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Updated: June 5, 2025
"I've a portrait here that Mr. Horbury gave me not so long ago. There you are!" He produced a cabinet photograph and handed it to Starmidge, who looked at it and laid it down on the table without comment. "I suppose that conveys nothing to you?" asked Betty. "Well," replied Starmidge, with another smile, "if a man's missing, one naturally wants to know what he's like.
Polke jerked his thumb at the poster in the bank window. "Of course!" he said, "so long as they can satisfy their customers that all's right so far as they're concerned, we can't get at what is missing that belongs to the Chestermarkes." "There are ways of finding that out," replied Starmidge quietly. "What ways, now?" asked Polke. "We can't make 'em tell us their private affairs.
Lester, who had listened to Starmidge with absorbed and almost frightened attention, looked anxiously at both men before she replied to the detective's direct inquiry. "You will respect my confidence, of course?" she asked at last. "Whatever I say to you will be in strict confidence?" "Whatever you tell us, Mrs.
Now, honour bright, which of these men do you take Godwin Markham to be?" "Gabriel Chestermarke!" answered Starmidge promptly. "It's established that he's constantly in London as much in London as in Scarnham. Gabriel Chestermarke certainly with, no doubt, Joseph in collusion. The probability is that they run that money-lending office in Conduit Street under the name of Godwin Markham.
I've known men murdered for less than that." Again Starmidge reflected in silence. "There's only one thing puzzles me on that point," he said eventually. "It's not a puzzle, either it's a doubt. Do you think the Chestermarkes or, we'll say Gabriel, as we're certain about him do you think Gabriel would be so keen about keeping his secret as to go to that length?
"There are the names of three Scarnham gentlemen before me Gabriel Chestermarke, Joseph Chestermarke, John Horbury. Now, then which of the three sports the other name of Godwin Markham?" Starmidge ate and drank in silence for awhile, evidently pondering his companion's question. "Yes," he said at last, "there's all that in it. It may be any one of the three. You never know!
And he pulled a sheaf of telegram forms out of his pocket, and leisurely began to write a message which before he signed his name to it had run into many words. Starmidge sent off his telegram when the train stopped at Nottingham, and thereafter went to sleep, secure in the knowledge that it would be promptly acted upon by its recipients.
"There was no business being done with anybody at Scarnham?" asked Starmidge. "Not in our office!" asserted Simmons. "I'm sure of that. I know all the business that we have in hand. To tell you the truth, gentlemen, though you may think me very ignorant, I never even heard of Scarnham myself until I read the paper this evening." "Quite excusable," said Starmidge.
For over an hour the four curiously assorted searchers examined the contents of the missing man's desk, of another desk in the study, of certain letter-racks which hung above the mantelpieces in both rooms, of drawers in these rooms, of drawers and small cabinets in his bedroom. Starmidge turned out the pockets of all the clothing he could find: opened suit-cases, trunks, dressing-cases.
"You have no doubt been informed by your bankers that we were coming, ma'am?" began Starmidge, when he and Easleby had seated themselves near Mrs. Lester. "The manager there was good enough to say he'd telephone you." Mrs.
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