Not very convincing, French thought, as he rapidly considered what the colonel had told him. However, it might be true. At all events, he had no evidence to justify an arrest. He therefore pretended that he fully accepted the statement, and, wishing the colonel a cheery good evening, stood aside to let the car pass.
As he cycled slowly into Ashburton he kept turning over in his mind the question of whether there was any way in which he could test the truth of Colonel Domlio’s statement. Frankly, he did not believe the story. But unbelief was no use to him. He must prove it true or false.
All the evening he puzzled over the problem, then at last he saw that there was a line of research which, though it might not solve the point in question, yet bade fair to be of value to the enquiry as a whole.
Once again it concerned a time-table—this time for Domlio’s presumed movements. Assume that Berlyn and Pyke reached the point at which the car was abandoned about 11.30. To convince Pyke of the bona fides of the breakdown, Berlyn would have to spend some time over the engine, say fifteen minutes. In the dark they could scarcely have reached Torview in less than another fifteen; say that by the time Domlio had admitted them it was close on midnight. Some time would then be consumed in explaining the situation and in getting out the car; in fact, the party could scarcely have left Torview before 12.10. Running to the works would have occupied the most of another half hour; say arrive 12.40. Domlio reached his home about 2.10, which, allowing half an hour for the return journey, left an hour unaccounted for. In this hour Pyke’s murder must have been committed, the duplicator taken to pieces and the parts left in the store, fresh tea put into Gurney’s flask, Pyke’s clothes and the small parts of the duplicator got rid of, and the magneto on Berlyn’s car changed.
French wondered if all these things could have been done in the time. At last, after working out a detailed time-table, he came to the conclusion that they could, on one condition: that the clothes and duplicator parts were got rid of on the way to Torview; that is, if no time were lost in making a detour.
Where, then, could this have been done?
French took his map and considered the route. The Dart River was crossed three times and a part of the way lay through woods. But he believed that too many tourists strayed from the road for these to be safe hiding-places, though he realised that they might have to be searched later.
There remained two places, either of which he thought more promising—the works and Domlio’s grounds.
The fact that elaborate arrangements had been made to get Pyke’s body away from the works indicated that the disposal of it there was considered impossible. Nevertheless, French spent the next day, which was Sunday, prowling about the buildings, though without result.
This left Domlio’s little estate, and early the following morning French borrowed the sergeant’s bicycle and rode out to his former hiding-place outside the gates. History repeated itself, for after waiting for nearly two hours he saw Domlio pass out towards Ashburton.