CHAPTER XVII

STORM

In my memory I have a terribly vivid picture of the first few stifling moments in that black room. There was a scurrying of feet about me, confused shouts. Someone prodded me in the back so that I gasped for breath. Then the voice of Perutkin booming forth: “Quiet, everybody, quiet!” It was as if a schoolmaster were reproving a group of noisy children. For the next moment hushed silence reigned.

There was the barely audible click of metal, and the Russian played the weak rays of a flash-light upon the wall. But it served only to illuminate his own stern visage, curiously ominous under the black top-hat. He seemed an unearthly figure out of a dream. That he was conscious of the effect he produced I cannot doubt. He had a Russian sense of personal drama.

“There is nothing to fear!” he said slowly, but his voice belied his words. “You are all safe. Something’s wrong with the electric plant, and it will undoubtedly be repaired in a moment.”

“There’s been something wrong with this boat ever since we got on,” I heard the elder Breese’s voice tremble. I could not see his face. He was one of many shadows among us. “Where’s the Captain?”

“Yes----” this now with Rice’s voice. “Bring him down here. You with the flash-light, I told him to turn back. Why didn’t he?”

“I shall bring the Captain,” the Russian promised. “But again I tell you, there is nothing to fear.”

He moved to the door, the light traveling uncannily with him. Then the door closed, and once more we were plunged in darkness.

“I’ve never had such an experience in all my life,” I heard the actor complaining fatuously. “Hang it all, this is a funny way of running a boat.”

“Shut up, can’t you?” barked Rice. “Does somebody know where we are?”

“All I can tell you,” Smith responded placidly, “is that we’re out of sight of land. But we can’t be far from the coast.” The yacht heaved and shadows toppled. I heard Rice swear. Smith muttered to me: “This is a real storm all right. It had me fooled. I thought it’d pass over.”

The boat creaked and rattled, and the engines throbbed as if in struggle.

Then the door opened, and Perutkin appeared with his flash-light. It was good to be rid of the dark again.

“I’m sorry,” he announced, “but the Captain can tell me nothing.” He paused. “Nothing!”

“What the devil do you mean by that?” demanded the elder Breese. “Where is he? Bring him down here. I’ll have him fired the minute we land.”

“That is your affair, Mr. Breese,” replied the Russian, playing the light full upon the face of the financier. “I know nothing of that. All I can tell you is that the Captain cannot come down here. He is not leaving the bridge.”

“What’s wrong with the lights?” asked Rice.

“They are investigating now,” replied the Russian. “They do not know themselves.” He set his flash-light upon the table, so that it shed its faint rays upon us all. “Meanwhile we must content ourselves with this. It will do in an emergency.”

“It’s outrageous!” cried the actor. “It’s never happened before.”

“Where are we?” demanded Rice, straining to see out of the window.

“That I cannot tell you,” responded the Russian. “They were not very communicative--your officers. The Captain growled at me as if he would bite me, and the first officer was not very polite either.” He stopped short, as the Countess rose from the sofa and stared at a shadowy figure in one corner. It was with some effort that she stifled a scream.

The Count came forward. For the first time his presence was revealed to the mourners.

“Where on earth did you come from?” Rice gasped at the intruder.

The actor seemed to have gone mad. “Somebody arrest him! Somebody arrest him!” he shouted. “Here, you detectives--here he is!”

“Quiet!” roared Perutkin.

“I must apologize to you, Mary,” the Count began quietly. “And to you, gentlemen. I did not come here to startle you. The fact is, I came on board to give myself up.”

“Then sit down!” commanded Perutkin. “Consider yourself under arrest, and when we land we shall know what to do with you.”

The Count nodded, and quietly seated himself in a corner, almost out of sight of the others in the pale light. The Countess averted her eyes. I saw her deliberately turn to gaze, expressionless, at Smith, standing in the opposite corner, although I am sure she did not see him.

“Well,” said Rice, still staring at the Count, “this is quite a shock to me. How did you get on the boat?”

“No one stopped me,” replied the Count. “I’m sorry I have disturbed you.”

“What’s this about a confession?” asked Rice. “Do you mean to tell me that you murdered Mrs. Breese?”

“Yes,” replied the Count. “I did.”

“But in the name of Heaven, why?” demanded Rice. “I’d like to know. I’d like to know why anyone would kill Dora Breese--one of the finest women that ever lived. I’d like to know how an apparently decent young chap like you could do a fiendish thing like that.”

“Is it so unlikely?” demanded the Count. “Didn’t you believe I was guilty of murder in Riga?”

“I did not!” snapped Rice. “I told Dora she had you all wrong. But, of course, she was right. You couldn’t fool her.” He stopped, overwhelmed. “God, I can’t believe it!” he muttered. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“If you don’t mind,” said the Count wearily, “I’d rather not discuss it.”

But here Perutkin intervened. “Do you know, Mr. Rice, I agree with you. It doesn’t seem real. I don’t think my friend’s confession is worth this----” he snapped his fingers. “He’s being a fool, that’s all.”

“But why?” demanded Rice. “Why does he confess? That’s what gets me!”

“I shall tell you,” said Perutkin. “He thinks he is being chivalrous. He thinks he is doing something noble. He does not realize he is merely obstructing justice.” He swung suddenly on the Countess who was looking at him intently. “You, Madame, you do not believe him? You were his wife. You know him.”

“I don’t know what to believe,” the girl said desperately.

“And you, young man----” He turned to the younger Breese--“what do you think?”

The boy squirmed in the chair, but said nothing.

“And you?” He advanced slowly upon the elder Breese. “Have you any opinions on the matter, sir?”

“I don’t know anything about it!” snapped Breese. “Let me alone.”

But his son sprang up. “What’s the use of this? Of course he didn’t do it. You know who did it, and I do, too. It’s that cad over there--yes, you----” he blazed at Thomas. “You can’t fool me!”

“Hang it all, stop it!” shrieked the actor. “This is getting on my nerves. I can’t stand it any more. I really can’t.”

“You must have proof for such grave charges,” Perutkin intervened solemnly. “What proof have you?”

“I don’t need any proof,” shouted the boy. “Look at him. Isn’t that enough? If it weren’t for him, Mother would be alive today. He ruined her life. He killed her. And he’s not going to get away with it either!”

Rice reached for the boy to calm him. Young Breese, on the verge of tears, tried to draw away.

“Go ahead! Say anything you want!” challenged the actor. “I was your mother’s friend. Why don’t you look at her will? She says there what she thinks of me! I did everything in the world for her. And all the thanks I get is--this!” He swallowed piteously. “Hang it all, it isn’t fair!”

“What in life is fair?” reflected the Russian gravely. “We are none of us appreciated, Mr. Thomas. But you believe that the Count is guilty?”

“You’ve got his own word for it, haven’t you?” countered the actor. “What do you want from me? A man comes to you and says he’s a murderer, and you don’t want to believe him. Of course! You’d rather believe _I_ did it. I know you’re all against me. But you’d better be careful--some of you! There’s such a thing as libel. I’ve got lawyers to protect me!”

The door opened, and a harassed-looking wireless operator stumbled forward. His earnest, long face was white with fear and his steel spectacles quivered on his long, thin nose.

“Mr. Breese!” he called.

“Yes? Have you a message for me?”

“Yes, sir.” But the operator made no move. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

“Well, where is it?” demanded Breese finally.

“I haven’t got it, exactly, sir--I----”

“What the devil do you mean?” growled the financier.

“Sir, I was about to take it--it was for you--but something went wrong with the set. I don’t know yet what happened. I worked as fast as I could. Then I went out to see if the aerial had been damaged. And--it had. Cut through. And then, when I came back, I found the set smashed to pieces, as if someone with a hammer had just banged up everything. I reported to the Captain, sir, and he just sent word for me to report to you.”

“Someone deliberately smashed your set?” Breese looked at him incredulously. “But who would do a thing like that?”

“I can’t understand it, sir. It’s never happened to me before.”

The radio man blinked uncomfortably. Tiny beads of perspiration stood out upon his narrow forehead.

“No use going into that now,” Rice said. “He’d better get to work and start repairs. Dangerous business being without radio in this storm.”

“Yes, sir, it is,” agreed the operator. “I’ll get right to work, sir. I’ve got some extra equipment. I’ll see what I can do.”

“That is very strange,” said Perutkin as he left. “First someone tampers with the lights. And now the wireless is smashed.”

“Well, anything can happen in a storm,” put in Smith.

“How can storm get into the wireless room?” Rice snorted impatiently.

“But who in the world would deliberately smash our wireless?” Smith persisted. “It doesn’t seem possible.”

“It doesn’t seem possible,” retorted Rice, “that this man”--pointing to the Count--“should deliberately walk on board this yacht to give himself up. Yet there he is. How and why I don’t know--yet! Perhaps he’s responsible. He’s been skulking around this boat!”

“I assure you, sir,” the Count replied, “I know nothing of wireless.”

“It’s damn funny,” muttered Rice. “I’d have this investigated the moment we get in!”

“How much longer have we got to go?” asked Breese. “We seem to be taking hours!”

“In such a storm,” said the Russian, “we must proceed cautiously.”

But here the harassed-looking operator returned. He seemed shaken with puzzled fear.

“I can’t understand it, sir,” he cried at Breese. “When I got back, someone had stolen all my spare equipment. I’ve searched high and low for it.”

“But this is strange!” exclaimed Perutkin. “Are you sure?”

“Sure?” muttered the operator. “I’m not sure of anything any more.”

“Then,” said the Russian, “there is a maniac aboard. I am reminded of the famous Sebastopol tragedy, where someone with a homicidal humor played just such tricks upon a small passenger boat. Utterly destroyed it. It is curious. Very curious.”

“What are you talking about?” exploded Rice. “What maniac? We know who’s on board.”

“But--do we?” countered the Russian. “My friend, the Count, came here unseen. How do we know who else has come?”

“Hang it all, find him then!” shrieked the actor, who had been listening open-mouthed. “If there’s a madman on board he’ll kill us all!”

“It is very strange,” persisted the Russian quietly. “But in the Sebastopol case, twenty-one men, women and children were drowned thus. He crippled the radio, knocked a tremendous hole in her side, and completely ruined the engines.”

“But why?” asked Smith.

“For the maniacal delight of destruction,” the Russian replied calmly.

“Here----” barked Rice. “What are you trying to do? Scare everybody? If there’s anybody on board, the crew’ll handle him fast enough.”

“If they find him,” said the Russian. “Maniacs are cunning.”

“But you don’t know there _is_ a maniac!” shouted Rice. He stopped short. Outside we heard the smash of wood upon wood. Resounding blows. Then the wash of waves. Suddenly a growl of many voices, and one purple oath.

Perutkin hurried out. He was gone but a moment. When he returned he said gravely: “A curious accident! Our lifeboats have been washed overboard.”

“But that’s impossible!” exclaimed Rice.

“So I would think,” agreed the Russian. “I observed today that both boats were lashed fast. What are we to conclude?”

“Conclude nothing!” cried Rice. “Get hold of the Captain. Let him search this boat from top to bottom. We’ll find out soon enough who’s been doing this!”

Even as he spoke I was conscious that the lulling hum of the engines had died out. There was an empty silence, while the boat still tossed.

“The engines have stopped!” announced the Russian. “Listen!”

“We--we must be coming in!” quavered Breese hopefully.

“We can’t be coming in!” the Russian contradicted, looking out of the window. “I see no sight of land, no harbor. Nothing but water and darkness.”

“Then what’s he stopping for?” demanded Rice. “We’re not moving. Those engines are dead.”

“I’ll find out!” volunteered the operator nervously. But Perutkin halted him.

“No, you shall wait here. I shall myself investigate. It is high time.”

Reluctantly the operator watched him go. He shuffled into a chair and sat down, nervously twisting his stubby fingers. He seemed decidedly ill at ease as he looked about him.

A peal of thunder rolled over our heads. I shuddered, as if it were an ominous warning of disaster.

The yacht seemed to list and chairs slid. I clutched at the wall. I can only record my physical actions in that room. My mind, it seemed to me, was in a daze from the moment I had boarded the yacht.

Finally the Russian came back. He walked slowly, with head bowed. He shut the door carefully behind him.

“Gentlemen,” he announced gravely, “it is my duty to tell you that we are in great peril!” He paused. “Our engines have stopped. Our wireless is hopelessly smashed. Our lifeboats have been washed overboard. The ship lists dangerously, and is leaking. We are in the grip of a terrific storm--gentlemen,” he sank suddenly to his knees, “gentlemen, pray for your lives!”