Carlson walked toward the Turkish Bath, heartbroken and determined at the same time. He had already secured the painting with the purser. The entrance to the Turkish Bath was located underneath the D-Deck Reception. Outside the door were Officer Morrow and Smethells. Carlson decided to talk to Officer Morrow first.
"What have you heard? Anything? Tell me" said Officer Morrow, who was obviously shaken by the death.
"I know Haderlitz is dead" Carlson replied, trying his hardest to be reassuring.
"You know him?" asked Morrow, who's mind was obviously somewhere else. "Look, don't breathe a word to anyone."
"May I investigate?" Carlson asked.
"This was just a simple accident" Morrow responded, changing the subject yet again. "Ismay's going to raise hell when he hears. And I thought this would be an easy trip."
"Did anyone see anything?" asked Carlson, hoping to get some clues.
"Talk to Smethells, his steward" Morrow answered. "he say's the man came down here after using the Squash Courts."
"Mind if I look around?" Carlson inquired.
"Be my guest" Morrow replied. "Mind you, it's not pretty. Now if you'll excuse me?". Morrow went back to guarding the door.
Carlson then turned his attention to Smethells, who was also very visibly shaken.
"Most regrettable" Smethells sighed. "Most regrettable indeed. The young German gentleman, dead, in the electric bath. Quite unanticipated. He was alive, most vocally too, just a few hours before, arguing with someone on B-Deck."
Thinking this was clue, Carlson asked, "Who was the other person?"
"The gentleman's voice was unfamiliar" Smethells replied.
"What was the argument about?" asked Carlson.
"About a painting" Smethells answered. "He'd misplaced it. And the other gentleman wanted to know where it was."
Carlson thought it was Zeitel that Smethells was talking about. "Is Haderlitz still in the electric bath?" he asked.
"Yes" answered Smethells. "I believe Dr. Lochman is waiting to move him, so as not to alaram the other passengers. It is, I must warn you, a most unpleasant sight."
"Thank you Smethells." Carlson said, moving toward the door to the Turkish Bath.
"Very good" Smethells replied. "This is most irregular. Most irregular indeed."
Carlson went through the door and found himself in a very ornate room with lounge chairs against the walls. He looked around until he found the door to the Electric Bath. At the end of a side hall, he found a door which read "ELECTRIC BATH". Carlson hesitated. He didn't know what he would find on the other side of the door. But he knew that if he wanted any chance of finding clues, this was it. Carlson slowly opened the door. The room was as ornately decorated as the main room. At the front of the room was the Electric Bath itself. In it was Willi Haderlitz, who was deader than a doornail. It was quite obvious he had been electrocuted. Carlson wept for the poor young man. If only he could have done something.
Carlson wasn't here to grieve though. He was here to find clues! On a stool in front of the bath were Haderlitz's clothes. On top of the pile of clothing was a piece of paper, much like the one that Willi had given him which led him to Claris Limehouse. Written on the piece of paper were two lines of a poem:
And many knots unravel'd
by the road...
Carlson immediately recognized it as a passage from the Rubaiyat. He wondered just what that was supposed to mean. He thought about it for a while. Just then, a lightbulb turned on in his head.
"This means I have to go the where the rope is in the Scotland Road!" he said to himself.
Carlson wasted no time in heading back toward the Scotland Road. It was a long journey, but he had gone on many during his mission. When he got there, he started wandering along Scotland Road looking for the rope. He eventually found it. He looked all over it for clues. Thinking it was just a dead end, he started to leave. Suddenly, he saw Jack approaching down the hall. He looked rather indignant.
"Christ Almighty wonder!" Jack yelled as he approached Carlson. "You's a face-ache ain't you? Roamin' the ship poking your nose into everyone's business."
"I'm looking for a clue" Carlson replied.
"Just who do you take me for now? One of those la-de-dah millionaires up top?" answered Jack, still visibly incensed. "Jack Hacker keeps his word, honors his promises. When I saw you comin' I says to myself: 'They'll be wanting to know about him'. The foreign gentleman. German I suspect. A rabbity nervous type he was too. He gave me a bob and told me to tell whoever asked to repeat a phrase word for word. You want to hear it now?"
Carlson knew immediately that the person of whom Jack spoke was Willi. Knowing that this was the clue he was looking for, he said "Please."
Jack recited: "But still the Vine her Ancient Ruby yields, and still a Garden by the Water blows. Yeah that's it. Here, he wrote it down." He handed Carlson a note which looked just like the one he found by Haderlitz's body. Once again he recognized the passage as one from the Rubaiyat.
"Thank you and goodbye" said Carlson.
'What's it mean anyway?" Jack replied, still quite angry. "Some rich man's game you play? You can have it! Just tell Conkling we want the money tonight." With that, he wheeled around and walked back down the hallway in a huff.
Carlson thought hard about this next clue. "Ancient Ruby obviously means something red and old" he thought. "A garden by the water blows. The only thing approaching a garden by the water is the Cafe Parisienne! That means I must go there next.
Again he made the long trek to the Cafe Pariesienne. Once there, he started hunting for something old and red among the vines. While he was looking by the table where he had met Zeitel and Willi earlier that night, he found a pack of Max Seidelmann's cigarettes entangled in the vines. They were of the Old Reds brand.
"I wonder how Willi knew they were there!" thought Carlson. The only Carlson knew to do next was to return them to Max.
Carlson walked up to the smoking room and found Max. "Is this your pack of Old Reds?" he asked as he held them out.
"Don't mind if I do" replied Max as he snatched the pack away. "Smoke 'em if you got 'em I always say. Gave a pack of these to the German kid earlier tonight."
"So that's how those got there!" thought Carlson.
Max continued: "He's an odd one. While we was docked in Queenstown, I saw him on top of one of the smokestacks. The last one, right at the top! Who knows what he was up to. Looked like he was hiding something. Crazy Kraut kid". Max then walked away.
Now Carlson knew where Willi had hidden the notebook. He knew for a fact that there was access to the smokestack in the engine room. He had seen it when passing through there. Carlson once again made his way down the Second Class stairs to F-Deck, then went down the stairwell to the turbine room. As he passed through the control room, he waved the crewman he had helped earlier. In no time Carlson found the stairwell to the entrance to the smokestack. But waiting for him there was Vlad!
"You have interfered in my affairs for the last time!" Vlad yelled as he put his fists up. "You're the one who stole the Rubaiyat! And Sasha's painting, I know you have it! Prepare to die at the hands of Serbia!"
What followed was the worst fistfight Carlson had ever encountered in his time in the Service. Vlad was a good fighter, but Carlson was better, having been trained in such things. Carlson eventually overcame Vlad, and knocked him out cold. Carlson climbed the ladder to the top of the smokestack. He walked around until he found the notebook laying in the middle. He took it, and just as he was about to stow it away, he saw Zeitel walking toward him.
"I think that notebook is for me" Zeitel threatened, as he drew his pistol and pointed it at Carlson. "Please."
"Colonel Zeitel? How did you find me?" Carlson said, shocked.
"I cannot tell" Zeitel answered. "We agents have our secrets."
"You want the notebook?" Carlson asked.
"Thank you for finding it." Zeitel said flatteringly. "Willi would have appreciated your efforts. Cold isn't it? I've maintained climate is the crucible of civilization. Culture blooms in the temperate. It is the tropic and arctic zones which breed barbarism. Russia, for instance."
"What's so important about this notebook anyway?" Carlson inquired.
"In that notebook are the names of anti-czarist Russians" Zeitel answered, still pointing the gun at Carlson. "Revolutionaries living in exile. Germany supports these men." Zeitel chuckled. "They are called communists. We provide assistance, small courtesies, and, wherever possible, financial encouragement. One of these men is moving to Krakow soon. Charming city, Krakow. We urged Willi to befriend such types in Vienna. He kept a list of such men for us. Or, so I thought. He was a Russian agent who was going to turn those names over to the Okhrana, the Russian secret service."
"What would they do to them?" Carlson asked, pretending not to know.
"They would kill them!" Zeitel emphasized. "Secretly of course, but kill them just the same. Think! With the revolutionaries all dead the Czar would be secure on his throne. That should not be allowed. Not when there are wars to be planned for. "Now then" yelled Zeitel as he beckoned toward Carlson, "the notebook!"
COMING NEXT: (Act of) Desperation