“You look like solid ghosts,” he grunted in reply to their greetings.
“Won pots of money, you lucky man?” asked the lady.
“Oh, pots and pans!” he nodded. “As you say, I am a lucky devil. Know the difference between a lucky devil and an unlucky one, Clark. You ought, by Gad, but do you?”
Mr. Clark, a sunburnt, good-natured looking man, apparently gave it up.
“A lucky devil helps to skin others, an unlucky one can only be skinned,” and the major, with the cackle Christine so much disliked, walked into the house.
“Of a charm certainly!” repeated Pointer to himself with a faint grin as he emerged from behind the flowering shrub and walked down to the police, where his snapshot of the major was developed and enlarged, in time for a copy to be despatched to the Yard in the evening, together with a pressing request for further particulars as to the officer in question.
Carter was next met in Pointer's quiet room at a Meublé near the station. The detective officer had no directions to give the Canadian, but asked a good many questions about Robert's letters, and to the answers he paid the closest attention. That done, he took his departure by the afternoon express. He got out at Marseilles, where he waited for Watts to join him. That detective had been instructed by telegram to leave Mr. Beale to the sole care of his mate and join the Chief Inspector at the noisy, dirty port as soon as possible. Watts was only too glad to descend from the crowded train and make his way to the hotel, where Pointer gave him an account of the past day's work.
“I don't want amateur help!” Pointer examined some bouillabaisse with quite undeserved suspicion. “Carter, even supposing he were free from suspicion—which he isn't—may be a useful chap, or may be an absolute bungler. I haven't time to train budding talent in this case.”
“And the young lady?”
“Is staying at Cannes. She's very keen to help, and I don't say that she may not be useful, too; but give me the real thing, Watts. Had I been able to get a good woman-detective into the villa in her place, a good many doubts as to the character of Mrs. Erskine's ‘bodyguard’ might be over. However, I couldn't.”