He therefore had a try at the stations and bus stopping places .sx From the bus employees he got nothing , but at the Central Station he learned something that he thought might be worth following up .sx It was not much ; merely that a single first-class ticket from Folkestone to Dover had been taken by the train leaving Folkestone at 9.41 on the Wednesday night in question .sx This would have allowed a passenger by the Boulogne boat plenty of time to get up to the Central Station .sx Probably there was nothing in it , but it was only a short way to Dover and French thought he might as well go over and follow it up .sx At Dover Priory , to which the train in question ran , he could get nothing .sx Then he went round the garages and the taxis , again fruitlessly .sx It was possible , he thought , that if Esdale had really travelled to Dover , he might have walked back to Folkestone .sx Indeed , this seemed a likely enough proceeding , as it would fill the time inconspicuously .sx As a last resource , therefore , French determined to concentrate on the Dover-Folkestone road .sx Or rather roads , for in addition to the modern motor route , the old road remained open as a foot-path .sx He went to the police station and put his query .sx No patrol had reported anything unusual , but inquiries would be made .sx Would French wait ?sx No , French was going to the coastguard station .sx But he would be glad if they would make general inquiries from any one who might have been along that road that night :sx doctors , nurses , those .sx attending dances , those returning from bridge parties ; any one the local superintendent could think of .sx The superintendent promised that if any information came his way he would advise the Inspector and French went on to interview the coastguards .sx Here he had a stroke of the most surprising and unexpected luck .sx On putting his question , the roster was looked up to find out who was on duty in the district in question on the Wednesday night .sx Three men had been , of whom it chanced that two were then in the station .sx These were called in and the report of the second at once aroused French's interest .sx This man stated that about three o'clock on the morning of Thursday , 26th June , he was walking along the road in the direction of Dover , a couple of miles out from Folkestone .sx At this point , some half-mile on the Dover side of the Warren Halt , the road comes close to the edge of the cliff .sx It is bounded by a mound fence , beyond which is some thirty feet of rough grass .sx Then comes a sheer drop of perhaps a couple of hundred feet .sx At the bottom , between the cliff and the sea , is the shelf of ground along which runs the railway .sx A dangerous place for the unwary .sx As the coastguard reached this spot he thought he saw a shadow flit across the mound fence in front of him .sx He walked over to investigate and found a man crouching behind the mound .sx He was ostensibly getting shelter to light a cigarette , but as there was little wind , this seemed a trifle unnecessary .sx The coastguard flashed his torch over him , reminding him that he was in a dangerous position so near the edge of the cliff , and advising him to get back on to the road .sx The man did so .sx He generally resembled Esdale's photograph , thoughthe coastguard could not definitely swear to him .sx He told the coastguard that he was walking back to Folkestone , having stayed with a friend in Dover till nearly two o'clock .sx This was promising enough , but it was the next piece of information which so keenly delighted French .sx The light of the torch had happened to shine on the man's left hand , and the coastguard had noticed that the little finger was crooked !sx Here was all the proof French wanted .sx Esdale had come back from France .sx He had gone by rail to Dover and walked back to Folkestone during the night , just as French thought he might have done .sx That he had gone aboard the Nymph , murdered Moxon and Deeping , escaped in the dinghy with the swag , and been picked up by some tramp , French was equally convinced .sx Let him get his hands on Esdale and he would be at the end of the case .sx He returned to Folkestone and settled down to a dogged endeavour to find some one who might have seen Esdale going aboard the Nymph .sx Unfortunately all his efforts were in vain .sx So once again the case seemed to come to a stand and French to a dead-lock .sx An intensified search for Esdale was started , not only in France , but practically all over the world .sx Through Lloyd's an endeavour was made to get in touch with vessels which might have come across the dinghy .sx But all to no purpose .sx Not another ray of light was discovered .sx French grew moody and his temper wore thin .sx The Assistant Commissioner shook his head .sx Persons in high places made comments which all concerned thought would have been better left unsaid .sx And still nothing happened .sx Then at last some information came in which turned French off on to another line and .sx transformed his brooding despair into a somewhat tremulous hope .sx The Maida Vale branch of the London and Northern Bank rang up to say that one of the ten pound notes on the Yard's list had just been paid in .sx In the light of his previous experiences French doubted that he would get anything fresh from the discovery .sx At the same time action of any sort was a welcome relief from the stagnation of the last few days , and he hurried to Maida Vale as quickly as a taxi could take him .sx Here history once more repeated itself .sx He saw the manager , a clerk was sent for , and the facts were related .sx They were simple .sx Some half-hour previously the clerk had observed the note .sx From his memoranda he was able to say that it had been paid in by a messenger who had just left the bank , a porter in the employment of the Plendy Marine Motor Company of 24B Forres Road .sx French was not greatly interested .sx These notes had been back in circulation for some time , and it was more than likely that they had changed hands many times since they lay in the strong-room of Moxon's General Securities .sx However , he thanked the bank officials and made his way to Forres Road .sx In ten minutes he was seated with the manager of the Plendy Company .sx Mr. Norton shook his head when French stated his business .sx Money was passing in and out continuously and it was quite impossible to say from whom any given note had been received .sx Mr. Norton would be glad to do anything he could , but in this case the inspector was asking an impossibility .sx French feared the man was right , but he was not going to give in without a struggle .sx He thought for a moment , then slowly began to ask questions .sx The first piece of information he got was that the note might have been lying in the firm's till for quite a long time .sx The till , the cashier explained , was seldom completely cleared out , a small balance being always left for chance calls .sx If this note had happened to get to the bottom , it might have remained there almost indefinitely .sx For all he knew to the contrary , it might have been there on the date of the crime , or even earlier .sx From this it followed that it might have been paid in by the defaulting men .sx Again , quite as possibly , it might not .sx It seemed a pretty hopeless proposition .sx French felt sure there was nothing to be learned .sx But striving desperately to make sure , he did at last put a question which bore amazing and unexpected fruit .sx " Tell me , " he said , " can you remember any transaction during the last two or three months which struck you as being in any way out of the common ?sx Or any purchase which was paid for in notes of small value ; singles , fives , tens , or twenties ?sx " .sx He pestered every one concerned with these questions .sx At first every one replied " No , " but at last the manager remembered a case which complied with both conditions .sx " Let me see , " he said suddenly , " what was that man's name who sent the notes ?sx You remember , M'Alpine ?sx " He glared at the chief clerk .sx " The Waterloo cloak-room man .sx Began with an H. Haire - Harrod - Have - Havelock !sx That was it .sx Bring me the file .sx " Norton took out a paper and glanced over it .sx Then he turned back to French .sx " It's not the custom , as you can probably guess , .sx Inspector , for my firm to give away any information as to its clients .sx Before I show you this I shall want your assurance that it really is required in the interests of justice .sx " To this French replied that as he didn't know the nature of the other's communication , he could not state its value .sx But he assured Norton that unless the information was vital to his case it would be kept entirely confidential .sx " Very well , " Norton answered , passing over a sheet of paper , " the facts are these .sx On Friday , June 20th , we received this letter .sx " The sheet was taken from one of those cheap blocks which can be picked up in any stationer's , a sheet utterly impossible to trace .sx The letter , including the signature , was typed by a by-no-means new machine .sx French noted that it was so worn that it could be identified , were he lucky enough to find it .sx The date also aroused his interest , as it was just six days before that of the crime .sx But French's satisfaction over these minor details was as nothing compared to that produced by the communication itself .sx Before he had even finished reading it , the idea that it might have been written by Esdale leaped into his mind .sx For if by any chance it had , the affair would clear up that exasperating problem of how escape by the dinghy could have been carried out .sx The letter , which bore the date of June 19 , but no address , read :sx " DEAR SIRS , - I should be obliged if you would kindly send one of your twenty-five-horse outboard motors , Class A75 , to me at the Cloak-room , Water-loo Main Line Station .sx The ticket to be put in an envelope and addressed to me , c/o .sx Mr. John Marks,118 Brook Street , York Road , S.E.1 , and to be left by hand at this address at the same time .sx I shall ring you up at three p.m. to-day and shall be glad if you will then tell me if you can arrange this matter , and what the cost will be .sx Yours faithfully , .sx - HUBERT HAVELOCK .sx " French was keenly interested .sx Fervently he hoped that this " Havelock " might prove to be Esdale !sx If so , here was the explanation of how a delicate man like the chief accountant could have propelled the heavy dinghy over some twenty-four miles of sea , swept by fierce tidal currents .sx Why , with a motor like that , given food and fair weather , Esdale might have made the coast of Spain or Holland or even Norway !sx Well , through this Marks there was a reasonable chance of finding out .sx He turned back to the manager .sx " This interests me quite a lot , Mr. Norton , " he declared .sx " I think it possibly may be connected with my case .sx Please continue your statement .sx " " We got this letter , " resumed Norton , " on the 20th June , as I said .sx Mr. Havelock rang up at the hour mentioned and I told him that we could carry out his order and that the cost would be so much ; I can give you the figures if you want them .sx He said he would send on the money and that he wished the package to be left at Waterloo and the ticket with Marks before four o'clock on the following day , that was Saturday .sx I agreed that this would be done .sx He then said that it was impossible for him to get down to our shop to inspect the motor , and asked if we gave a guarantee as to its good order .sx I reassured him on this point and he said that was all right .sx