It was Hadfield who rang Twickenham police station at 12.35 pm on Thursday 9 July 1936, to tell them that all was not well with the widow. He asked, ‘Will you please send an officer to this address? I think the place has been entered. The front door is open.’ He suspected foul play because he thought her house had been entered illegally, and that there was a lot of clothes scattered about (clearly he had entered it, however briefly). He thought that her corpse might lie concealed under these. When the police arrived, they were greeted at the door by Hadfield himself. He took them to the kitchen and pointed to the window sill, where there was a note written on blue paper. He told them, ‘I came yesterday and left that note, wedged in the window, as I had written two postcards which she had not answered.’