The Quest of Julian Day by Dennis Wheatley

right, we’ll say nothing to the Captain for the time being, since you wish it. But surely he must know that the key to the riddle lies in the tablet; I wonder he hasn’t ordered a general search already.’
    â€˜That’s because he doesn’t want to upset his passengers. Directly he hands over to the authorities in Alexandria, you may bet they’ll ransack everything.’
    â€˜Then if the man you suspect
has
got it, the police or customs are certain to find it in his baggage when we dock this afternoon.’
    â€˜I doubt that. He hasn’t the least reason to suppose anyone on board suspects him but, all the same, he’s bound to guess they’ll go through everybody’s stuff before we land, and he’s much too clever to risk getting caught that way.’
    â€˜What will he do, then?’
    â€˜Pass it on to a confederate,’ I replied. ‘Probably one of the crew who could conceal it safely until the search is over and smuggle it ashore later, or lower it over the side into a boat at night. That’s what we’ve got to prevent and where I want your help. It’s much too big for him to bring out of his cabin without our spotting it. We must take turns in watching, and if he does bring it out, mark down the man to whom he hands it.’
    â€˜Of course we’ll help,’ Harry agreed eagerly. ‘I’m jolly grateful to you, Julian, for what you’ve done already, and for keeping mum last night when the Captain questioned you about our expedition.’
    â€˜You’re going on with it then, in spite of Sir Walter’s death?’
    â€˜You bet we are. Naturally we’re terribly cut up. It’s simply horrible to think of the poor old chap being struck down like that; but we
must
carry on if we possibly can.’
    â€˜Why
must
?’ I asked.
    â€˜Oh, for a number of reasons. For one, I’m sure he’d wish it. For another, Clarissa’s got a whole packet sunk in this show. The devil of it is, though, we’re scuppered before we start unless we can get that tablet back.’
    â€˜But surely you’ve got a translation of it?’
    â€˜No. The old man was so frightened of the secret getting out that he wouldn’t have one done. It was for that reason,too, that he took only the top half of it with him to England and left the bottom half with Sylvia in Cairo.’
    I nodded. ‘Then we’ve darned well got to get it back somehow. If I’m right about it being the thing I felt in O’Kieff’s trunk we will, too, providing we keep a careful watch on him.’
    â€˜Which is his cabin?’ Harry inquired.
    â€˜No. 14. Just behind you to the left there. But for goodness sake don’t look now.’
    â€˜Then he’s the old boy with the wavy white hair like a wig?’ Clarissa whispered.
    â€˜That’s him; and, believe me, he’s no small-time crook. He’s so big that the police have never been able to get anything on him yet.’
    Clarissa’s blue eyes widened. ‘This really is rather thrilling, isn’t it?’
    â€˜I’ll get a thrill all right if only I can land that devil for murder,’ I muttered. ‘But in the meantime I’ve had no breakfast except some Harrogate toffee and a few chocolates. Will you hold the fort while I find myself some soup and biscuits to fortify the inner man? I think I’ll pack too, while I’m about it, so as to leave you quite free after lunch.’
    As soon as I had done my packing, I rejoined them and we spent the half-hour before lunch together. They went down directly the gong sounded and came up again as quickly as they could to let me slip away. Directly I’d fed they went off to do their packing and by three o’clock, when they joined me again. Alexandria was in sight.
    For the next hour we watched the city as it rose out of the flat horizon with steadily-increasing clearness. It was far