The Studied Financier (14)

14

“If this were a detective story, the murderer would have tracked in a beautiful set of muddy marks, which could only have come there between 06:00 and 07:00, but this being real life on a cruiseshuttle, there will never be footprints, I suppose,” I said. “I set up a diagram last night of all the occupied cabins nearby—and came to the conclusion that any person in any cabin down the entire hall might have done it. To make matters worse, all the stairs and elevators are right there! Anyone on the entire ship could have easily accessed the cabin and then darted into the elevator to another deck without being noticed.”

“Well, look at this, Vixie, your notice about the found chain for the pince-nez is running in the newsfeed today!” I glanced over curiously at his com-tab. He continued, “You don’t think the fellow who left that chain on the body is going to give himself away by coming to reception and inquiring about it, do you?”

“Of course not, Pops,” I said a politely as my haughtiness allowed. “That’s why I’ve tried to get hold of the jeweler who originally sold the chain. See?” I pointed to the paragraph describing it. “It’s not an old chain—hardly worn at all.”

Detective Marshaggins entered the dining room at that moment and came directly to our table.

“Hello, Detective, will you join us?” I asked. 

“I just wanted to let you know I sent you the copy of all the data we have. I was very excited about the fingerprints one of my subordinates found. I’d overlooked them. I give her full credit for the discovery.”

I got into the files he had sent me and pulled up the fingerprints. My father looked over my shoulder as we examined them.

“The criminal,” said the detective bitterly, “must have gotten something on his fingers. He arranged the body in the bath, and wiped away all traces of himself except two, which he obligingly left to show us how to do our job. We learned from a smudge on the floor that he wore rubber boots and from this admirable set of fingerprints on the edge of the bathtub that he had the usual number of fingers and wore rubber gloves. That’s the kind of man he is.”

Unimpressed, I closed the file.

“What do you suggest doing this morning?” my father asked me.

“Well,” I said, “it seems to me it’s about time I learn a little more about this financier that’s missing. Do you have any objections to me looking over Nuaban Nuavy’s cabin, Detective?”

“I don’t know how you can jump from this crime to that disappearance all at once like that,” he replied. “You’re welcome to go look around.”

“Would I also be welcome to get the video and evidence you collected from that?”

“We haven’t done much up there because he’s still missing. With all his connections there isn’t much of a case until we find him or his body. Since you say the guy in the tub wasn’t him, I have to have some other data—like the DNA results to make that connection and solve both of these cases.”

I struggled to keep the shock from showing on my face. One thing was certain, I was glad I was not a missing person!

“Marshaggins, how can you delay such a thing? The case will be cold!” my father said through gritted teeth.

“It’s always the budget.”

“You have a rather large budget since this is a luxury cruise,” I countered.

“But there are only twenty-six hours in the day. It’s my time that’s the problem. And the distraction of it. Working on two cases at once gets a little confusing.”

“But according to you, this is the same case. Didn’t it occur to you that if your aim is to prove the body is Nuavy, you might find clues to that part of the case in his room?” 

The detective leaned back in his chair with a look on his face as if I had slapped him. 

“That’s a very good point. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I send someone up to you as soon as I can.”