enjoying the various entertainments provided.
At the forward end of the corridor, we rounded the corner and found ourselves at the entrance to the saloon. The room was open, although alcoholic refreshments were not yet being served.
The saloon was small, compared to those in first class. The oak-panelled walls and teak tables and chairs created an atmosphere that was simple, but cheerful. Cheerful, that is, except for the dreary-looking souls who were seated around two tables joined together at the rear of the room. Their faces were unshaven and their clothing was unkempt. They appeared to be very tired, but still they went through the motions of a poker game.
One man was clearly winning. A mound of red, white and blue chips lay on the table before him. Unlike his companions, he was fresh and neatly dressed. His grey tweed suit was crisply pressed, and he wore a newly cut carnation in his lapel. This dapper card player, much to my surprise, was Hugo Brandon.
‘Why Doctor Watson, Mr Futrelle, whatever are you doing down here?’ Brandon rose and beckoned us over. His companions remained seated and eyed us suspiciously. ‘Are things getting a little dull in first class?’
Futrelle replied. ‘No, no, not at all. I am writing an article on the maiden voyage of the
Brandon laughed. ‘Writing is not my forte. But I do enjoy a good game of cards. And while the games in first class are for far higher stakes, I find them a little tame. Playing with my friends here helps to sharpen my skills for bigger games.’
The men at the table continued to stare at Futrelle and me. Aside from Brandon, this was not a congenial group.
‘Oh, I do beg your pardon, allow me to introduce you to my companions.’ Brandon grabbed his walking stick from the table and used it as a pointer. ‘The gentleman to my left is Charlie, and there is Kurt, Willy and Swede. Swede, incidentally, does some wonderful card tricks. Perhaps we can persuade him to show you some, after he has finished his coffee.’
Swede said nothing. Instead, he picked up the coffee pot at the centre of the table and poured a half cup. He then reached inside his coat and pulled out a dull, metal flask. However, the motion of his arm was interrupted when the tip of Brandon’s walking stick tapped the side of the flask.
‘Now, Swede, as a friend, I cannot allow you to overdo it on the spirits. Remember, you have a busy day planned today, and it is still only mid-morning.’
Swede begrudgingly put the flask back inside his pocket.
‘I only wanted a touch to get my blood moving.’
‘Then try a little more of this excellent coffee,’ replied Brandon, filling Swede’s cup to the top. ‘That’ll bring you to life.’
My attention was fixed, not on Swede’s problem, but on a small bottle containing a clear liquid. It was on the table next to Kurt, resting on a folded handkerchief. Brandon looked at me, and then at the bottle.
‘Oh dear, what have we here?’ said Brandon. ‘More spirits? Gentlemen, if you are going to insist on drinking, I may have to step away from the game. And I know you would all like the chance to win your money back.’
‘I understood that there was some trouble last night,’ I said. ‘Do you happen to know what it was all about?’
Brandon, his temperance speech interrupted, stroked his chin, as if trying to recall anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, he smiled and pointed his finger in my general direction.
‘I think I know what you are referring to. These gentlemen and I were in this room just before ten last night, when the barman announced that he would be closing down soon. Naturally, it was thought that this was a little early and some raised objections. There was a minor confrontation that eventually involved some of the crew. After a time, I was able to convince them all that we could continue the game just as comfortably in their cabin. And that is all there was to it... My word, has that story spread all over the ship?’
‘Oh, no, indeed not. A man in the dining room happened to mention it.’
‘Good, you know that these stories can get out of hand.’
‘Well, Mr Brandon, gentlemen, we must be getting on,’ I said. ‘Perhaps we will meet you again later.’
‘Nice to see you, Doctor, Mr Futrelle. I would invite you to join in the game but, as you can see, everyone is eager to win their money back. You are most welcome to stay and watch.’
‘Thank you, but, as I said, we must be on our way. Mr Futrelle has a good deal of research to do for his article.’
We shook hands with Brandon, and exchanged nods with his companions.
When we were back in the corridor, I placed my hand on Futrelle’s shoulder and looked back towards the door to the bar.
‘What did you think of the bottle, the one on the table?’ I asked.
‘Very unusual. It seemed as though the handkerchief was being used to pad the bottle from the surface of the wood.’
‘That is exactly what I thought. Let us proceed on deck to tell the captain.’ I reached into my pocket and pulled out a deck map that the captain had given us before we began our tour. It was at that moment that Brandon and Swede chose to step through the door from the bar. Brandon was carrying the coffee pot.
‘Lost?’ said Brandon. ‘Swede and I were just about to get more coffee. Perhaps we can help you.’
‘We can manage. But thank you for the offer.’
‘No trouble at all. In fact, I know a short cut. It is around the corner, to the right. Just follow me.’
Futrelle and I exchanged glances, then followed Brandon’s lead. Swede, instead of accompanying his companion, followed behind us. The journey was only a short one. Soon after we rounded the corner, we approached a stairwell.
Brandon hurried on ahead, stepping down the stairway instead of up. ‘We will have to go down a couple of decks first,’ he said. ‘This stairway only goes up one more deck. But if we go down to G Deck, we will reach a corridor that will take us back to the lifts.’
I smiled, looking back briefly to determine Swede’s location. ‘On second thoughts, I think we will go back the way we came. Futrelle and I want to speak to some of the crew on our way out.’
Brandon appeared disappointed that his offer of help was rejected. ‘Are you sure? There are some interesting crew areas here as well.’
‘Quite sure.’ I changed my direction. ‘Thank you, very much.’ After a few steps, Futrelle and I stopped short. Swede was holding a shiny revolver. It was pointed directly at me.
‘I got ’em, Mr Brandon.’
Futrelle turned his head back towards Brandon, who was climbing back up the stairs. ‘I say, Brandon, does your friend always carry a gun when he gets coffee?’
Brandon laughed. ‘Sometimes the kitchen is reluctant to fill the pot.’
Brandon too was carrying a revolver, somewhat smaller than Swede’s military issue. He motioned for me to walk down the stairs.
‘We will be putting our weapons away, gentlemen. We do not want to disturb the passengers and crew. But just remember, we are still holding them in our pockets. And we have nothing to lose if you force us to use them. But we cannot allow you to report us to the captain.’
We continued down the stairs, with Swede close behind us and Brandon leading the way. As we made our way down one deck, and then another, we crossed paths with a young steward who was scurrying up the stairs with a tray full of dirty dishes. It occurred to me that bumping the tray out of his hands might create a sufficient distraction to allow us to overcome our captors. But I decided that such a move would place this innocent passerby at too great a risk.
The stairway ended at G Deck, where Brandon motioned for us to continue down a dark corridor. At the end of that hallway we found a hatch in the floor, with the doorway open.
‘Down the ladder, gentlemen,’ said Brandon. ‘And please mind your step.’
Swede was the first to descend, and I followed. The chamber was dark but there was enough light for me to see that I was in a familiar area. It was the cargo hold where the motorcars were stored, where Miss Storm- Fleming had her unfortunate meeting with Bishop. My mind raced through the possibilities. If I could somehow break free, this cavern provided ample opportunities to hide. I would, of course, be apprehended in time — unless I
