Mystery in the Channel (British Library Crime Classics) by Freeman Wills Croft

Author:Freeman Wills Croft [Croft, Freeman Wills]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Murder Mystery, Detective Story, English Channel, Inspector French, ship, yacht, harbour, Martin Edwards, British Library Crime Classics
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Published: 2016-09-10T05:00:00+00:00

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‌Chapter XII

The F711

Fécamp proved to be a larger and very much better town than French had expected. As a matter of fact, he had never heard of the place before, and it came to him with a sort of mild surprise that a place of which he had never heard should be so important. It lay on a bay at the mouth of a river between two great hills. There was the usual concrete plage stretching along the sea almost from hill to hill, perhaps half a mile long, with the usual line of hotels behind it. At the mouth of the river a harbour had been formed. Inside the moles was a good sheet of water with many fishing boats, while farther up were wharves at which half a dozen steamers were discharging. The place was full of summer visitors, and French promptly added it to his list of places at which he would like to spend holidays.

Fiquet, seeing that his guest was interested, took on the rôle of showman and insisted on driving round the town and pointing out its beauties before going on to business. At last, however, they reached the police station.

The sergeant had not much to tell. On receipt of Fiquet’s circular he remembered that a local lugger, which answered the given description, had remained at sea during the whole of the Thursday in question. It had left at its usual hour of eight o’clock on the Wednesday night and it had not returned till nearly six o’clock on the following Friday morning, twenty-four hours longer out than usual. The skipper, however, had explained to the curious that his auxiliary motor had broken down and that he had not been able to get it right for several hours. Thursday had been a day of complete calm and they had found themselves unable to make port under sail. By the time the motor was repaired it was evening and they decided to remain at sea rather than miss a night’s fishing.

The sergeant could not say that this was the lugger Fiquet required. He had made it his business to verify the facts without approaching the fishermen, who had therefore no idea that inquiries were in progress. He might mention, however, that the men were considered des mauvais types who might well be guilty of any kind of villainy.

Fiquet commended the sergeant’s discretion. The two men talked quickly in French and then Fiquet said: “All right, bring them in and we’ll put them through it.”

The sergeant hurried off and for half an hour French and his companion sat smoking in the little police station. Then the sergeant returned and with him three men, the skipper and his crew of two. True enough they were an evil-looking trio. French felt as he looked at them that their purposes would not be hampered by any nice points of ethics.

“One at a time,” said Fiquet.

The crew were hustled away, leaving the skipper standing facing the three police officers. He looked acutely uneasy.

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