Out he went, not even heeding Tomlin"s appeal to drink the ginger-ale he had just ordered.
"Just like "im," sighed Hobbs. "Good-"earted fellow! Would find hexcuses for a black rat."
Elkin talked more freely now that the chemist"s disapproving eye was off him. Ultimately, Mr. Franklin elected to smoke a cigar in the open air, and strolled forth. He sauntered down the hill, stood on the bridge, and admired the soft blue tones of the landscape in the half light of a summer evening. Shortly before closing time, Robinson appeared, it being part of his routine duty to see that no noisy revelers disturbed the peace of the village. He noticed the stranger at once, and elected to walk past him.
Thus, he received yet another shock when Mr. Franklin addressed him by name.
"Good evening, Robinson," said the pleasant, clear-toned voice. "I"ve been expecting you to turn up. Kindly go back home, and leave the door open. I want to slip in quietly. I am Chief Inspector Winter, of Scotland Yard."
"You don"t say so, sir!" stammered Robinson.
"But I do say it, and will prove it to you, of course. I"ll be with you in a minute or two. There"s someone coming. You and I must not be seen together."
Robinson made off, and Winter lounged along the Knoleworth road. He met Bates, going to the post with letters.
Naturally, Bates looked him over. Returning from the post office, he kept a sharp eye for the unknown loiterer, but saw him not. He even walked quickly to the bend of the road, but the other man had vanished.
Grant and Hart were talking of anything but the murder when Bates thrust his head in. He was grasping his goatee beard, sure sign of some weight on his mind.
"Beg pardon," he said, "but I thought you"d like to know. The place is just swarmin" with "em."
"Bees?" inquired Hart.
Bates stared fixedly at the speaker for a second or two.
"No, sir, "tecs," he said. "There"s a big "un now--just the opposite to the little "un, Hawkshaw. I "ope I "aven"t to tackle this customer, though. He"d gimme a doin", by the looks of "im."
Bates had disappeared before Grant remembered that the press photographer had mentioned the Big "Un and the Little "Un of the Yard.
"Now, I wonder," he said.
His wonder could hardly have equaled Winter"s had he heard the gardener"s words. The guess was a distinct score for blunt Suss.e.x, though it was founded solely on the a.s.sumption that all comers now, unless Bates was personally acquainted with them, were limbs of the law.
CHAPTER XII
WHEREIN WINTER GETS TO WORK
Winter had identified Bates at the first glance. The letters in the man"s hand, too, showed his errand, so, while the gardener was climbing the hill, the detective slipped into Robinson"s cottage.
He found the policeman awaiting him in the dark, because a voice said:
"Beg pardon, sir, but the other gentleman from the "Yard" asked me to take him into the kitchen. A light in the front room might attract attention, he thought."
"Just what Mr. Furneaux would suggest, and I agree with him," said Winter, quite alive to the canny discretion behind those words, "the other gentleman."
Robinson led the way. Supper was laid on the table. Poor Mrs. Robinson had again beaten a hasty retreat.
"Now, Robinson," said the Chief Inspector affably, "before we come to business I"ll prove my bona fides. Here is my official card, and I"ll run quickly through events until 1.30 p.m. to-day. I met Mr. Furneaux at Victoria, and he posted me fully up to that hour."
So the policeman listened to a clear summary of the Steynholme case as it was known to the authorities.
"I did not warn either Mr. Fowler or you of my visit because a telegram could hardly be explicit enough," concluded Winter. "At the inn I am Mr.
Franklin, an Argentine importer of blood stock in the horse line. At this moment the only other man beside yourself in Steynholme who is aware of my official position is Mr. Peters, and he is pledged to secrecy. To-morrow or any other day until further notice, you and I meet as strangers in public. By the way, Mr. Furneaux asked me to tell you that he found the wig and the false beard in the river early this morning. The wearer had apparently flung them off while crossing the foot-bridge leading from Bush Walk, having forgotten that they would not sink readily. Perhaps he didn"t care. At any rate, Mr. Hart"s bullet seems to have laid Owd Ben"s ghost. Now, what of this fellow, Elkin? He worries me."
"Can I offer you a gla.s.s of beer, sir?"
"With pleasure. May I smoke while you eat? You see, I differ from Mr.
Furneaux in both size and habits."
Robinson poured out the beer. He was preternaturally grave. The somewhat incriminating statements he had wormed out of the horse-dealer that afternoon lay heavy upon him. But he told his story succinctly enough.
Winter nodded to emphasize each point, and congratulated him at the end.
"You arranged that very well," he said. "I gather, though, that Elkin spoke rather openly."
"Just as I"ve put it, sir. He tripped a bit over the time on Monday night. But it"s only fair to say that he might have had Tomlin"s license in mind."
"That issue will be settled to-morrow. I"ll find out the commercial traveler"s name, and send a telegram from Knoleworth before noon.... Who is Peggy Smith?"
Robinson set down an empty gla.s.s with a stare of surprise.
"Bob Smith"s daughter, sir," he answered.
"No doubt. But, proceed."
"Well, sir, she"s just a village girl. Her father is a blacksmith. His forge is along to the right, not far. She"ll be twenty, or thereabouts."
"Frivolous?"
"Not more than the rest of "em, sir."
"Have you seen her flirting with Elkin?"
Robinson took thought.
"Now that I come to think of it, she might be given a bit that way. Her father shoes Elkin"s nags, so there"s a lot of comin" an" goin" between the two places. But folks would always look on it as natural enough. Yes, I"ve seen "em together more than once."
"In that case, he can hardly grumble if the postmaster"s daughter has an eye for another young man."
"Miss Martin!" snorted Robinson. "She wouldn"t look the side of the road he was on. Fred Elkin isn"t her sort."
"But he said to-night in the Hare and Hounds that he and Miss Martin were practically engaged."
"Stuff an" nonsense! Sorry, sir, but I admire Doris Martin. I like to see a girl like her liftin" herself out of the common gang. She"s the smartest young lady in the village, an" not an atom of a sn.o.b. No, no.
She isn"t for Fred Elkin. Before this murder cropped up everybody would have it that Mr. Grant would marry her."