Mason realized one screw had been reversed, while the other was going full speed ahead, swinging the ship in a quick turn.
Feet pounded along the boat deck. Mason saw a circular life buoy whirl out into the darkness. It struck the water, and almost immediately the inky darkness was dispelled by a bright flare of light which drifted back and to one side as the ship turned.
The big seas now struck on the beam. The ship rolled in the troughs. Mason held to a stanchion, then fought his way back to the door, which suddenly burst open. A uniformed officer shouted, “Get back inside!”
“What’s the matter?” Mason asked.
“Man overboard!” the officer yelled, and ran forward, clinging to a hand rail to keep from slipping on the wet, slanting deck.
Mason stamped water from his soggy shoes, ran to the stairway and started down it.
He made straight for Mrs. Newberry’s stateroom. The ship had turned enough to catch the huge seas on her bow, making the craft pitch and plunge.
Mason pounded on the door of the stateroom. There was no answer. He tried the knob. The door was locked. He banged with his fist, then, when there was no response, kicked with the toe of his shoe.
After a moment, he heard Mrs. Newberry’s voice. “Who is it?”
“Mason,” he said.
“Just a minute,” she told him. “I’ll let you in.”
Mason rattled the doorknob. “Open the door now,” he ordered.
She unlocked and opened the door, said, “Oh, well, come in if it’s that important.”
She was clad in stockings and peach-colored underwear. As Mason closed and locked the door, she slipped a dress over her head. “What is it?” she asked.
“Where’s your husband?”
She wiggled the dress down from her shoulders, smoothed it across her hips, frowned at the lawyer, and said, “He had to see a man. He promised he’d be back in five minutes. What’s the matter with your watch? It’s not nine-thirty yet.”
“How long since you’ve seen him?”
“Five minutes ago. Our party broke up when my husband received a note. He said he had to see a man on some business.”
“And what did you do?”
“Came to my stateroom. I slipped my gown off, because I’d spilled some wine on it. Carl and I are going to have a showdown. He’ll be back any minute— What’s all the commotion about? The ship’s jumping around so I can hardly stand up. We haven’t run into anything, have we? Look, there’s a light over there on the water! And look at the searchlights!”
Mason nodded, watched her while she hooked up her dress, and said, “I’m particularly interested in finding out about where your husband went and what he did.”
“Look here, Mr. Mason,” she said, facing him, “I’ve been married twice. I’m not exactly a prude. But I’m not accustomed to having men burst into my room while I’m dressing. I let you in because your voice indicated you wanted to talk with me on a matter of the greatest importance. Now, if you’ll please explain...”
Mason said, “I heard the sound of a shot. An officer tells me there’s a man overboard. Does that mean anything to you?”
For a moment she stared at him with wide, frightened eyes, then she crossed to the drawer of a dresser, jerked it open and stood looking down at the empty interior.
“What is it?” Mason asked.
“Carl’s gun,” she said. “It’s gone.”
“Now let’s get this straight,” Mason said. “You and Carl were going to have a showdown?”
“Yes.”
“Did you tell him what you wanted to talk with him about?”
“I told him that I wasn’t going to stand for a lot of vague generalities any longer; that I wanted to know exactly where he obtained that money, and that I wanted him to turn it over to me.”
“What did he say?”
“He said we’d talk it over later.”
“He wouldn’t discuss it then?”
“No. You see, just as we were finishing dinner, a bellboy handed him a note. Carl said he had to see a man on some business. That broke up our little dinner party. Carl and I came to the stateroom. I told him I was going to have things out with him, that for Belle’s sake I wanted that money. He said he’d be back within five minutes, but he simply had to see someone on a matter of the greatest importance.”
“There was a gun in that drawer?”
“Yes.”
“When did you see it last?”
“This afternoon.”
“It was Carl’s gun?”
“Yes.”
“How long has he had it?”
“About two months. When he started carrying large sums of money with him, he thought he needed a gun for protection.”
Mason said, “I happen to know that your husband has been in touch with Evelyn Whiting, the nurse. I think he’s tried to reach some agreement with her so she wouldn’t disclose his real identity. I don’t know what she told him. It’s a fine situation for blackmail-if she’s that type. Do you suppose he could have gone to meet her — and taken a gun with him?”
“I don’t know.”
Her hand clutched his arm. “Mr. Mason,” she said, “I want you to promise me that you’ll stand by me, will you? Please, for Belle’s sake.”
Mason hesitated a moment, then said, “Okay, I’ll see you through. Now, let me ask you some more questions before Carl gets here. Just how much have you told him?”
“I told him that Mr. Dail, the president of the Products Refining Company, was aboard. It seems that wasn’t any news to him. I told him Mr. Dail was willing to make some concessions if Carl made restitution. He told me I was absolutely crazy. He said that if I ever approached Dail with any proposition like that, he’d kill me. He said he hadn’t taken a cent from the Products Refining Company. So then I told him that Celinda Dail was looking for an opportunity to expose Belle... and that made him furious.”
“What else?” Mason asked.
“That’s all,” she said. “That’s all I had time to tell him.”
“Was that after he received this note, or before?”
Afterwards. We had left the others and entered the stateroom. I talked to him for just a minute or two. Then I stepped into the closet to get out another dress and I heard him slam the door.”
“And he told you he had to see a man?”
“Yes. He said he’d be back in five minutes and have it out with me.”
Mason said, “I think we’d better go on deck and find out what’s happened. You’re certain Carl took the gun?”
“Yes. I heard him slam the drawer in the dresser. I didn’t realize what it meant at the time. If... if somebody’s overboard, can they find him — her?”
“It’s a pretty slim gamble,” Mason told her. “There’s a heavy sea running. They might swing the ship broadside to the wind and launch boats in the lee, but I don’t think they’ll do it until they have something definite to go on. They’ll play searchlights on the water, throw flares overboard, and keep a sharp lookout. They certainly won’t risk men’s lives in an open boat unless there’s some indication the person’s still alive — and don’t forget that a shot was fired.”
“Do you suppose it could be Mr. Dail?” she asked. “Oh, Heavens! Carl wouldn’t have done that!”
“There’s no use speculating,” Mason told her. “Let’s get on deck. I want to find Carl.”
“And you’ll stand by me?” she asked.
“I’ll stand by you for Belle’s sake. But I’m not going to represent your husband.”
She nodded. “Come on, let’s go.”
As they were opening the door, Mrs. Newberry suddenly gave a gasp of dismay.
Mason turned to her. “What is it?” he asked.
“I just thought of something,” she said, in a voice which was hardly above a whisper.