Marian Babson by The Cruise Of A Deathtime

Author:The Cruise Of A Deathtime
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-01-25T14:15:24+00:00

CHAPTER 10

“HOW the bloody hell should I know what kind of poison it was?” Jack Parker’s voice rose. “I’m a doctor, not a toxicologist!”

“I just thought you might know.” Daniels was apologetic; everyone’s nerves were frayed right now. “Off the cuff, as it were.”

“Off the cuff, or on it - ” Parker was heavily sarcastic - “I don’t know. There may not be any sure-fire unidentifiable mysterious South American or African poison that works instantaneously and leaves no trace, but there sure as hell are a few hundred so obscure that they can’t be identified without a battery of laboratory tests - for which we are not equipped on this ship. Not to mention the new drugs the marvels of medical science keep throwing on to the market with side-effects yet to be discovered. A doctor is very lucky these days if he manages to cure the disease without killing the patient. I do not know the answer; I am unlikely to be able to find the answer. All I know is that I have five more cadavers who have been cut off in the prime of life. And - ” He broke off, meeting Daniels’s eyes.

“And the killer told us that six would die today,” Daniels finished for him. “Smithers survived because he didn’t drink the water. He may still be a target. I’ve sent him to his cabin and posted a guard outside the door - “

“I was going to say,” Parker cut in heavily, “that it makes me furious. I am a medical man, sworn to nurture and protect life. The vicious, wanton waste I have witnessed since this voyage began makes me literally, physically sick! It must be stopped!”

“We’d welcome any practical suggestions,” Daniels said mildly. Parker’s righteous indignation act was very effective. But there were still too many unanswered questions. Parker was a new boy aboard this vessel, still unproved. What was his background and why wasn’t he in some sinecure ashore?

“Where were you earlier?” Daniels asked. “You’re supposed to be second sitting, but you weren’t at your table. We had to put out a call for you.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if I had been there.” Parker was immediately on the defensive. “Nothing could have saved them.”

“That doesn’t answer my question!”

“It answers as much as you’re entitled to ask.” Parker gave him a sardonic look. “For the rest of it, let’s just say that I was otherwise engaged. I was brought up to think of myself as a gentleman, so I won’t mention her name.”

Joan? The force of rage that swept through him surprised Daniels. He had known he had a rival in Waring, but he had thought that the field was now clear.

“Gentlemen, please!” Captain Falcon called them to order. “Personality conflicts are a luxury we cannot afford. We must concentrate on the common enemy.”

In the sudden silence, the knock at the door made them all jump. Then they realized that a killer would be unlikely to bother with such courtesies as knocking.

“Come in!” Captain Falcon bellowed.

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