Vaguely reminiscent of a large bumble bee,Chief-Inspector Fred Davy wandered around the confines of the Criminal InvestigationDepartment, humming to himself. It was a well-known idiosyncrasy of his, and caused noparticular notice except to give rise to the remark that "Fatherwas on the prowl again."
His prowling led him at last to the room whereInspector Campbell was sitting behind a desk with a bored expression. Inspector Campbellwas an ambitious young man and he found much of his occupation tedious in the extreme.Nevertheless, he coped with the duties appointed to him and achieved a very fair measureof success in so doing. The powers that be approved of him, thought he should do well anddoled out from time to time a few words of encouraging commendation.
"Good morning, sir," saidInspector Campbell, respectfully, when Father entered his domain. Naturally he calledChief-Inspector Davy "Father" behindhis back as everyone else did; but he was not yet of sufficient seniority to do such athing to his face.
"Anything I can do for you, sir," he inquired.
"La, la, boom, boom," hummedthe Chief-Inspector, slightly off key. "Why must they call meMary when my name's Miss Gibbs?" Afterthis rather unexpected resurrection of a by-gone musical comedy, he drew up a chair andsat down.
"Busy?" he asked.
"Moderately so."
"Got some disappearance case or other on, haven't you, to do with some hotel or other. What's thename of it now? Bertram's. is that it?"
"Yes, that's right,sir. Bertram's Hotel."
"Contravening the licensing hours? Call girls?"
"Oh no, sir," saidInspector Campbell, slightly shocked at hearing Bertram's Hotel being referred to in sucha connection. "Very nice, quiet, old-fashioned place."
"Is it now?" saidFather. "Yes, is it now? Well, that's interesting, really."
Inspector Campbell wondered why it was interesting.He did not like to ask, as tempers in the upper hierarchy were notoriously short since themail train robbery, which had been a spectacular success for the criminals. He looked atFather's large, heavy, bovine face and wondered as he had onceor twice wondered before, how Chief-Inspector Davy had reached his present rank and why hewas so highly thought of in the department. "All right in hisday, I suppose," thought Inspector Campbell, "but there are plenty of go-ahead chaps about who could do with somepromotion, once the deadwood is cleared away." But thedeadwood had begun another song, partly hummed, with an occasional word or two here andthere.
"Tell me, gentle stranger, are there any more athome like you?" intoned Father and then in a sudden falsetto, "A few, kind sir, and nicer girls you never knew. No, let's see, I've got the sexes mixed up. Floradora.That was a good show, too."
"I believe I've heardof it, sir," said Inspector Campbell.
"Your mother sang you to sleep in the cradle withit, I expect," said Chief-Inspector Davy. "Now then, what's been going on at Bertram'sHotel? Who was disappeared and how and why?"
"A Canon Pennyfather, sir. Elderly clergyman."
"Dull case, eh?"
Inspector Campbell smiled.
"Yes, sir, it is rather dull in a way."
"What did he look like?"
"Canon Pennyfather?"
"Yes – you've got a description, I suppose?"
"Of course." Campbellshuffled papers and read: "Height 5 ft. 8. Large thatch ofwhite hair – stoops…」
"And he disappeared from Bertram's Hotel –when?"
"About a week ago – November19th."
"And they've justreported it. took their time about it, didn't they?"
"Well, I think there was a general idea the he'd turn up."
"Any idea what'sbehind it?" asked Father. "Has adecent God-fearing man suddenly gone off with one of the churchwardens' wives? Or does he do a bit of secret drinking, or has he embezzled churchfunds? Or is he the sort of absent-minded old chap who goes in for this sort of thing?"
"Well, from all I can hear, sir, I should say thelatter. He's done it before."
"What – disappearedfrom a respectable West End hotel?"
"No, not exactly that, but he's not always returned home when he was expected. Occasionally he's turned up to stay with friends on a day when they haven't asked him, or not turned on the date when they had asked him. That sort ofthing."
"Yes," said Father. "Yes. Well that sounds very nice and natural and according to plan, doesn't it? when exactly did you say he disappeared?"
"Thursday. November 19th. He wassupposed to be attending a congress at –」 He bent down andstudies some papers on his desk. 「– oh yes, Lucerne. Societyof Biblical Historical Studies. That's the English translationof it. I think it's actually a German society."
"And it was held at Lucerne? The old boy –I suppose he is an old boy?"
"Sixty-three, sir, I understand."
"The old boy didn'tturn up, is that it?"
Inspector Campbell drew his papers towards him andgave Father the ascertainable facts in so far as they had been ascertained.
"Doesn't sound as ifhe'd gone off with a choirboy," observedChief-Inspector Davy.
"I expect he'll turnup all right," said Campbell, "butwe're looking into it, of course. Are you – er – particularly interested in the case, sir?"He could hardly restrain his curiosity on this point.
"No," said Davythoughtfully. "No, I'm notinterested in the case. I don't see anything to be interestedabout in it."
There was a pause which clearly contained the words,"Well, then?" with a question markafter it from Inspector Campbell, which he was too well trained to utter in audible tones.
"What I'm reallyinterested in," said Father, "isthe date. And Bertram's Hotel, of course."
"It's always been verywell conducted, sir. No trouble there."
"That's very nice, I'm sure," said Father. He added thoughtfully, "I'd rather like to have a look at the place."
"Of course, sir," saidInspector Campbell. "Any time you like. I was thinking ofgoing round there myself."
"I might as well come along with you," said Father. "Not to butt in, nothing like that.but I'd just rather like to have a look at the place, and thisdisappearing Archdeacon of yours, or whatever he is, makes rather a good excuse. No needto call me 'sir' when we're there – you throw your weight about. I'll just be your stooge."
Inspector Campbell became interested.
"Do you think there'ssomething that might tie in there, sir, something that might tie in with something else?"
"There's no reason tobelieve so, so far," said Father. "Butyou know how it is. One gets – I don't know what to call them – whims, do you think?Bertram's Hotel, somehow, sounds almost too good to be true."
He resumed his impersonation of a bumble bee with arendering of "Let's All Go Downthe Strand."
The two detective officers went off together,Campbell looking smart in a lounge suit, (he had an excellent figure), and Chief-InspectorDavy carrying with him a tweedy air of being up from the country. They fitted in quitewell. Only the astute eye of Miss Gorringe, as she raised it from her ledgers, singledthem out and appreciated them for what they were. Since she had reported the disappearanceof Canon Pennyfather herself and had already had a word with a lesser personage in thepolice force, she had been expecting something of this kind.
A faint murmur to the earnest-looking girl assistantwhom she kept handy in the background, enabled the latter to come forward and deal withany ordinary inquiries or services while Miss Gorringe gently shifted herself a littlefarther along the counter and looked up at the two men. Inspector Campbell laid down hiscard on the desk in front of her and she nodded. Looking past him to the largetweed-coated figure behind him, she noted that he had turned slightly sideways, and wasobserving the lounge and its occupants with an apparently na?ve pleasure at beholding sucha well bred, upper-class world in action.
"Would you like to come into the office?"said Miss Gorringe. "We can talk betterthere perhaps."
"Yes, I think that would be best."
"Nice place you've gothere," said the large, fat, bovine-looking man, turning hishead back towards her. "Comfortable," he added, looking approvingly at the large fire. "Goodold-fashioned comfort."
Miss Gorringe smiled with an air of pleasure.
"Yes, indeed. We pride ourselves on making ourvisitors comfortable," she said. She turned to her assistant. "Will you carry on, Alice? There is the ledger. Lady Jocelyn will be arrivingquite soon. She is sure to want to change her room as soon as she sees it but you mustexplain to her we are really full up. If necessary, you can show her number 340 on thethird floor and offer her that instead. It's not a verypleasant room and I'm sure she will be content with herpresent one as soon as she sees that."
"Yes, Miss Gorringe. I'lldo just that, Miss Gorringe."
"And remind Colonel Mortimer that his fieldglasses are here. He asked me to keep them for him this morning. Don't let him go off without them."
"No, Miss Gorringe."
These duties accomplished, Miss Gorringe looked atthe two men, came out from behind the desk and walked along to a plain mahogany door withno legend on it. Miss Gorringe opened it and they went into a small, rather sad-lookingoffice. All three sat down.
"The missing man is Canon Pennyfather, Iunderstand," said Inspector Campbell. He looked at his notes. "I've got Sergeant Wadell's report. Perhaps you'll tell me in your ownwords just what occurred."
"I don't think thatCanon Pennyfather has really disappeared in the sense in which one would usually use thatword," said Miss Gorringe. "Ithink, you know, that he's just met someone somewhere, someold friend or something like that, and has perhaps gone off with him to some scholarlymeeting or reunion or something of that kind, on the Continent – He is so very vague."
"You've known him fora long time?"
"Oh yes, he's beencoming here to stay for – let me see – oh five or six years at least, I should think."
"You've been here sometime yourself, ma'am," saidChief-Inspector Davy, suddenly putting in a word.
"I have been here, let me think, fourteen years,"said Miss Gorringe.
"It's a nice place,"repeated Davy again. "And Canon Pennyfatherusually stayed here when he was in London? Is that right?"
"Yes. He always came to us. He wrote wellbeforehand to retain his room. He was much less vague on paper than he was in real life.He asked for a room from the 17th to the 21st. during that time heexpected to be away for one or two nights, and he explained that he wished to keep hisroom on while he was away. He quite often did that."
"When did you begin to get worried about him?"asked Campbell.
"Well, I didn'treally. Of course it was awkward. You see, his room was let on from the 23rdand when I realised – I didn't atfirst – that he hadn't come backfrom Lugano –」
"I've got Lucerne herein my notes," said Campbell.
"Yes, yes, I think it was Lucerne. SomeArchaeological Congress or other. Anyway, when I realised he hadn't come back here and that his baggage was still here waiting in his room, itmade things rather awkward. You see, we are very booked up at this time of year and I hadsomeone else coming into his room. The Honourable Mrs. Saunders, who lives at Lyme Regis.She always has that room. And then his housekeeper rang up. She was worried."
"The housekeeper'sname is Mrs. McCrae, so I understand from Archdeacon Simmons. Do you know her?"
"Not personally, no, but I have spoken to her onthe telephone once or twice. She is, I think, a very reliable woman and has been withCanon Pennyfather for some years. She was worried naturally. I believe she and ArchdeaconSimmons got in touch with near friends and relations but they knew nothing of CanonPennyfather's movements. And since he was expecting theArchdeacon to stay with him it certainly seemed very odd – infact it still does – that the Canon should not have returnedhome."
"Is this Canon usually as absent-minded as that?"asked Father.
Miss Gorringe ignored him. This large man,presumably the accompanying sergeant, seemed to her to be pushing himself forward a littletoo much.
"And now I understand," continued Miss Gorringe, in an annoyed voice, "andnow I understand from Archdeacon Simmons that the Canon never even went to this conferencein Lucerne."
"Did he send any message to say he wouldn't go?"
"I don't think so –not from here. No telegram or anything like that. I really know nothingabout Lucerne – I am really only concerned with our side ofthe matter. It has got into the evening papers, I see – thefact that he is missing, I mean. They haven't mentioned he wasstaying here. I hope they won't. we don't want the Press here, our visitors wouldn't likethat at all. if you can keep them off us, Inspector Campbell, we should be very grateful.I mean it's not as if he had disappeared from here."
"His luggage is still here?"
"Yes. In the baggage-room. If he didn't go to Lucerne, have you considered the possibility of his being run over?Something like that?"
"Nothing like that has happened to him."
"It really does seem very, very curious,"said Miss Gorringe, a faint flicker of interest appearing in hermanner, to replace the annoyance. "I mean, it does make onewonder where he could have gone and why?"
Father looked at her comprehendingly.
"Of course," he said. "You've only been thinking of it from the hotelangle. Very natural."
"I understand," saidInspector Campbell, referring once more to his notes, "thatCanon Pennyfather left here about six-thirty on the evening of Thursday the 19th.He had with him a small overnight bag and he left here in a taxi, directing thecommissionaire to tell the driver to drive to the Athenaeum Club."
Miss Gorringe nodded her head.
"Yes, he dined at the Athenaeum Club – Archdeacon Simmons told me that that was the place he was last seen."
There was a firmness in Miss Gorringe's voice as she transferred the responsibility of seeing the Canon last fromBertram's Hotel to the Athenaeum Club.
"Well, it's nice toget the facts straight," said Father in a gentle rumblingvoice. "We've got 'em straight now. He went off with his little blue B.O.A.C. bag, or whateverhe'd got with him – it was a blueB.O.A.C. bag, yes? He went off and he didn't come back, andthat's that."
"So you see, really I cannot help you," said Miss Gorringe showing a disposition to rise to her feet and get back towork.
"It doesn't seem as ifyou could help us," said Father, "butsomeone else might be able to, he added."
"Someone else?"
"Why, yes," saidFather. "One of the staff perhaps."
"I don't think anyoneknows anything; or they would certainly have reported it to me."
"Well, perhaps they might. Perhaps they mightn't. what I mean is, they'd have told you id they'd distinctly know anything. But I was thinking more of something he mighthave said."
"What sort of thing?" saidMiss Gorringe, looking perplexed.
"Oh, just some chance word that might give one aclue. Something like 'I'm going tosee an old friend tonight that I haven't seen since we met inArizona.' Something like that. or 'I'm going to stay next week with a niece of mine for her daughter's confirmation.' With absent-minded people, youknow, clues like that are a great help. They show what was in the person's mind. It may be that after his dinner at the Athenaeum, he gets into a taxiand thinks 'Now where am I going?' andhaving got – say – theconfirmation in his mind – thinks he's going off there."
"Well, I see what you mean," said Miss Gorringe doubtfully. "It seems a littleunlikely."
"Oh, one never knows one's luck," said Father cheerfully. "Then there are the various guests here. I suppose Canon Pennyfather knew someof them since he came here fairly often."
"Oh yes," said MissGorringe, "Let me see now. I'veseen him talking to – yes, Lady Selina Hazy. Then there wasthe Bishop of Norwich. They're old friends, I believe. Theywere at Oxford together. And Mrs. Jameson and her daughters. They come from the same partof the world. Oh yes, quite a lot of people."
"You see," saidFather, "he might have talked to one of them. he might havejust mentioned some little think that would give us a clue. Is there anyone staying herenow that the Canon knew fairly well?"
Miss Gorringe frowned in thought.
"Well, I think General Radley is here still. Andthere's an old lady who came up from the country – who used to stay here as a girl, so she told me. Let me see, I can't remember her name at the moment, but I can find it for you. oh yes, MissMarple, that's her name. I believe she knew him."
"Well, we could make a start with those two. Andthere'd be a chambermaid, I suppose."
"Oh yes," said MissGorringe. "But she has been interviewed already by SergeantWadell."
"I know. but not perhaps from this angle. Whatabout the waiter who attended on his table. Or the head waiter?"
"There's Henry, ofcourse," said Miss Gorringe.
"Who's Henry?"asked Father.
Miss Gorringe looked almost shocked. It was to herimpossible that anyone should not know Henry.
"Henry has been here for more years than I cansay," she said. "You must havenoticed him serving teas as you came in."
"Kind of personality," saidDavy. "I remember noticing him."
"I don't know what weshould do without Henry," said Miss Gorringe with feeling. "He really is wonderful. He sets the tone of the place, you know."
"Perhaps he might like to serve some more tea tome," said Chief-Inspector Davy. "Muffins,I saw he'd got there. I'd like agood muffin again."
"Certainly if you like," said Miss Gorringe, rather coldly. "Shall I ordertwo teas to be served to you in the lounge?" she added,turning to Inspector Campbell.
"That would –」 theinspector began, when suddenly the door opened and Mr. Humfries appeared in his Olympianmanner.
He looked slightly taken aback, then lookedinquiringly at Miss Gorringe. Miss Gorringe explained.
"These are two gentlemen from Scotland Yard, Mr.Humfries," she said.
"Detective-Inspector Campbell," said Campbell.
"Oh yes. Yes, of course," said Mr. Humfries. "The matter of CanonPennyfather, I suppose? Most extraordinary business. I hope nothing's happened to him, poor old chap."
"So do I," said MissGorringe. "Such a dear old man."
"One of the old school," said Mr. Humfries approvingly.
"You seem to have quite a lot of the old schoolhere," observed Chief-Inspector Davy.
"I suppose we do, I suppose we do," said Mr. Humfries. "Yes, in many ways we arequite a survival."
"We have our regulars you know," said Miss Gorringe. She spoke proudly. "The samepeople come back year after year. We have a lot of Americans. People from Boston, andWashington. Very quiet, nice people."
"They like our English atmosphere," said Mr. Humfries, showing his very white teeth in a smile.
Father looked at him thoughtfully. InspectorCampbell said:
"You're quite surethat no message came here from the Canon? I mean it might have been taken by someone whoforgot to write it down or to pass it on."
"Telephone messages are always taken down mostcarefully," said Miss Gorringe with ice in her voice. "I cannot conceive it possible that a message would not have been passed on tome or to the appropriate person on duty."
She glared at him.
Inspector Campbell looked momentarily taken aback.
"We've really answeredall these questions before, you know," said Mr. Humfries, alsowith a touch of ice in his voice. "We gave all the informationat our disposal to your sergeant – I can't remember his name for the moment."
Father stirred a little and said, in a kind ofhomely way.
"Well you see, things have begun to look rathermore serious. It looks like a bit more than absent-mindedness. That's why, I think, it would be a good thing if we could have a word or two withthose two people you mentioned – General Radley and MissMarple."
"You want me to – toarrange an interview with them?" Mr. Humfries looked ratherunhappy. "General Radley's verydeaf."
"I don't think it willbe necessary to make it too formal," said Chief-InspectorDavy. "We don't want to worrypeople. You can leave it quite safe to us. Just point out those two you mentioned. Thereis just a chance, you know, that Canon Pennyfather might have mentioned some plan of his,or some person he was going to meet at Lucerne or who was going with him to Lucerne.Anyway, it's worth trying."
Mr. Humfries looked somewhat relieved.
"Nothing more we can do for you?" he asked. "I'm sureyou understand that we wish to help you in every way, only you do understand how we feelabout any press publicity."
"Quite," saidInspector Campbell.
"And I'll just have aword with the chambermaid," said Father.
"Certainly, if you like. I doubt very much whethershe can tell you anything."
"Probably not. But there might be some detail –some remark the Canon made about a letter or an appointment. One neverknows."
Mr. Humfries glanced at his watch.
"She'll be on duty atsix," he said. "Second floor.Perhaps, in the meantime you'd care for tea?"
"Suits me," saidFather promptly.
They left the office together.
Miss Gorringe said, "GeneralRadley will be in the smoking-room. The first room down that passage on the left. He'll be in front of the fire there with The Times. I think," she added discreetly, "he might be asleep. You're sure you don't' wantme to –」
"No, no, I'll see toit," said Father. "And what aboutthe other one – the old lady?"
"She's sitting overthere, by the fireplace," said Miss Gorringe.
"The one with white fluffy hair and the knitting?"said Father, taking a look. "Might almostbe on the stage, mightn't she? everybody's universal great-aunt."
"Great-aunts aren'tmuch like that nowadays," said Miss Gorringe, "nor grandmothers nor great-grandmothers, if it comes to that. we had theMarchioness of Barlow in yesterday. She's a great-grandmother.Honestly, I didn't know her when she came in. just back fromParis. Her face a mask of pink and white and her hair platinum blonde and I suppose anentirely false figure, but it looked wonderful."
"Ah," said Father, "I prefer the old-fashioned kind myself. Well, thank you, ma'am." He turned to Campbell. "I'll look after it, shall I, sir? I know you've got an important appointment."
"That's right,"said Campbell, taking his cue. "I don't suppose anything much will come of it, but it'sworth trying."
Mr. Humfries disappeared into his inner sanctum,saying as he did so:
"Miss Gorringe – justa moment, please."
Miss Gorringe followed him in and shut the doorbehind her.
Humfries was walking up and down. He demandedsharply:
"What do they want to see Rose for? Wadell askedall the necessary questions."
"I suppose it's justroutine," said Miss Gorringe, doubtfully.
"You'd better have aword with her first."
Miss Gorringe looked a little startled.
"But surely Inspector Campbell –」
"Oh, I'm not worriedabout Campbell. It's the other one. Do you know who he is?"
"I don't think he gavehis name. Sergeant of some kind, I suppose. He looks rather a yokel."
"Yokel, my foot," saidMr. Humfries, abandoning his elegance. "That's Chief-Inspector Davy, an old fox if there ever was one. They think a lot ofhim at the Yard. I'd like to know what he's doing here, nosing about and playing the genial hick. I don't like it at all."
"You can't think –」
"I don't know what tothink. But I tell you I don't like it. did he ask to seeanyone else besides Rose?"
"I think he's going tohave a word with Henry."
Mr. Humfries laughed. Miss Gorringe laughed too.
"We needn't worryabout Henry."
"No, indeed."
"And the visitors knew Canon Pennyfather?"
Mr. Humfries laughed again.
"I wish him joy of old Radley. He'll have to shout the place down and then he won'tget anything worth having. He's welcome to Radley and thatfunny old hen, Miss Marple. All the same, I don't much likehis poking his nose in…」
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