‘Any one notice the colour of the horse?’
But this was beyond them. The horse was out of their line. Its colour had not been observed.
‘Well,’ said Mr. Avery, as the Inspector signed that was all he wanted, ‘we are much obliged to you. Here’s something for you.’
Inspector Burnley beckoned to Broughton.
‘You might describe this man Harkness.’
‘He was a tall chap with a sandy moustache, very high cheek-bones, and a big jaw. He was dressed in brown dungarees and a cloth cap.’
‘You hear that,’ said the Inspector, turning to the plain-clothes men. ‘They have half an hour’s start. Try to get on their track. Try north and east first, as it is unlikely they’d go west for fear of meeting us. Report to headquarters.’
The men hurried away.
‘Now, a telephone,’ continued the Inspector. ‘Perhaps you’d let me use your quay office one.’
They walked to the office, and Mr. Avery arranged for him to get the private instrument in the manager’s room. He rejoined the others in a few minutes.