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."You heard the captain explain how the rug might have got wet,and I must say it sounded reasonable.Nothing surprising in the fact thatGerard might have poured himself a glass of water there, and spilled a little,Page 23ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlis there?" He jumped off the bunk suddenly and crossed the room to feel therug beneath their own jug."Just as I thought!" he said."Ours is wet, too,because I spilled water when I was taking a drink yesterday afternoon.We hita big swell just as I was pouring it and-""You win," Ken interrupted him."Everything you say makes sense and I can'targue with it.But I can also explain the same facts in another way.Likethis.Suppose, just for a minute, that Gerard planned to hide out on the shipfrom the time of a faked suicide until we reach Valencia-in other words, abouttwenty-four hours or so.He could do without food that long, or easily carryenough in his pockets to last58 THE MYSTERY OF THE SHATTERED GLASShim for that period.But he'd have to make some arrangement for having water.So I'm suggesting that he brought a thermos bottle or two aboard with him, andthat while he was filling a bottle-preparing for his hide-out-it dropped andbroke.He cleaned up the broken glass and threw it out the porthole, allexcept the couple of pieces we found."Ken looked at Sandy quizzically."Well? Any reason why my explanation couldn'tbe true?"Sandy grinned reluctantly."Oh, it could, I suppose-farfetched as it is.ButI'm certainly not going to accept it until we've done a little checking withthe room steward.If he noticed a thermos bottle among Gerard's things, forexample-""Fair enough," Ken broke in."We'll get hold of Joe and ask him that.In themeantime, I'll give you the rest of my theory." He held up his fourth finger."Number four is based on the clothes we saw in Gerard's closet-and you'llprobably squawk about this one too.There was one brown suit there, plus apair of slacks in his bag."Sandy thought a moment, remembering."That's right.One brown suit-his lighterone.He was wearing that darker brown tweed of his at dinner last night.Presumably he was still wearing it when he disappeared.""Good." Ken sounded pleased."Now think back three or four days ago to thenight we had ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert.""It's a happy thought," Sandy said, grinning."I had two helpings and I takepleasure in remembering them both.But what have they got to do with yourtheory?""Something happened at supper that night," Ken prodded him."A minorcatastrophe."SEARCH FROM STEM TO STERN 59Sandy's brow wrinkled."Well, when the ship rolled, Gerard's dessert landed inhis lap.Poor An-gelo almost wept because he was afraid it was his fault." Hesaw Ken nodding at him."You mean that's it?" He stared."But what's that gotto do with-?"Sandy had been lying flat, head turned toward Ken.Now the whole upper half ofhis body jerked upright to a sitting position."Gerard was wearing gray tweedthat night! I remember because I said it was too bad he wasn't wearing hisusual brown- that brown would have been a better match for the chocolatesauce.He didn't think that it was a very funny remark.And come to think ofit, it wasn't." Sandy was speaking more slowly, as if his mind were alreadysomewhere else.His next words were widely spaced."I see what you're getting at-where's thatgray suit?"Ken spelled it out for him."According to my theory, it is now at the bottomof the sea.It was stuffed up with something to make the dummy we saw in thewater."Sandy pulled his ear, and then lowered himself back to his flat position onthe bunk again before he said, half reluctantly, half admiringly, "Itcertainly might have been a stuffed and weighted gray suit we saw, Isuppose-with something tied on top for a head.We only saw the figure for asecond." Then he added briskly, "But I won't buy that until we make sure thesuit isn't around some place.Maybe Gerard asked Joe to clean it for him,Page 24ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlafter that night.""Could be," Ken admitted."All right.That makes two items we'll check withJoe.But if Joe says-""Not so fast," Sandy interrupted."There are a couple of other little flaws inthis weird theory of60 THE MYSTERY OF THE SHATTERED GLASSyours too, you know [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]