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Frederick Highland
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Inspector Lionel Greavy rubbed his eyes and turned his attention to the world outside the porthole. A spray of flying fish lifted out of the intense blue of the Indian Ocean then skittered back into the rolling sea. One no sooner makes a little vacation time with one's wife to the glorious Maldives, thought Greavy, then up pops a corpus delicti. How tiresome. He thought he had left all that behind in Colombo. The policeman rose from behind the captain's desk and scrutinized the weathered, square-jawed face of Mr. Kip Templar. "During the war. We were prisoners together in a Japanese internment camp. Outside of Mandalay. Sir Geoffrey, better known as "the Worm"-- Well we all knew, all the POW's, that he was informing on us. Problem was we could never get the goods on him. Good men suffered because of him. And at least one died." "So, two years after the war, you decided to extract a little revenge on behalf of your mates, was that it, Mr. Templar? You tracked Sir Geoffrey down in Colombo, managed to get close to him then-- " Greavy opened a handkerchief to reveal a long bladed dagger with a serrated edge. Templar's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's a native dagger, isn't it?" "It's called a keris. And it was buried deep in Sir Geoffrey's back. This crimson handkerchief was wrapped about the hilt. Rather an old item, I'd say, to judge by the engraving on the blade." "I'm traveling to Male on business, Inspector Greavy. And I had no idea that Geoffrey Bullock would be aboard this steamer. That's why I exploded at the bar. It was a complete surprise." Thank you, Mr. Templar." "I can go now?" "And please send in Mrs. Bullock on your way out, would you? Oh, and just one other question before you go. Just how long were you in that internment camp with Sir Geoffrey?" "We were captured in October of 1943. Twelve and a half torturous months, Inspector. Until we were rescued by British Commandos." |
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