"Mr. Hetherwick," he said, "it's well past twelve, and I'd my breakfast before eight—I'm hungry! Let's turn into the first decent place we see and get a bite and a sup! And we'll examine these papers."
He presently led Hetherwick into the saloon bar of a tavern, and remarking that he had a taste for ale and bread and cheese at that time of day, provided himself with these matters and retreated to a snug corner, whither Hetherwick followed him with a whisky and soda.
"Here's success to our endeavours, Mr. Hetherwick!" said Matherfield, lifting his tankard. "I'm now firmly under the impression that we're adding link after link to the chain! But let's see what we've got here in this crabbed writing."
He laid the slips of paper on the table at which they sat; both bent over them. There were not many words on either, but to Hetherwick they were significant enough in their plain straightforwardness.
Charles Ambrose, M.B. (Oxon). Medical Officer of Health, Crayport, Lancs, 1903-4; in practice Whiteburn, Lancs, 1904-9; police surgeon, Sellithwaite, W.R., Yorks, 1909-12; in practice Brondesbury, London, 1912-18. Struck off Register by General Medical Council for unprofessional conduct, 1918.
"So much for him!" muttered Matherfield, his cheek bulging with bread and cheese. "I thought it would turn out to be something of that sort! Now t'other!"
Cyprian Baseverie, L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S. In practice Birmingham, 1897-1902; at Wyborough, Northants, 1902-11; at Dalston, N., 1911-17, Convicted of fraud at Central Criminal Court, 1917, and struck off Register by General Medical Council, 1918.
"Ho-ho!" exclaimed Matherfield. "Been in the dock already, has he? Well, well, Mr. Hetherwick, we continue to learn, sir! We know still more. Baseverie's a convicted criminal. Both have been struck off the register. Ambrose was certainly at Sellithwaite—and he'd be there, according to these dates, at the time of the Whittingham affair. A promising pair—for our purpose! What do you think?"
"I'm wondering if the two men know each other," answered Hetherwick.
"Shouldn't wonder," said Matherfield. "Probably they do. Probably they're mixed up together in this affair. Probably they're actual partners in it—accessories to each other. But now that I know this much about them, I can find out more, especially about Ambrose, as he was a police surgeon. I can find out, too, what Baseverie's particular crime was. Defrauding a patient, I should imagine. But I'll put one or two men on to working up particulars and records of both Baseverie and Ambrose this afternoon, and, of course, I shall go back and thoroughly examine that flat in John Street."