“Like a book, sir. Just a bit humorous too, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
There was a twinkle in Chief Inspector Mitchell’s eye as he continued:—
“Oh, you think so, do you? Well, anyhow, as I say, I was interested. The men’s mentality I found quite intriguing. I wondered how much imagination they had between them. Marshall described them as slow, unintelligent, bovine fellows. Now, such men could never have invented a tale like that. If they had been making it up they would have said they found a bag of rings in the street. The idea of wedding rings having been thrown over the parapet of the Tower Bridge just as they were passing beneath would only occur to men of imagination, and to have got all the details right would have involved a very considerable gift of invention as well. Do you see what I’m getting at, French? Their story shows too much imagination for their intelligences as described by Marshall, and therefore I am disposed to accept it.”
Chief Inspector Mitchell paused and looked at French as if expecting a comment.
“I follow you all right, sir, and what you say sounds reasonable to me. And yet it’s not very likely that anyone would throw thirty-nine wedding rings into the Thames off the Tower Bridge, for I take it it was into the river and not on to the boat they were intended to go.”
“I should say undoubtedly.” Mitchell sat for a moment drumming with his fingers on his desk and looking thoughtfully out of the window. “You think the whole thing’s unlikely, do you? Perhaps you are right. And yet I don’t know. I think I can imagine circumstances in which a man might be very anxious to get rid of thirty-nine wedding rings. And what’s more, to throw them over the parapet of the Tower Bridge at in the evening seems to me a jolly good way of getting rid of them. How would you have done it, French?”
French glanced at his superior in some surprise. He could not understand the other’s interest in this commonplace story of stolen rings. Still less could he understand why he had been interrupted in his useful and important work to come and listen to it. However, he realised that it would be tactless to say so.
“I don’t know, sir,” he answered slowly. “I suppose to throw ’em in the river would be the best way. But he should have seen there was nothing passing underneath.”
“Ah, now that is an interesting point also. But first, does anything else strike you?”
French looked wary.
“Just in what way, sir?”
“This. Suppose you want to throw a package into the river and you want to do it absolutely unobserved. Where will you do it?”
“I see what you mean, sir. That bridge at that time of night is about as deserted as any of the London bridges.”
“Exactly, that’s what I mean. There is evidence there of selection which would never strike a man like these bargees. But you say he ought to have seen the boat. Why should our unknown not have looked out for passing boats? I’ll tell you, I think. Though the bridge is comparatively deserted, it is not deserted. To look over the parapet far enough to see the water below would have attracted attention. A suicide might have been feared. Some officious person might have come forward. No, the unknown would simply chuck his parcel over without even turning his head, secure in the belief that even if by some miracle it was found, the contents would never be traced to him. Do you agree?”
“Seems quite sound, sir.”
“It may be sound or it may not,” Mitchell returned. “All that I have been saying to you may be the merest nonsense. But it shows, I think, that the story these men told may be true. The chances of its being true are sufficiently great to warrant investigation before they are charged with theft. You agree with that?”
This time French felt no doubt.
“Oh, yes, sir, I agree with that certainly. The men could not be convicted without going into their story.”
The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
“That’s it, French. Now will you start in and do it?”
French stared.
“Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears. “Do you wish me to take it up?”
The other smiled satirically.
“I don’t know anyone who could do it better.”
“And drop my present case?”
“Only temporarily,” the Chief assured him. “A day or so will make little difference to your own affair, and I have no one else to send on this one. Look into it and try and find out if anyone dropped those rings off the bridge, and if so, who he was and why he did it. When you have done that you can go ahead with the Starvel affair.”
French was completely puzzled. This was very unlike the line the Chief usually took.
“Of course, sir, it’s what you say; but do you not think it is very urgent that this banknote business be followed up while the trail is warm? Every day that passes will make it more difficult to get the truth.”
“That applies even more strongly to this other affair. But it has the advantage of probably being a shorter inquiry. With luck you can finish it off tomorrow, and if so, that will delay the larger case only very slightly.”
French saw that whatever might be the
