‘I hope you will let me know how you get on,’ she said.
‘You may trust me,’ he promised, and bowing low, took his leave.
As he walked slowly towards Austin’s villa, Tanner thought over the interview he had just had. He felt sure that the accounts he had heard of Miss Drew—that she was ‘a fine girl’ and ‘a real lady’—were true. He believed she was the kind of girl who would marry neither for wealth nor position, and the fact that she had consented to an engagement with Austin seemed to speak well for the latter.
His thoughts turned back to the point about the alibi which still worried him—whether Austin had really been at the Abbey at the time he said. And suddenly a way in which he might test the matter occurred to him. The shoes which made the tracks Tanner had found had, so Austin had said, been bought by him in London on the Monday. He, Tanner, had got them from Austin after the inquest on Friday. If he could trace the movements of those shoes from Monday to Friday, would light not be thrown on the problem? Tanner thought it worth while trying.
Not far from the door of Austin Ponson’s house a police constable was moving slowly along his beat. The Inspector went over to him.
‘Have you seen Mr Ponson lately?’ he inquired.
‘Yes, sir,’ answered the man, ‘he and Lady and Miss Ponson passed in the car about half an hour ago, going towards London.’
This was a fortunate chance, and relieved the Inspector of a possibly tedious wait, as he wished to make his call at the house when Austin was from home. He now rang at the door. The butler appeared.
‘Is Mr Ponson at home?’
‘No, sir. He went out about half an hour ago. I expect him back about six. What name shall I say?’