“Any murders to his name?”
“Well-l, I don't know about murders, but for robbery with or without violence he's a master.”
“Will you describe him, sir?”
“My language might pain you, Chief, but here's the police docket of him from N'York.” He handed the Chief Inspector a typewritten numbered slip, which described one Henry Green, alias Arthur Shepherd, alias—— The description tallied exactly with the man Carter. The snapshot appended was that of a clever face, full of daring and with a resolute chin. The specimen handwriting was that familiar to Pointer both from the Hotel Marvel and from the register below in the Lion Blanc.
He studied the slip very carefully. He noted that Carter, or Green, had never yet been actually captured or stood his trial. All the evidence against him seemed to be held back in the police hands.
“You can keep that if you like, Chief.”
“Thank you, sir. That's a great help. And now, sir, what made you choose the Enterprise Hotel in the first place?”
“I had information that Green had been seen a couple of days before going in there. Mistaken information, I guess. The fool mixed it up with another hotel lower down.”
“You had never seen Eames before?”
“Eames? Never. My reason for suspecting that something was wrong in the room was exactly what I told you.”