The Wreck Of The Mary Deare

‘The Mary Deare has been located and a French salvage company is endeavouring to refloat her. A full examination is to be made of the wreck, and if you think there’s any point-’

‘A full examination.’ He seemed shocked. ‘When?’ And then he added, ‘It was announced in Court, was it?’

‘Yes.’

‘Who told them where the ship was. Did Gundersen?’

‘Gundersen? No. It was the Harbour Master at St Helier reporting to the Receiver of Wreck. I imagine a Jersey Island fisherman sighted the wreck. He must have seen the salvage people working on her.’

That’s all right.’ He seemed relieved. ‘But we’ll have to hurry.’ He picked up the towel. ‘Have you got a drink?’

I reached into the locker and got him the rum bottle and a glass. His hands shook as he poured it out. ‘I’ll need some clothes, too.’ He knocked the drink back at one gulp and stood gasping for breath. ‘Now that they know there’s going to be an official examination of the boat, we’ll have to move fast.’

Mike had produced some clothes out of a locker. He put them on the table and Patch picked up a vest. ‘How soon can you leave?’ he asked.

I stared at him. ‘Don’t you understand?’ I said. ‘There’s a warrant out for your arrest. I can’t possibly take you.’

He was halfway into the vest and he stopped, his eyes fixed on me. For the first time, I think, he realised that we weren’t going to take him. ‘But I was relying on you.’ His tone was suddenly desperate. And then he added angrily, ‘It was only yesterday you offered to take me. It was the one chance and-’

‘But you didn’t accept it,’ I said. ‘You told me it was too late.’

‘So it was.’

‘If it was too late then,’ I said, ‘it’s certainly too late now.’

‘How could I accept your offer? They were going to arrest me. I was quite certain of that, and if I’d gone back into that Court this morning-’

‘But you didn’t.’

‘No.’

‘Why not? Can’t you see you’ve put yourself in an impossible situation.’ I leaned forward, determined to get at the truth. ‘You’ve got the police hunting for you now — everybody against you. What in God’s name made you decide to run for it?’

He pulled the vest down over his head and came to the edge of the table, leaning down over it. ‘Something I learned last night — something that made me realise I had to get out to the Mary Deare as soon as possible.’ There was silence for a moment, whilst we looked at him, waiting. And then he said, ‘That salvage company — it’s under contract to the Dellimare Company.’

‘How do you know?’ It seemed the wildest piece of guesswork. ‘How can you possibly know when it’s only just been announced that a salvage company is working on the wreck?’

‘I’ll tell you.’ He began to get into the rest of Mike’s clothes. ‘Last night, when I got back to my rooms — I went up and got my coat. I was going for a walk — to think things over. And outside — I found Janet — Miss Taggart — waiting for me there in the street. She’d come …’ He gave a quick shrug. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter, but it made a difference. I knew she believed in me then, and after that I searched the pubs all through the dock area. I was certain I’d find Burrows in one of them. He couldn’t keep away from the booze so long as he had money. And he had money all right. I found him down in the old part of the town, and he told me the whole thing — drunk and truculent and full of confidence. He hated my guts. That’s why he told me about the salvage company. He was gloating, knowing I’d never prove anything after they’d sunk her. And all because I’d told him he was incompetent and that I’d see to it he never had charge of an engine-room again.’

He paused and took a quick drink. The wind was rising, and in the silence the sound of it whining through the rigging was suddenly loud. Then he pulled on Mike’s sweater and came and sat down opposite me. He was still shivering. ‘Higgins must have worked out the course of our drift for Gundersen. Anyway, they were convinced she was on the Minkies and they chartered a boat and went over there. And when they’d found her, Gundersen signed up this French outfit to salvage her.’

‘But what difference does that make to you?’ Mike asked. ‘It’s perfectly natural for the Dellimare Company to want to salvage her.’

Patch turned on him, his lips drawn back in;a smile. ‘They’re not going to salvage her,’ he said. ‘They’re going to have the French pull her off and then they’re going to sink her in deep water.’

I saw Mike looking at him as though he were crazy and I said, ‘Do you seriously imagine they could get away with that?”

‘Why not?’ he demanded.

‘But no salvage company-’