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III
“Sir, listen, do you know what?”
Inspector Craddock looked at his excited sergeant.
“Yes, Wetherall, what is it?”
“I’ve placed him, sir. That chap. All the time I was trying to fix it and
suddenly it came. He was mixed up in that tinned food business with
Dicky Rogers. Never got anything on him—too cagey for that. And he’s
been in with one or more of the Soho lot. Watches and that Italian sover-
eign business.”
Of course! Craddock realized now why Alfred’s face had seemed vaguely
familiar from the first. It had all been small-time stuff—never anything
that could be proved. Alfred had always been on the outskirts of the
racket with a plausible innocent reason for having been mixed up in it at
all. But the police had been quite sure that a small steady profit came his
way.
“That throws rather a light on things,” Craddock said.
“Think he did it?”
“I shouldn’t have said he was the type to do murder. But it explains
other things—the reason why he couldn’t come up with an alibi.”
“Yes, that looked bad for him.”
“Not really,” said Craddock. “It’s quite a clever line—just to say firmly
you can’t remember. Lots of people can’t remember what they did and
where they were even a week ago. It’s especially useful if you don’t partic-
ularly want to call attention to the way you spend your time—interesting
rendezvous at lorry pull-ups with the Dicky Rogers crowd, for instance.”
“So you think he’s all right?”
“I’m not prepared to think anyone’s all right just yet,” said Inspector
Craddock. “You’ve got to work on it, Wetherall.”
Back at his desk, Craddock sat frowning, and making little notes on the
pad in front of him.
Murderer (he wrote)… A tall dark man!!!
Victim?… Could have been Martine, Edmund
Crackenthorpe’s girlfriend or widow.
Or
Could have been Anna Stravinska. Went out of circulation
at appropriate time, right age and appearance, clothing,
etc. No connections with Rutherford Hall as far as is
known. Could be Harold’s first wife! Bigamy!
” ” first mistress. Blackmail!
If connection with Alfred, might be blackmail. Had know-
ledge that could have sent him to gaol? If Cedric—might
have had connections with him abroad— Paris? Balear-
ics?
Or
Victim could be Anna S. posing as Martine
or
Victim is unknown woman killed by unknown murderer!
“And most probably the latter,” said Craddock aloud.
He reflected gloomily on the situation. You couldn’t get far with a case
until you had the motive. All the motives suggested so far seemed either
inadequate or far fetched.
Now if only it had been the murder of old Mr. Crackenthorpe… Plenty of
motive there….
Something stirred in his memory….
He made further notes on his pad.
Ask Dr. Q. about Christmas illness.
Cedric—alibi.
Consult Miss M. for the latest gossip.
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