Tai-Peng said, “Why?”
“We’ll wedge it in the door. It should keep the door from swinging shut.”
Alice said, “But it’ll be crushed.”
“I doubt it. It’s made of the same substance as the grails and the tower.”
“It still looks awfully fragile.”
“The grails have very thin walls, and the engineers in Parolando tried to blow them up, to crush them with powerful machinery, and to dent them with triphammers. They had no effect whatsoever.”
The corridor light shone on the faces of the men in the boat below. Some looked surprised; some, delighted; some, emotionless. He wasn’t able to determine by their reactions who X might be.
Only Tai-Peng had questioned him, but that didn’t mean anything. The fellow was always wanting to know the why.
With the help of all, the vessel was lifted up and gotten halfway through the port. It was just wide enough to stick in the middle of the O, leaving room for those outside to crawl in underneath after they’d passed in the packs and tins.
Burton backed away as they came in one by one. He held his pistol in his hand, and he told Alice to bring hers out. The others, seeing the weapons trained on them, were astonished. They were even more so when he told them to put their hands on top of their heads.
Frigate said, “You’re X!”
Burton laughed like a hyena.
“No, of course not! What I’m going to do now is to root X out!”
45
NUR EL-MUSAFIR SAID, “YOU MUST SUSPECT ALL BUT ALICE OF being X.”
“No,” Burton said, “some of you may be agents, and if you are, speak up. But I have seen the Ethicals in their Council, and there are only two in this group whose physiques resemble the person I think might be X!”
He waited. It became evident that if any were agents none was going to admit his or her identity.
“Very well. I’ll explain. It seems obvious that X was Barry Thorn and perhaps Odysseus. Thorn and the self-proclaimed Greek were short and very muscular. Both had similar features, though Odysseus’ ears stuck out and he was much darker. But these differences could be due to disguise-aids.
“The two Ethicals who resembled them were called Loga and Thanabur.
“Two of this group could be either. Or both. I believe, however, that the engineer Podebrad, who was killed on the Rex, was Thanabur. I admit that it could have been Loga. In any event, we’re not going one step further until I question— most severely—two of this group.”
He paused, then said, “These are Gilgamesh, the self-proclaimed king of Uruk of ancient Sumeria, and Ah Qaaq, the self-proclaimed ancient Mayan!”
Alice said in a low voice, “But Richard! If you press him too hard, he can just simply kill himself.”
Burton roared, “Did you hear what she said? No? She said that all X has to do to escape is to kill himself! But I know that he isn’t going to do that! If he does, he can’t carry out his plans, whatever they are! No more raising from the dead for him!
“Now… I’ve finally taken action because we are at a place where we can go no further without him. Only X knows how to cancel the gas or supersonic frequency or whatever that felled the Egyptians. And I want answers to my questions!”
“You’re desperate, man!” Tom Turpin said. “What if none of us is X? You’re skating on mighty thin ice.”
“I’m convinced that one of you is he,” Burton said. “Now… here is what I plan to do. If no one confesses, then* I’ll knock you, Gilgamesh, and you, Ah Qaaq, out. You’re my prime suspects. And while you’re coming out of unconsciousness, I’ll hypnotize you. I found out that Monat Grrautut, the Arcturan, and the men who claimed to be Peter Jairus Frigate and Lev Ruach had hypnotized my friend Kazz. They’re not the only ones who can play at that game. I’m a master hypnotist, and if you’re concealing something, I will get it out of you.”
In the silence that followed, the others looked uneasily at one another.
Croomes said, “You’re a wicked man, Burton! We’re at the gates of Heaven, and you talk of killing us!”