However, she doesn't seem to have had anything to do with it, and as a matter of fact she behaved very well, swam out to the rescue and was actually carried out to sea and only just rescued in time."
"Go on," said the A.C. with a sigh.
Maine took a deep breath. "Dr. Armstrong now.
Well-known man.
Had a consulting room in Harley Street.
Absolutely straight and aboveboard in his profession.
Haven't been able to trace any record of an illegal operation or anything of that kind. It's true that there was a woman called Clees who was operated on by him way back in 1925 at Leithmore, when he was attached to the hospital there.
Peritonitis and she died on the operating table.
Maybe he wasn't very skillful over the op. - after all he hadn't much experience - but after all clumsiness isn't a criminal offence.
There was certainly no motive.
"Then there's Miss Emily Brent.
Girl, Beatrice Taylor, was in service with her.
Got pregnant, was turned out by her mistress and went and drowned herself.
Not a nice business - but again not criminal."
"That," said the A.C., "seems to be the point.
U.N. Owen dealt with cases that the law couldn't touch."
Maine went stolidly on with his list.
"Young Marston was a fairly reckless car driver - had his license endorsed twice and he ought to have been prohibited from driving, in my opinion.
That's all there is to him.
The two names John and Lucy Combes were those of two kids he knocked down and killed near Cambridge.
Some friends of his gave evidence for him and he was let off with a fine.
"Can't find anything definite about General Macarthur.
Fine record - war service - all the rest of it.
Arthur Richmond was serving under him in France and was killed in action.
No friction of any kind between him and the General.
They were close friends, as a matter of fact.
There were some blunders made about that time - commanding officers sacrificed men unnecessarily - possibly this was a blunder of that kind."
"Possibly," said the A.C.
"Now, Philip Lombard.
Lombard has been mixed up in some very curious shows abroad.
He's sailed very near the law once or twice.
Got a reputation for daring and for not being over-scrupulous.
Sort of fellow who might do several murders in some quiet out-of-the-way spot.
"Then we come to Blore."
Maine hesitated.
"He of course was one of our lot."
The other man stirred.
"Blore," said the Assistant Commissioner forcibly, "was a bad hat!"
"You think so, sir?"
The A.C. said: "I always thought so.
But he was clever enough to get away with it.
It's my opinion that he committed black perjury in the Landor case.
I wasn't happy about it at the time.
But I couldn't find anything.
I put Hams onto it and he couldn't find anything but I'm still of the opinion that there was something to find if we'd known how to set about it.
The man wasn't straight." There was a pause, then Sir Thomas Legge said: "And Isaac Morris is dead, you say?
When did he die?"
"I thought you'd soon come to that, sir.
Isaac Morris died on the night of August 8th.
Took an overdose of sleeping stuff - one of the barbiturates, I understand.