The next morning the Five Find-Outers and their dog arrived punctually at the police station. With them they brought their clues, as the big man had requested. There was Fatty's drawing of the footprints, the bit of grey cloth in the match-box, and the rubber-soled shoes that had been scraped up by Buster.
"You know, the only clue that wasn't any use was the bit of grey flannel," said Larry, opening the box. "We never found out whose coat it belonged to, did we? And yet it must belong to some one who went through that gap! Perhaps Mr. Hick wore a grey suit that night If so, he hasn't worn it since, because he's always had on dark blue whenever we've seen him."
They went into the police station feeling a little awed. Mr. Goon was there, without his helmet, and also another policeman the children didn't know. They stared at Mr. Goon, expecting him to rise up and say "Clear-Orfl"
But he didn't. He told them to sit down in such polite tones that the children were overcome with astonishment. They sat down. Buster went to inspect the policeman's legs, and Clear-Orf didn't even kick out at him.
"We were to meet some one here," said Fatty. Clear-Orf nodded.
"He'll be along in a minute," he said. As he spoke, a small police-car drove up, and the children looked round, expecting to see their friend, the big man. But he wasn't in the car.
To their surprise there was some one else in it that they knew. It was the old tramp! He was muttering to himself, and looking rather scared.
"I'm an honest old fellow, I am, and nobody never said I wasn't. I'll tell anything I know, course I will, but
I won't do nothing to get meself into trouble, that I won't I've not done nothing wrong."
There was a plain-clothes policeman in the car with him, besides the driver. Bets was surprised when Larry told her that the man in the dark grey suit was a policeman.