The Sergeant, stealing a glance at him, saw his face stiffen. He had been lying back at his ease in his chair, but he sat bolt upright all at once. "Say that again, Chief!" he requested. "What name did you say?… You don't mean it? Well, I'll be Good God!… Convey anything to me! Yes, it does!… What's that?… He doesn't know what?… The address! Oh, he doesn't, doesn't he? Well, that's where I'm one up on him, because I do!… Yes, right here, under my nose!… No, it's got me gasping around like a landed fish… Not a breath!… Not so much as a whiff of suspicion! Right out of the picture!… Here, tell me this, sir! What's the sum total of this precious fortune… What, pounds? I'd do a murder myself for that… Finished? No, nor anything like it, but I will be, don't you fret, sir!"
He laid the instrument gently down on its rest, and drew a long breath. Across the table, his eyes met the Sergeant's avid gaze. "I wouldn't have believed it!" he said, and shook his head. "But a hundred thousand pounds! Is that a motive, or is it a motive? Do you know who's the heir, to that little nest-egg, Wake?"
"No!" almost shouted the Sergeant. "I do not, sir, but I'd like to!"
"White," said Hemingway. "Mr. Harold White, my lad."
There was a moment's astonished silence. The Sergeant broke it. "But he couldn't have killed Carter, sir!"
"If he didn't, I'll resign from the Force," said Hemingway.
"But, Inspector, you saw the spot where he was standing when Carter was shot! It wasn't within sight of the bridge! It wasn't anywhere near where the gun was found!"
"He wasn't within forty yards of where the rifle was found," agreed Hemingway. "More like fifty, from what I remember. This bird is a pleasure to deal with!"
"Look here, sir!" besought the Sergeant. "Setting that aside, isn't it a fact he was hoping to get money out of Carter for his little land-racket? Why, he'd even started negotiations to buy the land, let alone bringing Jones up to the house to talk business with Carter!"
The Inspector stabbed a forefinger at him. "Bringing him up to the house to make a disinterested witness! All that shady stuff about the building estate was dust, my lad, dust to be thrown in our eyes!"