I went over everything Robinson had said and latched on to something.
He had said that Kayles had reported that I knew all about his plans, whatever they were, and that I had not told Kayles directly, but that Kayles had overheard a conversation between me and Sam Ford.
I thought back to the affray on My Fair Lady. Kayles could have listened when Sam and I were talking in the cockpit, but we had not talked about any mysterious plans, only about how to get Kayles back to Duncan Town. Anyway, Kayles would have been too busy cutting himself free and grabbing his gun to listen to us.
The only other time he could have listened to Sam and me was when he was tied up on the bunk. I vaguely remembered that I had a notion he had been feigning unconsciousness at the time, so what had I said to Sam about anyone's plans? I remembered I had been a bit irritable and had blown my top about something, but what it was I could not remember a lot had happened since then. But perhaps Sam would know.
I snapped on the intercom.
'Jessie, get Sam Ford on the telephone. I don't know where he'll be; you'll have to track him down.'
'But didn't you know?' she said.
'Know what?'
'He's in hospital in Nassau. A boat fell on him.'
'Come in here and tell me more.'
It appeared that Sam had been supervising the removal of a yacht from the water. Half-way up the slip it had fallen sideways from the cradle, and Sam happened to be in the way. It was a ten-ton ketch.
'He's in the intensive care unit of the Princess Margaret Hospital,' said Jessie.
'He was still in a coma the last I heard.'
'When did this happen?'
'About a week ago.'
I was filled with a cold rage. If Robi nson had tried to kill me because of what Kayles overheard he would certainly not leave out Sam. This was as much of an ordinary accident as the disappearance of Bill Pinder. I said, 'Ask Mr. Walker to come in.'
Jessie stood up, then hesitated.
'Who is he?' she asked.
'He's just sitting there reading magazines. And he asked me to give him a signal if a stranger comes in.'
'Don't worry about him, but do as he says. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about him to anyone.'
All the same she looked a bit worried as she left. When Walker came in I said, 'We have another bodyguard job,' and filled in the details.
'I don't want anyone getting to Sam.'
Walker tugged his ear.
'That might be tricky. Do we get the cooperation of the hospital?'
'I'll see what I can do about that. In the meantime have a couple of your men on alert, ready to fly to Nassau.'
He nodded and left, and I was about to ask Jessie to put me through to the hospital in Nassau when she buzzed me.
'Commissioner Perigord to see you.'
I had been expecting Perigord but not as soon as this. He was quick off the mark.
'Send him in.'
Perigord came in, as trim and elegant as ever in his well-cut uniform.
'What can I do for you?' I asked.
'Please sit down.'
'95 He took off his cap and laid it on the desk, together with the swagger stick he always carried, and sat in the chair opposite. He regarded me with dark brown eyes set in a dark brown face, and said quietly, 'Don't be blat nd with me, Mr. Mangan. You have much to tell me. When a Bahamian of some eminence is kidnapped in Texas and kills two men in the act of escaping it tends to make headlines in the newspapers. You are a man of some notoriety.'
I should have expected that but it had not occurred to me. True, Jessie had looked at me with big eyes when I had walked into the office, but I had kept her on the run and we had not had time to be chatty. T must get the clippings for my scrapbook,' I said ironically.
'Captain Booth of the Texas State Police telephoned me. He wanted to know about you, naturally enough. Your status in the community, had you a criminal record, and so forth. I gave you a clean bill of health.'
'Thanks for the testimonial.'
'We also talked about our common problems drug- running, for instance. Texas has a long border with Mexico.'
'Do you still think this case has to do with drugs? I'm beginning to wonder about that.'
Perigord shrugged.
'I'm keeping an open mind. I read the transcript of the Grand Jury hearing with great interest.'
I was surprised.
'You did? That hearing was held in private.'
Perigord's lips quirked into a smile.
'Like you, I have friends in Texas. It made… how shall I put it?… empty reading. For example, there was the mysterious Mr. Robinson, your kidnapper, floating about the case with no visible means of support never found. And there was the body ofKayles which, again, has never been found.'
'It wouldn't be too hard to make a body vanish in Big Thicket,' I said.
'You could toss it into any swamp.'
'True, but Captain Booth is moderately unhappy. You see, he only has your word for it that there was a third body or even a Robinson. He couldn't ask Leroy Ainslee because he was inconsiderately killed by a train.'
I said, 'My wife never saw Kayles, but she did see Robin- son. You must have read her evidence.' I took a glossy colour photograph from my desk drawer.
'Meet Mr. Robinson.'
Perigord took it from my fingers and examined it critically.
'You did better with Kayles,' he said.
'That was a photograph. This is a photograph of a painting.' He dropped it on to the desk.
'Not what one would call hard evidence for the existence of Robinson.'
'Are you saying you don't believe me or Debbie?' I demanded.
'No but I'm dissatisfied. Like Captain Booth I'm moderately unhappy.' He then said what Frank Cunningham had said before Billy hit him, but in a way that robbed it of offence.
'You seem to have problems with your wives, Mr. Mangan. I was very sorry when the first Mrs. Mangan died because I had a regard for her, and I was equally sorry when I heard what had happened to your present wife. I ask myself if these events are related in any way, and if your problems are going to continue. Too much has happened around you in the last year or so.' He leaned forward.
'Now let us talk about Robinson.'
So we talked about Robinson for a long time. At last I said, 'I've been racking my brains to think of what Kayles overheard between me and Sam Ford, and I can't ask Sam.' I told him about that, and added pointedly, 'And I don't think that was an accident, either.'
Perigord looked grave.
'I'll ring Commissioner Deane in Nassau, and we'll have that incident investigated.'
'And put a guard on Sam,' I said.
He nodded and picked up the picture of Robinson.
'How accurate is this?'
'I really don't know,' I said candidly.
'But it's the best Cassie Cunningham and I could do. She said it's difficult for a painter to depict an image in someone else's mind's eye.'
'Very well put.' Perigord picked up his hat.
'Now, there is just one last matter. You came back from Texas without a passport. Well, that's all right because we know the reason. But you came back with six Americans, two of whom are in i97 your home though
