But in the sober light of day French’s new idea looked a great deal less rosy than it had during the more fevered hours of the night. He saw now—or thought he did—what had been done. He had achieved a theory which covered all the facts, with one exception. That exception did not in any way invalidate the theory, but it made him, French, much less happy about staking his reputation on it. It was the important point that he did not see why Minter had been murdered at all. Given the need for the accountant’s death, he could see how the unfortunate man had been killed. But he couldn’t see why.
There was also the worrying fact that he couldn’t prove his theory. He felt convinced of its truth himself, but of direct proof he had none. With increasing bitterness he began to see that he was not so very much farther on after all.
He was, moreover, at a loss as to what he should do. Should he see Sir Mortimer Ellison and put his theory before him? Or should he go down to Guildford and talk it over with Fenning? Or again should he keep his own counsel and work on alone?
Finally he decided on a combination of the last two alternatives. He would go and have a talk with Fenning, but he would not give his theory away unless it seemed good at the time.
After ringing Fenning up, he went down to Guildford. For a time the two men talked generalities, then French turned to his special business.
‘A couple of points have occurred to me, super,’ he began. ‘I wondered whether you’d gone into them. The first is the arrival of Sloley’s car at Norne’s house on the Saturday night. Was that checked up?’
‘No. I admit I didn’t inquire specially, but I’ve heard nothing of its having been seen.’
‘Well, it strikes me that it may be a pretty important matter. Could you have inquiries made?’
‘Of course. But this is new, chief. You didn’t say you were interested in that.’
‘As a matter of fact, I’ve got a new theory of the entire crime,’ French admitted. ‘If we could find out anything about that car it might show me whether I’m right or wrong.’
‘You’re not saying what the theory is, are you?’
French grinned. ‘I’d rather wait, if you don’t mind. If you get something in the nature of a surprise about the car, then I’ll know I’m right and I’ll put the whole thing before you.’
‘I’ll have it gone into at once. Anything else?’
‘There is one other point, but I don’t hope for anything from it. Where are the clothes and contents of the pockets of the deceased?’
‘I have them next door. We held them till the adjourned inquest should be finished. Now since the case has become one of murder, I suppose we’ll hold them till it’s complete too.’
‘Good,’ said French. ‘Then do you mind my having another look at them?’
Superintendent Fenning led the way into an adjoining store room, and unlocking a cupboard, pointed to a heap of clothes and small objects such as a watch, money, fountain pen and handkerchief.
‘I’m afraid,’ French went on, eyeing the collection with a frown, ‘we’ll not get anything here. They’ve all been handled, I suppose?’
‘Well, yes, they have. Why not?’
‘Only that I had half-hoped we might get some prints on them.’
‘Prints? We might have got Minter’s, but what good would they have been?’
‘Yes, that’s right, of course. Still, super, I’d very much like to try.’
Fenning was obviously sceptical, but as obviously he wanted to be polite. He produced powders and the two men began dusting them on everything which might possibly bear finger-prints. They were soon rewarded. The prints had remained better than French could have believed possible. The watch and the smooth parts of the other hard objects were covered with impressions.
‘That’s a bit surprising, super,’ French remarked.
‘I’ve noticed it before about things stored here,’ Fenning returned. ‘I can’t explain it—unless it is that this place is damp and may prevent the moisture of the prints drying up.’
‘I expect you’ve hit it,’ French agreed. ‘Lucky for me anyway. Can you get these checked up?’
Fenning went to have the necessary arrangements made. The two men had concentrated on objects taken from the pockets, but now French turned to the clothes.
The clothes were more difficult to deal with. Thoughtfully French turned them over. No chance of prints on these! There were, indeed, only two possibilities, the shoes, of smooth black calf, and the collar, a wing collar of stiff well-laundered linen. Minter was somewhat old-fashioned in his sartorial ideas, and usually wore a black coat and waistcoat, dark grey striped trousers, this wing collar and a black bow tie.
French tried the shoes and collar. On the shoes he got nothing, the prints had evidently dried off. But there were several on the collar. French placed it with the others.
‘Take a bit of time to go through all those,’ Fenning remarked, returning. ‘They’ll have to be photographed and enlarged, then all our own men’s prints taken and checked off. But I needn’t tell you.’
For answer French took a photograph of a set of finger-prints from his pocket-book. ‘Perhaps we could save some of that trouble,’ he said. ‘It’s these prints I’m really interested in. Can we see if they’re present on any of these objects? If we’re sure they’re not, I don’t want anything further. Any possibilities I’d like photographed and checked up properly.’
Fenning agreed that this might be possible and they set to work. Object after object was examined with a lens and dismissed. French’s photographs showed clearly marked whorls, and it was easy to dismiss prints on which no such appeared:
At last everything from the pockets had been rejected and there remained only the collar. As Fenning picked it up, French’s eagerness, which had been gradually getting keener, grew much more marked. He watched Fenning almost with excitement. Fenning took longer over the collar. He turned it backwards and forwards and scrutinised it carefully with a lens.
‘’Pon my soul, chief-inspector,’ he remarked at last, ‘I believe you’ve got a bull’s eye this time. There are prints here uncommonly like your photographs.’
‘I hope to heaven you’re right, super. Let me see.’
French took the collar and lens and began slowly and systematically to compare. Yes, the prints were the same! His idea had been right, rather marvellously right! A long shot, but seemingly it had got the bull! It was on the collar that he had hoped to make the find. But he had doubted whether the prints would have remained so long. Was this at last really all the proof he required?
‘You’ll get them photographed and checked up, won’t you, super? And for heaven’s sake let someone do it who knows his job. It’s your murder case that’s at stake.’
Fenning stared. ‘Then whose are the prints?’ he demanded.
‘Lyde’s!’ French answered dramatically. ‘Do you see where that leads you?’
Fenning continued to stare. ‘Lyde’s?’ he repeated. Then after a pause, ‘Gosh!’
For a moment silence reigned. Then Fenning went on: ‘But I don’t see even now. Are you suggesting this proves Lyde is the murderer?’
French shook his head. ‘No, not quite,’ he returned. ‘Don’t ask me yet, super. If you’ve any luck about the car, you see the whole thing.’
‘You’re darned mysterious, I will say,’ declared the puzzled superintendent. ‘May I at least ask if this is your case or mine you’re on to?’
French laughed. ‘Dash it, it’s yours!’ he said. ‘I know how the safe was opened and I know who opened it, but I’m doubtful of my proof. And I know who murdered Minter and how it was done, but I can get no motive. So there you are, super. This print will help, but we’re not out of the wood yet.’
‘But damn it all, how were the jobs done? I’m afraid you’ve gone too far, chief, not to go the whole way.’
‘I suppose I have,’ French agreed. ‘Since finding the print I don’t mind. Come and sit down in your room and I’ll tell you.’
They went back to Fenning’s room and settled themselves as comfortably as the strictly utilitarian chairs would allow. Fenning held out a box of cigarettes, but French, who smoked cigarettes and a pipe as the humour took him, and cigars when he could get them, said that on this occasion he preferred a pipe. The super grunted and rang his bell, and when a constable appeared he gave orders that they were not to be disturbed.
‘Now, for heaven’s sake let’s hear what’s in your mind,’ he went on.
‘I’m not going through the case as a whole,’ French began. ‘You know it as well as I do, and we’re both, I expect, equally sick of it. But I must just refer to a few matters in order to get the sequence of ideas.’
‘What I’d like,’ Fenning returned, ‘is that you’d give the whole thing as you would in a report.’
‘I’ll do so as far as my theory is concerned. And it would be a help for that report when it comes, if you’d stop me if I’m not quite clear about anything.’
‘No fear about that,’ Fenning said with conviction.
‘Well,’ went on French, ‘first of all we have the death of Minter. You are called in and the doctor says he is not satisfied about the affair. You have a postmortem, which shows the man was murdered by suffocation. You make inquiries and you find out all about the firm’s difficulties and the meeting that was to be held on that Sunday. I needn’t surely go over that?’
‘No, we’ll take that as read.’
‘Then there’s the discovery of the robbery, which for my sins brings me into the affair. I ask, I suppose, much the same questions as you, and find out about the firm’s condition, the directors’ meeting, and so on. When I hear about Minter’s death I wonder if the crimes are connected. You are wondering the same thing. I come down and we talk it over and agree to work together as far as possible.’
‘I’m glad we did,’ Fenning exclaimed between two great puffs of smoke.
‘So am I. Apart from it being a wise thing, we know now the crimes are connected, and we’d have to have got together sooner or later. The first thing we both saw was the obvious motive for the theft, but we noted further that the members of the firm had a stronger motive than outsiders. They would not only get immense wealth if they pulled off the robbery, but—and this was to my mind a much stronger consideration—they would avoid the ruin which was threatening them. A man might not want to be very much richer than he is, but he certainly will do his utmost not to be poorer.’
‘I agree, of course. That already threw the balance of suspicion on someone in the Norne firm.’
‘Yes, and there were other indications pointing in the same direction. There was the question of the keys, for example. It was difficult to see how an outsider could have got hold of the keys and cut new ones from their impressions, as at first we supposed had been done. Then the whole crime showed familiarity with the office and the working of the firm. It wasn’t quite certain, but as you say, the probabilities pointed to someone connected with the concern. Add to that the facts that Minter was a member of the staff, and that the others in the house at the time of his death were connected with the business, and the entire case seems what I might call a Nornes Limited case.’
‘Agreed. That was clear from the start.’
‘Well, we both started from that, and we both went aside on blind issues, or at least, I did. I’m not going into that. Firstly, we thought Norne was guilty, then we thought he wasn’t. We dabbled with the idea of Minter’s being the thief. We suspected Sloley and Sheen, and cleared them in our minds. I thought Ricardo was our man, and found he wasn’t. And so on. I’ll not mention any of that.’
‘It is, so to speak, a page of history that’s best forgotten.’
‘That’s right. Then I’ll come straight on to what I actually got. I know now that Sloley, Sheen and Lyde stole the stones jointly. They were all in it: those three and no one else.’
‘I gathered that, and I’ve a notion how you proved it. What I want to know about is the murder.’
‘I’m coming to that, but I must touch on the robbery first because some of the details of the murder hinge on it.’
Fenning nodded without speaking and French went on. ‘The first thing that really put me on the trail was that lineman turning up. And that I have to admit was sheer luck. That he should have happened to be at a place from which he could see into the window, just when two of those boys were focusing their camera, was a piece of very pretty luck.’
Fenning moved uneasily. ‘That’s so, chief, in a way, but only in a way. In the first place, as you know yourself, things like that are always happening. Again and again a chance word overheard, or something seen quite by accident, has brought the solution of an otherwise baffling case. Look at the men who happened to be on the road in the middle of the night and saw Rouse after he had left his car. Just a chance, and it hanged Rouse.’
‘Well, likely or unlikely, it was a pretty useful hint to me. I thought over it and thought over it, wondering what these two could have been doing. I made a lot of wrong guesses, which I needn’t mention. But at last the idea of taking photographs of the keys shot into my mind and I believed I had it. I very soon saw that a single photograph wouldn’t be enough—there were two keys to be taken. Then a ciné camera occurred to me. This also would give pictures of the keys from slightly different angles as they were being pushed forward, which would make it easier to copy them.’
‘It was a good shot getting that, I will say,’ Fenning declared.
‘Oh, I don’t know. It came by elimination. Nothing else seemed possible. Incidentally I saw that if I was right, it enormously strengthened the argument that the guilty man was one of the firm. More than that, he must be in a high position. The photographing would have to be done while Norne and Minter were present, and to take a liberty like putting the despatch case on the letter file and standing over it while the safe was being opened, indicated a friend of Norne’s.
‘I, of course, made the obvious inquiries. I tried to check up the purchase of the camera. But that proved a wash-out, and I got my first bit of help from considering its disposal.’
‘You told me about that,’ Fenning interrupted. ‘You argued that they would not have dared to keep the camera, but would have tried to cut their losses by popping it.’
‘That’s right. I found a man like Minter in appearance had popped one of the special cameras which would have been most suitable for the purpose, and that it had been bought shortly before. I couldn’t actually connect the transactions with the affair, but the dates worked in so well that I thought I was probably on the right track. That at all events was Point No. 1.’
‘And a very good one too.’
‘Point No. 2 was better. I found out from Norne that Sloley had turned up in the office with a despatch case which he had put on the letter file, and had opened it and fumbled in it while the safe was being unlocked. That in itself was suggestive, but when I found that he had himself arranged for the safe to be opened at that time, I thought it was pretty nearly proof. But there was further evidence for it even than that. While he stood at the file he sang—a very unusual thing for him. In fact, he pretended to have taken a drop too much to account for it. That clinched the thing to me, though I still doubted I had enough evidence for court.’
‘I don’t quite get your point about the singing,’ Fenning said doubtfully.
‘These cameras make a slight noise when they’re working. He couldn’t risk it being heard.’
The super made a little gesture of comprehension. ‘Bless my soul! Drown the sound?’
‘That’s what I took it to be. Well, there was the case for Sloley having “shot” the keys. Then I looked back over my notes and I found Point No. 3. It was Sloley who had brought about the meeting at Norne’s on the Sunday. Sloley had managed it skilfully and indirectly, making suggestions which inevitably led the others to make the counter suggestions he wanted. This Point No. 3 not only confirmed my view that Sloley was at the bottom of the robbery, but it also indicated that the meeting down here at Guildford was an essential part of the scheme.’
Fenning nodded appreciatively. French continued.
‘All this theory about photoing the keys was confirmed once and for all by the discovery I made at Sheen’s, about which I’ve told you; I mean the finding of the cut film picture.’
‘I should say so. I don’t know what you’re talking about in saying that’s not good enough for court.’
‘I’m glad you think so, super. I should have added that Sheen had a very decent little workshop with metal working tools: all on a small scale, of course. I mean, he could easily have cut the key.’
‘I wish I was as far on with the murder as you are with that,’ Fenning declared.
‘As a matter of fact I think you are,’ French answered. ‘But before we leave the theft let me point out how completely all three men are in it. Lyde presumably bought and certainly pawned the camera. Sloley took the photographs. Sheen developed them and cut the key, or at least, the piece of film proves he was privy to it.’
‘I see that. Short of finding someone who was with those fellows all the time watching what they did, I don’t see that you could have got any more. Now, what about that murder?’
French laboriously and thoroughly changed his position. Then he re-lit his pipe, which in his intentness he had allowed to go out. Finally he turned over the pages of his notebook and glanced at some notes. Thus prepared, he went on with his exposition.
‘Now, we had both begun by assuming that the theft and the murder were connected. Neither of us could prove it, but it seemed reasonable. I determined to continue to assume it and see where it led.
‘If I were correct, it followed that Sloley, Sheen and Lyde, or certain of them, were guilty of the murder. Was there any evidence to support this theory?
‘Well, in the first place, there was what I’ve already mentioned, that the meeting at Norne’s was really engineered by Sloley. In the second, I saw equally clearly that Minter’s call at the Norne office had been arranged by Sheen. You follow that, super?’
‘You said you thought that shareholders’ list that Sheen got out was only my eye?’
‘That’s it. I thought so, and you will notice that it was used to bring Minter to the office?’
‘I follow that.’
‘In the third place, and this perhaps is the most important of the three, Lyde faked an elaborate alibi. If it had been so necessary for him to prove he was in France that Saturday night, it surely pointed to him as the actual murderer?’
Again Fenning nodded without speaking.
‘There was also the other point, that Lyde denied having been at the office that night. The tale about Sheen borrowing the five pounds from the petty cash may or may not have been true. I haven’t had time to go into it yet, but I should imagine it was true, as they must have known it might be investigated.’
‘You might find that Lyde or Sheen had brought about the loan to Mrs Sheen.’
French nodded in his turn. ‘That’s just what I should expect to find. However, we must leave that point, because it hasn’t been gone into yet. Well, here was a certain amount of confirmation for the suspicion that those three might have murdered Minter. But here it stood. For a long time I couldn’t get any further.
‘Then I started another line. I tried to make an analysis of all the telephone messages which had passed on that afternoon, again with rather indifferent success.
‘Sheen had stated that about half-past four he had ’phoned Minter to ask some questions which had just occurred to him in connection with his list of shareholders. When replying, Minter had mentioned that he was not going to Norne’s till the 8.15 train, and it was then arranged that Minter would call at the office on his way. The receipt by Minter of a message at 4.30 was confirmed by the maid, so I took that call as having been cleared up. I presumed also that it was while then at the ’phone that Minter had called up Norne to say that he wouldn’t go down till after dinner. I couldn’t fix the exact time at which that message had been received, but it was somewhere about 4.30. That also worked in sufficiently well.
‘But Minter had received another message at three o’clock, and this one I have been quite unable to trace. But immediately after receiving it he had rung up his garage and put back the time of his taxi from 4.45 to 7.30.
‘Before I became suspicious about Minter’s movements I had assumed that on this occasion also he had taken the opportunity of being at the telephone to make another call, this time to his garage. Now I thought it might be something more direct. I began to wonder whether that message he had received at three o’clock—and not illness—had been the real cause of the postponement of his journey? The relation in time between it and the message to the garage seemed suggestive. Here I couldn’t see my way clear, so I left it for the moment and turned to review Minter’s movements on that Saturday.
‘Minter’s servant, Martha Belden, who seemed quite reliable, had said that Minter had spent the afternoon in his house, leaving by taxi at 7.30. This time was confirmed directly by the taximan, and indirectly by the garage.
‘Martha, however, hadn’t known of Minter’s illness. This, however, was not significant, as unless when very bad, he was not in the habit of complaining. On the other hand, the illness was supported by the fact—confirmed by the post-mortem—that he had no dinner.’
‘But did you doubt the illness?’
‘I doubted everything. I wanted to see just what there was proof for, and what there wasn’t. I noted there was none for the illness.
‘You may see that I was pretty suspicious by this time when I tell you that I particularly noted that Mrs Minter, who would undoubtedly have known whether her husband was or was not ill, was out for the afternoon. And I was more interested still when I remembered that that outing had been arranged by one of our three suspects—Sheen. Mrs Minter had been asked to Sheen’s daughter’s birthday party. I wondered if I was really on to something or was merely getting childish.
‘Then I went on with Minter’s movements. He had reached the office at 7.50. But what then? The evidence of what happened in the office might be washed out. But after that there was firm testimony that he had driven to Waterloo, travelled to Guildford, was driven to Norne’s, went to bed, and was seen by Norne about ten.
‘All this journey from the office to Norne’s seemed conclusively proven till I began to look into it with scepticism, and then I saw that we really knew nothing about it at all. The taximan could really only state that he had driven a fare from the office to Waterloo. At Guildford, we were told, Minter was muffled up to the ears, and presumably he was the same at Waterloo. Besides the man would not observe him closely. The same applied in the case of Norne’s chauffeur, and it should be remembered that this man had only seen Minter a few times at long intervals. Norne’s butler, Jeffries, was a new man and had never seen Minter. Then with regard to Norne, two things were suggestive. First, Norne was greatly struck by the way the illness had changed Minter, and second, the headache had made Minter’s eyes sensitive and only the light in the adjoining bathroom was on. We have to remember also that Minter was too ill to do more than give Norne Sheen’s list; he didn’t want to talk.’
An expression of intense amazement, not unmixed with excitement, was growing on Fenning’s somewhat heavy features. French glanced at him and laughed.
‘I see you’ve got it, super,’ he remarked. ‘That’s it. If I’m right, Minter never travelled down by that 8.15 train from Waterloo. He came in the car with Sloley and Sheen.’
Fenning gave vent to an oath of some sturdiness. ‘And that was Lyde?’ he cried wonderingly. ‘That sick man that we’ve been so sorry for and that was murdered later on!’ He stopped and an expression of bewilderment passed across his face. Then it cleared and comprehension grew.
‘I’ve got you at last. By heavens, chief, I should have seen that before. Of course! It all works in now. Lyde hadn’t to get up into that room at Norne’s because he was already there. And Minter was murdered, I suppose, before they were clear of London?’
‘That’s what I make of it,’ French agreed. ‘I take it what they did was this. Lyde—’
‘Yes, go through it all. No; stop. Go on as you were and finish the tale.’
‘As you like. Well, I was thinking over this evidence of Minter’s journey when this idea that you’ve just got occurred to me: that Minter had never made it, but that Lyde had travelled in his place. At first I thought the idea absurd, but as I worried over it, certain things began to make it more likely.
‘There was first of all the splendid opportunity it gave for the robbery. Suppose they had got Norne’s key from the photographs and for some reason had failed to get Minter’s. I may admit this is the point which still sticks me: I don’t see why they should have failed. But suppose they did, everything becomes clear. They make Minter strip off his clothes and take his keys. Probably they tie or lock him up. Then Lyde, who is an actor and about the same size as Minter, and who has probably already made up to represent him, dresses in Minter’s clothes. At the same time with Minter’s key and the one they have made, Sloley and Lyde clear out the safe. They lock it, give Minter’s key to Lyde and he starts off to Guildford. You will note that Sloley sees him into the taxi—all that whole way down from the top of the building. That, I take it, was to prevent Lyde having to speak to the taximan.’
Fenning nodded approvingly. ‘That’s it, as sure as we’re alive. We ought to have got something from Sloley coming down all that way. I read your memo of it, but I missed the point.’
‘So did I,’ French admitted. ‘Well, to follow Lyde’s movements. I take it he went to Guildford, easily took in the chauffeur, hadn’t to take in the butler, and succeeded in what must have been his hardest job, taking in Norne. There the illness was his salvation. He looked different, he couldn’t talk, and he couldn’t be seen in a decent light.’
‘A bit lucky, that illness.’
French smiled slowly, but said nothing. Then Fenning swore again.
‘Hell, do you mean that was a fake too? But of course! You’ve just pointed out that there’s no evidence for it except from those three ruffians.’
Fenning thought for a moment, then added: ‘But he ’phoned Norne?’
‘But did he?’
Fenning made a furious gesture. ‘Hell!’ he cried again. ‘I’ve been blind! That was Lyde?’
‘I take it so. Actors are taught to mimic voices as well as appearances. I take it all the arrangements for that afternoon were made by our three friends.’
‘But then why didn’t Minter go down to Guildford at five o’clock as arranged?’
‘I take it because of the message he received at three. I have no proof, but I suggest Lyde put through a message purporting to come from Norne, and postponing Minter’s arrival. That’s guesswork, of course.’
‘Go ahead,’ said Fenning in a small voice.
‘As soon as Norne had left the bedroom, I suggest that Lyde got busy. He had brought the rope with him, and he lowered it from the window. Then he waited.’
‘Waited for those other scoundrels from Town?’
‘So I think. I imagine what took place in the office was this. When Minter arrived they forced him to drink that sleeping draught. It would probably have suited them best to murder him then and there, but they daren’t do it for two reasons. First, it was only eight o’clock. It would have been too soon. The doctor’s evidence would have blown the gaff. Secondly, they must keep him able to walk to the car—with assistance. If a constable had seen them carry him, they were done.’
‘The dope would also make him stupid and prevent him from shouting out when getting into the car?’
‘That’s right. I think there may have been another reason also. They may not have faced keeping him alive from eight till eleven in full possession of his senses, and probably knowing that they were going to kill him. Hang it all, bad as they were, I scarcely think they’d have done that.’
Fenning shrugged. ‘You think better of them than I do. But look here, chief, there’s something wrong there, surely? The doctor said Minter was murdered at ten or thereabouts, he believed before eleven. But if you’re right the doctor’s wrong. You make the murder just when?’
‘In the car immediately after leaving the office. About quarter-past eleven. No, super, there’s no discrepancy there. It’s all right and this is one of the cleverest bits of the whole thing. Just recall the doctor’s statement. He said the evidence was a bit conflicting. The evidence from the cooling of the body showed that death had taken place some considerable time earlier, he said from seven to ten or earlier. But all the other evidence pointed to a later time, from ten till midnight. He said such conflicting evidence was not unusual and that doctors usually took a sort of mean. He did so, and it made his result about ten.
‘But look at what actually occurred and what he thought had occurred. He thought the deceased had been in bed, covered up by clothes. Radiation would be reduced to a minimum and cooling would be slow. But as a matter of fact the body, dressed probably in outer clothes only, was in a car, driving very quickly on a cold night. Cooling would be much more rapid than in bed. I’ll bet if the doctor had known that, we’d have had a different time for the death.’
‘I wonder if they intended that?’
‘I don’t know, but whether they did or not it worked out well for them. Well, they got Minter, stupefied, but able to walk with assistance, out of the office and into the car, and, of course, they brought also Lyde’s clothes and probably an outfit to let him get off his make-up. They drove down to Guildford just as fast as wouldn’t get them stopped, and ran up the old road on to the Hog’s Back, behind Norne’s house. They carried the dead man to the house, Lyde no doubt showing a convenient light so that they could identify the window. There at the bottom of the wall was Lyde’s rope and they tied the body on and Lyde drew it up. It wouldn’t take him long to get it into bed and arrange everything as it was to be found. Then he no doubt changed the rope to the upper windows, got out on to the sill, closed the side window he had used, latched it through the upper quadrant, slipped down to the ground and drew the rope after him. We saw that all that would be possible.’
‘And the glass?’ Fenning murmured.
‘About the glass I have no proof, but what I suggest took place was this. While all three doubtless hoped that the death would be taken to be either from natural causes or suicide, they must have realised that the murder might be discovered. To guard themselves in such a case, I suggest they decided to throw suspicion on Norne. The fact that he held one of the keys of the safe would suggest why Norne was chosen. This was by no means the least skilful part of the whole affair, in fact, it was carried out in a very subtle way, so that it wouldn’t be discovered unless suspicion had already been aroused. Lyde got Norne up to the room alone and the last thing at night—at least, the last thing so far as Minter was ostensibly concerned. While there he tricked Norne into leaving his finger-prints on the glass, which he had cleaned for the purpose. Then Lyde again wiped the glass, carefully leaving a distinctive part of one of Norne’s prints. Then when he had got the body into bed, he faked on Minter’s prints, purposely turning the thumb to an impossible angle to show that it was a fake. That again, as I say, is only my suggestion.’
Fenning nodded heavily. He seemed too much overcome for words.
‘While Sloley and Sheen drove round to the front door, Lyde must have dressed in his own clothes, got off his make-up, and proceeded to make himself scarce. In this necessary part of the affair he passed your two constables at the new railway bridge. He made his way to Newhaven, crossed to Paris, and completed a quite decent alibi. When he got back he forged the passport stamp, smearing it with mud to try to hide his operations. But he made a bad mistake there. He forgot that the night he had crossed was dry.’
Still Fenning did not answer and French went on. ‘All that reconstruction admittedly is guesswork, but you’ll admit it fits the facts?’
At last Fenning moved. ‘It’s the truth,’ he said with an oath. ‘It’s the truth as sure as we’re here at this moment. But proof … That’s another matter, I’m afraid.’
‘The proof is the finger-print on the collar. To me it’s complete, though I don’t know how it would strike a jury. I thought there was just the off-chance that we might find that finger-print, for this reason. Lyde, I expect, wore gloves. He would be bound to do so, or he might have trapped himself with finger-prints. But a stiff linen collar’s not an easy proposition to handle with gloves on. Therefore, the chances were that when he came to unbutton Minter’s, which, of course, he had been wearing from the office to Norne’s, he found he had to slip the gloves off. He either overlooked the fact that he had made prints, or thought no one would test for them.’
‘Well, I admit I shouldn’t have thought of testing for them myself. I don’t see how the defence could explain those prints away.’
‘They might say that Minter was taken faint in the office and that the other three loosened his collar for him.’
‘And would that be an explanation?’
French shook his head. ‘It wouldn’t be to me. But you never know what view a jury’ll take.’
‘I don’t think Lyde would get away with a tale of that sort.’
French knocked out his pipe. ‘Well, super, there’s the story. I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything. I’m satisfied as to the truth; I’m doubtful as to the proof; and I’m hanged if I can see the motive. Can you?’
Fenning did not reply for some moments. ‘It must have been what you say,’ he answered presently, but there was doubt in his manner. ‘They can’t have got Minter’s key with the camera.’
‘But why not? If they got Norne’s they should have got Minter’s.’
Fenning shook his head. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘we don’t have to prove motive. There’s enough in what you have for a conviction, and more than likely a search of the houses will give us more still. What about bringing those three fellows in before they get wise to our being on to them?’
French moved uneasily. Fenning was justified in demanding an arrest. In fact, he would have been remiss not to. But French didn’t want an arrest: not yet.
‘I dare say you’re right, super,’ he said diplomatically. ‘At the same time I’d rather consider it a bit before making a move. The case isn’t finished.’
‘I know it’s not. But we have enough for an arrest.’
‘In your case, perhaps, yes: in mine, not by any means. As you know, I’ve only got ahead with half mine. What many people would call the most important half hasn’t been touched yet.’
‘You mean the swag?’
‘That’s just what I do mean. Without the swag the case is not finished. With the swag it’s not only done, but we have the most complete proof that anyone could wish.’
‘I agree. But have you any line on its probable position?’
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘Then how will postponing an arrest help matters. Aren’t you more likely to come on it when you’ve got search warrants for the houses?’
‘I doubt very much that it’s in the houses. After all if you look carefully enough, you can find anything in a house. There have been a lot of first-class brains put into this job, and I believe the hiding-place will be equally well thought out. No, super, we’ll not get anything in the houses.’
‘Then what do you propose?’
French instinctively leant forward and sank his voice. ‘I suggest we make them show us the hiding place.’
That Fenning was keenly interested was obvious. ‘My word, if you could do that it would be something like. How would you set about it?’
‘I’ve not thought out a proper scheme, but I suggest somehow giving them the tip that we were on to them. Not on to them exactly, but on to something that would necessarily lead to them. Suppose they saw that they had about a day to escape arrest for murder. Wouldn’t that do the trick?’
‘They’d do a bunk?’
‘Yes, but not without the swag. They’re not going to risk all they’ve risked and be cheated of the reward in the end.’
Fenning was impressed. All the same, he wondered if the chief’s scheme would work. If it failed, he pointed out, they would be much worse off than before. ‘They might get away,’ he ended up, though in so half-hearted a way as to show French he had gained his point.
‘They’ll not get away,’ French returned firmly. ‘We can get them on the boats or ’planes, if we don’t take them before.’
For another hour they discussed the affair. Finally it was settled that as French had provided what would be Fenning’s case for murder, he was entitled to try any experiment he wanted to which would help him in the case for theft.
‘What you’ve said to me was not said officially,’ Fenning concluded, ‘but in a private conversation. I can’t act on it.’
French expressed warm approval, and after some further talk the two men parted. French was to put his proposals before Sir Mortimer Ellison. If the Assistant Commissioner approved, the experiment was to be carried out.