"A night rendezvous," said Perigord.

"I'll have a police boat take a look at Deadman Reef." He reached for the telephone.

When he had finished we continued to kick the problerp around for quite a while. No, Perigord had not investigated the catastrophe of the airport carousel; it had not been considered a police matter at the time. He would look into it next day. The fire at the Fun Palace in Nassau had been investigated for arson, but no firm evidence had come up. It might be possible to borrow a deep-diving submersible from the Americans to look for the remains of Finder's Navajo in Exuma Sound. Evidence of sabotage would be useful.

"Useful for what?" I asked.

"That's in the past and I'm worried about the future. I'm wondering what Robinson's department of dirty tricks will come up with next."

It was agreed that Carrasco was our only lead and that he would be closely watched. 1 looked hard at Walker.

"And don't lose him again ' " I'll assign some of my own men to him," said Perigord.

"There are too many whites watching him now. My blacks will blend into the background better." He looked at his watch.

"Nearly midnight. I suggest that Dr. Bosworth will sleep better in a bed than in that chair. And I'm for bed, too." | I turned and found Tony asleep. I woke him up.

"I'll find you a room. Come on."

We went into the lobby, but W'alker stayed behind to wait for the call which would tell us that Carrasco had left the Buccaneer. He would not have long to wait because the Buccaneer closes at midnight. There were quite a few returning revellers in the lobby and I waited at the desk for a few moments while they collected their keys.

Perigord walked towards the entrance, but turned and came back.

"I

forgot to tell you that I have informed Commissioner Deane in Nassau of these developments, and he is flying across to see me tomorrow. He will certainly want to see you. Shall we say my office at ten tomorrow morning? "

Perigord may have been the top copper on Grand Bahama, but there was a bigger gun in Nassau. I said, "That will be okay."

The man next to me asked for his key.

"Room two-three- five."

Carrasco!

I should not have looked at him but I did, in an involuntary movement. He picked up his key and turned towards me. He certainly recognized me because I saw the fractional change in his expression, and he must have seen the recognition in my eyes because he dropped the key, whirled, and ran for the entrance.

"Stop him!" I yelled.

"Stop that man!"

Carrasco turned on me and there was a gun in his hand. He levelled it at me and I flung myself sideways as he fired. Then there was another shot from behind me, and another. When I next looked, Carrasco was pitching forward to fall on the floor. I looked back and saw Perigord in the classic stance legs apart with knees bent, and his arms straight out with both hands clasped on the butt of the revolver he held.

I picked myself up shakily and found I was trembling all over, and my legs were as limp as sticks of cooked celery and about as much use in holding me up. Perigord came forward and put his hand under my elbow in support.

"Are you all right? Did he hit you?"

"I don't think so. I don't feel anything. He threw a bloody scare into me, though."

Somewhere in the middle of all that I had heard a woman scream and now there was a babble of excited voices.

Perigord's uniformed men appeared from where he had hidden them, and he motioned them forward to break up the mob which was surrounding Carrasco's body. He raised his voice.

"All right, everybody; it's iiHl over. Please clear the lobby and go to your rooms. There's nothing more to see."

I beckoned to the nearest bellboy.

"Get something to cover the body a tablecloth or a blanket." I saw Walker standing in the doorway of the manager's office, and strode over to him.

"What the hell happened?" I was as mad as a hornet.

"How did he get here without warning?"

Walker was bewildered.

"I don't know, but I'll find out. There's Rodriguez." He ran towards the entrance of the lobby where Rodriguez had just appeared.

Perigord was standing over the body and Tony Bosworth was on his knees beside it. Tony looked up and said something and Perigord nodded, then came over to me.

"He's dead," he said.

"I didn't want to kill him but I had no option. There were too many innocent bystanders around to have bullets flying. Where can we put him?"

"In the office will be best."

The policemen carried the body into the office and we followed.

"Where did his bullet go?" I asked.

"Anyone hurt?"

"You'll probably find a hole in the reception desk," said Perigord.

"Well, thanks. That was good shooting." Walker returned and I stuck my finger under his nose.

"What happened? He damn near killed me."

Walker spread his hands.

"The damnedest thing. Rodriguez was in the bar watching Carrasco, and Palmer was in the car outside with the engine running. When Carrasco made his move to go, Rodriguez went to the public phone to make his call and found that some drunken joker had cut the cord. It had been working earlier because I'd talked to him about a possible boat. He didn't have much time because Carrasco was already outside, in his car, and on the move. So he made a judgement he went after Carrasco."

Perigord said, "Perhaps Carrasco knew he was being watched. Perhaps he cut the telephone cord."

"No way," said Walker.

"Rodriguez said that Carrasco never went near the public phone when he came back from his sea trip. It was just plain dumb luck."

"There was no reason for Carrasco to cut the cord," I said.

"He wasn't going anywhere mysterious; he was coming back here. And now he's dead, and we've lost our lead to Robinson."

"Well, let's have a look at him," said Perigord. He stripped away the tablecloth which covered the body, knelt beside it, and began going through the pockets, starting with the inner breast pocket.

"Passport – Venezuelan." He opened it.

"Dr. Luis Carrasco." He laid it aside.

"Wallet with visiting cards in the name of Dr. Luis Carrasco; address -Avenida Bolivar, 226, Caracas. And money, more than a man should decently carry; there must be 4000 dollars here."

There were several other items: a billfold containing a few dollars in both American and Bahamian currency, coins, a pen knife, a cigar case containing three Havana cigars all the junk a man usually carries in his pockets.

From a side pocket of the jacket Perigord took a flat aluminium box.

He opened it and there, nestling in cotton wool, were three glass ampoules filled with a yellowish liquid. He held it up.

"Recognize them?"

"They're exactly like those I saw in Kayles's boat," I said.

"And like the broken one I found on the roof of the Sea Gardens Hotel. My bet is that he picked them up tonight when he went on his little sea trip. He wouldn't want to carry those about too long, and they weren't in his room when we searched it."

He closed the box and stood up. T think you're beginning to make your case. Commissioner Deane will definitely want to see you tomorrow morning. "

I glanced at the clock.

"This morning." I was feeling depressed.

Later, when the body was removed on a stretcher I reflected gloomily that Carrasco had advanced his bloody cause as much in the manner of his death as in life. A shootout in the lobby of a hotel could scarcely be called an added attraction.

The morning brought news- bad and good.

When I got home I told Debbie what had happened because there was no way of keeping it from her; it was certain to be on the front page of the Freeport News and on the radio She said incredulously, "Shot him!"