Although he would not say so, Gervaise thought that Sam must be the culprit. No one knew better than her father the extraordinary fascination which Lavina exercised over men. Hemmingway, as far as he could see, appeared to be immune from it as, although he was friendly, it was with a detached friendliness and he never went out of his way to amuse or intrigue her. But Derek had been in love with her and she with him three years ago. That Derek was still in love with her Gervaise was quite certain, and his shrewd old eyes had not missed the fact that Sam was perfectly well aware of Derek's passion.
Sam was a very even-tempered man so, at first sight, it hardly seemed likely that he would have made this murderous attack on Derek. But the conditions under which they had been living for the last fortnight were so far outside the normal that they were calculated to upset the balance of any but the most stable brain, and even the fact that they were all living right on top of each other was enough to fray the strongest nerves. If Sam really resented Derek's attention to his wife and had been bottling up his feelings for some days, the sight of them constantly together could easily have driven him to such a state of suppressed fury that, when he had gone below that evening, he might have given way to a sudden temptation and have struck Derek down on the spur of the moment.
The next day Derek was feeling better and as he loathed staying in bed he wanted to get up, but Lavina insisted that, as there was a risk that delayed concussion might set in, he must be good and remain lying down for the day. But she sugared the pill by promising to come and talk to him.
After lunch, when the others were dozing or reading in the lounge, she settled herself in a chair beside his bunk. Having exchanged a few of their usual flippancies, she asked:
'Derek, who'd you really think attacked you? You must have some idea?'
'I don't think. I know,' said Derek angrily, 'it was Hemmingway.'
'But how can you be certain if you didn't see him?'
'Isn't it obvious? He knows I'm in love with you and he's jealous—jealous as hell—because you hardly look at him; whereas you call me "darling" and it's me you turn to whenever you want to dance or play the fool.'
'Oh,' she shrugged, 'that's nothing. We've ragged about together since we were children. What makes you think that he's in love with me, though? He doesn't show any signs of it as far as I can see.'
'No, he doesn't show it. In fact, one would almost think that he dislikes you, at times. But I'll bet he's in love with you, all the same.'
'I haven't even tried to flirt with him; so why should he be?'
'Why not?' Derek demanded. ' "Still waters"—all that sort of thing. How could any man who was shut up with you in this bally tin tub day after day help falling in love with you? It's all I can do to keep my hands off you when you're strutting round showing yourself off. He must have seen that and made up his mind to try and out me first and Sam afterwards in order to get you for himself.'
Lavina shook her head. 'No, Derek, I simply don't believe it; but, as you've raised the matter, you have been rather overdoing things yourself. Sam hasn't said anything because he knows quite well that he can trust me; but he's been awfully grumpy lately and I'm sure it's owing to the way you look at me. You really must try and control yourself a bit more.'
'God knows, I try; but whose fault is it that I get so het up? I've been meaning to talk to you about it as soon as I got a chance. For God's sake stop wandering about the place in swim-suits. It isn't decent and it's calculated to send any man off his rocker.'
'Really! You amaze me. I quite thought the excitement of seeing a girl's legs had gone out with the Gaiety Chorus and opera hats. Do you seriously suggest that I'm less attractive in trousers?'
Derek sighed. 'No. Not really. That's just the trouble. You get me boiled up whatever you're wearing.'
'I'm sorry, my dear; honestly, I don't mean to. It's frightful that you should feel the way you do about me, because I am terribly fond of you, but I do beg you to do your damnedest not to show it quite so plainly; otherwise it may lead to the most blood-some row, and we simply must avoid anything like that.'
'All right,' Derek agreed reluctantly. 'I'll do my best. But, all the same, I'm certain it was on your account that Hemmingway tried to murder me.'
It was not until after breakfast the following morning that Lavina managed to get Hemmingway alone. Knowing the others would be busy for a few moments, she said in a low voice: 'Listen, I want to talk to you.'
'Go ahead,' he murmured.
'That was a queer business about Derek being attacked, and I feel that it's up to any of us who have ideas about it to get to the bottom of the matter so that we can try and prevent anything of the sort happening again. D'you agree?'
'Certainly.'
'All right, then. I know I shouldn't ask you this, but—are you in love with me?'
'No,' said Hemmingway, looking her straight in the eyes.
'That's good,' she nodded. 'I didn't think you were.'
'Why do you ask?'
'Because Derek believes it was you who attacked him; and that you meant to murder him first and Sam afterwards.'
'What utter nonsense! You know how I feel about Sam. Is it likely that I'd . ..'
Lavina held up her hand. 'Derek's theory is that you're in love with me and that you intended to eliminate any possible rivals in order to get me for yourself. On the face of it that may sound fantastic, but men have done queerer things for love, you know.'
His strange eyes held hers and it was only with his mouth that he smiled, before he said: 'Derek is a fool. He's in love with you himself and so jealous of your every glance that he's allowed his imagination to get the better of his common-sense. I give you my word that it was not I who attacked him. As for the rest, I know you think that every man you even sit around with is in love with you, but it just happens that I'm not.'
'All right, I accept that,' replied Lavina gravely. 'But, just in case there was anything in Derek's theory, I thought I ought to let you know that if any "accident" did befall the others I'd shoot anyone I believed to be responsible and, as you may remember, when I do shoot, I shoot to kill!'
Suddenly Hemmingway laughed. 'You're a grand person, Lavina. If you like, I'll lend you my gun.'
Lavina laughed, too. 'Don't bother. I don't think I'll need one; but if I do, I can always borrow Gervaise's.'
The sea remained placid, the clouds showed no signs of breaking, and the Ark drifted onwards among the debris which had floated to the surface from the flooded world. For two days there was no further incident to disturb their dull routine although they all continued to be nervy and suspicious of each other. Derek was up and about again; Oliver's arm was slowly mending. The raids upon the food had ceased, so Ger-: vaise, who had a theory that the thief and Derek's attacker were one and the same, had begun to hope that whoever had been responsible had taken a hold upon themselves through fright at discovering that they had nearly committed a murder, and that he would be faced with no more unsolved mysteries.
It was, therefore, with an appalling shock that, on coming out of his cabin on the fifteenth morning of the flood, he found his brother lying dead on the living-room floor.
Before he could warn the others Margery had come out of the women's cabin. Her piercing scream brought the rest of the party running; and in a horrified group they stood staring at Oliver's dead body. The back of his head had been smashed to pulp. There could be no doubt that he had been murdered.
His face drawn and anxious, Gervaise looked slowly round. 'There is only one explanation for this,' he said huskily, 'and since there is no possibility of any of us leaving the Ark it is a terrible thing to have to face. One of us is a homicidal maniac.'