The Dragon’s Teeth by Ellery Queen

look him over. Wasn’t asleep at all. But he was potted, too. He’d have tumbled to the terrace and broken his damn’ neck if he’d tried to climb to Kerrie’s room.
    â€œBut Margo …” He jumped off the sofa and began walking around. “She sleeps in the opposite wing, but it gives out on the terrace, too, and it would have been a cinch for her to slip down at that time of night and climb the vines and trellis. She’s an athletic bitch.… Maybe what she saw in my eyes that night made up her mind.”
    Mr. Queen sighed. “How does it feel to be fifty percent of the motive in an attempted homicide?”
    â€œThat’s not the worst of it, although God knows it’s a lousy enough spot for a man to be in!” cried Beau. “It’s what I’m forced to do to Kerrie that hurts. Every time I show a spark of interest, her eyes start shining like electric bulbs. She looks like a kid under a Christmas tree. She … And then I’ve got to douse the lights by deliberately acting like a heel. She’ll wind up hating my guts, if she doesn’t hate ’em already.”
    â€œThat’s what you want, isn’t it?” queried Mr. Queen. But he was thinking of something else.
    â€œYes,” said Beau quietly. “That’s what I want,” he burst out, “but it’s more than that, too! She thinks I’m signed up with Margo to put her out of the way!”
    â€œVery natural. The appearance of requited passion, the attempt at murder … very natural for her to think so.”
    â€œIt’s easy for you to be calm about it,” said Beau bitterly. “You’re not in love with her.”
    â€œI’m sorry, Beau,” said Mr. Queen in a gentle voice. “My specialty is murder, not romance.”
    â€œWhat the devil can I do? I’ve got to find a way out of this mess somehow!”
    Mr. Queen was silent.
    â€œHell, you’re not even paying attention!”
    Mr. Queen looked up. “With half a brain. The other half is excogitating a great befuddlement. Beau, what’s the connection between these attacks on Kerrie Shawn and the events that preceded and accompanied Cole’s death?”
    â€œAll I know is that Margo Cole is out for Kerrie’s blood. Kerrie’s standing between her and me— she thinks—but, more important, Kerrie’s death means doubling her-income. Knowing Margo, I’d say the money motive was the stronger of the two. Not that it makes any difference to a corpse why he’s been bumped off.”
    â€œYou think the root of these attempts goes back into the past? The development of a plan made months ago?”
    â€œI think,” said Beau savagely, “Margo was responsible for Cole’s death!”
    Mr. Queen raised his eyebrows. “You believe she was on the Argonaut?”
    â€œWhy not?” Then Beau growled: “Or she wasn’t, and De Carlos did the dirty work for her. It’s not impossible those two are working together. They keep away from each other—De Carlos is concentrating on Kerrie, the damn’ chaser!—but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It might be a cover-up.”
    Mr. Queen looked dissatisfied. “There’s so much we don’t know,” he complained. “Heard anything on the crew and Angus?”
    â€œI had a report this morning. One of my men picked up the trail of three of the crew and the wireless operator. They shipped on a freighter, and they’re on the other side of the world by now. Nothing on the others, nothing on Angus. It’s just as if—”
    â€œJust as if?” echoed Mr. Queen.
    Their eyes met.
    â€œThey were dead,” said Beau.
    Mr. Queen picked up his hat. “Keep watching your light-o’-love. And don’t let your suspicions of Margo make you blind to … other possibilities.”
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?”