Bear Island

"I know," I said, as if I understood, which I only partially did. "I hope we get the man responsible. I think we will. Do you have any ideas that could help?"

"My ideas are not worth much, Doctor. My mind doesn't seem to be very clear."

"Do you think you could talk for a bit, Miss Haynes? It wouldn't be too tiring?"

I am talking."

"Not to me. To Lo

"Speak to me?" Tired surprise but not outright rejection of the idea.

"Why should Lo

I don't know. Lo

"Lo

I concealed my own astonishment as best I could, went back to the main cabin, told an equally astonished Lo

It was clear that I was going to have to listen very closely indeed for although the door was only made of bonded ply, the voices in the room were being kept low and I could hear little more than a confused murmur. I dropped to my knees and applied my car to the keyhole. The audibility factor improved quite remarkably.

"You!" Judith Haynes said. There was a catch in her voice, I wouldn't have believed her capable of any, of the more kindly emotions. "You! To apologise to me! Of all people, you!"

"Me, my dear, me. All those years, all those years." His voice fell away and I couldn't catch his next few words. Then he said: "Despicable, despicable. For any man to go through life, nurturing the animosity, nay, my dear, the hatred-" He broke off. and there was silence for some moments. He went on: "No forgiveness, no forgiveness. I know he can't! I know he couldn't have been so bad, or even really bad at all, you loved him and no one can love a person who is bad all through, but even if his sins had been black as the midnight shades-'

"Lo

I know that, my dear, I know that. I was merely saying-"

"Will you listen" Lo

I strained for the answer but none came. Judith Haynes went on: "Neither was I, Lo

There was a prolonged silence, then Lo

"Tra sure it wasn't, U

"But-you won't deny that my daughters were-well, incapable, that night. And that you were too. And that you made them that way?"

"Ttn not denying anything. We all had too much to drink that night -that's why I've never drunk since, Lo

"No. No, you don't. Then-then who was driving your car?"

"Two other people. Two men."

"Two men? And you've been protecting them all those years." "Protecting? No, I wouldn't use the word "protecting." Except inadvertently. No, I didn't put that well, I mean-well, any protection given was just incidental to something else we really wanted. Our own selfish ends, I suppose you could call it. Everybody knows well enough that Michael and I-well, we weren't criminals but we always had an eye on the main chance."

"Two men." It was almost as if Lo

Another silence, then she said quietly: "Of course."

Once more an infuriating silence, I even stopped breathing in case I were to miss the next few words. But I wasn't given the chance either to miss them or to hear them for a harsh and hostile voice behind me said: "What in the devil do you think you are doing here, sir?"

I refrained from doing what I felt like doing, which was to let loose with a few choice and uninhibited phrases, turned and looked up to find Otto's massively pear-shaped bulk looming massively above me. His fists were clenched, his puce complexion had darkened dangerously, his eyes were glaring and his lips were clamped in a thin line that threatened to disappear at any moment.

"You look upset, Mr. Gerran," I said. "In point of fact, I was eavesdropping." I pushed myself to my feel?, dusted off. the knees of my trousers, straightened and dusted off. my hands. I can explain everything."

"I'm waiting for your explanation." He was fractionally more livid than ever. It should be interesting, Dr. Marlowe."

I only said I can explain everything. Can, Mr. Gerran. That doesn't mean I've got any intention of explaining anything. Come to that, what are you doing here?"

"What am I What am I? He spluttered into outraged speechlessness, the year's top candidate for an instant coronary. "God damn your impudence, sir! I'm about to go on watch! What are you doing at my daughter's door? I'm surprised you're not looking through that keyhole, Marlowe, instead of listening at it!"

I don't have to look through keyholes," I said reasonably. "Miss Haynes is my patient and I'm a doctor. If I want to see her I just open the door and walk in. Well, then, now that you're on watch, I'll be on my way. Bed. I'm tired."

"Bed! Bed! By God, I swear this, Marlowe, you'll regret-who's in there with her?"

"Lo

"Lo

I barred his way-physically. It was like stopping a small tank upholstered in Dunlopillo but I had the advantage of having my back to the wall and he brought up a foot short of the door. I wouldn't, if I were you. They're having a rather painful moment, in there. Lost, one might say, in the far from sweet remembrance of things past."

"What the devil do you mean? What are you trying to tell me, you eavesdropper?"

"I'm not trying to tell you anything. Maybe, though, you'd tell me something? Maybe you would like to tell me something about that car crash-I assume that it must have been in California-in which Lo

He stopped being livid. He even stopped being his normal puce. Colour drained from his face to leave it ugly and mottled and stained with grey. "Car crash?" He'd a much better control over his voice than he had over his complexion. "What do you mean car crash, sir?"

I don't know what I mean. That's why I'm asking you. I heard Lo

I don't know what he's talking about. Nor you." Otto, who seemed suddenly to have lost all his inquisitorial predilections, wheeled and walked up the passage to the centre of the cabin. I followed and walked to the outer door. Smithy was in for a hike, I thought, no doubt about it now. Although the cold was as intense as ever, the snow had stopped, the west wind dropped away to no more than an icily gentle breeze-the fact that we were now in the lee of the Antarcticflell might have accounted for that-and there were quite large patches of star-studded sky all around. There was a curious lightness, a luminescence in the atmosphere, too much to be accounted for by the presence of stars alone. I walked out a few paces until I was clear of the main cabin and low to the south I could see a three-quarter moon riding in an empty sky.