or the pen slips?’ he asked unhappily.
‘I have more check blanks. But I would advise you not to let the ink blot or the pen slip.’
Freddy wet his lips.
It was visibly painful for him to take the injured hand out of its sling, more so to hold the blank check steady with it while he wrote. The splinted finger was an awkward encumbrance , but the pen moved surely enough until he came to the line for signature. There he hesitated for seconds, put down the pen to wipe sweat from his hand, looked at the photostat before him, and signed with extreme care.
Holtz was equally careful in comparing the signature with the photostat . Satisfied, he gave the check to Roche.
‘Take the captain with you and put the launch over the side,’ he said. ‘Jules will be along in a minute.’
‘My drink,’ Freddy reminded him.
‘It will have to wait on Jules.’ Holtz ’s pistol-barrel indicated the companionway leading to the cabin below. ‘Go below.’
‘You promised me!’ Freddy protested piteously.
Holtz sneered at him.
‘Alcohol is a hard master, Mr Farr, You should be grateful that I am helping you resist it. Go below !'
Freddy stumbled miserably toward the companionway. Holtz followed him.
Jules came on deck while Blake, under Roche ’s still watchful eye, was casting off the lashings of the cruiser ’s power boat. Roche was too much afraid of lowering his guard to be of any help, but Jules was quick, efficient and either unaware or unconcerned that his help brought the gun in his belt within Blake ’s reach more than once. Blake thought, Do they know I won’t take the odds? and was unaccountably angry to think that they might have judged him so well. Afterwards he kept his mind stubbornly on the job at hand until the launch was in the water.
It did not dawn on him until Jules and Roche were in the launch and casting off the falls that he was being left alone above deck with Holtz. He had no chance for an appraisal of the opportunities the circumstances might offer before the gang leader spoke to him from the safe vantage point of the bridge wing, ten yards off and above where he stood by the dangling davit falls.
‘ S tay where you are until the launch returns, Captain.’ The barrel of the Walther glinted from its rest on the bridge railing. ‘I needn’t tell you that at this distance you would have as little chance in the water as you have on deck.’
‘No,’ Blake said. ‘You needn’t.’
Again he had the feeling that it had all been rehearsed. Under Holtz ’s watchful eye, he was as effectively neutralized as his passengers, locked in their cabins below.
It might be that he was even more helpless. He had become aware of a muffled pounding underneath the deck where he stood. It was more of a vibration than a sound, and it did not override the putter of the idling diesels, but it was not a normal ship ’s noise. His mental picture of the cruiser ’s layout helped him localize and identify it for what it was. Somebody was kicking steadily at a steel door.
The after-starboard guest cabin was directly beneath him. He made the movement to lean his elbows on the rail casual but deliberate, conscious of Holtz ’s alert watch. In that position the pounding came to him more clearly, and he could catch brief snatches of conversation through an open porthole.
Laura di Lucca ’s voice said faintly, pleadingly, ‘ … couldn’t stand it if he hurt you the w ay he hurt Freddy! Please, caro ! ’
‘ … porthole!’ Bruno ’s deeper voice growled. ‘Two of them gone … got the chance!’
‘He’ll kill you! Oh, please, please, caro ! … my sake!’
‘ … not afraid of the … ’
‘No, caro ! No! Please! … ’
‘ … leave me alone! Stand out of the … ’
The wake of the launch was a broad arrow pointing at the rocks at the tip of the little cape protecting Monte Carlo beach. There were neither swimmers nor beach umbrella s where the launch was going, only tumbled stony dangers to
‘I have more check blanks. But I would advise you not to let the ink blot or the pen slip.’
Freddy wet his lips.
It was visibly painful for him to take the injured hand out of its sling, more so to hold the blank check steady with it while he wrote. The splinted finger was an awkward encumbrance , but the pen moved surely enough until he came to the line for signature. There he hesitated for seconds, put down the pen to wipe sweat from his hand, looked at the photostat before him, and signed with extreme care.
Holtz was equally careful in comparing the signature with the photostat . Satisfied, he gave the check to Roche.
‘Take the captain with you and put the launch over the side,’ he said. ‘Jules will be along in a minute.’
‘My drink,’ Freddy reminded him.
‘It will have to wait on Jules.’ Holtz ’s pistol-barrel indicated the companionway leading to the cabin below. ‘Go below.’
‘You promised me!’ Freddy protested piteously.
Holtz sneered at him.
‘Alcohol is a hard master, Mr Farr, You should be grateful that I am helping you resist it. Go below !'
Freddy stumbled miserably toward the companionway. Holtz followed him.
Jules came on deck while Blake, under Roche ’s still watchful eye, was casting off the lashings of the cruiser ’s power boat. Roche was too much afraid of lowering his guard to be of any help, but Jules was quick, efficient and either unaware or unconcerned that his help brought the gun in his belt within Blake ’s reach more than once. Blake thought, Do they know I won’t take the odds? and was unaccountably angry to think that they might have judged him so well. Afterwards he kept his mind stubbornly on the job at hand until the launch was in the water.
It did not dawn on him until Jules and Roche were in the launch and casting off the falls that he was being left alone above deck with Holtz. He had no chance for an appraisal of the opportunities the circumstances might offer before the gang leader spoke to him from the safe vantage point of the bridge wing, ten yards off and above where he stood by the dangling davit falls.
‘ S tay where you are until the launch returns, Captain.’ The barrel of the Walther glinted from its rest on the bridge railing. ‘I needn’t tell you that at this distance you would have as little chance in the water as you have on deck.’
‘No,’ Blake said. ‘You needn’t.’
Again he had the feeling that it had all been rehearsed. Under Holtz ’s watchful eye, he was as effectively neutralized as his passengers, locked in their cabins below.
It might be that he was even more helpless. He had become aware of a muffled pounding underneath the deck where he stood. It was more of a vibration than a sound, and it did not override the putter of the idling diesels, but it was not a normal ship ’s noise. His mental picture of the cruiser ’s layout helped him localize and identify it for what it was. Somebody was kicking steadily at a steel door.
The after-starboard guest cabin was directly beneath him. He made the movement to lean his elbows on the rail casual but deliberate, conscious of Holtz ’s alert watch. In that position the pounding came to him more clearly, and he could catch brief snatches of conversation through an open porthole.
Laura di Lucca ’s voice said faintly, pleadingly, ‘ … couldn’t stand it if he hurt you the w ay he hurt Freddy! Please, caro ! ’
‘ … porthole!’ Bruno ’s deeper voice growled. ‘Two of them gone … got the chance!’
‘He’ll kill you! Oh, please, please, caro ! … my sake!’
‘ … not afraid of the … ’
‘No, caro ! No! Please! … ’
‘ … leave me alone! Stand out of the … ’
The wake of the launch was a broad arrow pointing at the rocks at the tip of the little cape protecting Monte Carlo beach. There were neither swimmers nor beach umbrella s where the launch was going, only tumbled stony dangers to
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