“But look here, French,” he interrupted. “Earle was murdered on Sunday, the 9th of October. Why did those two wait a whole fortnight to get the analysis? Wasn’t that running rather a risk?”
“Yes, sir; very much so. It was important that the safe should be cleared at the first possible moment, and so it was.”
“But it wasn’t. I don’t see that.”
“It was, sir. You’re evidently not aware that Gates was ill during that whole fortnight: an attack of bronchitis (p. 148). Sunday was the first day since Earle’s murder that they could have tried the safe. It had to be a Sunday owing to the servant being out. I thought that important, because it also worked in.”
Mitchell nodded. “I believe I did read your note about Gates’ illness. Yes, that’s all right. My objection has turned in my hand and become confirmation. That’s as it should be. Very well, French?”
“There was then the question of the burial,” went on French. “If my time-table was correct Campion could not have carried that out. He would only have had time to bring the body to the by-pass. The theory therefore demanded that Gates should have dug the grave and carried out the interment.
“In working out Campion’s suggested movements, I had estimated that he must have reached the by-pass about 8.35 (pp. 174-175). Now Gates admitted leaving his house about 8.30 and returning about nine (p. 281), and my researches showed that he might have been nearly an hour (p. 286). That would have enabled him to meet Campion and bury the body.”
“But not, surely, to dig the grave?” Mitchell put in.
“Yes, I think so. Remember the clay was freshly cast and loose and the grave was very shallow.”
“Very well. I think we must agree, super, that all that works in. But we’d like that bit of proof that you’ve promised us, French. What about it?”
“Not quite ready for it yet, sir, I’m afraid.”
“Did you ever hear what hope deferred does to the heart? Ah, well, we can’t help it. We’ll enjoy it all the more when it comes.”
French dutifully grinned. He gave a hurried glance at his notebook, then went on.
“I think, that given an adequate motive in the papers in the safe, that covers the murder of Ursula Stone, and it’s obvious that Campion and Gates in partnership could have murdered Frazer. But there were a good many points about the murders of Earle and Nurse Nankivel still to be cleared up. Of the two, the case of the nurse seemed easier and I took it first.
“It began with the telegram she received, asking her to go to the Hog’s Back on the Sunday evening. As you remember, the message and money was dropped into a letter box at Hampton Common: it was not taken to the post office (pp. 126-127). Obviously either Campion or Gates could have dropped it in.
“Now we know that the nurse reached the by-pass bridge at six o’clock (p. 162), the hour of the rendezvous, and drove off in a saloon car (p. 163). We know also that she was buried that night or shortly afterwards. Further we know—”
“How do you know when she was buried?” Chief Inspector Mitchell interrupted.
“I’ll prove presently, sir, that Earle’s body was buried that Sunday evening. The nurse’s was in the same grave (p. 241), hence must have been buried at the same time. Besides, the position in the bank proves it approximately. Both bodies were just below the surface of where the tip extended to on that evening (pp. 239-240).”
“Very good. Go ahead.”
“As I’ve already stated, Campion could have met the nurse on the Hog’s Back at six o’clock, murdered her and hid her body. I cannot prove he did so. I simply show that he could have, and let the proof hinge on the general circumstances of the other murders.”
“Where could he have hidden the body?”
“In the bushes between the road and the by-pass. I’ve been over the ground and there are lots of suitable places. Remember it was dark about six and the burial must have taken place about nine. The body would only have to remain hidden for about three hours.”
“It’s certainly possible. I suppose we might provisionally pass that, super?”
“Pending the proof we’re waiting for, I think so.”
“Ah yes, we must have that proof. Well, French, let’s hear what you have to say about Earle.”
“I found the murder of Earle a much tougher proposition, because both Campion and Gates had alibis and I had tested those alibis and found them watertight.
“I started working at them again, and the more I thought of them, the more watertight they seemed. You remember, sir, what they were? Campion was actually in the presence of his womenfolk and Miss Stone all the evening, except for a short time he spent in his workshop building a dolls’ house (pp. 34-50); and the whole of the time he spent on the work would have been required for it (p. 139). Besides that, at the actual hour of the murder, or within a minute or two of it, he was in the drawing-room with the three ladies (pp. 137-139). Of this there was ample confirmation. Then as to Gates. Gates walked from his own house to Galbraith’s and back (p. 281). The time he took would all have been required for the walk (pp. 285-286). Moreover, he actually was at the door of Mr. Galbraith’s house at, or within a minute or two, of the hour of the murder (p. 286). It seemed impossible that either of these two could have been guilty. However, by this time I was satisfied that somehow or other both alibis had been faked, and I felt it was up to me to find out how.
“The first thing I went into was the question, Must the hour of the murder necessarily correspond with that of the disappearance?
“I came to the conclusion that it must. It seemed to me to be proved by Earle’s clothes. If he had been going any distance to keep an appointment, he would have put on outdoor shoes and a coat and hat. He went out of the sitting-room, I felt sure, because someone came to the window and beckoned him, and I felt equally certain he had then been knocked senseless. Obviously he had expected to be out for a moment only.
“There was then no relief from the difficulty that way, and I just settled down to it.
“I took Campion first, and at once I saw a difference in what I might call the strength of his alibi at various times. Before eight o’clock on that Sunday night, Campion was at dinner with his household. After 9.20 he was again with the three ladies. Also for five minutes from about 8.30 till about 8.35 the same thing applied (pp. 135-137). This alibi, I felt, simply could not be broken. All three ladies were sure of the facts.
“But I saw that the alibi for the intermediate periods was not so overwhelming. From 8.0 till 8.30 and from 8.35 till 9.20 Campion was not actually in anyone’s presence. He was alone, ostensibly in his workshop, making a dolls’ house. The only proof he had of this presence there was that it would have taken him all the time to carry out the work.
“It therefore occurred to me to wonder, Had he done the work at that time?
“I concentrated on this dolls’ house affair, and presently two things occurred to me which made me suspect I was on the right track. The first was that the thing was entirely Campion’s own suggestion. Nothing had occurred to lead up to his offer. And there was no real reason why he should have done the work then. The house could have been sent after Miss Stone. Admittedly Campion himself had given me a reason: that he was tired of the ladies’ society and wanted an excuse to get away from them, and this of course might be true (pp. 135-136). At the same time the mere fact that he had thought it necessary to give me this explanation was in itself suspicious.
“The other consideration was more convincing. Campion had first shown the separate parts to Miss Stone, as they had arrived from the Handicrafts people. He had then brought the partially assembled house into the drawing-room at half-past eight, when he went in ostensibly to consult Miss Stone on the outside finish. And finally of course he had taken the completed house to St. Kilda when they went to run Miss Stone back. Did this, I asked myself, not show evidences of design? Was it not done to
establish the fact that that work at the house had really been in progress at that period? I thought it looked fishy. And I noted incidentally that the conversation about Miss Stone’s returning in the bus looked very like an attempt to fix the hour at which he had been in the drawing-room.”
French made his little pause, but none of the others commented. They were indeed paying him the compliment of a very close and undivided attention. French began to experience the firstfruits of his reward.
“By this time I had no doubt at all that I was on the right track, though I still couldn’t see how to break down the alibi. Then I thought, Suppose for argument sake that dolls’ house affair was faked and that Campion had been free during those two periods 8.0 to 8.30 and 8.35 to 9.20, what could he have done?
“Obviously he could not have murdered Earle. Earle was murdered at 8.40 (p. 39), and Campion couldn’t possibly have got to St. Kilda in time. Assume therefore that Gates, in spite of his alibi, had carried out the actual murder, how could Campion have helped?
“This bothered me for long enough, then I thought I saw it. Transport again! Gates was at his house at eight o’clock (p. 281), and if he was to get to St. Kilda in time, he must have been taken there in a car.”
“Wait a minute,” Sheaf interrupted. “What about the bicycle?”
“I thought of that, super,” French answered. “In the first place the bicycle was locked up at that hour (p. 284), but there was more in it than that. The body had to be taken back to the by-pass, and that could not have been done on the bicycle: it meant a car. But if a car was going with the body in any case, wouldn’t Gates also go in the car? For this hurry job, to get the body buried before about half-past nine
(p. 281), the bicycle would be too slow. Therefore Gates couldn’t have taken the bicycle to St. Kilda, as he would have had no way of getting it back. Therefore he would have needed a car.
“Could Campion, I thought at last, in his first workshop period have run Gates to St. Kilda, and in his second have run both Gates and Earle’s body to the by-pass?
“Here at once I was on to a snag. It was impossible to take the car out of the garage at the Red Cottage without its being heard from the house. I cursed over this for a while, and then I remembered that the drive was level (p. 128), and that it would be possible with the Campions’ light car (p. 38) to push it in and out of the garage by hand.”
Sheaf made a movement. “I think this tale deserves another toast,” he rumbled. “Say when, chief inspector.”
“When,” said Mitchell, again in satisfied tones. Then to French: “’Pon my soul, French, it’s going like a Sexton Blake. What do you say, super?”
“He should give up his job and take to writing for the films,” Sheaf said heavily. “More money in it than working for the Yard anyhow, chief inspector?”
“There could scarcely be less,” Mitchell agreed smoothly. “Well, French, what about the next chapter?”
Fortified by another tot, French went on with his tale.
“Thinking over the thing in detail, I saw that Campion would just have had time to take out the car, pick up Gates near Polperro, run him to near St. Kilda, return to the Red Cottage, park the car somewhere close by, and take the dolls’ house to the drawing-room. I estimated that he could do it in 28 minutes, and he actually had occupied half an hour. After Campion then had made his alibi he would have taken the car again, gone back to near St. Kilda, picked up Gates and the body, run them to the by-pass, and returned home. Was there time for this?
“I went into it as carefully as I could, and I found myself bothered by something quite unexpected. Campion had occupied too much time. Not a great deal of course, about five minutes. But I thought that where every minute would count, a discrepancy of this kind meant something. I puzzled over it for some time and then suddenly I saw it.”
“I think I see it too,” Mitchell put in, “but I admit only because of all you’ve said. I didn’t see it till you led up to it. You see it, super?”
“I see it now,” Sheaf returned. “You mean Gates’ alibi?”
“Of course. That’s what you’re coming to, isn’t it, French?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, go on in your own way. Tell us as if we didn’t know. We may have overlooked some point.”
“I saw after a long time what you and the super have seen in a moment,” French resumed tactfully, “that that five minutes would have enabled Gates’ alibi to have been established. Gates of course could not have called at Galbraith’s house, but Campion could. The house was actually on his way from the Red Cottage to St. Kilda. All that was necessary was to stick on a false moustache, pad up his clothes, and speak in a low rumble (p. 148). His height was about right; it was dark; Galbraith would be out so that only the housekeeper would see him; and most important of all, she was expecting Gates to call. I was satisfied Campion could have carried out the deception, and I was just as satisfied he had done so.”
“Quite good, French,” Mitchell approved. “You deserve a leather medal. Now let’s see if I’ve got it all right. Campion and Gates start from their respective homes at the same time, Campion in a car and Gates walking. They meet somewhere near Gates’ home. Campion picks up Gates, drives to near St. Kilda, and sets him down there. Campion drives home, establishes his own alibi in his drawing-room, starts off again, establishes Gates’ alibi at Galbraith’s, and drives back to near St. Kilda and picks up Gates. Gates in the meantime has enticed Earle out of St. Kilda, murdered him, and got the body placed ready to put in the car. The two men drive with the body to the by-pass, and while Campion goes home, Gates buries the body. That right?”
“Dead right, sir. I’ve got out a little statement which I think makes it pretty clear.”
French handed over a sheet, reproduced here, and the other pored over it. “The sketch is not to scale,” French explained, “but the positions are roughly as shown.”
“Ah yes,” said Mitchell, “this is it exactly.” He pondered over the document.
Time.
Campion.
Gates.
8.00.
Reaches workshop.
Leaves home to walk to Compton Corner.
8.02.
Leaves workshop. Pushes out car.
8.07.
Starts car.
8.10.
Picks up Gates at Compton Corner.
Is picked up by Campion at Compton Corner.
8.15.
Sets down Gates at Tarn Corner.
Is set down by Campion at Tarn Corner.
8.24.
Reaches the Red Cottage and parks car.
8.27.
Reaches St. Kilda and
awaits opportunity.
8.28.
Regains workshop.
8.30.
Enters drawing-room, completing own alibi.
8.35.
Leaves drawing-room. Makes up as Gates.
8.38.
Leaves workshop.
8.40.
Commits murder.
8.41.
Starts car.
8.44.
Calls at Galbraith’s.
8.48.
Completes faking of Gates’ alibi.
Has body on road, ready to load up.
8.56.
Picks up Gates and body near St. Kilda.
Is picked up with body by Campion.
9.08.
Leaves body in grave.
Assists to leave body in grave.
9.14.
Reaches the Red Cottage and puts car in garage.
9.20.
Reaches drawing-room.
9.30.
Reaches Polperro after burying body.
8.40.
Time of Earle’s disappearance (murder).
Campion’s Alibi:
8.30 to 8.35. Is in drawing-room with ladies.
Gates’ Alibi:
8.44 to 8.48. Is at Galbraith’s door.
“That’s quite good, French,” Mitchell commented, handing back the paper. “Now I wonder if I’ve got your theory of the entire crime? Just let’s see. Campion and Gates, a pretty pair of scoundrels, get into financial difficulties by backing their ill-luck on the race-course. They thereupon get together and devise a scheme to repair their fortunes. Gates has reliable expectations of £30,000 when old Frazer pegs out. Frazer is nearly seventy, in frail health, and only a slight push will be necessary to help him into the next world. No one will be the worse of it. His wife hates him and so does everyone who comes in contact with him. Between them they give him the push. Probably Campion gives Gates the poison to put in the medicine, or Gates gets it from the weed-killer, which he could easily do. Campion’s job is to sign the certificate. Somehow, we may take it, the responsibility is divided.
The Hog's Back Mystery Page 29