When eight bells toll Read Online Free PDF Page B

crew must have been hiding and was trying to get away. I couldn't stop him - he faced the door as he was talking and he had a gun in his hand. I had to move quickly. I walked to the bridge structure------"
    "You what? When you knew they were on to you? Mr. Calvert, you want your bloody head examined."
    "Uncle Arthur will put it less kindly. It was the only chance I'd ever have. Besides, if they thought it was only a terrified member of the original crew they wouldn't have been so worried: if this guy had seen me walking around dripping wet in a scuba suit he'd have turned me into a colander. He wasn't sure. On the way for'ard I passed another bloke without incident — he'd left the bridge superstructure before the alarm had been given, I suppose. I didn't stop at the bridge. I went right for'ard and hid behind the winchman's shelter. For about ten minutes there was a fair bit of commotion and a lot of flash-light work around the bridge island then I saw and heard them moving aft — must have thought I was still in the after accommodation.
    "I went through all the officers' cabins in the bridge island. No one. One cabin, an engineer's, I think, had smashed  furniture and a carpet heavily stained with dry blood.   Next door, the captain's bunk had been saturated with blood."
    "They'd been warned to offer no resistance."
    "I know.   Then I found Baker and Delmont."
    "So you found them.  Baker and Delmont." Hunslett's eyes were hooded, gazing down at the glass in his hand.  I wished to God he'd show some expression on that dark face of his.
    "Delmont must have made alast-second attempt to send a call for help.  They'd been warned not to, except in emergency, so they must have been discovered.  He'd been stabbed in the back with a half-inch wood chisel and then dragged into the radio officer's cabin which adjoined the radio office.  Some time later Baker had come in.   He was wearing an officer's clothes — some desperate attempt to disguise himself, I suppose. He'd a gun in his hand, but he was looking the wrong way and the gun was pointing the wrong way. The same chisel in the back."
    Hunslett poured himself another drink. A much larger one. Hunslett hardly ever drank. He swallowed half of it in one gulp. He said: "And they hadn't all gone aft. They'd left a reception committee."
    "They're very clever. They're very dangerous. Maybe we've moved out of our class. Or I have. A one-man reception committee, but when that one man was this man, two would have been superfluous. I know he killed Baker and Delmont. I'll never be so lucky again,"
    "You got away.   Your luck hadn't run out."
    And Baker's and Delmon's had.   I knew he was blaming me.   I knew London would blame me.   I blamed myself.   I hadn't much option.  There was no one else to blame.
    "Uncle Arthur," Hunslett said.   "Don't you think-----"
    "The hell with Uncle Arthur. Who cares about Uncle Arthur? How in God's name do you think I feel?" I felt savage and I know I sounded it. For the first time a flicker of expression showed on Hunslett's face, I wasn't supposed to have any feelings,
    "Not that," he said.   "About the Nantesville.   Now that she's been identified as the Nantesville, now we know her new name and flag - what were they, by the way?"
    " Alta Fjord.   Norwegian.   It doesn't matter."
    "It does matter.   We radio  Uncle Arthur-----"
    "And have our guests find us in the engine-room with earphones round our heads. Are you mad?"
    "You seem damned sure they'll come."
    "I am sure.   You too.  You said so."
    "I agreed this is where they would come. If they come."
    "If they come. If they come. Good God, man, for all that they know I was aboard that ship for hours. I may have the names and full descriptions of all of them. As k happens I couldn't identify any of them and their names may or may not mean anything. But they're not to know that. For all they know I'm on the blower right now bawling out descriptions to Interpol.