The Quest of Julian Day by Dennis Wheatley Read Free Book Online

connect him with the crime in the minds of the Captain or the Belvilles; and he had no reason to suppose that anyone on board knew of his previous criminal activities.
    The result of my deliberations was that instead of leaving a message that I was not to be called, as I should normally have done after such a gruelling night, I turned in to get a few hours sleep with every intention of becoming exceedingly active first thing the following morning.
    It seemed that I had hardly closed my eyes when the steward roused me with my morning tea and I saw daylight flood in through the square deck window of my stateroom. I would have given a lot to turn over and go to sleep again, but I roused myself with an effort as my plan, made a few hours before, came back to me. Having drunk the tea I dragged myself out of bed to bath and dress, after which I felt considerably better. I then went out on deck and sauntered idly past O’Kieff’s stateroom, which was only two doors from my own.
    Having kept him under observation for a good portion of the time since he had come on board at Marseilles, I knew his habits. He was called at 8.30, the same time as myself, by his man Grünther who got his bath ready, put out his clothes and left him again about nine; O’Kieff went down to breakfast about half-past, while Grünther did not usually appear on deck again until he came up to put out his master’s clothes for dinner.
    I had hardly passed the cabin when Grünther came out, drawing the cabin door to after him. Taking up a position by the ship’s rail I awaited events. In due course I heard O’Kieff emerge behind me but I did not turn round until he was some way along the deck.
    The second he had disappeared down the companion-way I glanced swiftly to left and right. A few people were alreadysettling themselves for the morning in some steamer-chairs further aft and one couple had commenced their ‘daily dozen’. I waited until they had passed me and rounded the corner under the bridge, then I dived straight into O’Kieff’s cabin.
    I knew that if I were caught there rummaging through his things I should be taken for a thief, and a most unpleasant scene might follow, but I had to risk that and, with O’Kieff and Grünther both out of the way, I did not think there was much likelihood of my being disturbed. The only snag was that O’Kieff breakfasted off coffee and a roll, which occupied him less than ten minutes, so I had no time to lose.
    Harry had described the tablet to the Captain the night before as a slab of granite, packed in sacking, measuring thirty-one by twenty inches, so it was much too large to be easily concealed. A quick glance round failed to show me any likely package but naturally O’Kieff would not have been such a fool as to leave it lying about where the steward would comment on it, if only as a strange addition to his luggage made since the previous night.
    I picked up a large suitcase from the corner, but its lightness told me at once that the tablet was not in it. His wardrobe-trunk was locked; such trunks have drawers down one side and hanging-room the other so it might have been in the space beneath his coats. Grabbing it by the top I shook it violently, but there was no loud bump such as one would have expected if the weighty stone had been loose in its bottom.
    A square leather hat-box and the flat, steel-lined despatch-case were both too small to contain it. The only other place to look was in the cabin-trunk under the bed.
    I pulled it out and lifting one end found that it weighed much too heavily to contain only clothes. It was locked, but I had come prepared to force locks if necessary, and took out my jack-knife. Inserting the blade under one of the catches I gave a quick wrench. Something snapped and it sprang open the other offered equally little resistance.
    It was at that second I heard the thumping of a broom against the partition of the cabin and