Inspector Playfair's Notebook

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 280, 26 November 1938, Page 8

Inspector Playfair's Notebook

" A H, Dumbell," said Inspector t\ Joshua Play fair to his sergeant, when the latter reported for duty, "a busy day there's likely to be for you. This murder of Klsie Da Pinci, in Cedar Grove."

It whs front page news. Tho wellknown woiilirct to had Icon found in her llat, si in ngled. A crime of jealousy or pus-inn. Fur, though her bureau had I>i n ransacked —somcnne, apparently, had liooii searching hastily for letters — nnlliinL' of viil no had lioen stolen.

I'liivfiiir detailed what wan known. Tho girl's body >111 <1 been discovered at H.l.') that morning. She had been dead for perhaps six hours. She had returned 10 tho flrovn from a party at Carniiigrin's. nt. a little after one. Soon 11 fter- I lio night, porter deposed to thin —she had admitted to tho flat a tn 11-well-setup younnr man. Tho night porter hnd not seen him at close quarters.

An hour later the same young man—or presumably the samo young iniin —had lot himself out of the flat and had walked rapidry away. Ho had loft behind him (Plavfair explained) one importiint—nay. damning —eluo. A bras<* uniform button which had already Ix-en identified; it was a button torn from a tunic—one of the famous olivo tunics—of the Pogoland CHrabiniors. "There's a detachment of those Pogoland chaps—seven of them altogether — staying at the Stanburv Barrack*. Miss Da Pinoi knew several of them. I'm going along there immediately," Plavfair said. "And your job. Dumbell. is to get a long to Cedar Grove and ransack th« flat for further evidence. Also you're to make yourself useful in the finger-

Case No. 19 THE CEDAR GROVE MURDER

print department. I want, if you please, photographic enlargements of every print in tlie place." On m lx«l I hurried off, and Plavfair climbing into a fast car, was very soon at the Barracks. Here he vim received by Captain Sloe, the adjutant. "I'm afraid.'' said Nice, '"that you're on a tough Inspector. I've told the Pogoland contingent to stand by, and they're all of thein waiting for you now. Rut I don't think you'll get anything out of them. They're prepared to swear, so far as I can make out, that last night none of them left the barracks." Playfair was surprised. "But this button," he said. Ho drew it from his pocket. "There's this, and other evidence. Can you tell me, Captain Slee, what you know alnuit these fellows!"

"Not much." said the captain, "except that they're a line lot of chaps. The detachment lias come over, \ mi know , to coiii|H-te in one of our tournaments. They've all got plenty of money, they're chaps of good st a nil ing--public schools, and all that—-and they've been having a devilish good time. Dances, suppers, excursions to Brighton the West Knd knows them pretty well."

"\ou don't happen to know if any of them wti« acquainted with -Miss ]hi Pinci ?"

"I should guess thov were all acquainted with her. Hut there's one man —Jeremy Hroolo—whose name has been especially prominent. A goodlooker, Hroolo is. with they tell me — a tlair for women. Sec what you can find out from him."

"Thanks, Captain Sloe," said Playfair. making a note of the name. "And one more question, please. You say these men assert that none of them, last night, left the barracks. But surely you have a guard at the gates who would be able to confirm .their storv?"

"I was afraid you'd ask me that." said Captain Sloe. "We mount a guard every night, of course. But there's a sort of side entrance to the building where the Carabiniers are lodged, and they've been allowed to come and go its they please."

' I'm ('a ra biniers' own evidence was in lino with Captain Sloe's forecast. It was clear from the outset that the famous esprit do corps of the regiment (with its motto. "Kadi for AIT') had been called into play. The men's tunics were produced: no buttons were mining anywhere. Their accounts of t lie previous evening, given separately to the inspector, titled together like the ti agmcnts of a jigsaw. "\\ e wore tired <>t going out, sir." said Sergeant Rhombus. in command; "we decided to have a cheerful evening in barracks. It began with a modest supper—l can show you the empty bottles, sir—-and then "we thought we'd play poker." "All seven of you?"' asked Playfair. "All seven of us.'' "At. what time did you l»egin to play?" "We r-tarted playing about eleven, sir. We kept it up till nearly four. Come into the other room, would vou ? Here are Ihe cards six packs we opened, sir —just as we left them last night. Here are the chijy* newly bought for the occasion- Private Woollev got them at the stores. And here." he concluded with a somewhat rueful air. "are the remains of five quids' worth of drink." "Kach for All." murmured Plavfair. "Well, thanks very much, sergeant". Yon won't. I'm sure, mind my checking up on vour storv."

Hut liv each of the party—including I'rivatr> Hroolo, who looked pale «nd was suffering. so he said. from a headache— (lie. story was ill every detail corroborated. Playfair w.ifi shaken. Could (lie lintton have been a plant? No, surely not; it had been found in the dead girl's hand. There was so much other evidence, <00. One of the Carabiniers, at least. was implicated. Yet here they are. all seven of them, asserting roundly that "they had been playing poker from HI o'clock till four. Well, thought the ins]>oetor, there's still Pumliell's inquiries.. Something in the way of fingerprints. . . . 'Set here, too, he drew a blank. To his surprise and disappointment, there was not a significant print to be found. Whoever had murdered Elsie Da Pinci had done so wearing gloves. Nevertheless, before -the day was out. Playfair was satisfied that Jeremy Hroolo was guilty. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ What, was the starting point of his investigations? * ♦ ♦ ♦ (Solution on page nine.)