I know the police suspect me. I know they think I’m lying!

Deen broke in. “It’s absurd – absurd ! Mortimer has been with me for 15 years, and I trust him implicitly!” “Well,” said Dixon Hawke reasonably, “he wasn’t hit on the head by a ghost, you know. If no one came in while he was here, someone had been waiting for him to arrive. “Would the safe be open when he entered?” “No, it was locked. The keys are on his desk. They had been used, but wiped clean of fingerprints.” “A careful thief,” admitted Hawke.

Silence fell, as the detective pondered the puzzle. “Well, on the face of things, the way in which the crime was committed is easy to see,” declared Hawke at last.

“I’m blowed if I think so!” exclaimed Randall. Hawke smiled, and demonstrated, stepping to the big safe, which reached nearly to his shoulder, standing about two feet from the wall on one side and flush with it on the other.

“The thief entered the room before Mortimer, either with the help of a key or by using a pick-lock. When Mortimer came in, the thief hid behind the safe – there is just room for a man to get between it and the outer wall, you see.

“Mortimer, sitting at his desk, had his back turned towards the man who, using some weapon, struck him down, took the keys, opened the safe, and then went out with the jewels.”

“That’s plausible, Mr Hawke, but it’s not so easy as all that!”

Satisfaction

There was a note of satisfaction in Randall’s voice. “The colonel was giving a lunch to the players in this afternoon’s game. All the servants, except Mortimer and an old footman, Graves, were in the cricket pavilion, helping with the lunch.

“Graves was dusting on the landing all the time. Only two men passed him, and therefore only two could have entered the room.”

“They are two Air Force officers who arrived yesterday,” Deen broke in. “Excellent fellows, both of them. They have a room – they’re sharing one here while billeted in the district. Immediately the robbery was discovered – ”

“Who discovered it?”

“Graves, the footman. I had sent him for Mortimer, who should have been in the pavilion. Graves went to get him, and found him lying across his desk.”

“That was less than five minutes after the two RAF men had come in,” put in Randall.

“They volunteered to have their rooms and persons searched immediately.

“Nothing at all was found there. I thought possibly one of them had done it, and thrown the diamonds out of the window – there’s a shrubbery immediately below.

“But I’ve had it searched thoroughly, and there’s no trace of them.”

Tommy Burke drew a deep breath.

“This is a tough one to crack guv’nor!” “Ye-es,” said Hawke slowly. “I’d like to see Graves and the two RAF, officers. Can that be arranged?” “Of course,” said Deen, and went off immediately. Randall said slowly: “Graves is the obvious suspect, I think, Mr Hawke, but there again is a thing I can’t get over.

“He isn’t really strong enough to have delivered the blow which put Mortimer out.”

“What weapon was used?” asked Hawke.

“An ebony ruler, from Mortimer’s desk.” “Hmm,” said Hawke. Then Tommy broke in: “Graves could be lying, guv’nor. If he’s working with someone else, that someone might be strong enough to have delivered the blow. How long has he been employed by the colonel?”

“I remember the man from last time,” said Hawke. “He must be turned 70 and – ”

Hawke broke off, for the old footman entered. White-haired, obviously distressed, he repeated his story, and Randall admitted it was word-for-word with what he had said before.

Accusing

“I’m sure no one but the two RAF gentlemen came in,” said Graves in a shaky voice. “Mr Hawke, I’m not accusing them, but – but solve the case, please.

“I know the police suspect me. I know they think I’m lying! But no one else passed me except Mr Mortimer, I’ll swear to it!

Hawke put a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly. “We’ll get at the truth, Graves, don’t worry. I – ” He broke off suddenly, for from somewhere outside there came a shout, and Tommy, looking towards the window, exclaimed: “By George, what a hit!”

Hawke, following his assistant’s gaze, saw a cricket ball hurtling through the air.

Stepping closer to the window, he saw the cricket field and a dozen or so white-clad figures, two of whom were coming after the ball.

It disappeared with a thump in the shrubbery outside the window, and the white-clad figures soon disappeared, too, in their search.

“It was certainly some hit,” agreed Hawke. “It must be all of a hundred yards from the wicket. They’re only practising, though, as far as I can see. “You’ve a chance of a game yet, old son!” Randall said sharply: “I should think there’s something more than a game at stake, Mr Hawke!” Hawke smiled, while Graves went out of the room, still obviously very distressed.

Randall frowned when the door closed, and said: “He put up a good show, but he’s lying, I’m sure.” “It’s possible,” agreed Hawke, “but – ” Thump! Across his words there came a loud sound, and Tommy, by the window, exclaimed: “By George, that fellow’s a second Jessop!

“He sent the ball against the wall full toss! And – by jingo, here’s another!”

This time the ball fell clean into the shrubbery. From the field came another burst of shouting and laughing.

Then Hawke and Tommy saw Colonel Deen cross over to the batsman who was letting himself go so wholeheartedly. He was being bowled at in a practice net by half-a-dozen men, while the players waited for the game to start.

“He’s quite a little fellow,” said Tommy. “And he’s coming away with the colonel, too!”

“He’s one of the two RAF men,” said Randall.

Colourful

A few minutes later, perspiring a little, and with a colourful blazer over his white shirt, the RAF man entered.

He was a small, wiry man, who hardly looked capable of swiping a ball so far. With him was another man, of medium height.

They were introduced, the small man as FlightLieutenant Ford, and the second as Flying-Officer Garnett.

“You seem to be enjoying yourselves, gentlemen,” said Hawke.

Garnett laughed good-naturedly. He was holding a cricket ball in his hand, and another bulged in his pocket.

“This man has, sir. But I’ve been staying by the shrubbery, hunting for the balls Ford loses. I think he’s trying to break this window!”

“Well, let’s get down to business,” said Hawke. He asked several questions.

More tomorrow.