Read Online The Flood by John Creasey - Free Book Online Page B

Naomi – the elder by several years – and some friends went on a world cruise in their steam yacht, the Horizon, some years ago,” Palfrey said.
    “Davos is extremely wealthy, and the yacht is ocean-going, with a full complement. He visited these Pacific islands. He also visited the New England states, was anchored off the coast of Maine for some weeks, and spent a lot of time in the Adirondacks. He also steamed through the Western Isles, last summer. And you know that he owns Ronoch Castle.”
    Woburn was on the point of saying: “It must be coincidence.” He checked it.
    Palfrey went on: “Davos is a research chemist. Among the research he’s renowned for is a study of sea life.”
    Yes, it was coming back. Davos was almost another Piccard, had descended farther into the sea than any other man. He had written a book which might have had the success of a best seller, but for its academic style. Once Palfrey had prompted him, Woburn remembered all that.
    Palfrey was still speaking: “He has studied the possibility of making food for human consumption out of plankton. He probably knows more than any other human being about submarine life, in arctic as well as tropical waters. Among the problems he’s studied is how to make sea water fresh.”
    Woburn said: “The things – the octi – contained fresh water. I know, I tested it when some spurted against my lips.”
    “Yes,” agreed Palfrey, “and that suggests that they weren’t born out of the sea. We don’t know how they’re created, but—”
    “Have you asked Davos about them?”
    “He denies all knowledge.”
    “What makes you think he’s a liar?”
    “Woburn, take a good, hard look at the situation which could come about,” Palfrey said quietly. “If those creatures can drown a village, what’s to stop them from drowning a town? If they can destroy small islands, why not large islands? If they can invade a small schooner trading in the Pacific, what is to prevent them from invading big ships? Or – a nation?”
    Woburn felt as if he were looking at the very face of horror.
    “Sir Gabriel Davos is a possible common denominator,” Palfrey went on, “and since he refuses to admit that he knows anything about the octi, we have to find out whether he’s telling the truth. I had a man get a job with him, on his marine research. And I had another man join him, a man with a lot of experience with animals. He went as a veterinary surgeon at the zoo in Ronoch Castle.” There was a pause. Then: “ Both died.” Palfrey went on abruptly. “One was killed in a road accident. The other was scratched by a lemur, and died from acute blood poisoning. The evidence at the inquests was sifted as thoroughly as it could be. The verdicts were right, on the evidence. Accidental death, and death by misadventure. They were two good men, about your age, and they’d worked with me for years.”
    Woburn brushed his hand across his damp forehead.
    “Who are you? Intelligence?”
    “That’ll serve for now,” Palfrey said, and went on almost abruptly: “May we have some light?”
    “Some— oh, yes. Yes, sorry.” Woburn jumped up and hurried across the room. He switched on the light, from a battery plant outside in the stables. The dull thud of a machine sounded as if a long way off. The night outside was thrown into utter darkness, except where the lights of cars and of a man’s cigarette showed clearly.
    The features of the Englishman and the Russian were shown up sharply.
    “Another drink?” Woburn asked.
    “Yes, please,” said Palfrey promptly, but the Russian said: “No, thank you,” in his precise way. Woburn poured out, and asked abruptly:
    “Are you implying that Davos killed these men?”
    “I’m implying that they were killed while trying to find out what was happening at the Castle,” Palfrey said. “So far, it hasn’t been possible to take any direct action. The death of his daughter Naomi would certainly make his complicity look even