, however, met in Mrs. Colvin a woman who had the gift of making the first steps of acquaintanceship easy and soon their talk drifted into a more natural freedom.

“It was the suddenness of the whole business that upset me,” remarked Mrs. Colvin, referring to her sister's death.