Part 18 (1/2)

I stayed that way through the night as we picked up the M4 and rushed ards It o in thethe city centre as we followed the A4 down to Avonst the other craft in the yacht basin was a big motor yacht

She was plank down Her name painted on the stern and boas Mandrake She was an ocean-goer, steel-hulled painted blue and white, with pleasing lines I judged her fast and sea-kindly, probably with sufficient range to take her anywhere in the world A richin most of her portholes, and she seemed ready for sea

They crowded plank

The Rover backed and turned and drove away as we climbed to the Mandrake's deck

The saloon was too tastefully fitted out for Manny Resnick's style, it had either been done by the previous owners or a professional decorator There were forest-green wall-to-wall carpets andvelvet curtains, the furniture was dark teak and polished leather and the pictures were choice oils toned to the general decor

This was half a uessed it was a charter Manny had probably taken her for six months and put in his own crew - for Manny Resnick had never struck me as a blue-water man

As aited in the centre of the wall-to-wall carpeting, a griplank being taken in, and the ines becohts slid past the saloon portholes as we left the entrance and thrust out into the tidal waters of the River Severn

I recognized the lighthouses at Portishead Point and Red Cliff Bay as Mandrake came around for the run down-river past Weston-super-Mare and Berry for the open sea

Manny caown and his face was still crumpled from sleep, but his curls were neatly cory

”Harry,” he said, ”I told you that you would be back”

”hello, Manny I can't say it's any great pleasure”

He laughed lightly and turned to the woman as she followed him into the saloon She was carefully made up and every hair of the elaborate hairstyle was in its place She wore a long white house-goith lace at throat and cuffs

”You have e”

”Next time you send somebody to hustlefussy in e”

Her eyes slanted wickedly, but she smiled ”How's your boat, Harry? Your lovely boat?”

”It oing to be, Manny, can ork out a deal?”

He shook his head sorrowfully ”I don't think so, Harry I would like to - truly I would, if just for old ti to trade and that makes for a lousy deal Secondly, I know you are too sentimental You'd louse up any deal we did make for purely emotional reasons I couldn't trust you, Harry, all the ti about Ji about the little island girl that got in the way, and about Jiet rid of-” I took a mild pleasure in the fact that Manny had obviously not heard what had happened to the goon squad he had sent to take care of Sherry North, and that she was still very much alive I tried to

”Listen, Manny, I', if I have to”

He laughed again ”If I didn't know you better, I'd believe you, Harry” He shook his head again ”Sorry, Harry, no deal”

”Why did you go to all the trouble to bring me down here, then?”

”I sent others to do the job twice before, Harry Both times theyover so sohts on to you” ”Cape Town?” I asked ”So you are going after the Dawn Light in person What is so fascinating about that old wreckr ”Co ht it best not to let thenorance

”You think you can find your way back?” I asked the blonde

”It's a big sea and a lot of islands look the same I think you should keep me as insurance,” I insisted

”Sorry, Harry” Manny crossed to the teak and brass bar

”Drink?” he asked

”Scotch,” I said, and he half filled a glass with the liquor and brought it to me

”To be entirely truthful with you, part of this is for Lorna's benefit You irl bitter, Harry, I don't knohy - but she wanted especially to be there e say goodbye She enjoys that sort of thing, don't you, darling, it turns her on”

I drained the glass ”She needs turning on - as you and I both know, she's a lousy lay without it,” I observed, and Manny hitthe raw flesh

”Lock him up,” he said softly As they hustledthe deck towards the bows, I took pleasure in knowing that Lorna would have painful questions to answer On either hand the shore lights ht, and the river was black and wide

orward of the bridge there was a low deckhouse above the forecastle, and a louvred companionway opened on to a deck ladder that descended to a small lobby This was obviously the crew's quarters, doors opened off the lobby into cabins and a communal n upon it read ”FORECASTLE STORE' They shoved h the doorway and slammed the heavy door The lock turned and I was alone in a steel cubicle probably six by four Both bulkheads were lined with storage lockers, and the air was damp and musty

My first concern was to find some sort of weapon The cupboards were all of the was inch-thick oak I would need an axe to hack them open, nevertheless I tried I atte my shoulder as a ram, but the space was too confined and I could not work up sufficient momentum

However, the noise attracted attention The door swung open and one of the crew stood well back with a big ugly 41 Rueger Magnum in his hand

”Cut it out,” he said ”There ain't anything in there,” and he gestured to the pile of old life-jackets against the far wall ”You just sit there nice and quiet or I'll call some of the boys to help me work you over” He slammed the door and I sank down on to the life-jackets

There was clearly a guard posted at the door full-time The others would be within easy call I hadn't expected hiet hio It was a poor chance, I realized All he had to do was point that cannon into the storerooer He could hardly miss

I looked down at the pile of life-jackets, and stood again to pull them aside Beneath them was a s s, a tin of Brasso, half a cake of yellow soap, and a brandy bottle half filled with clear fluid I unscrewed the cap and sniffed it It was benzine

I sat down again and reassessed e in it without ht switch was outside the doorway and the light overhead was in a thick glass cover I stood up and cli ht cover and exaave ain and selected one of the heavy canvas life-jackets The clasp of the steel strap on my wristwatch made a blunt blade and I sawed and hacked at the canvas, tearing a hole large enough to get er in I ripped the canvas open and pulled out handfuls of the white kapok stuffing I piled it on the floor, tearing open more life-jackets until I had a considerable heap

I soaked the cotton waste with benzine from the bottle and took a handful of it withI reed instantly into darkness Working by sense of touch alone, I pressed the benzine-soaked stuffing close to the electricity ter to use as insulation so I held the steel strap of my wristwatch in my bare hands and used it to dead-short the ternited instantly and 180 volts hitme off my perch I fell in a heap on to the deck with a ball of fla kapok in my hands

Outside I heard faint shouts of annoyance and anger I had succeeded in shorting the entire lighting syste kapok on to the prepared pile, and it burned up fiercely I brushed the sparks from my, hands, wrapped the handkerchief around ed lifebelts and went to stand against the steel door

In seconds the benzine burned away and the cotton began to s out thick black san to stream with tears I tried to breathe shallowly but the shed violently

There was another shout beyond the door

”Soet those lights on”