Scarecrow by A. E. Fielding

Author:A. E. Fielding
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781839740619
Publisher: Red Kestrel Books
Published: 2019-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

XIV — THE CHIEF INSPECTOR RUNS OVER THE POSSIBLE LINKS BETWEEN MRS. WHIN-BROWNING AND INSKIPP

Pointer went at once to the newspaper-room at Hendon, and there he obtained copies of all the portraits of the people linked even remotely with the tragedy which had some twelve months ago agitated England. There was no picture of young Mrs. Whin-Browning’s parents, but they were absolutely out of even the widest picture of the double tragedy at Brighton.

As to the Whin-Brownings, there had been only her husband and his younger brother Hector and some scattered cousins, besides May Whin-Browning, the poisoned sister.

Pointer satisfied himself that there was no portrait of any Whin-Browning which could by any chance stand for Inskipp. But he asked for copies of all the newspaper prints.

As it happened, Inspector Watts had dropped in to the same room at Hendon to look through the newspapers for any mention of a performance of Mireille in England or any showing of the him lately.

Pointer explained what had brought him there. “Drop Mireille for the moment. I want you to fly down with me to Dover, and there take some of these portraits of the men associated with the Whin-Browning case to the Lord Bishop Hotel. Find out if any of them can be recognized as any of the three so-called friends of Inskipp who arrived at the same time with Inskipp and dined with him.

Here is the list of numbers which will tell you who the portraits represent—should any be identified. I’ll go on to the Doverana with these portraits of Mrs. Whin-Browning.”

They were driven to the police plane and were soon deposited outside Dover, where they separated, to meet later at the pier entrance.

Pointer walked to the Doverana and asked for a room. The assistant manageress who showed him around, had not seen him before, and he took the second one whose door she opened.

He took it for a day. It was on the same floor as Florence Rackstraw’s room had been. He had been recommended to come there by her, he said unblushingly.

But to the chambermaid he held out the portraits to which Christopher had objected.

“Between ourselves, Miss Rackstraw has run away from her home. That’s the truth of the matter. Now her people want to get her back again—without calling in the police, of course.”

“Of course!” said the maid, “who would want them poking round!”

“Now, is this the lady who left here early yesterday morning? You know—Miss Rackstraw—the one who let her hat catch fire?”

The maid studied the portraits carefully. Finally she took one out and had another look at it.

“She didn’t look like this when she came, nor when she went away, sir. But it’s the very spit of her as she looked lying in bed. She looked quite different when she went out. It’s the way of wearing her hair that does it. Besides, she looks as though she had light hair in these pictures, but it’s quite dark, really.”

“They’re only snapshots probably,” said Pointer.

“She looks just as

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