“There’s one thing I can tell you, Inspector,” he said, as he put back his glass in his pocket, “this lady had travelled some considerable distance by car—she had driven it, I should say, all the way from her home at Tranfield.”
“We know she came by car,” returned Bannister. “The ‘Lauderdale’ people——”
“With all deference, Inspector—we didn’t know how far she had come in that car. She might have come by train as you yourself suggested and picked up the car here in Seabourne. However, she didn’t. Look at the brim of this hat—it is distinctly dusty—and if you look at the dust very carefully, you will see that it is not all quite the same shade of colour. Now the screen will protect you on a comparatively short journey, but over a distance of a hundred miles or so—a car-driver usually picks up some patches of dust. Much more than a person travelling by train, for instance. The different shades of dust suggest to me for example, two separate counties many miles apart. Let us say, just for example, Westhamptonshire and Marlshire. Now look at the surface of these shoes. A person who had walked even a small part of that distance would have much dustier shoes than these!” He held them out to Bannister who nodded his acceptance of Mr. Bathurst’s theory.
“No doubt you’re right,” he conceded.
Anthony continued his explanation, warming to his work. “Now there are certain parts of the soles of these two shoes that shew unmistakable signs of friction—of rubbing. I am pretty certain that Miss Delaney had driven a considerable distance in that car when she drove up to the ‘Lauderdale’ Hotel.”
“Yes—I think you’re right. One of the questions we have to face is the tracing of that car.”
He turned to address the Crown Prince and Miss Carruthers. “I won’t detain you any longer, Your Royal Highness, if you’d care to go. If I want you again I’ll see you at the ‘Cassandra’—I shall be calling there again before leaving for Tranfield.” He thought for a moment. “Get Godfrey to drive you up and tell him to come back here for Mr. Bathurst and me.”
The Crown Prince accepted the dismissal with evident pleasure.
“Seemed very sure the dead girl wasn’t Miss Travers, didn’t he?” contributed Bannister meaningly—“did you notice that?”
“I did—on the other hand so did Captain Willoughby—so there might be nothing in that—it’s an extraordinary case altogether—it’s difficult to know where to begin.”