The sea mystery : $b An Inspector French detective storyCrofts, Freeman Wills
General
The sea mystery : $b An Inspector French detective story
Crofts, Freeman Wills
Detective and mystery stories; French, Joseph (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Police -- Great Britain -- Fiction
All the evening he puzzled over the problem, then at last he saw that
there was a line of research which, though it might not solve the
point in question, yet bade fair to be of value to the enquiry as a
whole.
Once again it concerned a time-table—this time for Domlio’s presumed
movements. Assume that Berlyn and Pyke reached the point at which the
car was abandoned about 11.30. To convince Pyke of the _bona fides_ of
the breakdown, Berlyn would have to spend some time over the engine,
say fifteen minutes. In the dark they could scarcely have reached
Torview in less than another fifteen; say that by the time Domlio had
admitted them it was close on midnight. Some time would then be
consumed in explaining the situation and in getting out the car; in
fact, the party could scarcely have left Torview before 12.10. Running
to the works would have occupied the most of another half hour; say
arrive 12.40. Domlio reached his home about 2.10, which, allowing half
an hour for the return journey, left an hour unaccounted for. In this
hour Pyke’s murder must have been committed, the duplicator taken to
pieces and the parts left in the store, fresh tea put into Gurney’s
flask, Pyke’s clothes and the small parts of the duplicator got rid
of, and the magneto on Berlyn’s car changed.
French wondered if all these things could have been done in the time.
At last, after working out a detailed time-table, he came to the
conclusion that they could, on one condition: that the clothes and
duplicator parts were got rid of on the way to Torview; that is, if no
time were lost in making a detour.
Where, then, could this have been done?
French took his map and considered the route. The Dart River was
crossed three times and a part of the way lay through woods. But he
believed that too many tourists strayed from the road for these to be
safe hiding-places, though he realised that they might have to be
searched later.
There remained two places, either of which he thought more
promising—the works and Domlio’s grounds.
The fact that elaborate arrangements had been made to get Pyke’s body
away from the works indicated that the disposal of it there was
considered impossible. Nevertheless, French spent the next day, which
was Sunday, prowling about the buildings, though without result.
This left Domlio’s little estate, and early the following morning
French borrowed the sergeant’s bicycle and rode out to his former
hiding-place outside the gates. History repeated itself, for after
waiting for nearly two hours he saw Domlio pass out towards Ashburton.
As the car had not been heard by either Coombe or Mee on the night of
the tragedy, it followed that it had almost certainly entered by the
back drive. French now walked up this lane to the yard, looking for
hiding-places. But there were none.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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