The Floating Corpse

by James Walker

  31

  Rowan rolled his eyes. “Very well, William. We’ll do it your way. I can tell you what I know and you can fill in the blanks…

  “The strongbox was sent to Boston where Federal Agents took possession of it and arranged for a train to transport it to Washington DC with an Army escort. The Federal Agents were going to work in shifts. The first two would ride along until New London, where they would be joined by another two. The four of them would stay with the box until it was delivered to the State department in Washington.

  “Everyone with me so far?”

  All of us nodded—except William, who looked at the ceiling with a smirk and quietly sipped his Coca-Cola.

  Rowan went on. “The two agents who got on in New London were imposters. Earlier that day, they had killed the two real Agents and, with their I.D. cards and credentials, assumed their identities. Neither of the sets of agents had met before, so it was a snap to get past their counterparts and into the office where the box was held. They waited until the train was over the bridge and tossed it out the window to the river below. It was still dark then, so no one witnessed its fall into the water below.

  “Then, when the train got to Chester, they simply avoided the next set of Agents, by going out the opposite end of the car. Cool as cucumbers, they strolled right off the train and made their getaway in a car that was waiting for them.” He paused and looked to William. “How am I doing so far?”

  Wiliam raised his bottle in salute. “As I was not privy to that information, we shall have to take your word for its accuracy. Still, I am fairly confident that you have laid that aspect of this affair out in good order. Please, continue.”

  Rowan sat back, looking pleased at the compliment and continued. “As we all know now, Captain Roy had planned this with meticulous care. I made a telephone call to a railroad administrator this afternoon and his description of the real Captain of the barge bore no resemblance to Roy! I’m sure there are more bodies out there somewhere. Roy and his crew have lain in wait these past weeks, planning this heist all along.” Rowan paused and took a sip then continued. “As we all know, he used a deep-sea diver’s rig to recover the box and had done so right before we came across him. Between William’s insight and Collin’s good shot, we managed to thwart them. Though I still say we could have saved a lot of time and injury if you had shot him when he was escaping.”

  I shrugged. “If I knew then what I know now, I might have! But tell me this — Roy was halfway to the sound before we took the box and came back to the castle. How did he know we had it in the first place?”

  Rowan looked at me in surprise and sat back in his chair. My query seemed to knock some of the wind out of his sails.

  “I…I don’t know, Collin. I never even thought about it.” He looked to my uncle, but before he could weigh in, Catty spoke up.

  “How does Marquis fit in all this?”

  The Inspector was a bit sheepish in his answer. “That I’m not sure of either, Catherine. Apparently, at the very least, he supplied them with the air pump to operate the underwater suit.”

  “You mean, they killed him and took the machinery off his boat, wouldn’t you say?” I pointed out. “Marquis was already…gone before the robbery.”

  “Yes” he countered, “But not before the payroll job, which, I have to believe, was the work of Roy and his gang! The method was all too similar. Wouldn’t you agree William?”

  My uncle didn’t answer for a long minute. He set his bottle of soda on the floor next to his chair and calmly repacked his pipe with tobacco. Setting it between his teeth, he struck a match and took several long pulls until it was burning evenly. He sat back and blew a great cloud of blue haze into the open air above us, before he spoke.

  “If you are all through with your idle speculations, I will endeavor to give an accurate account of the very complex situation that has played out these past few weeks.”

  I think we all rolled our eyes and the doctor even snorted and shook his head, but William took no notice and continued.

  “The first fact which is crucial to understanding is that this was no ordinary crime -- either for profit or emotion. It was purely a matter of espionage!”

  “Espionage? As in spying or sabotage?” The Doctor blurted out. “By whom?”

  “By the world’s current aggressor, Doctor. Germany and Kaiser Wilhelm. Roy admitted as much to us before his…demise.”

  “When did he admit that?” Rowan asked, rising painfully his chair. “I don’t remember that!”

  There was an awkward pause at that point. The Inspector was out like a light when Roy and my uncle was going back and forth, but William couldn’t admit that without letting on what really happened. The doctor, bless his heart, came to our aid unwittingly. Uncle William reached over and put a hand on the Inspector’s arm. “Calm yourself, Kevin. It often happens that a person will lose some memory when he suffers a blunt force trauma. You may remember some or all of it as you recover, but, on the other hand, there may be a permanent gap in your memories.”

  Rowan was uneasy with the explanation but seemed to accept it. He looked to my Uncle. “I guess you should fill me in. I don’t even remember shooting him!”

  William smiled at him and said, “You’re just too modest, Chief Inspector!” He threw a sideways glance at me and I gave him a wink in return.

  He took a few more puffs on his pipe then returned to his narrative. “As I was saying, this nasty business was all on the behalf of the Kaiser. Captain Roy was expecting a large reward for stealing the box and getting it into German hands.”

  “Just what was in the box?” he began to silently tick off a list on his fingers. “What was so important that four men had to die for it?”

  “Five,” I corrected him as I glance at Catty. “Don’t forget Marquis in your count.”

  “Four.” William corrected me but said nothing more by way of explanation. He turned to Blum, “I am sorry to be so unforthcoming, Doctor, yet I will not reveal the contents to you or anyone else.” he pointed to the case that rested on the table. “The documents in that satchel are of an extremely sensitive nature and, I am ashamed to say, they do not shed a very good light on our great nation.”

  Now, that really piqued our curiosity, but William took it even a step further. “In fact, now that I have more data, I believe the theft and murder last year was an earlier plot by Germany to throw our country into turmoil and prevent the United States from entering the war.”

  Before I thought about my words, I blurted out. “Well, I imagine stealing the treasury plates might just have had that effect!”

  Uncle Will’s eyes flew open and he jabbed his pipe stem in my direction. “Ha! I knew it! Your father did write it all down!”

  Everyone’s eyes turned to me, so I quickly picked up my drink and took a long draught to cover my slip of the tongue. I could feel Catty’s eyes boring into the back of my head, but when I stole a glance at her face, she didn’t seem angry.

  Thankfully, Rowan diverted my Uncle’s attention. “We could discuss this at some point in the future William. Be that as it may, my time is limited tonight. Let’s pass on that subject for now and get back on track.”

  Uncle Will gave me a look, then nodded and went on. “Roy revealed much, with a bit of prompting on my part. Luckily, men with that caliber of ego tend to boast of their prowess.”

  I had to hide a smile behind another pull on my glass, but both the Inspector and doctor rolled their eyes. Roy was not the only one with an oversized ego in this scenario.

  “Before you go on,” I said, trying to keep the train on the tracks, “with Roy’s appearance, can you answer my previous question to the Inspector? How did Roy know you had the steel box?”

  William tapped the ashes from his pipe and began to reload it. “Of course, I cannot say with absolute certainty, but I believe that we were observed by the very same two men the Chief took into custody tonight.

  I would make sense that they were t
o meet back with Roy after they had thrown the case from the train and made their escape. They must have been nearby when we stormed the barge and thwarted their plans. When Roy made his escape, they must have watched and waited. When they saw Osaki put the box on Helena, it was reported to their leader.”

  “How did they find Roy?” The doctor asked.

  “I am sure they had a contingency plan Doctor Blum, or at the very least, a location where they would meet up after retrieving the case. I am sure that Roy rubbed his hands in glee when he found out that I, not the Inspector had taken the case.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, William.” Rowan exclaimed. “He knew that if I had taken it to the station, there would be little to no chance he could make another play for it. But, if it were here, at the castle…” He let the thought trail off.

  William flashed a quick self-satisfied smirk. “I was counting on him making another grab for it and after I had read the documents, I was sure he would!”

  “So, you knew Roy was behind it?” Catty asked. “You just let him burn the Aunt Polly?”

  William frowned and shook his head. “Of course not! If I had the slightest inkling that Roy was within a hundred miles of here, I would have turned the case over to the Inspector immediately! For my oversight, I had my yacht nearly burned to the waterline and almost lost two of the dearest people in my life!

  “No, I failed to make the connection. I should have seen his pattern in all this, but I underestimated him again! I did not consider the chance that he might return to this area and set up shop again. I worried he might reappear for revenge, but never for another crime! I cannot say I was shocked to see him step out of the smoke on the dock, but I was as surprised as anyone.”

  “So, what was all that, A Scandal in Bohemia stuff about?” I asked. “I remember reading the story when I was the lad, but I don’t recall the plot.”

  “Oh!” Blum spoke, “I know that one! It’s where Irene Adler gets the best of Holmes.”

  William smiled in his condescending way, “Yes, that is how the story ends, but that is not what Roy was referring to. In the story, Holmes sets a fire at the residence where Irene Adler is staying to draw her into revealing the hiding spot of the damaging letters.

  “Roy’s variation on the theme was to set fire to the Aunt Polly to draw us out of my home so he could have his men ransack my castle for the case.”

  “Well, why the boat? Why not set a fire at your house?”

  “For two reasons, Doctor. First, because we were here, and I am certain they had a healthy respect for Collin’s talent with a firearm and second…stone does not burn easily.” He took a few puffs on his pipe and added, “I imagine he was delighted to set the Aunt Polly on fire, either to draw us into his net, or if for nothing more than revenge upon me.” He looked a bit glum as he added, “Had I realized who our adversary was, I would have set a guard on the old girl.”

  “Even so, your Uncle was one step ahead of them. It was his idea to secretly put men around the grounds tonight, Collin.” Rowan said to me. “It was his plan that saved this day!” He looked at my Uncle and beamed, “and bringing Frank Chapman in for support was sheer genius!”

  “Yes, and a plan he could have shared with me!” I looked right at my Uncle. “It may have saved us all a lot of pain!”

  As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. It wasn’t my intention to accuse him of nearly getting Ozaki killed. He met my eyes with a level look and said seriously,

  “Had you not jack rabbited off with Ozaki, I might have done so. At the very least I would have put you on guard. If you recall, I did try to stop you, as I did when you hared off from the docks earlier. You are brave and you are fast, Frohman, but you are far too impetuous for prudence’s sake! You always have been.”

  Of course, he was right, so I kept my mouth shut and tried to look sheepish.

  “Still”, he went on, “it was your heroic act that saved Ozaki’s life. Had you not dove in after him…well, I shudder to think what my life would be now.”

  Catty put her hand on the back of my neck, and I felt much better. “Yeah…well…I was still dumb enough to drop my gun for Roy to pick up!”

  “Actually Frohman, that too was a bit of good luck. You see, we found another pistol on Roy. One that he brought with him. Had he not picked up your gun—he would have used his own. Thank the stars; he wasn’t familiar with that model. That split second of hesitation was all...the Inspector needed.”

  “What caused the hesitation?” Blum asked, though I could see that everyone but Wiliam was wondering the same thing. I took out the pistol and showed them. “This is a semi-automatic pistol, you see. It will fire as fast as I can pull the trigger. But! Only after it’s manually cocked for the first shot. After that, I can blast away until the magazine is empty.

  “Luckily, Roy didn’t know that. When he went to shoot Uncle Will, the trigger wouldn’t budge and that gave…”

  “Giving the Chief Inspector,” William put in quickly, “the chance to draw and put that monster in his grave!”

  Rowan shook his head, obviously still having a hard time remembering or believing in our version. “I don’t remember shooting him at all. And three times at that!”

  “Well, the three of us are grateful that you did, Chief.” I said, hoping to shore up our story.

  “That was quite some shooting,” I added in a joking tone. “Great grouping! Well done”

  “Hear, Hear!” William cheered to our laughter.

  To all our surprise, Catty rose off the couch next to me and leaned over to kiss the Chief Inspector tenderly on the temple. She sat back down next to me and said, “Thank you”

  Rowan looked a bit embarrassed. “No need to thank me for saving their lives, they would have done the same for me.”

  ‘And did!’, I thought to myself.

  Catty smoothed the skirt over her lap and said, “Of course, I’m grateful that they weren’t shot, but that’s not what the kiss was for.” She paused, “It was for killing that bastard.”

  As we all stare at her in stunned silence, she turned to my Uncle with a glint in her eyes. “Now Mr. Gillette, if you would, please tell me how my brother fit into all this.”

  32

  William met her gaze with an intensity of his own. He was still in character and I was sure he would stay that way for now. I realized it was easier for him to deal with emotional matters as Sherlock Holmes. William Gillette was far too good a man to say these truths to someone he cared about.

  “Catherine. I will give you one more chance to retire…no? Very well then-- prepare yourself.” He relit his pipe and began, “Marquis, in many ways, is the lynch pin of this whole affair.”

  He looked to me and Catty. “Frohman, Catherine, do you remember what was unusual about the entries in Marquis’ logbook? The one Frohman picked up off the floor of the Inn after the fight?”

  I had to think about it and the answer he was looking for tickled the back of my mind, but it was Catty who came up with it first.

  “All the deliveries to the mysterious ‘S’. That and the barge were his two most frequent spots.”

  “Excellent, Catherine. I wasn’t sure at the time, but I came to realize that the ‘S’ stood for Susan Wallace.”

  “Susan,” The Doctor blurted out in disbelief. “My old nurse? What could she possible have to do with…” his voice trailed off then he sat up and cried out, “Oh! I think I know where you are going with this.”

  Rowan looked annoyed. “Well, I don’t! That woman is practically a hermit! You think she was one of the gang? Susan Wallace?”

  William sighed. “Do not be ridiculous, Chief Inspector! Susan Wallace was merely a pawn in the robbery and an indirect one at that! What you must consider is that Wallace is her married name. Her maiden name is Macduffee and she still lives in the house her parents built, and until last summer, one she shared with her brother, Chester E Macduffee.

  “If you do not know the name, Chest
er Macduffee was one of the foremost marine engineers in the country. His work in undersea salvage suits was ground-breaking! And, I believe, if we were to take a look inside the boat house at the back of Susan’s property—where her brother did much of his work—we would find a deep-sea diving suit or two. I would also wager there was one missing, which Marquis took and put to use. The fact that Marquis was wearing nothing but long-johns and woolen socks when he was found told me the extent of his involvement.”

  “Of course!” I slapped my forehead. “He wasn’t dressed because he was in the suit, but he would need some protection from the water. It’s still pretty cold this time of year!”

  Catty, her lower lip trembling as she fought back tears, asked, “So, are you saying my brother was behind all this?”

  William gave her an exaggerated skeptical frown. “Marquis? Behind a plot by a foreign government to steal top secret documents? I think not! The train robbery was certainly the work of our Captain Roy. It started months ago when Marquis began making bi-weekly deliveries to Susan. As he was her only contact with the outside world and she was dependent on the supplies he brought her and, considering Marquis’s well-known charm, she gradually opened up to him. At some point in her conversations with him, she must have told him about her brother and the suits that were still in his workshop.” At this point my uncle paused to take a few puffs.

  “Later on, when the barge was stationed at the train bridge, Marquis started delivering supplies there also. With, as Roy put it, ‘a few slaps on the back and a lot of drinks’, Marquis soon succumbed to the false comradery of the barge crew and it’s Captain. He must have told them about the suits and Roy saw an opportunity to put them to use. He convinced Marquis to procure one.

  “It must have been Captain Row who put up the money for the air pump Marquis installed on his boat-... Why do you think Roy ponied up?” Rowan asked.

  “Because air compressors of that size and power, are a specialized piece of machinery and it would have cost more than Marquis made in a year. I know, for a fact, from the bill Roy presented me with for the one he and Nickolas installed on the Aunt Polly last year!”