CHAPTER II

Immediately upon his return to Culverden, Sergeant Wragge communicated with his superior, the Superintendent of the district. As a result of their conversation, Mrs. Speight’s jewel box was dispatched that afternoon by a trusty messenger to Scotland Yard. Since Inspector Waghorn of the Criminal Investigation Department was on duty, the package was delivered to him.

Inspector Waghorn was a young man with a university education who had entered the police force by the medium of the Police College at Hendon. At this time he was acting as assistant to Superintendent Hanslet, well known as one of the leading lights of the Yard. To his friends in the Force, who were many, the Inspector was popularly known as Jimmy. He was already beginning to gain something of a reputation as a smart officer.

The arrival of the silver box with its accompanying request for examination by the Fingerprint Department was to Jimmy no more than a matter of routine. Finding himself with nothing particular to do that afternoon, he took the box to the Fingerprint Department himself. The officer in charge of that department, with whom Jimmy was on excellent terms, eyed the box critically.

“What’s this, Jimmy?” he asked. “It looks expensive whatever it is. I can’t bring myself to believe that you’re bringing me the freedom of the City in a silver casket.”

“Fine bit of plate, isn’t it?” Jimmy replied. “It’s been sent up from a place called Culverden for your inspection. From what I can gather something has been stolen from it, and the local people believe that you may be able to find the fingermarks of the thief.”

The officer in charge of the department took the box and held it up to the light. “It’s been polished fairly recently,” he remarked. “If there are any fingermarks on it we ought to be able to find them. As it is, I can see some faint smudges which may or may not turn out to be prints. It’s a matter for a little dusting powder, I fancy.”

The expert carried out the necessary dusting with grey powder. “Fingermarks all right,” he exclaimed immediately. “Two sets of them, by the look of it. We can only hope one set hasn’t confused the other. Wait a minute, till I get my magnifying glass to work upon them.”

For a couple of minutes he examined the surface of the box intently and in silence. “Half a dozen really fine specimens,” he said at last. “The complete fingermarks, four fingers and thumbs, both hands of two separate people. I rather fancy that one of these people is a woman, but I can’t be sure. And the other fingermarks I’ve seen before, I’m certain of that. I wouldn’t mind betting you that we’ve already got them in our records.”

“Wonderful how easy detection is to chaps like you!” Jimmy murmured.

“Easy!” exclaimed the other. “Why it’s as simple as falling off a log. If you’d been working at fingerprints as long as I have my lad, you’d learn to recognize them at a glance. I’m not going to pretend that I remember to whom each set of prints belong