“Probably by the taxi,” suggested Daunt, and they returned to where the vehicle was waiting.
But his guess was incorrect. The driver assured them that on reaching the crossroads Cosgrove had paid him off and he had returned at once to London.
“I thought of that first,” said Lois, “then I thought not, that he would never have let any one man have so much information about his movements. Then I wondered if he wouldn’t have arranged for a vehicle from Halford to pick him up, but I saw that wouldn’t do either. At last I thought the most obvious and indeed the least suspicious plan would be to engage a car in Hitchin to run out for him. What do you think?”
“I believe you are right. Let’s run over to Hitchin now and make inquiries.”
They reached the town in about quarter of an hour. There they paid off their taxi, having noted the man’s name and address. Then after a hurried lunch they got to work.
At the first and second garages they drew blank, but at the third they had success. It appeared that late on the evening before the murder, a man, whom the proprietor instantly identified from the photograph as Cosgrove, called and asked for a car to be sent to the same crossroads near Luce Manor. It was to be there on the following , and was to wait for him and run him into Hitchin. He gave no explanation of his movements, but he turned up at the place a few minutes after the hour named, and was duly brought to Hitchin and set down near the George Hotel. Daunt had the driver sent for, and he stated he had seen his fare’s face in the light of a street lamp when he was being paid, and he also unhesitatingly selected Cosgrove’s photograph as that of the man.
“How far is it from the George Hotel to the station?” asked Daunt.
“Three minutes’ walk, sir.”
Here at last was proof—utter and final proof. As the cousins left the garage Jimmy once more congratulated his companion on her success.
“But we’re not finished yet, Jimmy,” she answered him. “We have to find the woman—the false servant.”
“You think it couldn’t have been Cosgrove?”
Lois shook her head.
“He could never have deceived Austin. Besides, the hours don’t work. Cosgrove could hardly have reached the Old Ferry till after Austin had left. In any case Cosgrove would never have had time to make up so well.”
“I agree with you. Then our next job is, cherchez la femme. Have you any ideas as to how we should start?”
“I don’t know if you will agree with me,” Lois answered slowly, “but I wonder if we should not take Mr. Tanner into our confidence. He has been very straight and very kind all through, and I’m sure if he knew what we have learned he would take over the finding of the woman.”
“By Jove, Lois, I believe you are right in this as in everything else. I’ll go and see him now. Would you care to come too?”
“No. I think you could do that best alone. I’ll come to town with you and hear your report.”
They went up by the Great Northern, and Daunt drove to Scotland Yard. Inspector Tanner was out.
“I am the solicitor who is acting for Mr. Austin Ponson—you know, the Halford murder—and I bring some very material information about the case. I should like to see someone in authority.”
He was asked to wait and presently was ushered into the presence of Chief Inspector Edgar. This official had followed the case with Tanner, and he heard Daunt’s story with thinly veiled amazement.
“It’s the most extraordinary case I have come across for many a year,” he exclaimed. “That makes two suspects, and Tanner’s off to Portugal after a third.”
“Good Lord! To Portugal?”
“Yes, with an extradition warrant and all complete. Well, Mr. Daunt, I needn’t say how grateful we are to you and Miss Drew for what you have done, and you may count on your information receiving the fullest and most careful attention. When Tanner gets back, perhaps you wouldn’t mind calling in and having a chat over the matter with him?”
When Jimmy returned to Lois and told her of the Portuguese expedition she was as utterly amazed as he was. But there was no way of satisfying their curiosity, and they had unwillingly to content themselves to wait till Tanner’s return.
XI
A Fresh Start
While Lois Drew and her cousin, James Daunt, were pursuing their researches into the movements of Cosgrove Ponson, Inspector Tanner had been far from idle. We may retrace our steps to , and follow the detective as he endeavours to complete his case against the accused.
Having reached London with his prisoner, and handed him over to the proper authorities, Tanner returned to the Yard and set to work on a statement of the evidence he was prepared to supply to the Crown Prosecutor.
But the more he considered this evidence, the less satisfied he became with it. Tanner was an ambitious as well as a naturally efficient man, and he hated giving over a case which was not complete in every detail. Here, though the facts he had learned undoubtedly made a powerful arraignment of Austin, they just stopped short of being conclusive. Always there was the possibility of a plant, with the accused as the innocent victim. At all events Tanner was sure a defence on these lines would be attempted, and he was not quite certain that he could meet it.
Another difficulty was his failure to discover the maker of the fifth set of tracks on the river bank. Until this man was identified, and his business there known, the affair would remain unsatisfactory.
Tanner determined he could not rest on his oars, but must continue his inquiries in the hope of making his case overwhelming.
He recalled the fact that he had intended to follow
