Eye of the Needle(71)

“Yes.”

“We checked the hotels and lodging houses, the station and the bus depot. We did it quite thoroughly, although at the time we didn’t know he had come here. Needless to say, we had no results. We’re checking again, of course; but my opinion is that he probably left Aberdeen immediately.”

A woman police constable came in with a cup of tea and a very thick cheese sandwich. Bloggs thanked her and greedily set about the sandwich.

Kincaid went on: “We had a man at the railway station before the first train left in the morning. Same for the bus depot. So, if he left the town, either he stole a car or he hitched a ride. We’ve had no stolen cars reported, so I figure he hitched—”

“He might have gone by sea,” Bloggs said through a mouthful of wholemeal bread.

“Of the boats that left the harbor that day, none was big enough to stow away on. Since then, of course, nothing’s gone out because of the storm.”

“Stolen boats?”

“None reported.”

Bloggs shrugged. “If there’s no prospect of going out, the owners might not come to the harbor—in which case the theft of a boat might go unnoticed until the storm ends.”

One of the officers in the room said, “We missed that one, chief.”

“We did,” Kincaid said.

“Perhaps the harbormaster could look around all the regular moorings,” Bloggs suggested.

“I’m with you,” Kincaid said. He was already dialing. After a moment he spoke into the phone. “Captain Douglas? Kincaid. Aye, I know civilized people sleep at this hour. You haven’t heard the worst—I want you to take a walk in the rain. Aye, you heard me right…” Kincaid put his hand over the mouthpiece. “You know what they say about seamen’s language? It’s true.” He spoke into the phone again. “Go round all the regular moorings and make a note of any vessels not in their usual spot. Ignoring those you know to be legitimately out of port, give me the names and addresses—and phone numbers if you have them—of the owners. Aye. Aye, I know…I’ll make it a double. All right, a bottle. And a good morning to you too, old friend.” He hung up.

Bloggs smiled. “Salty?”

“If I did what he suggested I do with my truncheon, I’d never be able to sit down again.” Kincaid became serious. “It’ll take him about half an hour, then we’ll need a couple of hours to check all the addresses. It’s worth doing, although I still think he hitched a ride.”

“So do I,” Bloggs said.

The door opened and a middle-aged man in civilian clothes walked in. Kincaid and his officers stood up, and Bloggs followed.

Kincaid said, “Good morning, sir. This is Mr. Bloggs. Mr. Bloggs, Richard Porter.”

They shook hands. Porter had a red face and a carefully cultivated moustache. He wore a double-breasted, camel-colored overcoat. “How do you do. I’m the blighter that gave your chappie a lift to Aberdeen. Most embarrassing.” He had no local accent.

Bloggs said, “How do you do.” On first acquaintance Porter seemed to be exactly the kind of silly ass who would give a spy a lift half across the country. However, Bloggs realized the air of empty-headed heartiness might also mask a shrewd mind. He tried to be tolerant—he, too, had made embarrassing mistakes in the last few hours.

“I heard about the abandoned Morris. I picked him up at that very spot.”

“You’ve seen the picture?”

“Yes. Of course, I didn’t get a good look at the chappie, because it was dark for most of the journey. But I saw enough of him, in the light of the flashlight when we were under the hood, and afterward when we entered Aberdeen—it was dawn by then. If I’d only seen the picture, I’d say it could have been him. Given the spot at which I picked him up, so near to where the Morris was found, I say it was him.”

“I agree,” Bloggs said. He thought for a moment, wondering what useful information he could get out of this man. “How did Faber impress you?”

Porter said promptly: “He struck me as exhausted, nervous and determined, in that order. Also, he was no Scotsman.”

“How would you describe his accent?”

“Neutral. The accent—minor public school, Home Counties. Jarred with his clothes, if you know what I mean. He was wearing overalls. Another thing I didn’t remark until afterwards.”

Kincaid interrupted to offer tea. Everyone accepted. The policeman went to the door.

“What did you talk about?”

“Oh, nothing much.”

“But you were together for hours—”

“He slept most of the way. He mended the car—it was only a disconnected lead, but I’m afraid I’m helpless with machines—then he told me his own car had broken down in Edinburgh and he was going to Banff. Said he didn’t really want to go through Aberdeen, as he didn’t have a Restricted Area Pass. I’m afraid I…I told him not to worry about that. Said I’d vouch for him if we were stopped. Makes one feel such a bloody fool, you know—but I felt I owed him a favor. He had got me out of a bit of a hole, y’know.”

“Nobody’s blaming you, sir,” Kincaid said.

Bloggs was, but he didn’t say so. Instead, “There are very few people who have met Faber and can tell us what he’s like. Can you think hard and tell me what kind of a man you took him to be?”