doesn’t mean he’s off the hook.”
“No, Mr. Dillman. But it does mean that he’s one jump ahead of us. If he really is the thief, that is. He’s far too cunning to be caught with stolen goods in his possession. Did you manage to speak to him?”
“Yes,” said Dillman. “I’ve just come from him. We had a rather strained tea party with three ladies. Barcroft is a cool customer, I have to admit that. Until this voyage, he’d never met any of them, but he was chatting away as if they were lifelong friends.”
“What’s your guess?”
“I wouldn’t trust him an inch, Mr. Halliday.”
“Then he could be the culprit?”
“I’d rather give him the benefit of the doubt until we have proof. That means probing a little deeper,” he said, brushing his mustache with a finger as he thought it through. “I want to know much more about Henry Barcroft’s reason for being on this cruise. Which newspaper is he selling his articles to? What angle is he taking in them? Why doesn’t he move around with the rest of the press contingent? Who is he trying so hard to impress? In short, what’s his game?”
“Do you get the feeling he may have an accomplice?”
“No, I think he’s very much on his own.”
“Just when everything was going so well!” said the other, clicking his tongue. “We expect some petty pilfering, especially in third class, but not theft from the chief engineer’s cabin.”
“The Cunard Line has fierce rivals.”
“It’s a cutthroat business, Mr. Dillman.”
“They want to know what makes the
Lusitania
tick.”
“Men like Fergus Rourke. Technical advances are one thing. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to get the best out of them. That means you need a chief engineer who can hold the whip hand over his men. Stokers are a law unto themselves,” he said. “They work hard, drink hard, and fight like demons when they’ve a mind to, but they’ll break their backs for someone like Fergus Rourke. That’s why I’m so keen to get those stolen documents back. They’re his personal possessions. Upset him and the ripples will spread right through the engine room.”
“We’ll find them, Mr. Halliday. Somehow.”
“What’s the next step?”
“I’ll chat to some of the other journalists. See what they know about Henry Barcroft. Get some more background on him.”
“And then?”
“I’ll check the wireless room. If he’s been drafting articles, he may already have sent some off. That will at least tell us who’s paying him.”
“Good thinking!”
“Meanwhile, you continue your own inquiries among the crew.”
“We will, Mr. Dillman.”
“I’ll leave you to it, sir. I know how busy a purser always is.”
Halliday gave a hollow laugh. “I’ve had one of those mornings. Complaint after complaint! The best was from a lady in one of the regal suites. Did you know that we had Itzak Weiss aboard?”
“Yes. I saw his name on the passenger list.”
“Most people would be delighted to have a cabin next to one of the world’s great violinists. They get a free concert every time he practices. Not this particular lady! She was outraged.”
“Don’t tell me she complained about the noise?”
“Oh, no,” said Halliday with a grimace. “Her objection was that he kept practicing the Brahms Violin Concerto, which she hates. Tried to make me force him to play the Beethoven instead because she loves that. Imagine! Giving orders to a musician of Weiss’s caliber!”
“What did you say to the lady?”
“I told her to buy some earplugs.”
Dillman smiled. “You’re a true diplomat, Mr. Halliday.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell her where to put them.”
Violet Rymer was in a quandary. She was uncertain whether she should detach herself from Ada Weekes to begin her search or confide in the older woman and ask her for help. Both courses of action had obvious pitfalls. If she went charging off, she risked upsetting the older woman and there was no guarantee that she
“No, Mr. Dillman. But it does mean that he’s one jump ahead of us. If he really is the thief, that is. He’s far too cunning to be caught with stolen goods in his possession. Did you manage to speak to him?”
“Yes,” said Dillman. “I’ve just come from him. We had a rather strained tea party with three ladies. Barcroft is a cool customer, I have to admit that. Until this voyage, he’d never met any of them, but he was chatting away as if they were lifelong friends.”
“What’s your guess?”
“I wouldn’t trust him an inch, Mr. Halliday.”
“Then he could be the culprit?”
“I’d rather give him the benefit of the doubt until we have proof. That means probing a little deeper,” he said, brushing his mustache with a finger as he thought it through. “I want to know much more about Henry Barcroft’s reason for being on this cruise. Which newspaper is he selling his articles to? What angle is he taking in them? Why doesn’t he move around with the rest of the press contingent? Who is he trying so hard to impress? In short, what’s his game?”
“Do you get the feeling he may have an accomplice?”
“No, I think he’s very much on his own.”
“Just when everything was going so well!” said the other, clicking his tongue. “We expect some petty pilfering, especially in third class, but not theft from the chief engineer’s cabin.”
“The Cunard Line has fierce rivals.”
“It’s a cutthroat business, Mr. Dillman.”
“They want to know what makes the
Lusitania
tick.”
“Men like Fergus Rourke. Technical advances are one thing. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to get the best out of them. That means you need a chief engineer who can hold the whip hand over his men. Stokers are a law unto themselves,” he said. “They work hard, drink hard, and fight like demons when they’ve a mind to, but they’ll break their backs for someone like Fergus Rourke. That’s why I’m so keen to get those stolen documents back. They’re his personal possessions. Upset him and the ripples will spread right through the engine room.”
“We’ll find them, Mr. Halliday. Somehow.”
“What’s the next step?”
“I’ll chat to some of the other journalists. See what they know about Henry Barcroft. Get some more background on him.”
“And then?”
“I’ll check the wireless room. If he’s been drafting articles, he may already have sent some off. That will at least tell us who’s paying him.”
“Good thinking!”
“Meanwhile, you continue your own inquiries among the crew.”
“We will, Mr. Dillman.”
“I’ll leave you to it, sir. I know how busy a purser always is.”
Halliday gave a hollow laugh. “I’ve had one of those mornings. Complaint after complaint! The best was from a lady in one of the regal suites. Did you know that we had Itzak Weiss aboard?”
“Yes. I saw his name on the passenger list.”
“Most people would be delighted to have a cabin next to one of the world’s great violinists. They get a free concert every time he practices. Not this particular lady! She was outraged.”
“Don’t tell me she complained about the noise?”
“Oh, no,” said Halliday with a grimace. “Her objection was that he kept practicing the Brahms Violin Concerto, which she hates. Tried to make me force him to play the Beethoven instead because she loves that. Imagine! Giving orders to a musician of Weiss’s caliber!”
“What did you say to the lady?”
“I told her to buy some earplugs.”
Dillman smiled. “You’re a true diplomat, Mr. Halliday.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell her where to put them.”
Violet Rymer was in a quandary. She was uncertain whether she should detach herself from Ada Weekes to begin her search or confide in the older woman and ask her for help. Both courses of action had obvious pitfalls. If she went charging off, she risked upsetting the older woman and there was no guarantee that she
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