alistairmaclean.bearisland-第74部分

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ates　and　Heissman　was　spirited　away。　Heissman　was　spirited　away　because　Otto　bad　arranged　for　him　to　be　so　that　he　could　take　all　the　film　pany's　capital　out　of　the　country：　Otto　was　never　a　man　to　hesitate　when　it　came　to　selling　a　friend　down　the　river。　〃What　Otto　didn't　know　but　what　the　Count　did　but　carefully　refrained　from　telling　him　was　that　Heissman's　disappearance　had　been　entirely　voluntary。　Heissman　had　been　a　German　secret　agent　for　some　time　and　his　adopted　country　needed　him。　What　his　adopted　country　didn't　know　was　that　Russia　had　adopted　him　even　before　they　had　but　this　isn't　germane　to　the　main　point　that　Otto　believed　he　had　betrayed　a　friend　for　gold　and　that　the　Count　knew　it。　Unfortunately；　it's　going　to　be　very　hard　to　prove　anything　against　the　Count　and　not　being　a　grasping　man　by　nature　never　asked　for　anything　more　than　his　salary　there's　nothing　to　demonstrate　blackmail　which　is　why　I've　chosen　him…and　he's　accepted　as　the　person　to　turn　Queen's　Evidence　against　his　fellow　directors　on　the　board。〃　
　Heissman　now　joined　Otto　and　Goin　in　giving　the　Count　the　kind　of　look　they　had　so　lately　given　him。　〃Or　take　Otto；〃　I　went　on。　〃For　years　he'd　been　embezzling　very　large　sums　of　money　from　the　pany；　virtually　bleeding　it　white。〃　It　was　now　the　turn　of　Heissman　and　the　Count　to　stare　at　Otto。　〃Or　take　Goin。　He　discovered　about　the　embezzling　and　for　two　or　three　years　he's　been　blackmailing　Otto　and　bleeding　him　white。　In　sum；　you　constitute　the　most　unpleasant；　unprincipled　and　depraved　bunch　it's　ever　been　my　misfortune　to　encounter。　But　I　haven't　even　scratched　the　surface　of　your　infamy；　have　I？　Or　the　infamy　of　one　of　you。　We　haven't　even　discussed　the　person　responsible　for　the　violent　deaths　that　have　taken　place。　He　is；　of　course；　one　of　you。　He　is；　of　course；　quite　mad　and　will　end　his　days　in　Broadmoor：　although　I　have　to　admit　that　there's　been　a　certain　far　from　crazy　logic　in　his　thinking　and　actions。　But　a　prison　for　the　insane…one　regrets　the　abolition　of　the　death　penalty…is　a　certainty：　it　may　well　be；　Otto；　as　well　as　being　the　best　you　can　hope　for；　that　you　won't　live　long　after　you　get　there。〃　Otto　said　nothing；　the　expression　on　his　face　remained　unchanged。　I　went　on：　〃For　your　hired　killers；　of　course；　Jungbeck　and　Heyter；　there　will　be　life　sentences　in　maximum　security　goals。〃
　The　temperature　in　that　icily　cold　metallic　tomb　had　fallen　to　many　degrees　below　freezing　point　but　everyone　appeared　to　be　pletely　unaware　of　the　fact：　the　classic　example　of　mind　over　matter；　and　heaven　knew　that　the　minds　could　rarely　have　been　more　exclusively　and　almost　obsessively　possessed　than　those　of　the　men　in　those　weird　and　alien　surroundings。　〃Otto　Gerran　is　an　evil　man；〃　I　said；　〃and　the　enormity　of　his　crimes　scarcely　within　the　bounds　of　prehension。　However；　one　has　to　admit　that　he　has　had　the　most　singularly　wretched　luck　in　his　choice　of　business　associates；　and　those　associates　must　be　held　partly　to　blame　for　the　terrible　events　that　happened；　for　their　extraordinary　cupidity　and　selfishness　drove　Otto　into　a　er　from　which　he　could　escape　only　by　resorting　to　the　most　desperate　measures。　
　〃We　have　already　established　that　three　of　you　here　have　been　black…　mailing　Otto　steadily　over　the　years。　His　other　two　fellow　directors；　his　daughter　and　Stryker；　joined　wholeheartedly　in　what　had　bee　by　this　time　a　very　popular　pastime。　They；　however；　used　a　very　different　basis　for　their　blackmail。　This　basis　I　cannot　as　yet　prove　but　the　facts；　I　believe；　will　be　established　in　time。　The　facts　are　concerned　with　a　car　crash　that　took　place　in　California　over　twenty　years　ago。　There　were　two　cars　involved。　One　of　those　belonged　to　Lonnie　Gilbert　and　had　three　women　inside…his　wife　and　two　daughters；　all　of　whom　appeared　to　be　considerably　the　worse　for　drink　at　the　time。　The　other　car　belonged　to　the　Strykers…but　the　Strykers　were　not　in　their　car。　The　two　people　who　were　bad；　like　Lonnie's　family；　been　at　the　same　party　in　the　Strykers〃　house　and；　like　Lonnie's　family；　were　in　an　advanced　state　of　intoxication。　They　were　Otto　and　Neal　Divine。　Isn't　that　so；　Otto？〃
　〃There's　nothing　of　this　rubbish　that　can　be　proved。〃
　〃Not　yet。　Now；　Otto　was　driving　the　car　but　when　Divine　recovered　from　the　effects　of　the　crash　he　was　convinced…no　doubt　by　Otto…that　he　had　been　at　the　wheel。　So　for　years　now　Divine　has　been　under　the　impression　that　he　owes　his　immunity　from　manslaughter　charges　purely　to　Otto's　silence。　The　salary　lists　show…'　
　〃Where　did　you　get　the　salary　lists　from？〃　Goin　asked。　〃From　your　cubicle…where　I　also　found　this　splendid　bankbook　of　yours。　The　lists　show　that　Divine　has　been　receiving　only　a　pittance　in　salary　for　years。　How　admirable　is　our　Otto。　He　not　only　makes　a　man　take　the　responsibility　for　deaths　which　he　himself　has　caused　but　in　the　process　reduces　that　man　to　the　level　of　a　serf　and　a　pauper。　The　blackmailed　doing　some　blackmailing　on　his　own　account。　Makes　for　a　very　pretty　picture　all　round；　does　it　not？　〃But　the　Strykers　knew　who　had　really　caused　the　crash　for　Otto　had　been　driving　when　they　left　the　house。　So　they　sold　their　silence　in　return　for　jobs　on　the　board　of　Olympus　Productions　and　vastly　inflated　salaries。　You　are　a　lovable；　lovable　lot；　aren't　you？　Do　you　know　that　this　fat　monster　here　actually　tried　to　have　Lonnie　murdered　tonight？　Why？　Because　Judith　Haynes；　very　shortly　before　she　died；　had　told　Lonnie　the　truth　of　what　had　happened　in　the　car　crash：　so；　of　course；　Lonnie　would　have　been　a　danger　to　Otto　as　long　as　he　had　lived。　〃I　don't　know　who　suggested　this　film　expedition　as　a　cover　for　getting　the　bullion。　Heissman；　I　suppose。　Not　that　it　matters。　What　matters　is　that　Otto　saw　in　this　proposed　trip　a　unique　and　probably　never　to　be　repeated　opportunity　to　solve　all　his　troubles　at　one　stroke。　The　solution　was　simple　…eliminate　all　his　five　partners；　including　his　daughter　whom　he　hated　as　much　as　she　hated　him。　So　he　gets　himself　two　guns　for　hire；　Heyter　and　Jungbeck…no　question　about　the　hire　aspect；　I　found　two　thousand　pounds　in　five…pound　notes　in　Jungbeck's　case　this　afternoon：　two　alleged　actors　of　whom　no　one　but　Otto　had　ever　heard。　
　〃In　effect；　Otto　would　clear　his　board　in　one　fell　sweep。　He'd　get　rid　of　the　people　he　hated　and　who　hated　him。　He'd　buy　enough　time　by　their　deaths　to　conceal　his　embezzlement。　He'd　collect　very　considerable　insurance　money　and　get　back　in　the　black　with　the　help　of　acmodating　accountants　who　can　be　as　venal　as　the　next　lot。　He　would　get　all　that　lovely　gold　for　himself。　And；　above　all；　he'd　be　forever　free　of　the　continuous　blackmail　that　had　dominated　his　life　and　warped　his　mind　until　it　drove　him　over　the　edge　of　insanity。〃　I　looked　at　Goin。　〃Do　you　understand　now　what　I　mean　by　saying　that　without　me　you'd　have　been　dead　by　the　end　of　the　week？〃
　〃Yes。　Yes；　I　think　so。　I　have　no　option　other　than　to　believe　you　are　right。〃　He　looked　at　Otto　in　a　kind　of　wonder。　〃But　if　he　was　only　after　the　board　of　directors…〃
　〃Why　should　others　die？　III　luck；　ill　management；　or　someone　just　got　in　his　way。　The　first　intended　victim　was　the　Count　and　this　was　where　the　ill　luck　came　in。　Not　the　Count's…Antonio's。　Otto；　as　I　think　digging　into　his　past　will　show；　is　a　man　of　many　parts。　Among　some　of　the　more　esoteric　skills　acquired　were　some　relating　to　either　chemistry　or　medicine：　Otto　is　at　home　with　poisons。　He　is　also；　as　so　many　very　fat　men　are；　extremely　gifted　at　palming　articles。　At　the　table　on　the　night　when　Antonio　died　the　food；　as　usual；　was　served　from　the　side　table　at　the　top　of　the　main　table　where　Otto　sat。　Otto　introduced　some　aconite…only　a　pinch　was　necessary…into　the　horse…radish　on　the　plate　intended　for　the　Count。　Unfortunately　for　poor　Antonio；　the　Count　has　a　profound　dislike　of　horseradish　and　passed　his　on　to　the　vegetarian　Antonio。　And　so　Antonio　died。　〃He　tried　to　poison　Heissman　at　the　same　time。　But　Heissman　wasn't　feeling　in　the　best　of　form　that　evening；　were　you；　Heissman…you　will　recall　that　you　left　the　table　in　a　great　hurry；　your　plate　untouched。　The　economical　Haggerty；　instead　of　consigning　this　clearly　untouched　plate　to　the　gash　bucket；　put　it　back　in　t