Inspector Alleyn 3-Book Collection 5: Died in the Wool, Final Curtain, Swing Brother Swing. Ngaio Marsh

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СКАЧАТЬ country during last year. Our people have tracked him down to a pub in a neutral port, where he was seen drinking with the skipper of this German ship, and was suddenly very flush with cash. Intensive probing brought to light an involved story that cast a very murky light on the journalist. All the usual stuff. We’re pretty certain of him and he won’t be given a shore permit next time the wanderlust drives him this way, romantic little chap.’

      ‘I remember when he was about,’ said Markins. ‘Señor or Don or Something de Something. He was in town during Easter race week last year. The two young gentlemen and Miss Harme and most of the staff went down for three days, I stayed behind. Mr Rubrick was very poorly.’

      ‘And Miss Lynne?’

      ‘She stayed behind, too. Wouldn’t leave him.’ Markins looked quickly at Alleyn. ‘Very sad, that,’ he added.

      ‘Very. We’ve found that this gentleman lived aboard his tramp steamer while he was in port. He showed up at the races wearing a white beret and clad for comfort rather than smartness; a conspicuous figure. We think this stuff about this gadget of Mr Losse’s was passed to him at this time. It had been folded small. The paper was of New Zealand manufacture.’

      Markins clucked angrily. ‘Under my very nose, you might say.’

      ‘Well, your nose was up here and the transaction probably took place on a racecourse two hundred miles away or more.’

      ‘All the same.’

      ‘So you see, by a stroke of luck, we stopped the hole, and the information, as far as we know, didn’t reach the enemy. Mr Losse was warned by Headquarters that he should take particular care, and at the same time was advised to confide in nobody, not even his partner, about the attempt. Oddly enough he seems to have been sceptical about the danger of espionage while Captain Grace from the beginning has taken a very gloomy view of – who do you think?’

      ‘You’re asking me, sir,’ said Markins, in an indignant whisper. ‘Look! If that young man had crawled about after me on his stomach in broad daylight, he wouldn’t have given himself away more than he did. Look, sir. He got into my room and messed about like a coal heaver. His prints all over everything! Butted his head in among my suits and left them smelling of his hair oil, and I’m blest if he didn’t pinch a bill out of my pockets. Well, I mean to say, it was awkward. If he went howling up to Headquarters about me being a spy or some such, they’d be annoyed with me for putting myself away. It was comical, too. I was there to watch his blinking plant for him and he goes and makes up his mind I’m just what I pretended I was to Kan & Co.’

      ‘You must have done something to arouse his suspicions.’

      ‘I never!’ said Markins indignantly. ‘Why should I? As far as he knew, I never went near his blinking workroom but once. That was when I had an urgent telephone call for Mrs Rubrick. I heard voices up there and went along. He and Mr Losse were muttering in the doorway and didn’t hear me. When he did see me, he looked at me like I was the Demon King.’

      ‘He says he heard you prowling about the passage at a quarter to three in the morning, three weeks before Mrs Rubrick was killed.’

      Markins made a faint squeaking noise. ‘Like hell he did! I never heard such a thing! What’d I be doing outside his workroom? Yes, and what does he do but rush off to Madam and tell her she’s got to give me the sack.’

      ‘You heard about that, did you?’

      ‘Madam told me. She said she had something very serious to talk to me about. She as good as said I’d been suspected of prying into the workroom. You could have pulled me to pieces with a pin, I was that taken aback. And riled! I reckon my manner was convincing, because she was satisfied. I ought to explain, Mr Alleyn, that I myself had heard somebody that night. I’m a light sleeper and I heard someone all right and it wasn’t either of the young gents. They get spasms of working late but they don’t bother to tiptoe into the workroom. I got out of bed, you bet, and had a look, but it was all quiet and after a bit I give up. I told Madam. She was very put about. Naturally. I satisfied her, of course, but it was awkward and what’s more I’d evidently missed a bit of funny business. Who was it, anyway, in the passage? I’m a sweet little agent, and that’s a fact. But before we parted she says: “Markins,” she says, “there’s something I don’t like about this business and next time I go up to Wellington,” she says, “I’m going to speak about it to the authorities. I’m going to suggest that the young gentlemen work under proper protection,” she says, “in their own interest, and I shall tell the Captain what I’ve decided.” What I cannot understand,’ said Markins, pulling at his thin underlip, ‘is why the Captain got it into his head I was an agent.’

      ‘Perhaps you look like one, Markins.’

      ‘I begin to think I must, Mr Alleyn, but I’d prefer it was the British variety.’

      ‘Actually, you know, the circumstances were a bit suspicious. He opened his bedroom door and saw a light disappear in the direction of your room. That afternoon, as you yourself admit, you’d come upon Captain Grace and Mr Losse arranging where they’d leave the key of the workroom. I think he had some cause for alarm.’

      Markins darted a very sharp glance at Alleyn. ‘She never said a word about that,’ he said.

      ‘She didn’t?’

      ‘Not a word. Only that the Captain was upset because he thought I’d been poking about the passage late at night. I didn’t hear what they were saying that afternoon, They spoke too low and stopped as soon as they saw me.’ He gave a thoughtful hiss. ‘That’s different. It’s a whole lot different. Saw something did he?’

      ‘A light,’ said Alleyn and repeated Douglas’s account of the night prowler.

      ‘The only tangible bit of evidence and I miss it,’ said Markins. ‘That’s the way to get promotion. I’m disgusted.’

      Alleyn pointed out that, whoever the night prowler might have been, he didn’t gain access to the room that night. But Markins instantly objected that this failure must have been followed by success as copies for the designs had been handed over to the Portuguese journalist at Easter. ‘You’re disappointed in my work, sir,’ he whispered dolorously. ‘You’re disgusted and I’m sure I don’t blame you. Put it bluntly, this expert’s been one too many for me. He’s got into that room and he’s got away with the stuff and I don’t know who he is or how he did it. It’s disgraceful. I’d be better in the Middle East.’

      ‘Well,’ said Alleyn, ‘it’s a poor show, certainly, but I shan’t do any good by rubbing it in and you won’t do any good by calling yourself names. I’ll look at the room. Losse has rigged a home-made but effective shutter that’s padlocked over the window every night. There’s a Yale lock on the door and after the scare he wore the key on a bootlace round his neck. You can gain entrance by boring a hole in the door post and using wire. That might have been the prowler’s errand on the night Grace heard him. He failed then but brought it off some time before Easter. How about that?’

      ‘No, sir. I kept an eye on that lock. There’d been no interference. While they were away at the races that Easter I took a good look round. The room was sealed all right, Mr Alleyn.’

      ‘Very well, then, the entrance was effected before the scare, when they were not so careful, and the interloper was returning for another look when Grace heard him. Any objections?’

      ‘No,’ said Markins slowly. ‘No. He’d got enough to work on for СКАЧАТЬ