"Inspector Matherfield's compliments, sir, and could you step round and bring Miss Hannaford with you?" he asked. "There's new developments, Mr. Hetherwick. Important!"
"We'll come at once," assented Hetherwick. "Ten minutes!" He went back and hurried Rhona away. "What now?" he asked as they hastened towards Matherfield's office. "Perhaps they've extracted something out of Baseverie? Or possibly the newspapers have attracted the attention of somebody who can give further news?"
The last suggestion strengthened itself when, on entering Matherfield's room, they found him closeted with two strangers whose appearance was that of responsible and well-to-do commercial men. All three were discovered in what looked like a serious and deep conversation, and Hetherwick was quick to notice that the two unknown men looked at Rhona with unusual interest. Matherfield made haste to introduce her as the late ex-Superintendent Hannaford's granddaughter, and Hetherwick as a gentleman who had been much concerned in the recent proceedings.
"These gentlemen, Miss Hannaford and Mr. Hetherwick," he proceeded, waving his hand at the others, "are Messrs. Culthwaite and Houseover, manufacturing chemists, of East Ham—incidentally, they've also a big place in Lancashire. And having seen this morning's papers, in which, as you've no doubt noticed, there's a good deal about our affair, they've come straight to me with some news which will prove uncommonly useful when Baseverie's put in the dock before the magistrate this afternoon. The fact is, Mr. Hetherwick, these gentlemen have supplied a missing link!"
"What link?" asked Hetherwick eagerly.
Matherfield nodded at the elder of the two men, Culthwaite, who produced a pocket-book, and extracted from it a sheet of paper. Silently, he passed it over to Matherfield, who turned to Rhona.
"Now, Miss Hannaford," he said, with a note of triumph in his voice, "I dare say you can positively identify your grandfather's handwriting and his way of making figures? Can you swear that this has been written by him?"
Rhona gave but one glance at the paper before looking up with a glance of positive assertion.
"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed. "That is his writing, without a doubt! Nothing could be more certain!"
Matherfield turned to Hetherwick.