alistairmaclean.bearisland-第6部分
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
light to inspect the results。 〃Kind of you to join the masses； esprit de corps and what have you。〃 He lit his cigarette； blew a cloud of noxious smoke across the table and looked at me consideringly。
〃On second thoughts； no。 You're not the esprit de corps type。 We more or less have to be。 You don't。 I don't think you could。 Too cool； too detached ； too clinical； too observant…and a loner。 Right？〃
〃It's a pretty fair description of a doctor！'
Here in an official capacity； eh？〃
I suppose so。〃
〃I'll wager that old goat sent you。〃
〃Mr。 Gerran sent me！〃 It was being increasingly apparent to me that Otto Gerran's senior associates were unlikely ever to clamour for the privilege of voting him into the Hall of Fame。
〃That's the old goat I mean。〃 Stryker looked thoughtfully at the Count。
〃A strange and unwonted solicitude on the part of our Otto； wouldn't you say； Tadeusz？ I wonder what lies behind it？〃
The Count produced a chased silver flask； poured himself another generous measure of cognac； smiled and said nothing。 I said nothing either because I'd already decided that I knew the answer to that one： even later on； in retrospect； I could not and did not blame myself for I had arrived at a conclusion on the basis of the only facts then available to me。 I said to Stryker： 〃Miss Haynes is not here。 Is she all right？〃
〃No； I'm afraid she's no sailor。 She's pretty much under the weather but what's a man to do？ She's pleading for sedatives or sleeping drugs and asking that I send for you； but of course I had to say no。〃
〃Why？〃
〃My dear chap； she's been living on drugs ever since we came aboard this damned hell ship。〃 It was as well for his health； I thought； that Captain Imrie and Mr。 Stokes weren't sitting at the same table。 〃Her own seasick tablets one moment； the ones you doled out the next； pep pills in between and barbiturates for dessert。 Well； you know what would happen if she took sedatives or more drugs on top of that lot。〃
〃No； I don't。 Tell me。〃
〃Eh？〃
〃Does she drink？ Heavily； I mean〃
〃Drink？ No。 I mean； she never touches the stuff。〃
I sighed。 〃Why don't cobblers stick to their own lasts？ I'll leave films to you； you leave medicine to me。 Any first year medical student could tell you…well； never mind。 Does she know what kind of tablets she's taken today and how many…not that it could have been all that many or she'd have been unconscious by now〃
I should imagine so。〃
I pushed back my chair。 〃She'll be asleep in fifteen minutes。〃
〃Are you sure？ I mean…〃
〃Which is her room？〃
〃First on the right in the passageway。〃
〃And yours？〃 I asked the Count。
〃First left。〃
I nodded； rose； left； knocked on the first door on the right and went inside in response to a barely heard murmur。 Judith Haynes was sitting propped up in her bed with； as Conrad had predicted； a dog on either side of her…two rather beautiful and beautifully groomed cocker spaniels： I could not； however； catch any trace of smelling salts。 She blinked at me with her rather splendid green eyes and gave me a wan smile； at once tremulous and brave。 My heart stayed where it was。
〃It was kind of you to e； Doctor。〃 She had one of those dark molasses voices； as effective at close personal quarters as it was in a darkened cinema。 She was wearing a pink quilted bedjacket which clashed violently with the colour of her hair and； high round her Deck； a green chiffon scarf； which didn't。 Her face was alabaster white。 〃Michael said you couldn't help。〃
〃Mr。 Stryker was being overcautious。〃 I sat down on the edge of the mattress and took her wrist。 The cocker spaniel next me growled deep in its throat and bared its teeth。 〃If that dog bites me； I'll clobber it。〃
〃Rufus wouldn't harm a fly； would you； Rufus； darling？〃 It wasn't flies I was worried about but I kept silence and she went on with a sad smile： 〃Are you allergic to dogs； Dr。 Marlowe？〃
〃I'm allergic to dog bites。〃
The smile faded until her face was just sad。 I knew nothing about Judith Haynes except what I'd heard at secondhand and as all I'd heard had been from her colleagues in the industry I heavily discounted about ninety percent of what had been told me： the only thing I had so far learnt with any certainty about the film world was that back…biting； hypocrisy； double…dealing； innuendo； and character assassination formed so integral a part of its conversational fabric that it was quite impossible to know where the truth ended and falsehood began。 The only safe guide； I'd discovered ； was to assume that the truth ended almost immediately。 Miss Haynes； it was said； claimed to be twenty…four and had been； on the best authority； for the past fourteen years。 This； it was said darkly； explained her predilection for chiffon scarves； for it was there that the missing years showed： equally； she may just have liked chiffon scarves。 With equal authority it was stated that she was a plete bitch； her only redeeming quality being her total devotion to her two cocker spaniels and even this backhanded pliment was qualified by the observation that as a human being she had to have something or somebody to love； something or somebody to return her affection。 She had tried cats； it was said； but that hadn't worked： the cats； apparently； didn't love her back。 But one thing was indisputable。 Tall； slender； with wonderful Titian hair and classically beautiful in the sculptured Greek fashion； Miss Haynes； it was universally conceded； couldn't act for toffee。 Nonetheless； she was a very hot box office attraction indeed： the bination of the wistfully regal expression； which was her trademark； and the startling contrast of her lurid private life saw to that。 Nor was her career in any way noticeably hindered by the facts that she was the daughter of Otto Gerran； whom she was said to despise； the wife of Michael Stryker； whom she was said to hate； and a full partner in the Olympus Productions pany。
There was nothing much wrong with her physical condition that I could see。 I asked her how many tablets of various kinds she had consumed in the course of the day and after dithering about helplessly for a bit and totting up the score with the shapely and tapering forefinger of her right hand on the shapely and tapering fingers of her left…she was alleged to be able to add up pounds and dollars with the speed and accuracy of an IBM puter…she gave me some approximate figures and in return I gave her some tablets with instructions as to how many and when to take them； then left。 I didn't prescribe any sedatives for the dogs they looked okay to me。
The cabin occupied by the Count and Antonio was directly opposite across the passageway。 I knocked twice； without reply； went inside and saw why there had been no reply： Antonio was there all right； but I could have knocked until doomsday and Antonio would not have heard me； for Antonio would never hear anything again。 From the Via Vene to via Mayfair to die so squalidly in the Barents Sea： for the gay and laughing Antonio there could never have been a right or proper or suitable place to die； for if ever I'd met a man in love with life it had been Antonio： and for this cosseted creature of the sybaritic salons of the capitals of Europe to die in those bleak and indescribably bitter surroundings was so incongruous as to be shocking； so unreal as to momentarily suspend both belief and prehension。 But there he was； just there； lying there at my feel？； very real； very dead。
The cabin was full of the sour…sweet smell of sickness and there was physical evidence of that sickness everywhere。 Antonio lay not on his bunk but on the carpeted deck beside it； his head arched impossibly far back until it was at right angles to his body。 There was blood； a great deal of blood； not yet congealed； on his mouth and on the floor by his mouth。
The body was contorted into an almost impossible position； arms and legs outflung at grotesque angles； the knuckles showing ivory。 Rolling around； the Count had said； sick； a man on the rack； and he hadn't been so far out at that； for Antonio had died as a man on the rack dies； in agony。 Surely to God he must have cried out； even although his throat would have been blocked most of the time； he must have screamed； he must have； he would have been unable to prevent himself： but with the Three Apostles in full cry； his cries would have gone unheeded。 And then I remembered the scream I had heard when I'd been talking to Lonnie Gilbert in his cabin and I could feel the hairs prickling on the back of my neck： I should have known the difference between the high…pitched yowling of a rock singer and the scream of a man dying in torment。
I knelt； made a cursory examination； finding out no more in the process than any layman would have done； closed the staring eyes and then； with the advent of rigor mortis in mind； straightened out the contorted limbs with an ease that I found vaguely surprising。 Then I left the cabin； locked the door and hesitated for only a moment before dropping the key in my pocket： if the Count were possessed of the delicate sensibilities he claimed； he'd be glad I'd taken the key with me。
2
〃Dead？〃 Otto Gerran's puce plexion had deepened to a shade where I could have sworn it was overlaid with indigo。 〃Dead； did you say？〃
〃That's what I said。〃 Otto and I were alone in the dining saloon： it was ten o'clock now and at nine…thirty sharp Captain Imrie and Mr。 Stokes invariably left for their cabins； where they would remain inmunicado for the next ten hours。 I lifted from Otto's table a bottle of raw firewater on which someone had unblushingly stuck a label claiming that the contents was brandy； took it to the stewards〃 pantry； returned with a bottle of Hine and sat down。 It said much for Otto's unquestioned state of shock that not only had he not appeared to note my brief absence； he even stared directly at me； unblinkingly and I'm sure unseeingly； as I poured out two Fingers for myself： he registered no reaction whatsoever。 Only something pretty close to a state of total shock could have held Otto's parsimonious nature in check and I wondered what the source of this shock might be。
True； the news of the death of anyone you know can e as a shock； but it es as a numbing shock only when th
