"I'll tell you what we're going to do," said Warren, with energy, "and we can sketch out the plan of battle now. Tomorrow morning we're going to comb the boat for that gill who pulled the fainting-act in here. That's the only lead we've got, and we're going after it as hard as Whistler goes after the emerald. That is—" He turned round abruptly. "Let's have it out, Hank. Were you only trying to scare us or were you serious when you made that suggestion?"
Obviously this had been at the back of his mind from the beginning, and he did not like to face it. His hands were clenched. There was a silence while Peggy put the passenger-list aside and also looked up.
"What iss de suggestion?" asked Captain Valvick.
"It's a queer thing," said Morgan. "We don't want our pleasant farce to turn into something else, do we? But why «l«* you think new sheets and maybe blankets were put on Unit berth?"
"All right," said Warren, quietly. "Why?"
"Because there may have been more blood afterwards limn we saw there. Steady, now."
There was a silence. Morgan heard the breath whistling through Captain Valvick's nostrils. With a jerk Warren turned round; he regarded the berth for a moment and then began tearing off the bedclothes.
The cabin creaked faintly…
"You may be wrong," said Warren, "and I hope you me. I don't believe anything like that. I won't believe it. Pillow — top-sheet — blanket — under-sheet of the bed… It's all right. Look." He was holding them up, a weird figure in shirt-sleeves, with a brown blanket and a whirl of linen about him. "Look at it, damn you! Everything in order. What are you trying to scare us for? See, this sheet of the bed… Wait a minute…!"
"Take it off," said Morgan, "and look at the mattress. I hope I'm wrong as much as you do."