Алистер Маклин - Seawitch

Jenkins stared at him in astonishment. Was this the way to greet a man who had been through a living hell, snatched, one might almost say, from the jaws of death? Where was the sympathy, the condolences, the anxious questioning? Mitchell put his hands on his shoulders and shook him violently.

‘Are you deaf? Jim’s room?’

Jenkins looked at the bleak face less than a foot from his own and decided against remonstrating. ‘In back, first floor, first right.’

Mitchell left. So, after a second or two, did Roomer. Jenkins called after him in a plaintive voice: ‘You aren’t leaving me too, Mr Roomer?’

Roomer turned and said patiently: ‘I’m going to the kitchen to get a nice sharp carver. Mr Mitchell has taken the only knife we have between us.’

Jim Robertson was young, fresh-faced and just out of college, a graduate in electrical engineering in no hurry to proceed with his profession. He sat on the bed massaging his now unbound wrists, wincing slightly as the circulation began to return. As tiers of knots, Durand’s henchmen had been nothing if not enthusiastic.

Mitchell said: ‘How do you feel?’

‘Mad.’

‘I shouldn’t wonder. Fit to operate your set?’

‘I’m fit for anything if it means getting hold of those bastards.’

‘That’s the general idea. Did you get a good look at the kidnappers?’

‘I can give you a general description–’ He broke off and stared at Mitchell. ‘Kidnappers?’

‘It appears that Lord Worth’s daughters have been abducted.’

‘Holy Christ!’ The assimilation of this news took some little time. ‘There’ll be all hell to pay for this.’

‘It should cause a considerable furore. Do you know where Marina’s room is?’

‘I’ll show you.’

Her room showed all the signs of a hasty and unpremeditated departure. Cupboard doors were open, drawers the same and some spilled clothing lay on the floor. Mitchell was interested in none of this. He quickly rifled through the drawers in her bedside table and within seconds found what he had hoped to find – a United States passport. He opened it and it was valid. He made a mental note that she had lied about her age – she was two years older than she claimed to be – returned the passport and hurried down to the radio room with Robertson, who unlocked the door to let them in. Robertson looked questioningly at Mitchell.

‘The County Police Chief. His name is McGarrity. I don’t want anyone else. Say you’re speaking on behalf of Lord Worth. That should work wonders. Then let me take over.’

Roomer entered while Robertson was trying to make contact. ‘Seven more of the staff, all suitably immobilized. Makes ten in all. I’ve left Jenkins to free them. His hands are shaking so badly that he’s bound to slice an artery or two, but for me the freeing of elderly cooks and young housemaids lies above and beyond the call of duty.’

‘They must have been carrying a mile of rope,’ Mitchell said absently. He was figuring out how much not to tell the chief of police.

Roomer nodded to the operator. ‘Who’s he trying to contact?’

‘McGarrity.’

‘That hypocritical old time-server.’

‘Most people would regard that as a charitable description. But he has his uses.’

Robertson looked up. ‘On the line, Mr Mitchell. That phone.’ He made discreetly to replace his own but Roomer took it from him and listened in.

‘Chief of Police McGarrity?’

‘Speaking.’

‘Please listen very carefully. This is extremely important and urgent, and the biggest thing that’s ever come your way. Are you alone?’

‘Yes. I’m quite alone.’ McGarrity’s tone held an odd mixture of suspicion and aroused interest.

‘Nobody listening in, no recorder?’

‘Goddam it, no. Get to the point.’

‘We’re speaking from Lord Worth’s house. You know of him?’

‘Don’t be a damned fool. Who’s “we”?’

‘My name is Michael Mitchell. My partner is John Roomer. We’re licensed private investigators.’

‘I’ve heard of you. You’re the pair who give the local law so much trouble.’

‘I’d put it the other way round, but that’s hardly relevant. What is relevant is that Lord Worth’s two daughters have been kidnapped.’

‘Merciful God in heaven!’ There ensued what could fairly have been described as a stunned silence at the other end of the line.

Roomer smiled sardonically and covered his mouthpiece. ‘Can’t you see the old twister grabbing his seat, eyes popping, big signs saying “Promotion” flashing in front of him?’

‘Kidnapped, you said?’ McGarrity’s voice had suddenly developed a certain hoarseness.

‘Kidnapped. Abducted. Snatched.’

‘Sure of this?’

‘Sure as can be. The girls’ rooms have every sign of a hurried unpremeditated departure. Ten of the staff bound and gagged. What would you conclude from that?’

‘Kidnap.’ McGarrity made it sound as if he’d made the discovery all by himself.

‘Can you put a block on all escape routes? They haven’t taken their passports, so that rules out international flights. I hardly think the kidnappers would have taken any commercial internal flight. Can you see Lord Worth’s daughters passing through the crowded concourse of any terminal without being recognized? I suggest a stop order and permanent guard on every private airfield and heliport in the southern part of the state. And that goes for every port, big and small, in the same area.’

McGarrity sounded bemused, befuddled. ‘That would call for hundreds of policemen.’

The tone of anguished protest was unmistakable. Mitchell sighed, cupped the mouthpiece, looked at Roomer and said: ‘Man’s out of his depth. Can I call him lunkhead?’ He removed his hand. ‘Look, Chief McGarrity, I don’t think you quite realize what you’re sitting on. It’s the daughters of Lord Worth that we’re talking about. You could lift your phone and have a thousand cops for the asking. You could call out the National Guard if you wanted – I’m sure Lord Worth would recoup every cent of expenses. Good God, man, there’s been nothing like this since the Lindbergh kidnapping.’

‘That’s so, that’s so.’ It wasn’t difficult to visualize McGarrity licking his lips. ‘Descriptions?’

‘Not much help there, I’m afraid. They all wore stocking masks. The leader wore gloves, which may or may not indicate a criminal record. All were big, well-built men and all wore dark business suits. I don’t require to give you a description of the girls, I suppose?’

‘Lady Marina? Lady Melinda?’ McGarrity was a classic snob of awesome proportions, who followed with avid interest the comings and goings of alleged society, of the internationally famous and infamous. ‘Good heavens, no. Of course not. They must be the most photographed couple in the State.’

‘You’ll keep this under wraps, tight as possible, for the moment?’

‘I will, I will.’ McGarrity had his baby clutched close to his heart, and nobody, but nobody, was going to take it away from him.

‘Lord Worth will have to be informed first of all. I’ll refer him to you.’

‘You mean you haven’t told him yet?’ McGarrity could hardly believe his good fortune.

‘No.’

‘Tell him to rest easy, well, as easy as he can, that is. Tell him I’m taking complete and personal charge of the investigation.’

‘I’ll do that, Chief.’

Roomer winced and screwed his eyes shut.

McGarrity sounded positively brisk. ‘Now, about the local law.’

‘I suppose I’ve got to call them in. I’m not too happy about it. They’re biased against us. Suppose they refuse to keep the wraps on this–’

‘In which case,’ McGarrity said ominously, ‘just put the person concerned directly on the line to me. Anyone else know about this yet?’