CHAPTER XX

THE LETTER

“Yours?” exclaimed Rice, staring at the detective.

“Yes,” said Smith. “The man who murdered Trenholm took this gun out of my pocket, fired one shot, and put it back into my pocket immediately afterwards.”

“But how clever!” admired the Russian. Smith flushed.

“I don’t know how clever he is,” he muttered. “It was dark and the boat was pitching.”

“But you felt nothing?” demanded the Russian.

“Nothing at all,” replied Smith.

“According to your own formula,” the Russian’s eyes twinkled, “you are the guilty person, Mr. Smith. All the evidence is on your person.”

“I don’t think this is a joke,” Smith looked at him cuttingly.

“But it is not without its humor,” insisted the Russian. “Don’t you think so, Mr. Thomas?” He swung at the actor.

“Damned funny!” giggled the actor.

“Beyond me,” commented Rice. “Can’t think--I’m dizzy!”

Smith finally dismissed the three men. When the door closed upon them, he blazed at the Russian: “Fine idea you sold me! We’re in deeper than ever now.”

“No!” protested the Russian. “We are one step ahead.”

“Theoretically, yes,” said Smith. “Theoretically we know that someone in this room with us killed Trenholm because he was going to spill. Theoretically we can hammer away at everyone until we get the right man. Actually, we can do nothing of the kind. We can’t hold the Breese family. I’d lose my job. Breese is a pretty important man. We’ll have to let them all go until we get evidence. And the only evidence we have is this revolver. I’ll get our finger-print man to see what he can find.”

“I’ll grant you all that,” replied the Russian. “Our problem is not easy. I shall go further. The man who did this murder wouldn’t be fool enough to leave finger-prints. I attach no importance to that. It was a simple matter for him to wipe the revolver clean before he put it back. It takes but an instant to pass a handkerchief over a revolver.”

“Then what am I going to do?” demanded Smith. “I’m going to look fine when I make my report. Right under my nose another murder is pulled off! Won’t that look marvellous--for me!”

“Well,” said the Russian, pacing up and down, “there are several things we can do. Let me see--I was kneeling here, the operator beside me.” He went about the room indicating the position of each occupant. “Now the bullet entered this man’s heart. It came from this direction. Who was sitting here? Well--we have first, Mr. Breese, his son, and his daughter. Rice was not far away. The Count was in back of them. Any one of them could have killed this man.”

“That’s not much help,” said Smith. “The man who did it did considerable moving in the dark. He must have, to have gotten my gun and put it back again.”

“But let us forget the physical aspects of the case,” continued the Russian. “Let us inquire further into motive. We know that Trenholm knew who killed Mrs. Breese. Now the question is--how did he know? Apparently he had never met Mrs. Breese. Apparently he had never been to her home. Had he perhaps overheard some vital information while he was on this boat? But his manner was not that. His manner was such that in some way he was vitally implicated in the murder of Mrs. Breese. How, I cannot tell you.”

“But that doesn’t get us anywhere,” Smith snorted. “You can stand here and theorize from morning to night. The fact is we’ve got no evidence. The first thing I want to do is to search his effects.”

“Very well,” said the Russian. “Begin with his clothes.”

With professional briskness, the two began the ghastly job of dragging forth the contents of the man’s pockets. A cheap watch with the picture of an adenoidal girl in its case--a pocket knife, two Yale keys, a tattered New York automobile license, a clipping of a poem by Eddie Guest, a wallet. Smith expertly turned it inside out. It was a cheap wallet, the kind usually accompanied by the yellow printed card: “My name--height--weight-- In case of accident, notify-- The size of my collar is--” He had laboriously filled out the card. The Y. M. C. A. of Olean was to be notified of accident. From the folds of the wallet Smith dragged forward a letter. He looked at it hastily, and then held it in his hand. He turned to the Russian. “Look at this!” he invited.

“Dear Louis,” the handwriting was stiff and angular, obviously written by an illiterate man. “I been thinking it over, and I think you’re a darn fool. We can clean up if you let me handle it. Why don’t you come and see me like you use to. Yours, Charlie.”

“No return address,” Smith said, examining the envelope. “Mailed in Havana. We might trace it.”

“But who is Charlie?” demanded the Russian. “It may or may not be relevant--this letter. Perhaps our friend had an invention. You remember the man was a mechanic. Charlie is advising him to capitalize it in characteristic American fashion.”

“No,” said Smith, “this letter smells blackmail to me. I’ve handled enough of those cases to know.”

“Yes,” conceded the Russian. “I see. Trenholm knew who killed Mrs. Breese and told Charlie. Charlie said ‘Get money.’ Quite likely. That is a feasible interpretation. I admit I did not think of it, Mr. Smith. It’s decidedly worth looking into.”

They pawed over a few trinkets and odds and ends and then decided that their task was done.

“We’ll go down to his berth and look into that,” said Smith. “Can’t tell what we may stumble on. He may have other letters from Charlie.”

We rang for the steward, who guided us to the narrow cabin that the operator shared with the third mate. The latter was sound asleep when we entered. He rubbed his eyes as Smith explained our purpose.

“Damn shame,” he said, indicating the battered trunk under the berth that had been occupied by Trenholm. “Nice quiet chap, he was. How did it happen?”

Smith was uncommunicative. He bent down to open the trunk. It was locked.

“Give me a knife!” begged the Russian. “I have a knack with these objects.” Smith gave him a pen-knife and in a few moments the Russian threw the lid back. The trunk was empty.

“That’s funny,” muttered the young officer. “He always had his trunk crammed with stuff--plans, tools, all kinds of junk. I remember kidding him about it. He had a lot of blue prints.”

“When did you last see this trunk open?” asked Smith. The young man stopped to think. “Wait a minute,” he said suddenly. “Just this evening! I almost forgot. Trenholm came in here as I was turning in. He was putting something away.”

“And the trunk was full?”

“Oh yes.” Then he volunteered: “He was a peculiar chap, you know.”

“In what way?” demanded Smith.

“Well, in a general way,” the young officer replied vaguely. “Of course, I didn’t know much about him. He’s only been with us a week, and you don’t generally get to know much about a chap in a week. He kept to himself more or less, if you know what I mean. He wasn’t very talkative.”

“Was he working upon any inventions that you know of?” asked the Russian.

“I think he was,” said the officer. “Most radio men do. But I don’t know definitely that he was.”

“Perhaps you could tell us if he ever talked of any friends in Havana.”

“No, but he must have had some friends. He signed on here.”

“One more question,” said the Russian. “To your knowledge, did Trenholm know any of the passengers on this yacht?”

The officer shook his head. “I hardly think so. We’ve had no passengers since he signed on--until tonight.”

In the corridor, the Russian said: “Behold! The man we want not only takes your revolver and shoots Trenholm, but after the murder comes down here and removes the dead man’s effects.”

“I got that,” said Smith.

“Now!” said the Russian. “Think back. We have six suspects--Mr. Breese, his son, his daughter, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Rice and the Count. Put yourself in the murderer’s place. Having committed his crime, he will be very anxious to steal down below and get at Trenholm’s effects. Follow the course of action----”

“The Countess goes into hysterics,” began Smith.

“And the Count takes her out,” I added.

“At my suggestion,” corrected the Russian, “and he returns almost immediately. Behold! I deliberately order everyone else to remain. I cleverly foresaw that the murderer would have further work to do, and would be anxious to leave the room. Now, who made a move to go? Thomas? No. Rice? No.”

“That leaves Breese,” said Smith.

“That leaves Breese,” repeated the Russian. “He, and he alone, insisted upon leaving the room. Why?”

No one answered him. I realized that the engines had stopped once more. Through the windows I could make out the shadowy outlines of the port and, far-off, twinkling lights.

“We’re coming in,” I cried in relief.

“It is a symbol, my friends,” the Russian said, rubbing his hands. “Our experiment has not been such a failure. We have reached the end of our journey. At last we know our man. Tomorrow we shall have him!”