The List of Adrian Messenger Page #2

What connection would Messenger

have with a farmer, a veterinarian,...

a draper's assistant,

a car salesman?

l haven't the foggiest.

The fact remains that...

Six deaths by accident out of

any 10 names can't be by chance.

But it was in 6 years, and in an

area that includes most of the UK.

lf you really think that all

these deaths were tied together,...

it would involve a mass murder plot

so preposterous it would defy belief.

Adrian's own word, ''preposterous''.

l think he thought no one

would believe him until he had...

more... what shall l say? Data.

Messenger was a writer, wasn't he?

Isn't it possible that he was

letting his imagination run wild?

He wasn't that kind of writer.

Let me go a step further.

Messenger's own death could be

listed in the accidental column.

That would be death rate of 7 of 11,

a little more than 63%

I'd like to know how much more you'd

want before you took this seriously.

-Yes, Pike, what is it?

-One quick result, sir.

Ian James Dalkeith,

27 Bolthwell Square, Edinburgh.

Remember reading about a railway

wreck in the Highlands two years ago?

One of those Scottish trains ran

off the rails. 16 were killed.

Dalkeith was one of them.

72%.

All right, Pike.

All information

available about these deaths.

Who are the three not heard from yet?

Quincey, Rouce and Slattery.

Q., R. and S., eh?

Run them down and find out

what links these men together.

There must be some

common denominator.

Very well, sir.

Shall I report to General Gethryn?

Yes. You would anyway.

Right. Pike, l suppose

it's occurred to you that...

if any of the three

remaining men is still living,...

we can't be sure that

he isn't responsible...

-for the removal of the others.

-Quite.

We don't want to show them even

a shadow of a policeman.

We can't have our fox

going to ground.

Don't worry, sir.

We won't show them any shadows.

-Any other notions?

-Yes. lf you have no objection,...

I'd like a word with LeBorg.

According to the newspapers he

was the last to see Adrian alive.

He tried to save his life.

London clinic,

room 327.

No more visitors.

l am a weak man.

-l have a headache.

-Just take this please.

-There's a lady for the gentleman.

-No visitors.

She says she's a relative of Mr.

Messenger.

Let her come in,

but let her stay but a moment.

Ill see to that.

You may come in, Milady.

Madame, you will

forgive me if l do not rise.

-Im sorry about your...

-Cousin. He was very dear to me.

-He had no family of his own.

-l see.

l want you to know how grateful l

am for your efforts to save Adrian.

That was only in your newspapers.

Mr. Messenger was in the water,...

he reached for the raft,

l only helped him aboard.

And alas, he died.

It was just bad fortune that

we were not found in time.

Im very sorry, Milady, but...

-Ill push the button for you.

-But you said...

Its all right, Sister.

Im just leaving.

Lady Bruttenholm, please.

For the first time,

my headache does not ache.

There is a gentleman to see you.

l told him he couldn't.

He asked me to give you this.

They eyes, they will not focus,

if you will not mind?

"Will Ajax see Polidor?"

Polidor?

It is a name from antiquity.

Open the door!

It is my old comrade in arms.

Mr. Gethryn, you can go in.

Thank you.

Jocelyn, Im delighted to see you.

-Wretched business, this one.

-Hi, Anthony.

This is Ajax? l must say you look

as though you've been through a war.

-Polidor, my friend.

-The pig is dead.

Down with the pig.

There is no man

l would rather meet.

-You mean you don't know each other?

-Only on the short wave.

l thought you may have had many

questions already about Messenger.

What is it you wish to know?.

Everything Messenger said,

in the order he said it,...

and whether or not it

seemed to make any sense.

This is important.

-Very.

-So, okay.

There is a way with my mind that l

sometimes use about remembering.

You wish me to have a shot?

Please.

He begins to speak.

His words, they are just words.

No sentences.

First he says his name,

many times.

Then he says,

''Jocelyn got me to tell.''

Two times, maybe three.

''Jocelyn got me to tell.''

Then he says, ''Photograph.''

Then there are two names,

''George, Emma's''.

Then they run together.

''George, Emma's photograph.''

Then there was a silence.

Then he shouts

something about brushes.

''Sweep clean, sweep clean.''

''Only one brush left.

Sweep clean, sweep clean.''

Then it was as if he had coughed.

But it was not a cough.

It was the end.

He was dead.

So, you have written all this.

-As best l could, yes.

-Does it help you?

l don't know yet.

Why are you asking these questions?

In the hopes of

finding Adrian's murderer.

Murderer?

It was because of Adrian that the

aircraft was blown out of the sky.

That's impossible. Adrian

didn't have an enemy in the world.

Are you sure? Is there anything

that you can tell me about him?

What could there be? He was one of

those creatures with no dark sides.

He had two passions.

Fox hunting and writing.

One other, his cat.

Clean.

Sweep.

Emma's.

My dear fellow, come in!

-l do not disturb?

-Most certainly not!

What the devil are you

doing out of your hospital bed?

l have been thinking.

Splendid, tell me about it.

lf you're up to it.

l do not walk on my arms,

or my ribs.

l have been thinking that l

too was blown out of the sky.

This offends me.

So, l am declaring

myself in on your hunt.

Welcome aboard.

This is

a big improvement from room 327.

-Whiskey?

-By all means.

It begins to make sense?

Well, perhaps,...

Thank you.

All one has to do is put

the words in the proper order.

Its a wheel job, actually.

You can begin anywhere.

It could be,

''Jocelyn got me to tell something''.

Or ''Someone got me

to tell something.''

Or ''Someone got me to do something.''

''Tell Jocelyn''.

Or ''Jocelyn got me two something''

Well, we both saw the same trap!

-Trap? Where is this trap?

-Phonetics.

You caught on that ''two''

could be T-W-O.

But it could also be T-O-O.

That...

That would give us...

''got me'',...

''too,''...

''Tell Jocelyn.''

It is a sentence. It makes sense.

Yes, it does make sense.

You mind if l pick your brain?

That trick memory of yours?

l have to go back into the cruel sea.

Okay, shoot ahead.

No, not quite yet.

What kind of voice came

out of Adrian Messenger?

What was its pitch? Its timbre?

Was he gasping?

Did he stammer? What

did he sound like?

It was not deep.

It was perhaps like this.

Messenger...

Now, listen to me.

Messenger...

Too deep.

Too precise the pronunciation.

Messenger.

Messenger.

That's it.

Completely.

Back you go,

into the drink.

Stop me if you hear me say

anything wrong. A word, anything.

Okay.

Messenger...

Messenger...

Got me too.

Tell Jocelyn.

Got me too.

Tell Jocelyn.

Photograph.

George.

MS.

Photograph George.

MS.

George.

MS.

Well?

It is just as l have

told you. Exactly.

Not quite.

Phonetics again.

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