The Starvel Hollow tragedy : $b An Inspector French caseCrofts, Freeman Wills
General
The Starvel Hollow tragedy : $b An Inspector French case
Crofts, Freeman Wills
Detective and mystery stories; French, Joseph (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Police -- Great Britain -- Fiction
“_Strictly private and confidential,_
“New Scotland Yard.
“Dear Dr. Philpot,—You will be surprised to hear from me, and
particularly to learn that I believe I have got my hands on the man
wanted for the affair I have been working on. I do not wish to give
details in a letter, but it is a man whom you know well and whom we
all thought to be dead. You can probably guess from this.
“We have found that under an alias he has been transferring his money
abroad, and in the name of the stockbrokers concerned I have asked
him to meet their junior partner at Waverley Station, Edinburgh, on
Tuesday next at 6.15 p.m. on the arrival of the 10.0 a.m. from
King’s Cross. The junior partner will not be there, but I shall, and
I hope to make the arrest.
“My difficulty is that I cannot myself identify the wanted man. In
this I want your kind help. Will you please meet me under Scott’s
Monument at 5.0 p.m.? I shall then ask you to accompany me to the
station and from some inconspicuous place keep a look-out for him.
When you see him you will tell me and I shall do the rest.
“I ask you to assist me in this, and feel sure that when you
consider all the circumstances of the case you will agree to do so.
“Will you please wire your decision on receipt of this letter.
“Yours faithfully,
“Joseph French.”
For the next few hours French was like the proverbial hen on the hot
griddle. Every time his telephone bell rang he snatched up the
receiver hoping that the caller was the post office from which he had
sent his message. Every time the door opened he looked up eagerly to
see if it was not an orange coloured telegraph message that was being
brought in. He found it hard to settle to work, so much depended on
his plans succeeding.
When, therefore, about four in the afternoon a wire was brought to
him, he had to exercise real self-control not to snatch the paper from
the messenger. And then he could have laughed with delight. The
message had been handed in at the General Post Office in Edinburgh,
and read:—
“To Dashwood and Munce,
“Dover House,
“Gracechurch Street,
“Your wire. Will meet Munce as suggested.
“Whitman.”
So far, so very excellent! Here was the major difficulty overcome! On
Tuesday evening the public career of John Roper would come to a sudden
stop. The end of the case was at last in sight.
Early the next morning a second telegram was handed to French, which
gave him almost equally great satisfaction. It was from Philpot and
read:—
“Will meet you place and time stated.”
There was now just one other point to be settled. Roper was coming to
the station to meet Munce. But Munce was not going to Edinburgh. Some
one must therefore take his place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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