“Phillips? Not much. Niels took him up as a protegé about the time I started Pole Star—a year or two later, maybe. Since he and I didn’t part too amicably, I didn’t see much of him. I don’t know what the deal was. Niels likes to patronize young men—I was probably the first one and he took up a number of others over the years.” He wrinkled his forehead. “Usually they seemed to have better abilities than Phillips. I don’t know how he manages to keep that office in the black.”

I looked at him intently. “What do you mean?”

Bledsoe shrugged. “He’s too—too finicky. Not the right word. He’s got brains but he gets in their way all the time. He has sales reps who are supposed to handle all the shipping contracts but he can’t leave ’em to it. He’s always getting involved in the negotiations. Since he doesn’t have day-to-day knowledge of the markets, he often screws up good deals and saddles Eudora with expensive contracts. I noticed that when I was Niels’s dispatcher ten years ago and I see it now with my own business.”

That didn’t sound criminal, just stupid. I said as much and Bledsoe laughed. “You looking for a crime just to drum up business or what?”

“I don’t need to drum up business. I’ve plenty in Chicago to occupy me if I ever get this mess unsnarled.” I got up. Stowing away on the Lucella had been one of my stupider ideas. None of them would tell me anything and I didn’t know how to sort out natural loyalty to the ship and each other from concealing a crime. “But I’ll find out.” I spoke aloud without realizing it.

“Vic, don’t be so angry. No one on this ship tried to kill you. I’m not convinced anyone tried to kill you.” He held up a hand as I started to talk. “I know your car was vandalized. But it was probably done by a couple of punks who never saw you in their life.”

I shook my head, tired. “There are too many coincidences, Martin. I just can’t believe that Boom Boom and the watchman in his building died and I was almost killed through a series of unrelated events. I can’t believe it. And I start wondering why you and the captain want me to believe it so badly.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled silently. “Why don’t you step me through your logic? I’m not saying I’ll buy it. But give me a chance.”

I drew a breath. If he were responsible, he knew all about it anyway. If he wasn’t, there wasn’t any harm in his knowing. I explained about Boom Boom’s death, the quarrel with Phillips, the search through my cousin’s apartment, Henry Kelvin’s death.