The Harvest Murder

CHAPTER II

Immediately upon his return to Culverden, Sergeant Wragge communicated with his superior, the Superintendent of the district. As a result of their conversation, Mrs. Speight's jewel box was dispatched that afternoon by a trusty messenger to Scotland Yard. Since Inspector Waghorn of the Criminal Investigation Department was on duty, the package was delivered to him.

Inspector Waghorn was a young man with a university education who had entered the police force by the medium of the Police College at Hendon. At this time he was acting as assistant to Superintendent Hanslet, well known as one of the leading lights of the Yard. To his friends in the Force, who were many, the Inspector was popularly known as Jimmy. He was already beginning to gain something of a reputation as a smart officer.

The arrival of the silver box with its accompanying request for examination by the Fingerprint Department was to Jimmy no more than a matter of routine. Finding himself with nothing particular to do that afternoon, he took the box to the Fingerprint Department himself. The officer in charge of that department, with whom Jimmy was on excellent terms, eyed the box critically.

"What's this, Jimmy?" he asked. "It looks expensive whatever it is. I can't bring myself to believe that you're bringing me the freedom of the City in a silver casket."

"Fine bit of plate, isn't it?" Jimmy replied. "It's been sent up from a place called Culverden for your inspection. From what I can gather something has been stolen from it, and the local people believe that you may be able to find the fingermarks of the thief."

The officer in charge of the department took the box and held it up to the light. "It's been polished fairly recently," he remarked. "If there are any fingermarks on it we ought to be able to find them. As it is, I can see some faint smudges which may or may not turn out to be prints. It's a matter for a little dusting powder, I fancy."

The expert carried out the necessary dusting with grey powder. "Fingermarks all right," he exclaimed immediately. "Two sets of them, by the look of it. We can only hope one set hasn't confused the other. Wait a minute, till I get my magnifying glass to work upon them."

For a couple of minutes he examined the surface of the box intently and in silence. "Half a dozen really fine specimens," he said at last. "The complete fingermarks, four fingers and thumbs, both hands of two separate people. I rather fancy that one of these people is a woman, but I can't be sure. And the other fingermarks I've seen before, I'm certain of that. I wouldn't mind betting you that we've already got them in our records."

"Wonderful how easy detection is to chaps like you!" Jimmy murmured.

"Easy!" exclaimed the other. "Why it's as simple as falling off a log. If you'd been working at fingerprints as long as I have my lad, you'd learn to recognize them at a glance. I'm not going to pretend that I remember to whom each set of prints belongs, but if I've seen them before I know them again. Wait a minute."

He glanced fixedly once more at the fingerprints which his operations had disclosed, then went to one of the set of cupboards that occupied the sides of the room. From this he extracted a file which he consulted, turning over the leaves slowly one by one. In a few moments he extracted a leaf and held it out for Jimmy's inspection.

"There you are," he said, "the very identical prints. You'll want the prints on this box photographed, of course. I'll see to that for you, and send the lot up to your room as soon as I've finished."

"Thanks," Jimmy replied. "You're a bit of a wizard in your way, aren't you? But one trifling detail seems to have escaped you."

"What's that?" the expert asked suspiciously.

Jimmy laughed. "You haven't told me who the prints belong to."

"Oh that!" said the expert with a sudden lack of interest. "You don't suppose we attach the life history of our subjects to these files, do you? You'll have to go next door for that. The man's name is Christopher Elver, and the number of his record is 17534. Now run along and leave me to get on with those photographs."

Armed with this information Jimmy went to the Criminal Record Office where he obtained the file numbered 17534 and marked with the name of Christopher Elver. This he took up to his own room for perusal. By the time he had read through the various documents contained in the file, he was fully conversant with the history of Christopher Elver.

Some nine years previously the police had become aware that a fairly extensive system of drug distribution was at work in London. At last, as a result of long and patient work on the part of the C.I.D., the focus of this system was traced to a small shop in Lambeth kept by a woman who gave her name as Mrs. Hawkins. Mrs. Hawkins was arrested and search of her shop resulted in the discovery of considerable quantities of cocaine. Mrs. Hawkins refused to give any explanation of how she came to be in possession of the stuff, but various indications made it seem extremely probable that the drug had been imported to this country from Germany. Further, it was ascertained by inquiry that a young man known in the neighbourhood as Sea Joe was a regular visitor to the shop.

At this stage the conduct of the investigation had devolved upon Superintendent, then Inspector, Hanslet. Mrs. Hawkins had proved unexpectedly obstinate, and it was impossible to obtain from her any information regarding this man Joe. However, the nickname had seemed significant to Hanslet. It suggested to him that some seaman frequenting the Port of London was the agent who was importing the drug. He arranged for a strict watch to be kept throughout the port and, within ten days of the raid upon Mrs. Hawkins' shop, he detained a ship's steward as he was in the act of stepping ashore at Butler's wharf. This man was taken to the police station and searched. To Hanslet's intense satisfaction he was found to be carrying a supply of cocaine.

In the face of this discovery the man attempted no sort of defence. He admitted that the cocaine was intended for Mrs. Hawkins, with whom he had done business for many years. He stated that his name was Christopher Elver, that he was known to his intimates as Sea Joe, and that he was employed as steward on the steamship Etrurian, trading between London and the Elbe. He gave his age as thirty-one and declared that nobody but himself and Mrs. Hawkins knew of his criminal activities.

Mrs. Hawkins, on being told that Elver had been arrested and had mentioned her name, became more communicative. She was quite prepared to tell the police everything she knew about him. But her statement though long and vituperative, amounted in the end to very little. It appeared that Christopher Elver was his real name, and that he had posed as her nephew, though actually they were not related in any way. She added mysteriously that there was a girl who might be able to tell the police even more than she could. But the only information she could give concerning this girl was that Elver had brought her to the shop more than once to have a cup of tea.

Elver, upon being pressed for information on this point, had strenuously denied the existence of any such girl. He had said, with some show of heat, that the old woman was telling a pack of lies as was her usual habit. And Hanslet, who by this time had had considerable experience of Mrs. Hawkins' powers of imagination, was inclined to credit this. Nobody on board the Etrurian knew anything of the girl, and, since it seemed that she could have played at most only a minor part in the conspiracy, Hanslet let the matter drop. Elver had been sentenced to seven years imprisonment and had been released two years ago. A final note, dated the current year, was attached to the file. "Elver now under observation of M. Division."

Wonderful how simple a thing detection can be sometimes, Jimmy thought. The sequence of events appealed to his imagination. Not a link was missing, and each was perfect in itself. The silver box with its surface so perfectly adapted to the reception of fingerprints. The instant recognition of those prints by the expert, and the immediate identification of the person to whom they belonged. The previous history of that person neatly recorded and filed. The fact that, as a time-expired convict, he was still under the observation of the police. It only remained to arrest the man and to find in his pockets the proceeds of his burglary.

But this most desirable conclusion was not Jimmy's job. He picked up his telephone and put a call through to Sergeant Wragge at Culverden. He gave the Sergeant a résumé of his discoveries and tactfully asked him what steps he proposed to take.

"Of course if I can do anything to help you, you've only got to say the word," he concluded.

"That's very good of you, sir," replied Wragge, gratefully. "You see, at hop picking time like this it's very difficult for us chaps to get away for more than an hour at a time. If it wouldn't be troubling you too much, sir, I would be very grateful if you could get in touch with M. Division and ask them to detain the man and then let me know."

"Right, I'll do that straight away," said Jimmy. "I'll send you back that silver box as soon as the fingerprint people have done with it. Perhaps we may have the pleasure of meeting some day, Sergeant. Good evening."

Jimmy glanced at the clock. It was now after six o'clock and his tour of duty at the Yard had expired. He had nothing special to do that evening and...