Max Collins - The Lusitania Murders

Здесь есть возможность читать онлайн «Max Collins - The Lusitania Murders» весь текст электронной книги совершенно бесплатно (целиком полную версию без сокращений). В некоторых случаях можно слушать аудио, скачать через торрент в формате fb2 и присутствует краткое содержание. Жанр: Криминальный детектив, на английском языке. Описание произведения, (предисловие) а так же отзывы посетителей доступны на портале библиотеки ЛибКат.

The Lusitania Murders: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

Предлагаем к чтению аннотацию, описание, краткое содержание или предисловие (зависит от того, что написал сам автор книги «The Lusitania Murders»). Если вы не нашли необходимую информацию о книге — напишите в комментариях, мы постараемся отыскать её.

The Lusitania Murders — читать онлайн бесплатно полную книгу (весь текст) целиком

Ниже представлен текст книги, разбитый по страницам. Система сохранения места последней прочитанной страницы, позволяет с удобством читать онлайн бесплатно книгу «The Lusitania Murders», без необходимости каждый раз заново искать на чём Вы остановились. Поставьте закладку, и сможете в любой момент перейти на страницу, на которой закончили чтение.

Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

He reared back. “Why would-”

But she pressed forward. “And, afterward, it’s learned that you and the captain were unconcerned that a killer was at large on this ship. . that no attempts were made to find him?”

His eyes were wide. “The. . the stowaways are dead. The danger is past.”

“Are you quite sure? Are you certain you know why that list of prime passengers was found in the dead spy’s shoe? Do you truly think a man who’d been stabbed in the heart found his way to the next floor before dying?”

Anderson couldn’t seem to find any words with which to respond.

“I know you’re just trying to do your job,” she told him, backing off. “And I’m doing mine. . Now, I still have work to do. Unlike Captain Turner, I doubt I’ll be ‘catching’ a few hours sleep.”

“Nor will I,” Anderson said. He sighed. “I meant no offense, Miss Vance. . if I spoke out of turn. .”

“No apology needed. This is an unusual situation-we’re all finding our way, as best we can. But if I might be so bold. . think for yourself, Captain Anderson.”

“I don’t understand. .”

She nodded toward the door of the captain’s suite. “You’ll have to: That salty old bastard doesn’t have a brain in his head. . Good evening.”

Anderson looked as if he’d been poleaxed, and Miss Vance walked quickly down the corridor, and I followed her. We took the stairs, not the elevator, to our floor one deck below.

And then we were walking along the empty corridor where, not long ago at all, a corpse had resided on this very linoleum.

“I’m going to examine that knife handle for prints,” she said, at her door.

“Do you need my help?”

“No, thank you. It’s a one-person job.” She touched my cheek; her flesh was cool. “Get some rest.”

I thought about kissing her, but it didn’t seem befitting, somehow. So I blew her a kiss instead, and walked down to my room.

I had washed up, and climbed first into my nightshirt and then beneath my covers, when a sharp knock at the cabin door startled me.

Answering it, I found Miss Vance there-her eyes wide, her face white-and she brushed by me, and sat on my bed. She was in quite a state.

“It’s gone!” she said.

I sat next to her-she fully clothed, me in my nightshirt-and asked, “What is gone?”

Her eyes flashed at me. “The knife, you fool-someone took it from my room.”

“My God-then there is a murderer on the crew!”

She sighed. “Not necessarily-a passenger could have bribed a passkey. . and, remember, Anderson was concerned about my fingerprinting the crew and/or the passengers, even before Turner brought it up.”

“You mean, he could have had someone remove it, just to prevent that inconvenience?”

“Yes. . these British boneheads have some very peculiar ideas about propriety.”

I put an arm around her, and she fell against me-even a strong woman like this could go soft from defeat.

“What good would it do to make accusations?” she wondered aloud. “Suppose they agreed to search the ship-you know damn well that knife has been pitched overboard, long since!”

I could only agree. “What does that leave us? In the eyes of Turner and Anderson, this incident is closed. . at least until we reach Liverpool, and the British authorities are brought in.”

She sat up, eyes brightening. “Has it occurred to you that the late Klaus may have found his way to first class because he had an accomplice there?”

“Well, no. . but why would anyone in first class be an accomplice to German stowaways. .?”

She was smiling, tightly. “That is what we must find out, Van.”

“How?”

“By talking to our most likely suspects. . who I believe are the same names on that list found in the stowaway’s shoe.”

I was frankly bewildered. “What makes them the most likely suspects? Before, you said they were potential victims-either of assassination, or robbery. .”

“I still consider that a strong possibility. Perhaps the name of the real mastermind was mixed in with the targeted victims to encourage ruling that person out as a suspect.”

“You’re saying Vanderbilt or Madame DePage might be German spies, or at least in league with them? Or that imbecile Hubbard. .?”

But she was on to her next possibility: “Or maybe it was a list of targets plus the name of their shipboard contact, in first class! Right down to the cabin number!”

“Vance, is that really likely?”

She cast that glittering predatory gaze on me again. “However you look at it, these same six names have turned up twice: first, in those warning telegrams; next, in a list that was in the dead stowaway’s possession. . which directly ties those six people to that murdered man.”

“I suppose it does. But how?”

“That,” she said, “would seem to be the question. . and since you have to interview them anyway, who besides S.S. Van Dine will have a better opportunity to find out?”

And to seal the bargain, she kissed me.

NINE

C’est La Guerre

The alarm clock that woke me was a powerful bellow, like the mournful cry of some mythical sea beast-in reality, of course, the ship’s foghorn. I’d made arrangements to meet Miss Vance for the second breakfast sitting, and could well have rolled over and gone back to sleep; but the events of the day previous had been so intense, that when I’d awakened, so had countless thoughts and myriad questions.

After toiletries that included a refreshing shower and a trimming of my beard, I dressed in a gray houndstooth-check suit and walked out onto the wide sheltered promenade, which was lined with deck chairs, none currently in use. In fact, I seemed to have the rail all to myself as I gazed out where the endless expanse of ocean should be, seeing instead an impenetrable whiteness. The ship’s foghorn-half roar, half moan-blew its melancholy warning out into the swirling nothingness, and no doubt keen eyes on the bridge were at this moment searching for any sign of another ship, whose dark blur might loom abruptly, and perilously, out of the shroud of fog.

The great ship might well have been suspended in midair, a misty hand gripping her all around and underneath, freezing her in place. Though the ship may have seemed motionless, surely it had not stopped but only slowed*-soon the thrump of the bow cutting through a wave put the illusion to rest.

The otherworldly, almost surreal atmosphere gave me a chill, though the weather was mild enough-weren’t murders enough? Must Nature herself conspire to make the Lusitania a ghost ship?

Such thoughts were forgotten, however, when (perhaps an hour later) I repaired to the First Class Dining Saloon, where I joined the lovely-and astonishingly refreshed-looking-Miss Vance. She again was boldly hatless, and her attire striking, her Gibson-girl figure nearly done justice by the dark green satin dress with yoke-style overblouse and much lighter green high standing collar and sleeves.

Once more our tablemates were Madame DePage and her colleague Dr. Houghton, and (across from them) Miss Pope and her young paramour, Mr. Friend. Again, I had gone directly to Madame DePage to thank her for allowing me to join with their little group.

“Please consider yourself one of us,” she said, “for the remainder of the voyage.”

I asked if we might sit down for that interview today sometime, and she said most certainly-would this morning in the music room, at eleven, be convenient? It would. After a few other morning pleasantries, the three couples-Miss Vance and I comprising the third-fell into their private conversations.

These conversations were limited, however, as the ship’s banquet of a breakfast took up much of one’s attention. We chose between fruit or fruit juice, followed by a selection of oatmeal, grape nuts, malted milk or hominy; then kippers, turbot, lemon sole or Yarmouth bloaters; eggs to order or sauteed calf’s liver; and Cumberland lamb or Wiltshire bacon and Cumberland lamb, with a side of baked apples or pancakes. About that point a waiter offered from a tray of cold cuts an array of ham, beef, smoked ox tongue and capon. And there of course were oatcakes, toasted muffins and scones. . with tea, coffee or cocoa. For those disappointed in such light fare, special orders of steak, mutton chops or chicken were available from the grill.

Читать дальше
Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Похожие книги на «The Lusitania Murders»

Представляем Вашему вниманию похожие книги на «The Lusitania Murders» списком для выбора. Мы отобрали схожую по названию и смыслу литературу в надежде предоставить читателям больше вариантов отыскать новые, интересные, ещё непрочитанные произведения.


Отзывы о книге «The Lusitania Murders»

Обсуждение, отзывы о книге «The Lusitania Murders» и просто собственные мнения читателей. Оставьте ваши комментарии, напишите, что Вы думаете о произведении, его смысле или главных героях. Укажите что конкретно понравилось, а что нет, и почему Вы так считаете.

x