The Corpse Without a Country
Page 14
“I am a very clever cook. Only now and then do I burn things.”
I said, “Speaking of burning, did you know that the last stowaway didn’t get a chance to set a fire? On the Pride, I mean?”
She bit my ear. “I heard. But why do we talk of fires on boats? At a time like this….”
But I was in a mood to talk about boats and fires. I said, “It seems to me that those three fires weren’t just foolish, they were also dangerous to Jodi and Reese.”
“No,” Ilona argued, “because if anyone had seen the stowaways as they jumped overboard, the boat would have stopped to rescue them. Jodi and Reese could not risk this. Ridley told me that the first fire was accidental. Jodi then conceived the idea of the others.”
Mention of Ridley reminded me of Emily and her problem. I said, “I’d like to be in on the argument when those government boys try to decide which country has jurisdiction over Emily.”
“There is no problem,” Ilona said loftily. “I have solved it.”
It was my turn to bite her ear. Later, I said, “You’re a clever woman, but not that clever. You can’t change the border.”
“Ah, but when you and Arne and the others returned to the cruiser, I walked onto the Rock. For just a little moment. And I thought then that her body might be on the line. I gave her a push into Canada. A small push,” she assured me.
I said, “For God’s sake, why into Canada?”
She said seriously, “I have read so much that the United States has many murders. Is it not fair that Canada have one now and then also?”
She was even cleverer than I thought. I kissed her. She kissed me back and proved just how very clever she could be.
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Copyright © 1959 by Louis Trimble.
Copyright © renewed 1987 by Louis Trimble.
Published by arrangement with Golden West Literary Agency.
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
eISBN 10: 1-4405-4228-7
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-4228-2
Cover art © 123RF/Nejron