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Updated: June 11, 2025
Murgatroyd, a sharp-featured woman whose wits had been sharpened by a ten years' daily acquaintance with poverty, came out of the shop into the parlour and looked searchingly at her husband. "What did them fellows want?" she demanded. "I knew one of 'em Prydale, the detective. Now what's up, Reuben? More trouble?" Murgatroyd hesitated a moment.
Instead of going into Murgatroyd's shop after he had watched Byner and Prydale away from it he should have followed those two astute and crafty persons, and have ascertained something of their movements. Had he done so, he would certainly not have troubled to return to Peel Row, nor to remain in Barford an hour longer than was absolutely necessary.
"Much too soon! All I want is detective help of the strictly professional kind. No we'll give Mr. Pratt a little more rope yet for another four-and-twenty-hours, say. But it'll come! Now, who is the best local detective a quiet, steady fellow who knows how to do his work unobtrusively?" "Prydale's the man!" said Eldrick "Detective-Sergeant Prydale I've had reason to employ him, more than once.
"Day before he did get it," answered Murgatroyd, rapidly thinking over the memoranda which Pratt had jotted down for his benefit. "That," said Prydale, "would be on the 23rd?" "Yes," replied Murgatroyd, "23rd November, of course." "What time, now, on the 23rd?" asked the detective. "Time?" said Murgatroyd. "Oh in the evening." "Bit vague," remarked Prydale. "What time in the evening?"
We'll do it quiet and comfortable and we'll do it reight." "Odd character!" remarked Byner, when he and Prydale went away. "Useful man for a job of that sort," said the detective laconically. "Now then are we going to let anybody else know what we're after Mr. Eldrick or Mr. Collingwood, for instance? Do you want them, or either of them, to be present?"
With a great effort he forced open one of the dirt-encrusted sashes and looked out and in the same instant he drew in his head with a harsh groan. The window commanded a full view of the hall door and he had seen Prydale, and two other detectives, and the stranger from London whom he believed to be a detective, hurrying from their motorcar into the house. There was but one thing for it, now.
Finally he set him down as a detective from London and was all the more afraid of him. "What do you want to know?" he asked, when the three men were alone. "I don't think there's anything that I didn't tell Mr. Eldrick." "Oh, there's a great deal that Mr. Eldrick didn't ask," said Prydale. "Mr. Eldrick sort of just skirted round things, like. We want to know a bit more.
"I've got men all over the place already," replied Prydale. "But if he got off in the night, as I'm afraid he did, we shan't find him in Barford. It's a most unlucky thing that he saw us go to Murgatroyd's last evening! That, of course, would set him off: he'd know things were reaching a crisis."
"I shouldn't wonder," agreed Prydale. "One thing's very certain, as we shall prove before we're through with it Pratt's put that poor devil Murgatroyd up to this passage-to-America business. And a bit clumsily, too fancy Murgatroyd being no better posted up than to tell me that Parrawhite called on him at a certain hour that night!"
Howivver, gentlemen, ye can put yer minds at ease we'll investigate the circumstances, as the sayin' goes, before noon tomorrow." "One other matter," remarked Prydale. "We want things kept quiet. We don't want all the folk of the neighbourhood round about, you know." "Leave it to me," answered Shepherd. "There'll be me, and these men, and yourselves and a pair of grapplin' irons.
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