"William G Bogart - Killer 'Round The Bend" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bogart William G)

He turned in time to meet the crashing downward blow of a heavy weapon in his unseen attacker's
hands.


BILL SHANE awakened to the throbbing beat of his aching head. He lay quite still a moment,
trying to collect his senses. He moved his arms, his legs, breathed with relief when he realized
he was not injured too seriously. There was only the damnable pounding in his brain.

And then he realized that this was only a part of the throbbing. The rest came from the boat
itself!

He got up, swayed a moment uncertainly; then his jaw set grimiy and he listened to this other
sound. He heard the pound of the huge paddle wheel at the stern of the river packet. He heard
the throbbing of the huge booms which drive that paddle wheel. And he realized that the river
steamer was under way!

He swung toward the cabin door, barged out into the dimly lit passageway and toward the forward
deck. An officer, standing near the bow, turned and stared at sight of the tall detective.
Blood still was wet on one side of Biii Shane's face.

To the officer, Bill Shane said briefly, "Get your skipper. There's a dead man aboard!"

It was only a matter of moments until the skipper himself came down from the wheethouse.
A mate had relieved him. To the gray-hiared, calm-featured old riverman, Shane said, "Round up
all of the crew you can spare at the moment." He explained little Benny Smith's murder. "I want
to find out if anyone has any ideas about this thing!"

Later, in the cabin with the dead man, apparently no one had any ideas. Bili Shane studied the
immobile, grim faces of an engineer, of a couple of oilers, of deckhands who could be momentarily
spared from duty. No one, apparentty, had anything helpful for the detective.

And watching the men, Shane remembered the rivermen back at the barroom. They were a close-mouthed
lot; they stuck together as men of the river will. All these men, even it they were innocent of
crime, had heard of the murder of wealthy Andrew Benson. That murder had taken place on this very
packet:

Benson, a wealthy New York jeweler, on a trip through the Ohio River valley, had been carrying
a sample case containing jewelry valued in the thousands.

And now the deteetive was thinking of the murder-for-robbery motive, and that the kilier had been
someone aboard the packet and familiar with its layout.

The elderly captain gave orders for removal of little Benny Smith's body. He looked at Bill Shane.
"You knew this man?" he asked. .

For a brief instant, Shane's cool eyes flashed over the group of boat men jammed into the small
cabin. He suddenly had a hunch, as he said, "Yes--in a way. And hefore you move him, or even
attempt to, I have a suggestion to make."

The gray-haired captain looked at Shane. "Yes?"