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.But remember how slowlyhe always talked? How deliberate he always seemed? Did he ever give you theimpression of being a man who would panic?""Committing suicide is the last thing I'd ever have expected him to do," Sandyadmitted."And I must say I can't believe that he simply fell overboard.Buthe certainly did one or the other.And if it wasn't the one-well," Sandyfinished weakly, "then it must have been the other.And where does this allget us, anyway?" he demanded.Ken stood motionless beside Sandy's bunk for a moment.Then he said slowly,"You're always telling me I get crazy ideas.And I know you're right.And theone I've got right now is crazier than most."Sandy sighed."All right.Let's have it.""I think," Ken said, "that Gerard didn't fall overboard last night.And Idon't think he jumped either.I think he's still some place on thisship-hiding until we dock at Valencia, where he plans to sneak off and assumea new identity, complete with false passport.That's what I think."CHAPTER IVSEARCH FROM STEM TO STERN"wait a minute!" Sandy pleaded, staring."Remember, Ken, we saw the man goPage 22ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmloverboard!""No, we didn't.We saw a figure in the water alongside the ship-saw it for asplit second.""O.K.," Sandy said."So we didn't see him fall.But the mate did.And, in yourown words, we did see him in the water alongside the ship.No one else ismissing but Gerard.So how can you possiblyf\9>say-r"Perhaps no one is missing from the ship at all," Ken interrupted."What wesaw may have been a dummy.""A dummy!" Sandy shook his head slowly back and forth."Look, Ken," he said,"I admit that some of your weird ideas work out sometimes." He held up hishand as Ken opened his mouth to protest."O.K.-O.K.Oftener than that, maybe.But the point I'm trying to make is that you don't usually pick them out ofthe air.You usually reach them after some mental gymnastics.Now if youdidn't pick this one out of the air, could you start at the beginning and leadme along gently through the5556 THE MYSTERY OF THE SHATTERED GLASSexercises of your so-called mind to your so-called conclusion?"Ken grinned."It'll take a little doing," he admitted."I did sort of jump tothis particular conclusion.""Some jump!"Ken sat down on the chair."Well, let me see if I can make it soundreasonable.Maybe you can fill in some of the gaps where I leaped." He raisedhis right fist, forefinger outstretched."One: we agree from what we candeduce, and from our own observations of the man, that Gerard didn't seem likethe sort of person who would fly into a panic and commit suicide.Check?" Andwhen Sandy nodded he went on."Two: he didn't have enough travelers' checkswith him for a smart man who-before he panicked, let's say-planned to become afugitive.""Hold it," Sandy said."He might have had another book of travelers' checksmade out in his new name.""But would he be carrying it in his pocket on shipboard, if he left the otherbook in his bag?""Maybe not," Sandy admitted."But-" He shrugged."O.K., I'll give youthat-temporarily, at least.But you're forgetting his checkbook.He had a bigbalance in that bank."Ken shook his head."In the first place, we know from Granger, now, thatGerard cleaned out all his bank accounts before he left.In the second place,if he intended using a new name-and we're agreed that he probably did-a bankaccount in the name of Gerard wouldn't do him any good.""O.K., I'll give you that too.Go ahead."Ken held up a third finger."Number three coming up," he said."But now we'regetting to some long jumps." He went over to the bureau and got theSEARCH FROM STEM TO STERN 57sliver of shattered glass out of his drawer."We've agreed that some kind ofthermos bottle or jug was broken there in Gerard's room.Those pieces of glassplay a very significant part in my theory.""Any jump you make from them can't be very significant," Sandy saidimpatiently."Don't forget that the glass was in a corner, practically coveredup by the rug.It might have been there for months.Some passenger, abouteight trips ago, might have broken the thermos jug in the room, and the piecesunder the rug could have been there until today.How can they mean anything?""You're the one who noticed that the rug was still wet, right at that spot,"Ken reminded him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]