“Give you a list in half an hour.” He touched a bell. “Here, Thomas, start in and ring up all the local garages and find out how many have repair lorries. You know what I mean, fitted with cranes. And see here. You needn’t worry about any with fixed jibs—only those that can be raised and lowered. Got that?”
The constable saluted smartly and withdrew. Howells turned to French and was beginning a remark, when his desk telephone rang.
“Yes. Superintendent Howells speaking. … Yes. … Gorseinon. … Yes. … What time was that? … Very good, I’ve got you.” He rang off. “There’s another, Mr. French. I think you’re all right this time. At a patrol found your lorry in another lane, also hidden by trees. It was a mile or so east of a little place called Gorseinon: that’s about five miles northeast of Loughor. It was standing in the lane and the driver was working at his engine. Our men stopped and spoke, and the driver said he had been on a job out beyond Llandilo and was returning to Swansea. The description matches and the crate was then on the lorry.”
“Fine!” French exclaimed. “That settles it. He was evidently going round killing time until it was late enough to throw in the crate. Could we fix his course from all those places you mentioned?”
“Pretty nearly, I think. Here is a map of the district. He seems to have just made a circle from Swansea to Loughor via Morriston, Neath, Pontardawe and Gorseinon: say twenty-five miles altogether. Goodness knows how he returned, but it may have been through Bynea and Pontardulais. We may take it he made another detour, anyhow.”
“He made a blunder going with the lorry in that open way,” French said, grimly.
“I don’t see what else he could have done. But I bet he wasn’t worrying much about being seen. He was banking on the crate not being found.”
“You’re right, and on odds he was justified. It was by a pretty thin chance that it was discovered. I was saying that to Nield—how the one unlikely chance that a man overlooks or discounts is the one that gets him.”
“That’s a fact, Inspector, and it’s lucky for us it is so. I remember once when—”
But French was not destined to hear the superintendent’s reminiscence. The telephone bell once again rang stridently.
“Got it in one,” Howells observed after listening to the message. “There is only one lorry in Swansea fitted with a movable crane, and it is owned by Messrs. Llewellyn of Fisher Street. Moreover, it was hired about , and returned . Will you see them now? If so, I’ll come along and show you the place.”
They soon reached Fisher Street, where was a large garage bearing the name, “The Stepney Motor Car Co.” The superintendent, entering, asked for Mr. Llewellyn.
The proprietor looked thrilled when he learned French’s business.
“By Jove! You don’t say that that crate was carried on my lorry!” he exclaimed. “I read about its discovery, and a dam’ good tale it made. How did you find out so much?”
“I’ve not proved anything,” French replied. “The whole thing is pure suspicion. But you may lead me to certainty. I’d be obliged if you would tell me what took place.”
“Surely. I’ll tell you all I can, but it won’t be much.” He opened a daybook and ran down the items. “The ,” he went on. “Yes, here it is. We hired out the lorry on that date. But it was ordered beforehand. We got a letter several days before from London from one of the big hotels, signed Stewart, asking if we had a breakdown lorry for hire, and if so, at what rate. It particularised one with a movable jib which would pick up a load from the ground and set it on the lorry table. The machine would be wanted on the afternoon of the for one day only. If we agreed, the writer’s man would call for it about and would return it before . As the writer was a stranger, he would be willing to deposit whatever sum we thought fair as a guaranty. The lorry was wanted to pick up a special machine which the writer was expecting by sea from London, and carry it to his place in Brecknock, where it was to be lowered on to a foundation. As it was part of an invention he was perfecting, he didn’t want any strangers about. He made it a condition, therefore, that his man would drive.
“It wasn’t a very usual request, but it seemed reasonable enough, and of course it was none of my business what he wanted the machine for. At first I wasn’t very keen on letting it go, but I thought if he would pay a deposit of three hundred pounds and five pounds for the hire, I should be safely covered. It was only a Ford ton truck with the crane added. I wrote him the conditions and he replied agreeing to the figures and asking that the lorry should be ready at the hour mentioned.
“At the time stated a man came in and said he had been sent for the machine by his employer, Mr. Stewart. He produced the three hundred pounds and I gave him a receipt. Then he drove away.
“Next day about ten-thirty he came back and said he had got done earlier than he expected. I had the lorry examined, and when I found it was all right I paid him back two hundred and ninety-five pounds. He returned me my receipt and went out, and that was all about it.”
“It’s a pleasure to get a clear statement like that, Mr. Llewellyn,” French said, with his friendly smile,
