Haggerty looked at me again and this time he didn't look away。 Reluctantly ； he removed his hand from the little man's collar and just stood there； glaring and breathing heavily； momentarily； it seemed； at a loss for words。
Sandy wasn't。 After he'd massaged his throat a bit to see if it were still intact； he addressed a considerable amount of unprintable invective to Haggerty； then continued； shouting： 〃You see？ You heard； you great big ugly baboon。 It's the courts for you。 Assault and battery； mate； and it'll cost you…〃
〃Shut up；〃 I said wearily。 〃I didn't see a thing and he didn't lay a finger on you。 Be happy you're still breathing。〃 I looked at Sandy consideringly。 I didn't really know him； I knew next to nothing about him； I wasn't even sure whether I liked him or not。 Like Allen and the late Antonio； if Sandy had another name no one seemed to know what it was。
He claimed to be a Scot but had a powerful Liverpool accent。 He was a strange； undersized； wizened leprechaun of a man； with a wrinkled walnut brown face and head…his pate was gleamingly bald…and stringy white hair that started about earlobe level and cascaded in unbed disarray over his thin shoulders。 He had quick…moving and almost weasel like eves but maybe that was unfair to him； it may have been the effect of the steel…legged rimless glasses that he affected。 He was given to claiming； when under the influence of gin which was as often as not； that he not only didn't know his birthday； he didn't even know the year in which he had been born； but put it around 1919 or 1920。 The consensus of informed shipboard opinion put the date； not cruelly； at 1900 or slightly earlier。
I noticed for the first time that there were some tins of sardines and pilchards on the deck； and a larger one of corned beef。 〃Aha！〃 I said。 〃The midnight skulker strikes again。〃
〃What was that？〃 Haggerty said suspiciously。
〃You couldn't have given our friend here a big enough helping for dinner；〃 I said。
It wasn't for myself。〃 Sandy； under stress； had a high…pitched squeak of a voice。 I swear it wasn't。 You see…'
I ought to throw the little runt over the side。 Little sneaking robbing bastard that he is。 Down here； up to his thieves〃 tricks； the minute my back's turned。 And who's blamed for the theft； eh； tell me that； who's blamed for the theft？ Who's got to account to the captain for the missing supplies？ Who's got to make the loss good from his own pocket？ And who's going to get his pay docked for not locking the galley door？〃 Haggerty's blood pressure； as he contemplated the injustices of life； was clearly rising again。 〃To think；〃 he said bitterly； 〃that I've always trusted my fellow man。 I ought to break his bloody neck。〃
〃Well； you can't do that now；〃 I said reasonably。 〃You can't expect me； as a professional man； to perjure myself in the witness box。 Besides； there's no harm done； nothing stolen。 You've no losses to pay for； so why get in bad with Captain Imrie？〃 I looked at Sandy； then at the tins on the floor。
〃Was that all you stole？〃
I swear to God…？'
〃Oh； do be quiet。〃 I said to Haggerty： 〃Where was he； what was he doing when you came in？〃
〃He'd his bloody great long nose stuck in the big fridge there； that was what he was doing。 Caught him red handed； I did。〃
I opened the refrigerator door。 Inside it was packed with a large number of items of very restricted variety…butter； cheeses； long…life milk； bacon； and tinned meats。 That was all。 I said to Sandy： 〃e here。 I want to look through your clothes。〃
〃You want to look through my clothes？〃 Sandy had taken heart from his providential deliverance from the threat of physical violence and the knowledge that he would not now be reported to those in authority。 〃And who do you think you are then？ A bleedin cop？ The CID； eh？〃
〃Just a doctor。 A doctor who's trying to find out why three people died tonight。〃 Sandy stared at me； his eyes widening behind his rimless glasses sand his lower jaw fell down。 〃Didn't you know that Moxen and Scott were dead？ The two stewards'；〃
〃Aye； I'd heard。〃 He ran his tongue over his lips。 〃What's that got to do with me？〃
〃I'm not sure。 Not yet。〃
〃You can't pin that on me。 What are you talking about'：〃 Sandy's brief moment of truculence was vanished as if it had never been。 〃I've nothing to do…〃
〃Three men died and four almost did。 They died or nearly died from food poisoning。 Food es from the galley。 I'm interested in people who make unauthorised visits to the galley。〃 I looked at Haggerty。 I think we'd better have Captain Imrie along here。〃
…No！ Christ； no！〃 Sandy was close to panic。 〃Mr。 Gerran would kill me…〃
〃e here。〃 He came to me； the last resistance gone。 I went through his pockets but there was no trace of the only instrument he could have used to infect foodstuffs in the refrigerator； a hypodermic syringe。 I said：
〃What were you going to do with those tins？〃
〃They weren't for me。 I told you。 What would I want with them？ I don't eat enough to keep a mouse alive。 Ask anyone。 They'll tell you。〃
I didn't have to ask anyone。 What he said was perfectly true： Sandy； like Lonnie Gilbert； depended almost exclusively upon the Distillers Ltd。 to maintain his calorific quota。 But he could still have been using those tins of meat as an insurance； as a red herring； if he'd been caught out as he had been。
〃Who were the tins for； then？〃
〃The Duke。 Cecil。 I've just been to his cabin。 He said he was hungry。
No； he didn't。 He said he was going to be hungry 〃cos you'd put him on tea and toast for three days。〃 I thought back to my interview with the Duke。 I'd only used the tea and toast threat to extract information from him and it wasn't until now that I recalled that I had forgotten to withdraw the threat。 This much of Sandy's story had to be true。
〃The Duke asked you to get some supplies for him？〃
〃No。〃
〃You told him you were going to get them？〃
〃No。 I wanted to surprise him。 I wanted to see his face when I turned up with the tins。〃
Impasse。 He could be telling the truth。 He could equally well be using the story as a cloak for other and more sinister activities。 I couldn't tell and probably would never know。 I said： 〃You better go and tell your friend the Duke that he'll be back on a normal diet as from breakfast。〃
〃You mean…I can go？〃
If Mr。 Haggerty doesn't wish to press a charge。〃
I wouldn't lower myself。〃 Haggerty clamped his big hand round the back of Sandy's neck with a grip tight enough to make the little man squeal in pain。 〃If I ever catch you within sniffing distance of my galley again I won't just squeeze your neck； I'll break the bloody thing。〃 Haggerty marched him to the door； literally threw him out and returned。 〃Got off far
too easy if you ask me； sir。〃
〃He's not worth your ire； Mr。 Haggerty。 He's probably telling the truth not that that makes him any less a sneak thief。 Moxen and Scott ate here tonight after the passengers had dinner？〃
〃Every night。 Waiting staff usually cat before the guests…they preferred it the other way round。〃 With the departure of Sandy； Haggerty was looking a very troubled and upset man； the loss of two stewards had clearly shaken him badly and was almost certainly responsible for the violence of his reaction towards Sandy。
I think I've traced the source of the poison。 I believe the horse…radish was contaminated with a very unpleasant organism called Clostridium botulinum； a sporing anaerobe found most monly in garden soil。〃
I'd never heard of such a case of contamination but that didn't make it impossible。 〃No possible reflection on you…it's totally undetectable before； during； and after cooking。 Were there any leftovers tonight？〃
Some。 I made a casserole for Moxen and Scott and put the rest away。〃
〃Away？〃
〃For throwing。 There wasn't enough to reuse for anything。〃
〃So it's gone。〃 Another door locked。
〃On a night like this？ No fear。 The gash is scaled in polythene bags；
then they're punctured and go over the side…in the morning。〃
The door had opened again。 〃You mean it's still here？〃
〃Of course。〃 He nodded towards a rectangular plastic box secured to the bulkhead by butterfly nuts。 〃There。〃
I crossed to the box and lifted the lid。 Haggerty said： ‘You'll be going to analyse it； is that it？〃
〃That's what I intended。 Rather； to keep it for analysis。〃 I dropped the lid。 〃That won't be possible now。 The bin's empty。〃
〃Empty？ Over the side…in this weather？〃 Haggerty came and unnecessarily checked the bin for himself。 〃Bloody funny。 And against regulations。〃
〃Perhaps your assistant…〃
〃Charlie。 That bone…idle lay about。 Not him。 Besides； he's off…duty tonight 。〃 Haggerty scratched the grey bristle of his hair。 〃Lord knows why they did it but it must have been Moxen or Scott。〃
〃Yes；〃 I said。 〃It must have been。〃
I was so tired that I could think of nothing other than my cabin and my bunk。 I was so tired that it wasn't until I had arrived at my cabin and looked on the bare bunk that I recalled that all my blankets had been taken away for Smithy and Oakley。 I glanced idly at the small table where I'd left the toxicological books that I had been consulting and my tiredness
very suddenly left me。
The volume on Medical jurisprudence t