“Rorff!”
Max groaned. “All right, Fang, you can have 99’s third guess. What is it?”
“Rorff!”
“That’s even more ridiculous than your rubber tree guess. Tell me, have you seen anybody walking about the deck with a suitcase with jingle bells on it and shouting ‘Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas to All!’?”
“Max, are you going to tell us, or aren’t you!” 99 said.
“All right, here it is. My guess is that Dr. X is carrying that suitcase with him.”
“You mean everywhere? Wherever he goes?”
“Everywhere!” Max said. “Consequently, all we have to do is find a man carrying a suitcase.”
“Rorff!”
“I assure you, Fang, it won’t be that easy. He will not be shouting ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’.”
“Max, you know,” 99 said thoughtfully, “I think you may be right. After all, those guinea pigs are worth a fortune. He wouldn’t leave them in his stateroom.”
“Rorff?”
“Simple,” Max replied. “We’ll just stroll around the deck, acting like tourists, until we spot a man carrying a suitcase. That man will be the diabolical Dr. X. After all, why would anyone else be carrying a suitcase? Unless, of course, there are two men on board who are transporting invisible guinea pigs. But that’s highly unlikely.”
“Well, I guess we better start strolling,” 99 said.
“Rorff!”
Max shook his head. “No, Fang, you will not be a bigger help sitting in a deck chair and waving to us each time we go by.”
“Rorff!”
“I don’t know, but we’ll think of some way to keep count of our turns around the deck. Now, come on!”
They strolled off, leisurely.
“I’m glad you thought of this, Max,” 99 said. “We might not have had a chance to see the ship if you hadn’t.”
“Keep your mind on your business, 99. Watch out for a man with a suitcase-and for nothing else!”
“Max, I think I ought to watch out for-”
“Nothing else, 99!”
“But, Max, I think-”
She was too late. Max lay sprawled on the deck. “Why didn’t you warn me about that rope!” he glared. “I could have injured myself badly!”
“But, Max, you said-”
“Never mind what I said,” he grumbled, getting up. “I’m revising that order. From now on, keep an eye out for a man with a suitcase, and for ropes. Check?”
“Check, Max.”
They strolled on.
A little after midnight, the three, exhausted, dropped into deck chairs.
“Max,” 99 sighed weakly, “I can’t go another step.”
“We have to keep going,” Max breathed feebly.
“Rorff.”
“Fang, that doesn’t necessarily follow. The fact that you have four feet does not mean that you’ve walked twice as far as we have.
“Max, can’t we suspend the operation until tomorrow?” 99 said. “Not only am I bushed, but there isn’t anyone on deck to observe any more. They’re all inside-gone to bed or they’re at the dance in the ballroom.”
“You’ve got a point there,” Max said. “In fact, if you weren’t so tired, I’d suggest that we go to the dance. How do we know that the diabolical Dr. X isn’t, say, a rhumba enthusiast?”
99 jumped to her feet. “Max, I’m not a bit tired. Let’s go to the dance!”
“Well, much as I hate to, I think that’s-”
“Rorff!”
Max sat up. “Where, Fang?”
“Don’t listen to him, Max,” 99 said. “Let’s go to the dance.”
“But, 99, didn’t you hear what he said? He said he saw a shadowy figure slinking along the rail- and — carrying a suitcase!”
“I heard him, Max. You know what a wild imagination he’s got. Let’s go to the dance.”
“Sorry, 99-investigation before pleasure.”
“That’s what I say-let’s go to the dance.”
“Sh-sh-shhhhh!”
“All right, Max,” 99 said woefully.
Max peered into the dimness. “Yesssss… I think I do see a shadowy figure slinking along the rail — and — carrying a suitcase.”
“Male or female?” 99 whispered.
“I… can’t… quite… make out.”
“Max, it’s probably the Avon Lady.”
“No, there are no doorbells on board ship,” Max replied.
“Of course! Max, that’s why she’s slinking. Now, can we go to the dance?”
“Wait! 99, it’s a man!”
“Rorff!”
“There is no such thing as an Avon Gentleman, Fang.” He quietly got to his feet. “Follow me,” he whispered.
“Where are you going, Max?”
“I’m going to follow that man. I think, finally we’re on the trail of the diabolical Dr. X, 99.”
Max tiptoed toward the rail, with 99 and Fang following closely behind him. Then, together, they trailed the shadowy figure as it made its way stealthily along the deck.
“Subject proceeding South between deck chairs and lifeboats,” Max whispered. “Subject acting very suspicious.”
“What’s he doing, Max?”
“Subject glancing back, as if he thinks he’s being followed.”
“That is suspicious, Max.”
“Yes, it must be a result of his guilt. I’m sure he doesn’t know he’s being followed.”
“He couldn’t,” 99 agreed. “We’re too expert at it. The subject never knows.”
“Wait, 99-” Max said, halting. “Subject has stopped. Subject is bending down. Alert for a trick, 99.”
“Alerted, Max.”
There was a second of silence. Then Max said, “Scratch that trick, 99. Subject is tying his shoe,”
“Trick scratched, Max.”
Max moved on. “Subject proceeding again. Subject glancing back nervously. Hold it! Now, subject is running!”
“What’ll we do, Max!”
Max made a sound of annoyance. “I hate to run after him,” he said. “Subject is liable to get the idea that he was right when he got the idea that we were following him. And if subject knows that he’s being followed, it spoils the fun of it.”
“Still… if we don’t run after him, Max, he’ll get away.”
“Yes, there is that to consider.”
“Max, if we stand here debating, subject will get away altogether.”
“That’s a very valid point, too,” Max agreed.
“Rorff!”
Max looked back over his shoulder. “You’re right, Fang-here he comes from the other direction. Apparently he made a complete circle of the deck. All right, gang, let him pass, then we’ll pick up his trail again.”
The figure dashed past.
“Now!” Max shouted. And the trio took off in pursuit.
“Where is he now, Max?”
“Subject is scrambling into a lifeboat!”
“What’ll we do, Max?”
“We’ll scramble into the lifeboat behind his lifeboat, of course.”
They scrambled into the second lifeboat, then Max peaked out from under the cover. “Subject seems to be becalmed,” he reported. “Wait-subject is now peeking out from under the cover of his lifeboat. Subject’s eyes look terrified-as if subject has discovered that his trackers are watching him from the lifeboat behind.”
“Do you think he’s on to us, Max?”
“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.”
“Max… here’s an idea,” 99 said. “Since he knows we’re following him, it seems a little silly for us to stay in hiding. Why don’t we climb out and confront him-tell him we know he’s Dr. X and demand the formula and the suitcase?”
“And give up the chase, 99? Now? Now, when it’s just getting thrilling?”
“Max, hiding in a lifeboat isn’t really my idea of thrilling.”
Max sighed. “All right. Everybody out. Approach subject and confront him with accusation ”
The trio scrambled out of the lifeboat
“He ducked under the cover,” Max reported. He snickered. “I used to do that when I was a kid I thought if I covered my head, I couldn’t be seen,” Reaching the lifeboat, he got hold of the cover. “Well, it didn’t work for me,” he said, “and it won’t work for him.”
With a sudden movement, Max raised the lifeboat cover. “There you are!” he said triumphantly.
But subject was nowhere in sight.
Max frowned. “Now, how did he do that? It never worked for me.”
“Max!” 99 cried. “There he goes! Out the other end of the lifeboat!”
“Tally-ho!” Max shouted, giving chase.
Subject dashed through a doorway.