West of Guam (23 page)

“I am not a fool, Captain Howker—I shall do exactly as—you say.”

The closet door closed with a faint clicking sound. There were light footfalls behind the Island detective. In the corridor beyond the room there was the patter of sandled feet. The murderer, Howker, whistled a little as he moved around to one side. The footfalls beyond the room died away.

After a few seconds Howker moved to a spot near the shutters. He stood with his back to them and smiled down at Jo Gar. His brown-gray eyes held little expression—the smile was on his lips. It was a hard smile. The man’s short, thick-set body was relaxed. Howker wore no hat—he was dressed in a cheap suit of dark material. He spoke with little emotion.

“More than ever, now—I need the pearls. You have them. I did not expect you to return here—Deming has failed. That is done. You have returned. I came here to search the room. This Japanese surprised me. I suppose he was—Toyen.”

Jo Gar said nothing. Howker narrowed his eyes a little and said:

“I killed Randonn for the pearls—and I’m not a fool. They will take me back to Bilibid, or perhaps to England—and hang me. That, is, they will if I’m caught.”

He paused, and Jo Gar said slowly: “You did not have to murder Toyen. He was not involved in this. He was my friend—”

There was a weary tone in the Island detective’s voice. Howker smiled with his eyes. He moved his right hand a little and Jo looked at the gun. It was an Army weapon—it looked like one of the Colts that Randonn had kept aboard the yacht.

Howker said grimly: “I turned my back on him for a second—he drew the knife you see there. I knocked it out of his hands, and used it on him. He cut me—”

With a quick movement he pulled back the sleeve of his left arm.

The skin was stained with red. He said bitterly:

“I’ve got to get away—and I’ll need money. The pearls will bring me the money. You have the pearls. I can kill you, Gar. You trapped me, on the yacht. But I will—make a bargain with you.”

Jo Gar sat motionless, his eyes on the eyes of the one who had twice murdered. He said slowly:

“I am not a fool—I do not care to die. It was my business to find the murderer of Randonn. It is not my business to find the murderer of Toyen, even though he was my friend.”

Howker slitted his brown-gray eyes on Jo’s and said grimly:

“You are tricky—and cold. When a man born in the tropics is cold—he’s dangerous. I hate to deal with you.”

Jo Gar said quietly: “As you say, I have the pearls. There are six of them—and they are worth much money. If you kill me—you will not have them.”

The murderer swore softly. “You are cold,” he repeated. “Colder than death.”

The Island detective said slowly: “I will show you that I am honest with you. My life is worth much to me. You are wasting time. I have shot Deming—and the police will find him. Perhaps there will be a description of me. Deming will not talk, perhaps—but the rickshaw man may. Or the one you sent to pose as Toyen’s servant. If the police come here seeking me—”

He broke off, shrugged. Howker moved his gun hand a little and said grimly:

“You brought the pearls ashore—you would not leave them on the yacht. You wanted to get them to Toyen. If they are not on you, or in this room, they are somewhere near. I will give you your life—for them. That is my offer.”

Jo said simply: “My life is of more value than the pearls. You have killed twice—”

Howker widened his eyes a little and smiled disagreeably.

“As you know, I am not an expert! You will bring the pearls to a man I know. He is Japanese and his judgment is quite good. For years he lived in the South Seas—I met him down there.”

The Island detective said slowly: “There will be risk, for you. On the streets—”

Howker interrupted grimly. “There will be risk for you, too, Gar! They will want you before they want me, perhaps. You have shot Deming. If they have your description—”

Jo Gar nodded. “It is so,” he agreed. “They do not care so much about murder that occurred on a yacht at sea. An English yacht. And they do not know as yet that you have killed a Japanese.”

Howker swore softly, looking down at the body of Toyen.

“It was self defense,” he stated harshly. “I took his own knife from him.”

Jo Gar said nothing. Howker took his eyes away from the figure on the floor, lowered his gun arm a little.

“You have the pearls here?” he asked in a voice that was too calm to please the Island detective.

Jo nodded. Howker questioned him with his eyes. After a little silence he said:

“Raise your hands—and get up. Stand very still.”

The Island detective obeyed. Howker pressed the muzzle of the gun against his left side and searched him carefully. He grunted as he took the knife and automatic from Jo. Backing towards the shutters of the windows again, he spoke in a steady voice.

“I don’t think you’ll be foolish. If anything goes wrong I’ll use this gun. You know that. Get the pearls, but use your left hand doing it—and keep the right where I can see it.”

Jo Gar nodded, lowered his left hand. He went to a small piece of luggage he had brought from the yacht, snapped the bag open. It was not locked. He fumbled among a few objects, lifted out a bottle containing a blue liquid. He said quietly:

“The pearls are here—the liquid is colored water.”

Howker smiled grimly. “Yes?” he said. “All right—but let me see the pearls.”

There was a small sink at one end of the room. Jo went towards it, with Howker following. The distant cracking of fireworks had ceased; at intervals there were gongs sounding. The interior of the hotel was quiet—very quiet.

The Island detective poured the liquid to a glass—strained the pearls into the palm of his left hand, on which was a towel from a rack, and wiped them. They gleamed dully in the poor light of the room. There were six of them. Back of him he heard Howker’s breath sucked in sharply. Jo said slowly:

“They are worth killing for?”

Howker swore at him. He said sharply:

“Set them on the towel on the sink.”

Jo did as he was instructed. Howker took up the pearls into a handkerchief, keeping the gun in his right hand, and his eyes on Jo. He said slowly:

“Turn your back.”

Jo Gar turned. He stood motionlessly, his body relaxed. Then Howker was speaking again.

“We go out—you lock the door. We go down the stairs, but not out the front entrance. There are steps in the rear—into the tea garden. You will be at my right, and my gun will be ready for action. The place to which I’m taking the pearls is only a few squares. We will walk.”

Jo Gar nodded. He moved towards the door, opened it, stepped into the corridor. Howker followed him. He said in a quiet voice:

“Snap the switch off!”

The Island detective obeyed. He closed the door, locked it. They moved towards the wide stairs, went down. A sleepy looking clerk was back of the big, dark-wooded desk. He smiled a little as they turned towards the rear of the hotel. They went down a corridor, reached narrow steps that led to a small tea garden. Howker chuckled a little. His body was pressed close to Jo’s—they went through an alley, over an old arched bridge that spanned a bad odored stream.

Suddenly they reached a narrow street that was well lighted. Rickshaws were moving in both directions. Howker got his body close to the wood of a tea house and said sharply:

“Wait—stay here!”

They stood in a dark spot and watched the narrow street. Suddenly Howker’s body stiffened at Jo’s side. He swore softly. A rickshaw was moving slowly into sight; there was a jam of humans ahead of it. The driver was shouting shrilly. In the rickshaw were two men. One was short and thick-set, brown-faced. He was in the uniform of a police official. The other man was the Hollander, Vandeer. Vandeer was talking, gesturing excitedly.

The humans moved away from the rickshaw—the vehicle went on. Howker said grimly:

“That might have been bad—yes?”

Jo shrugged. “I left Vandeer at the hotel, with Toyen,” he said simply. “Toyen must have returned. But I don’t see—”

“Perhaps he, too, was after the pearls,” Howker said mockingly. “Anyway, he was in the room when I entered.”

Jo said quietly: “I do not think he was outside the door—and you forced him to enter. You thought he might have the pearls.”

Howker narrowed his eyes on Jo’s. He said slowly:

“That doesn’t matter—cross the street now. Keep your head low—and don’t look in either direction.”

They crossed the crowded street; Howker swearing harshly at a coolie who got in his path as they had almost reached the far side. They were in another alley; it wound to the right. The wooden houses on either side were in bad shape—rotted and broken down. Oriental music sounded from them; sharp odors reached the Island detective’s nostrils.

Howker said sharply: “Here—to your right!”

They passed through swinging doors. Beyond was a charcoal burner. The place seemed to be a small curio store—near faded, jade curtains stood the squat figure of a Japanese. His face seemed like a mask in the dull light of the evil smelling store.

Howker said quietly: “I have brought a friend, Matu—there is something of value he has given me. Will you look at the objects for me?”

The Japanese made no sound. He bowed his head slightly, spread his hands in a gesture of consent. He turned, moved beyond the faded, jade curtain. Jo could hear his footfalls as he climbed stairs.

Howker said: “Follow him, Señor. And be very careful of the steps.” There was mockery in the man’s tone. Jo went towards the curtain, passed it, walked slowly up the stairs. There were not many steps—they creaked beneath his weight. Behind him Howker mounted the steps.

At the top Jo paused, looked around. The Japanese was seated back of a small table over which hung a light—a kerosene lamp, from the odor of the room. He gestured towards chairs that were near the table—Jo moved towards one.

Howker came up and walked to the table. With a swift movement of his left hand he let the pearls roll across the surface. The Japanese drew a quick breath. He muttered a word that Jo did not understand. Howker said slowly, mockingly:

“I am told they are good pearls—and of great value. I hope that is true.”

He faced the Island detective, his gun made a bulge in the right pocket of his dark coat. His brown-gray eyes glittered in the light of the lamp. The Japanese was bending his head low, touching the pearls with slender nippers, getting his wide eyes close to them. Muffled sounds reached the room from the street.

The Japanese was muttering to himself—Howker kept his eyes narrowed on the figure of Jo Gar. Several minutes passed. Howker said in a husky voice:

“Well, Matu? They are good?”

The Japanese raised his head and his eyes glittered on Jo Gar’s momentarily. He turned his head towards Howker, said very quietly: “The pearls—are very fine, Captain. I do not think I have ever—looked upon finer ones.”

Howker’s body stiffened a little. Surprise showed in his eyes. He swore hoarsely. The Japanese rose from the stool on which he had been seated. He said in broken English:

“If I may point out—”

The knife rested on the edge of the table—near the stool on which the Japanese had been seated. Howker’s right hand came from his pocket as the Japanese stepped towards him, the pearls in a tray. Jo Gar moved swiftly—the knife was in his right hand before Howker knew that he had left the chair in which he had been seated.

The Japanese cried out a shrill warning—Howker whirled, dug his right-hand fingers into the pocket of his coat.

The first shot sounded—as the Island detective struck at the murderer. The bullet battered into curtains across the room. Howker screamed as the knife blade ripped his right shoulder. His body swung around, off balance.

Jo Gar struck for the second time. And Howker squeezed the trigger of the gun again. He was aiming blindly—the Japanese drew his breath in with a hissing sound, staggered towards the stairs that led down to the curio store. Beneath the second stroke of Jo’s knife the body of the captain slumped forward. As he fell, the Island detective jerked his right hand from the pocket.

Howker’s grip relaxed on the gun—Jo twisted it from his fingers. He backed away. The Japanese stood near the top of the stairs, holding his left wrist muttering to himself. Jo Gar said grimly:

“Get over there—near Howker!”

The one who had judged the pearls moved slowly to Howker’s side. The captain pulled himself to his knees and pressed his right hand under his left arm-pit. He gritted:

“That damn—knife—”

Jo Gar smiled with his lips. He looked at the Japanese.

“You were not wise,” he said quietly. “You knew that the pearls were imitations. Yet you told Howker that they were very fine. That was foolish. He thought he had beaten me—and he grew careless—just for a second.”

Howker stared at the Japanese. He muttered thickly: “Not real—the pearls? You tricked me, Matu—”

Jo Gar shook his head. “I think he wanted to warn you—but not before me,” he said. “So he lied—and then he was about to take you aside, tell you the truth. But I knew they were not real—those pearls.”

Howker stared at Jo Gar. The Island detective said slowly:

“You hate me, Howker. But you love the pearls. And you needed money. You wanted to kill me—and have the pearls, too. You would have killed me, even if you had possessed the real ones. You were too greedy.”

Howker swore bitterly. Joe Gar said in a quiet voice, holding the gun’s muzzle towards the captain and the Japanese.

“The irony of it is, Howker—that you had the real pearls in your possession.”

Howker’s brown-gray eyes narrowed on the half closed ones of Jo Gar. He breathed hoarsely:

“I—had them—”

Jo nodded. “They were in the hilt of the knife with which you murdered Ichito Toyen,” he said softly. “They are still there—in a little hollow place in the wood. The knife was Toyen’s—it was brought to me before I left the yacht. I placed the pearls within the hilt. The knife went back to him. He knew there would be stones of some kind for him to examine. He did not have the time to speak to me of the pearls, at the hotel. The Hollander, Vandeer—he interrupted us. When I left, in my attempt to find you—Toyen returned to my room. Perhaps he was suspicious of Vandeer, and thought he might attempt a search. I think you found Toyen outside the door—you forced the old lock, and made Toyen enter.”