Detective and mystery stories; English fiction -- 20th century
She noticed that a steel grating had been newly fixed to the
porthole, but that was the only indication of her captivity.
"I have enlisted the help of the stewardess," said T. B., "and you
will find all the clothing you are likely to require for the voyage.
I am also instructed to hand you £300. You will find your little
library well stocked. I myself have denuded my own poor stock of
French novels in order that you might not be dull."
"I understand that I am to be deported?" she said.
"That is an excellent understanding," he replied.
"By what authority?" she demanded. "It is necessary to obtain an
order from the Court."
"For the next fourteen days, and until this ship reaches Jamaica, you
will be Mary Brown, who was formally extradited last Saturday on a
charge of fraud," said T. B. "If you are wise you will give no
trouble, and nobody on board need have an inkling that you are a
prisoner. You can enjoy the voyage, and at the end----"
"At the end?" she asked, seeing that he paused.
"At the end we shall discover our mistake," said T. B., "and you may
return."
"I will summon the captain and demand to be put ashore!" she cried.
"A very natural request on the part of a prisoner," said T. B.
meditatively, "but I doubt very much whether it would have any effect
upon an unimaginative seaman."
He left her raging.
For the rest of the day he idled about the ship. The _Port Sybil_
was due to leave at four o'clock, and when the first warning bell had
sounded he went below to take his leave.
He found her much calmer.
"I would like to ask one question," she said. "It is not like the
police to provide me with money, and to reserve such a cabin as this
for my use--who is behind this?"
"I wondered whether you would ask that," said T. B. "Sir George was
very generous----"
"Sir George Calliper!" she gasped. "You have not dared----"
"Yes, it needed some daring," admitted T. B., "to wake an eminent
banker out of his beauty sleep to relate such a story as I had to
tell--but he was very nice about it."
She brooded for some moments.
"You will be sorry for this," she said. "The Nine Men will know much
sooner than you imagine."
"Before they know this they will know other things," he said. And
with this utterance he left her.
He stood watching the great steamer moving slowly down the Mersey.
He had left the wardress on board to make the voyage, and the other
detective had remained to report.
As the vessel swung round a bend of the Mersey out of sight, he
murmured flippantly:
"Next stop--Jamaica!"
T. B. reached his chambers at noon that day. He stopped to ask a
question of the porter.
"Yes, sir," said that worthy, "he arrived all right with your card
last night. I made him comfortable for the night, got him some
supper, and told my mate who is on duty at night to look after him."
T. B. nodded. Declining the lift-boy's services, he mounted the
marble stairs.
He reached the door of his flat and inserted the key.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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