Angel's Ransom by David Dodge Page A

have given me nothing on which to take action. M. Farr ’s yacht seems to have left port with little regard for its crew, I grant you. But M. Farr is notoriously disrespectful of conventions, and his failure to settle accounts with his employees is not the kind of a misdemeanor for which I should be inclined to pursue the Angel with a boatload of police. Unless you can give me some concrete evidence of the commission of a crime, I am helpless.’
    ‘But the phony permis ! The trick to get us out of the way!’
    ‘It is something to be loo ked into, certainly. Do not misu nderstand what I am saying. You were right to come here, and I have every intention of investigating. My office is here for that purpose.’
    ‘Investigating!’ The steward was almost in tears of frustration . ‘Every minute you waste investigating, the Angel gets farther out of reach!’
    ‘M. Farr publicly announced his intention of taking the yacht out of the Principality, for reasons adequate to him. It is no crime.’
    ‘And the two gangsters? The rough stuff?’
    Neyrolle said wearily, ‘What two gangsters? What rough stuff?’
    ‘There had to be rough stuff! I tell you –’
    ‘Please do not.’ Neyrolle pushed a button. ‘I am a busy man. If there has been a crime committed, my staff will learn of it and take proper steps, I assure you. You will help most by dictating an account of what you have told me to the clerk outside, and leaving an address where you can be reached. Thank you for your cooperation.’
    Minutes later Cesar walked moodily back towards what had been the Angel ’s mooring. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders hunched. Once he kicked at a loose pebble in his path and said aloud, angrily, ‘There had to be rough stuff!’
    Neyrolle, at the same moment, was giving orders to one of his agents. ‘Go down to the port and see if you can find anyone who noticed anything unusual about the departure of a motor-cruiser from the south jetty within the last hour,’ he said. ‘The Angel . American. I don’t expect you to turn anything up, but go on the assumption that you will.’
    Neyrolle was a conscientious man, even though he lacked Cesar ’s imagination.

    Shock had dulled the initial agony of Freddy ’s broken hand by the time Blake got him below. Roche went along to stand guard in the doorway of Blake ’s cabin while he did what he could for Freddy with the contents of a first-aid kit. The other prisoners had been hustled to their own cabins by Jules and locked in.
    Holtz ’s cool orders to Blake had been, ‘Patch him up and bring him back. We’ll try again,’ but Blake knew that it was not pity that allowed Freddy a respite from immediate further violence. Holtz wanted to give the lesson time to take effect. If so, it was not necessary. Freddy was thoroughly terrified.
    ‘The guy is crazy, Sam!’ He moaned as Blake examined his injured hand. ‘A sane man couldn’t do that to another human being! Who is he? Where did he come from? How did he get aboard?’
    Blake told him all there was to tell while he split a tongue depressor, padding the pieces with cotton to make splints. The forefinger of Freddy ’s left hand was broken. Freddy cringed, sweated and swore as Blake splinted the fractured bone. He did not think that it was set properly, but Freddy could not stand the pain of manipulation. Blake could only immobilize the finger and hope for the best.
    ‘God, that hurts!’ Freddy whimpered. ‘I ought to be in the hospital! You’ve got to get me out of this!’
    ‘I don’t know just how to go about it. I tried crashing the jetty, but they were too much for me. How does it feel now?’
    ‘It hurts, of course! Get me a drink! I need a drink!’
    ‘You’ll have to wait until you go topside. There isn’t any thing here.’
    ‘I’m sick!’ Freddy caught despairingly at Blake ’s arm with his good hand. ‘I can’t go back up there! If I don’t sign that check , he’ll - he’ll - God knows