Tamar had rung off so abruptly and whether he really knew something, or whether, like Inspector Newton of the South Essex police, he had a ‘hunch’. Prudence born of much experience bade him first finish his dinner, for a dinner eaten is a dinner eaten, but a dinner lost may never be found again. Then he rang up Olive to tell her he was not sure he would be able to keep his appointment with her for that Sunday afternoon, and in reply she sounded very cross and expressed deep surprise that any girl ever got engaged to a policeman, a mistake, she said, and Bobby said she might have made a mistake but he hadn’t. Policemen couldn’t afford to. So Olive rang off, and next he rang up Headquarters to report the message he had received from Mr. Tamar and to ask for instructions. There seemed some doubt and hesitation at the other end of the line and he had to wait nearly half an hour before finally being rung up again and told to proceed forthwith to ascertain what statement Mr.
