"Ah!" said Starmidge, "when we know that, Mr. Neale, we shall know a lot! But I'm pretty sure of one thing. Mr. Hollis came down here intending to pay somebody ten thousand pounds. And--he wasn't exactly certain who that somebody was!" "Good!" muttered Polke. "Good! That looks like it." "So," said Starmidge, "he didn't fill in either the name of the payee or his own name until he was--sure! See, Mr. Neale!" "Why did he fill in the amount?" remarked Neale, sceptically. Starmidge winked at Polke. "Very likely to dangle before somebody's eyes," he answered slyly. "Can't you reconstruct the scene, Mr. Neale? 'Here you are!' says Hollis, showing this cheque. 'Ten thousand of the very best, lying to be picked up at my bankers. Say the word, and I'll fill in your name and mine!' Lay you a pound to a penny that's been it, gentlemen!" "Good!" repeated Polke. "Good, sergeant! I believe you're right. Now, what'll you do about it?" The detective carefully folded up the cheque and replaced it in the slit from which he had taken it. He also replaced all the other papers, put the letter-case in a stout envelope and handed it to the superintendent. "Seal it up and put it away in your safe till the inquest tomorrow," he said. "What shall I do? Oh, well--you needn't mention it, either of you, except to Miss Fosdyke, of course--but as soon as the inquest is adjourned--as it'll have to be--I shall slip back to town and see those bankers. I don't know, but I don't think it's likely that Mr. Hollis would have ten thousand pounds always lying at his bank. I should say this ten thousand has been lodged there for a special purpose. And what I shall want to find out from them, in that case, is--what special purpose? And--what had it to do with Scarnham, or anybody at Scarnham? See? And I'll tell you what, Mr. Polke--I don't know whether we'll produce that cheque at the inquest on Hollis--at first, anyhow. The coroner's bound to adjourn--all he'll want tomorrow will be formal identification of the body--all other evidence can be left till later. I've wired for Simmons--he'll be able to identify. No--we'll keep this cheque business back till I've been to London. I shall find out something from Vanderkistes--they're highly respectable private bankers, and they'll tell me----" At that moment a policeman entered the room and presented Polke with a card. "Gentleman's just come in, sir," he said. "Wants to see you particular." Polke glanced at the card, and read the name aloud, with a start of surprise: "Mr. Leonard Hollis!" CHAPTER XIX THE DEAD MAN'S BROTHER Polke hastily followed the policeman from the room--to return immediately with a quiet-looking elderly gentleman in whom Neale and Starmidge saw a distinct likeness to the dead man. "His brother!" whispered Polke, as he handed a chair to the visitor. "So you've seen about this in the newspapers, sir?" he went on, turning to Mr. Leonard Hollis. "And you thought you'd better come over, I suppose?"