"Exactly!" he said. "I quite understand you, Mr. Polke. But--I am convinced that my brother came here to see John Horbury. Why he came, I know no more than you do--but I hope to know!" "You'll stay in the town a bit, sir?" suggested Polke. "You'll want to make arrangements for your poor brother's funeral, of course. Aught that we can do, sir, to help, shall be done." "I'm much obliged to you, Mr. Polke," replied Hollis. "Yes, I shall certainly stay in Scarnham. In fact," he went on, rising and looking quietly from one man to the other, "I shall stay in Scarnham until I, or you, or somebody have satisfactorily explained how my brother came to his death! I shall spare neither effort nor money to get at the truth--that's my determination!" "There's somebody else in like case with you, Mr. Hollis," observed Polke. "Miss Fosdyke's just as concerned about her uncle as you are about your brother. She declares she'll spend a fortune on finding him--or finding out what's happened to him. It was Miss Fosdyke insisted on having Detective-Sergeant Starmidge down at once." Hollis quietly scrutinized the detective. "Well?" he asked. "And what do you make of it?" But Starmidge was not in the mood for saying anything more just then, and he put his questioner off, asking him, at the same time, to keep the matter of the cheque to himself. Presently Hollis went away with Neale, to whom he wished to talk, and Starmidge, after a period of what seemed to be profound thought, turned to Polke. "Superintendent!" he said earnestly. "With your leave, I'd like to try an experiment." "What experiment?" demanded Polke. Starmidge pointed to the ten thousand pound cheque, which was still lying on the table. "I'd like to take that cheque across to Chestermarke's Bank, and show it to the partners," he answered. "Good heavens!--why?" exclaimed Polke. "I thought you didn't want anybody to know about it." "Never mind--I've an idea," said the detective. "I'd just like them to see it, anyway, and," he added, with a wink, "I'd like to see them when they do see it!" "You know best," said Polke. "If you think it well, do it." Starmidge put the cheque in an envelope and walked over to the bank. He was shown into the partners' room almost immediately, and the two men glanced at him with evident curiosity. "Sorry to trouble you, gentlemen," said Starmidge, in his politest manner. "There's a little matter you might help us in. We've been searching this unfortunate gentleman's clothing, you know, for papers and so on. And in his letter-case we found--this!" He had the cheque ready behind his back, and he suddenly brought it forward, and laid it immediately before the partners, on Gabriel's desk, at the same time stepping back so that he could observe both men. "Queer, isn't it, gentlemen?" he remarked quietly. "Incomplete!"