stateroom. He then touched briefly on the grimmer aspects of searching the
body and dispatching it overboard, but he described in fuller detail how he
176
had returned to the lounge and learned that Boothroyd supposedly passed out
several hours earlier. The bartender, in what was probably exaggeration,
said that it had taken half a dozen men to haul hiin away and put him to
bed.
“You see, his highly noticeable alibi is the most logical explanation for
his … disappearance.”
“They’ll search the ship until we reach portl”
“No, they won’t.”
“Why not?”
“I tore off part of his sweater and wedged it into a corner of the post
railing outside his stateroom. It’ll be apparent that the drunken Mr.
Boothroyd tried to rejoin the party and that he had a tragic accident. A
drunk plus rotten weather aboard ship is a bad combination.” Canfield
stopped and reflected. “If he was operating alone, we’re all righL If he
wasn’t Canfield decided to be quiet.
“Was it necessary to throw the man overboard?”
“Would it have been better to have him found with four bullets in himr,
“Three. There’s one lodged in the bedroom ceiling.”
“That’s even worse. He’d be traced to you. If he has a colleague aboard
this ship, you’d be dead before moming!”
“I suppose you’re right. What do we do now?”
“We wait. We talk and we wait.”
“For what?”
“For someone to try to find out what happened. Perhaps his wife. Perhaps
the one who gave him the key. Someone.”
“You think they will?”
“I think they have to if there’s anyone on board who was working with bim.
For the simple reason that everything went-poof.”
“Perhaps he was just a burglar.”
“He wasn’t. He was a killer. I don’t mean to alarm
YOU.
The old woman looked carefully into Canfield’s eyes. “Who is’they,’ Mr.
Canfield?”
“I don’t know. That’s where the talking comes in.”
“You believe they’re connected with my son’s disappearance, don’t you?”
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“Yes, I do…. Don’t youT’
She did not answer directly. “You said we should start at the beginning.
Where is that for you?”
“When we found out that irdilions, of dollars’ worth of American securities
were being sold secretly on a foreign exchange.”
“What has that to do with my sonT’
“He was there. He was in the specific area when the rumors started. A year
later, after his disappearance, we received reliable intelligence that the
sale had been made. He was there again. Obvious, isn’t it?”
“Or highly coincidental.”
“That theory was knocked out of the box when you opened the door for me an
hour ago.”
The old woman stared at the field accountant as he slouched-in the chair.
He, in turn, watched her through half-closed eyes. He saw that she was
furious but controlled.
“You presume, Mr. Canfield.”
“I don’t think so. And since we know who your wouldbe assassin was and who
he worked for–Godwin-somebody-or-other, Wall Street-I think the picture’s
pretty clear. Someone, someone in the fifth largest brokerage house in New
York, is angry enough with you or frightened enough of you to want you
killed.”
“That’s speculation.”
“Speculation, hell! I’ve got the bruises to prove itill
“How did Washington make this … questionable confiection?”
“‘Washington’ takes in too many people. We’re a very small department. Our
normal concerns are quietly dealing with larcenous but highly placed
government officials.”
“You sound ominous, Mr. Canfield.”
“Not at all. If an uncle of the Swedish ambassador makes a killing in
Swedish imports, we’d rather straighten it out quietly.” He watched her
closely.
“Now you sound harmless.”
“Neither I assure you.”
“About the securities?”
“The Swedish ambassador, as a matter of fact.” Canfield smiled. “Who, to
the best of my knowledge, haw’t any uncle in the import business.”
‘The Swedish ambassador? I thought you said Senator Brownlee was the one.”
178
“I didn’t You did. Brownlee caused enough of a fuss to make the Justice
Department call in everyone wlio ever had anything to do with Ulster
Scarlett. At one point, we did.”
“You’re with Reynoldsl”
“Again, that’s your statement. Not mine.”
“Stop playing games. You work for that man, Reyriolds, doift you?”
“One thing I’m not is your prisoner. I’m not going to be cross-examined.”
“Very well. What about this Swedish ambassador?”
“You don’t know him? You don’t know anything about Stockholm?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, of course I don’tl”
The field accountant believed her. “Fourteen months ago Ambassador Walter
Pond sent word to Washington that a Stockholm syndicate had pledged thirty
million dollars for large blocks of American securities if they could be
smuggled across. His report was dated May fifteenth. Your son!s visa shows
he entered Sweden on May tenth,”
“Flimsyl My son was on his honeymoon. A trip to Sweden was not out of the
ordinary.”
“He was alone. His wife remained in London. That’s out of the ordinary.”
Elizabeth rose from the chaise longue. “It was over a year ago. The money
was only pledged. . . .”
Ambassador Pond has confirmed that the transaction was concluded.”
“When?”
`Fwo months ago. Just after your son disappeared.”
Elizabeth stopped pacing and looked at Canfield. “I asked you a question
before you went after that man.”
“I remember. You offered me a job.”
“Could I receive cooperation from your agency on your approval alone? We
have the same objective. There’s no conflict.”
“What does that mean?”
“Is it possible for you to report that I voluntarily offered to cooperate
with you? The truth, Mr. Canfield, merely the truth. An attempt was made on
my life. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. rm a frightened old woman. 11
“It’ll be assumed that you know your son’s allve.”
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“Not know. Suspect.”
“Because of the securities?”
“I refuse to admit that.”
“Then why?”
“First answer me. Could I use the influence of your
agency without being questioned further? Responsible
only to YOU.”
“Which means I’m responsible to you.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s possible.”
“In Europe as well?”
“We have reciprocal agreements with most-”
“Then here’s my offer,” interrupted Elizabeth. “I add that it’s
nonnegotiable. . . . One hundred thousand dollars. Paid in installments
mutually agreeable.”
Matthew Canfield stared at the confident old woman and suddenly found
himself frightened. There was something terrifying a6out the sum Elizabeth
Scarlatti had just mentioned. He repeated her words almost inaudibly. “One
hundred thousand-”
“.’Dust thou wert,’ Mr. Canfield. Take my offer and enjoy your life.”
The field accountant was perspiring and it was neither warm nor humid in
the suite. “You know my answer.”
“Yes, I thought so. . . . Don’t be overwhelmed. The transition to money
takes but minor adjustments. You’ll have enough to be comfortable, but not
so much for responsibility. That would be uncomfortable. . . . Now, where
were we?”
“What?”
“Oh, yes. Why -do I suspect my son may be alive? Separate and apart from
the seciirities you speak of.”
“Why do you?”
“From April to December of the past year, my son had hundreds of thousands
of dollars transferred to banks throughout Europe. I believe he intends to
live on that money. I’m tracing those deposits. I’m following thetrail of
that money.” Elizabeth saw that the field accountant did not believe her.
“It happens to be the truth.”
“But so are the securities, aren’t they?”
“Speaking to someone on my payroll and knowing that I’ll deny any knowledge
of them outside of this stateroom . . . yes.”
“Why deny it?”
180
“A fair question. I don’t think you’ll understand but I’ll try. The missing
securities won’t be discovered for nearly a year. I have no legal right to
question my son’s trust-no one has-until the bonds mature. To do so would
be to publicly accuse the Scarlatti family. It would tear the Scarlatti
Industries apart. Make suspect all Scarlatti transactions in every banking
institution in the civilized world. It’s a heavy responsibility.
Considering the amount of money involved, it could create panics in a
hundred corporations.”
Canfield reached the limits of his concentration. “Who was Jefferson
Cartwright?”
“The only other person who knew about the securities.”
“Oh, my God!” Canfield sat up in the chair.
“Do you really think he was killed for the reasons given?”
“I didn’t know there were any.”
“They were indirect. He was a notorious philanderer.”
The field accountant looked into the old woman’s eyes. “And you say he was
the only other one who knew about the securities?”
.,yes.,.
“Then I think that was why hemas killed. In your section of town, you don’t
kill a man for sleeping with your wife. You simply use it as an excuse to
sleep with his.”
“Then I do need you, don’t I, Mr. Canfield?”
“What had you planned to do when we reach EnglandT’
“Prescisely what I said I was going to do. Start with the banks.”
“What would that tell you?”
“I’m not sure. But there were considerable sums of money by ordinary
standards. This money had to go somewhere. It certainly wasn’t going to be