"What I want to know," said Amberley, "is whether you saw anyone rowing back to that landing-stage."
"I'm coming to that," answered the sergeant. "I did and I didn't, in a manner of speaking. I got this Peabody to row for the other side of the creek, but the trouble was, we was so far up the blinking thing that it took him I don't know how long to get to the landing-stage. We'd just got in sight of it when I see a shadow climbing out of a rowboat like the one I was in and tying it up to one of the posts. Now, sir, perhaps you're going to blame me, because I'd got my torch in my pocket and it's a powerful one. But what I thought was: This cove hasn't seen our boat and consequent don't know he's being followed. If I was to switch the torch on to him so as to try and get a look at his face, he will know and he'll be off like a streak of lightning before I can get to land. No, I says to myself, the best thing for me to do is to keep quiet and get this chap Peabody to row for all he's worth. Which I done, sir. But we'd no sooner reached the landing-stage when I heard a car start up somewhere behind the bungalow, and a minute later I seen the headlights going off up the road that Peabody says leads to Lowchester."
"I see, Amberley said. "A pity. But on the whole, Sergeant, I think you were right."
"I'm sure that's a weight off my mind, sir," said the sergeant, relieved. "And if the young lady's alive, she'll be able to identify our man fast enough. Not but what we know who he is, eh, Mr. Amberley?"
"Do we, Sergeant?"
"Come, come, sir!" said the sergeant indulgently. "Don't you forget what I said to you when Albert Collins was shot!"
"No, I haven't forgotten. Anything else?"
"Yes, sir. One footprint, one tyreprint. And the sooner I get to the police station here the better, because we want them taken. A large footprint it is, larger than what I'd have expected."
"Sergeant, you're invaluable," said Amberley. "You shall be taken to the police station at once. Hop in."
Much gratified, the sergeant climbed into the car. "Well, I done all I could, and I only hope it's going to mean an arrest."