enough to condemn the lot of you, so think carefully about what you’re
planning, Ramirez.”
“Might one ask where he is?” “Where you won’t find him, and all ready
to sing like a bird.” He looked thoughtful and did not speak again for
a moment, and Campbell, sensing a faint opening, was quick to take
advantage.
“What were you planning to do with us? It won’t work now,” you
know.”
“You speak stupidly,” Ramirez said. Mark watched us fascinated, all
his boasting silenced. He’d shocked us but he’d failed to impress us,
and now things were taking a turn that he didn’t like. It was slowly
becoming obvious to me that in spite of Mark’s almost insane posturing,
it was Ramirez who was the more powerful of the two, and possibly the
more dangerous.
Campbell said, “You’ve decided that you can’t leave us alive, haven’t
you? That would be too much to expect. You’ve already killed some
seventeen people – another dozen or so won’t make any difference.
But you won’t get away with it.
We have covered our tracks, Ramirez, and for another thing your own
crew will talk about all this, sooner or later.” It was a bold try and
I had never admired Campbell more.
Ramirez threw back his head and laughed. “My crew -‘ those morons?”
He gestured to the stolid guards. “Those oafs?
They do what I tell them and nothing else. They have no mind of their
own – I am the only brain they have. And who would believe them if
they talked? They have never understood what it is all about, not one
of them. Besides, that can be taken care of too.” “A series of
unfortunate accidents?” asked Campbell sardonically.
“Regrettable, isn’t it? I listened to this ghastly conversation with a
feeling Of unreality. Ramirez was prepared to kill us without
compunction. What was more, he was equally prepared to kill his own
crew as well. I could just imagine how it would be arranged.
The men would be well paid, split up and dispersed and then there would
be, as Campbell foresaw, a series of accidents. A man found dead in a
harbour here, a fatal car smash there, until the whole crew was
disposed of.
“All right,” Campbell was saying. “You still won’t get away with it.
Quito, apart from Kane’s evidence, you don’t suppose I haven’t made my
own arrangements, do you? My agents have sealed letters which will be
handed to the police if I don’t turn up somewhere soon.
There’s going to be one hell of an investigation if I go missing.”
“You’re an old fool,”said Ramirez brutally, the gloves off at last.
“The barometer has dropped three points in the last hour, there’s a
storm coming up and that thing out there is going crazy. You’re going
to be lost at sea – the lot of you. We will not be anywhere near
here.
There will be no proof – no proof of anything.” Campbell shuddered and
Clare pulled a little closer to him.
Watching Ramirez, I was fascinated by a movement outside the port light
behind his head. Nobody else had seemed to see it, too appalled and
horror-stricken by the finality in Ramirez’s voice. I saw Taffy,
crouched at the end of the settee, fumble again with that curious
gesture at the back of his neck, but his eyes never left Ramirez.
Campbell said slowly, “Ramirez, you’re a bloody-minded butcher.”
Ramirez spread his hands. “I don’t like killing for killings’ sake.
I’m no Jim Hadley – he was stupid back on Tanakabu and I abhored that,
putting pleasure before business. I kill only from necessity. But
when I do, whether it’s seventeen or seventy lives doesn’t make much
difference. Lives are cheap, my friend, when there are large stakes.
I consider my measures necessary.” He was as cold as a snake. I
switched my gaze back to the port and caught my breath.
There was a face out there. An eye winked.
Bill Hunter was back on board.
He was a hidden ace that Ramirez must not become aware of. I
cautiously lifted my hand to my mouth, coughed, and then made a slow
downward movement, being careful not to jerk. I didn’t want to catch
anyone’s attention. The eye winked again and the face disappeared.
Campbell was still speaking, desperately searching for arguments to
persuade Ramirez not to go ahead with whatever plans he had for us.
Again there was that vibrancy in my ears, a curious beat in Campbell’s
voice as though there were some sort of aural interference, some note
so low as to be inaudible. Not far away there was a sound as though an
engine were letting off steam. Esmerelda shuddered and the noises on
deck increased suddenly.
Ramirez interrupted Campbell, turned and to my horror strode over to
look out of a porthole. I tensed but then he turned back and spoke
again, and I realised he’d not seen anything untoward.
“Whatever is going on out there will serve its purpose,” he said
coolly. “As soon as these idiots of mine have parted the two ships we
go our separate ways. You won’t have far to go a mile or so straight
down. We will tow you into deep water or point your nose into that
thing out there.”
He turned on Geordie. “We have borrowed an idea from you, Captain. We
will set an explosive charge against your hull, and that storm out
there will do the rest.” Geordie ground his teeth ttogether but said
nothing.
Somebody ran across the deck over our heads and a voice called out.
Ramirez cocked his head and glanced upwards. “It sounds as though they
are about ready.” I heard a clatter of heavy boots on the companion
steps and there was a thump on the door. At a gesture from Ramirez one
of the guards opened it and Hadley came in. He looked at us with an
oafish grin that didn’t reach his pale, cold eyes and bent to whisper
to Ramirez, who immediately turned to look out of the porthole again.
I thanked God that Bill had kept out of sight. Or had he?
Ramirez turned back. “Which would you choose? Deep water or Falcon
Island? There seems to be increased activity over there.” He smiled
and said to Mark, “This is lucky, you know. Where else should a survey
ship be wrecked but in investigating Falcon Island a little too closely
at the wrong time? Keep our friends happy for a little while.”
He turned on his heel and left the saloon, followed by Hadley.
Geordie watched them go and then transferred his attention to Mark.
“You’re a poor specimen of a man,”he said with contempt. “What makes
you think I’m going to sit back and let you wreck my ship and murder my
crew? If I’m going to be killed I might as well take you with me.” He
began to rise from his chair. With Ramirez’s departure a curious
change had come into the atmosphere. It was as if we could all
recognise that where Ramirez had real authority and total amorality,
Mark had only his ego and his self-seeking veneer of toughness over a
very insecure personality.
As Geordie started to rise Mark snapped out a command in Spanish and
the guards’ rifles lifted to the ready. “Be careful,” Mark said.
“They are trained killers.” “So am I,” said Geordie with menace. He
continued to rise slowly and Ian started to get up as well.
Mark spoke again in Spanish and one of the guards casually fired his
rifle, apparently without aim. The noise was appalling and we flinched
back as splinters flew from the bullet as it struck the cabin sole just
by Geordie’s foot. He hesitated and I spoke sharply. “Cut it, Geordie
– you haven’t a chance. You can’t move faster than a bullet.” Geordie
glared at me under his lowered brows but I made a quick slashing
gesture with my hand and, taking a chance, winked at him.His brow
smoothed and he sat down again, as did Ian. Both were watchful, and I
knew that I had succeeded in alerting them.
There was a sustained racket from overhead. Geordie said, “They’re
making a muck-up of it out there, aren’t they?” “Mind if I smoke,
Clare?” I put my hand into a pocket and stopped as a rifle barrel
turned and the muzzle pointed unwaveringly at me. “For God’s sake,
Mark, can’t I even have a cigarette?” He looked amused. “Smoking’s
bad for you, Mike.
Go ahead – but you’d better have nothing but cigarettes in your hand
when you pull it out.” Slowly I withdrew my hand as he spoke to the
guards again.
The rifle barrel drooped a little and I opened the packet and put a
cigarette in my mouth. And at that moment I saw Bill’s face at the
port once more. The sound of the rifle had brought him back, as I’d