Inspector French: Man Overboard!

Then followed others on more special points, and some of these Jefferson found extremely suggestive. Was Platt addicted to strong drink, or drugs? Was he happy in his life? Was he in any difficulties? Any financial tightness? Any betting or gambling? Any entanglement with a girl? Any unpleasantness at the works? Any unpopularity? What was behind the questions was pretty obvious.

Superintendent Shepherd then turned to Platt’s mission to Ireland. What had he gone for? Jefferson gave him the outlines of the petrol affair, which seemed to interest him a good deal. It was a secret process and might be valuable? Immensely valuable, if genuine? Quite. And Mr Platt thought it was genuine? Quite.

The superintendent thought over this for some moments, then asked if Platt had a note of the process on him. Jefferson thought not. He wasn’t sure? Jefferson wasn’t sure, but suggested that if they rang up the people in Ireland they would tell them. The superintendent nodded and said he would do so. The interview seemed to be drawing to an end.

‘Tell me,’ Jefferson said, as Shepherd indicated that he had got all he required, ‘what do you think about the thing? You must have a lot of experience of cases of this kind and I should like to know whether—whether you think the young man is alive or dead?’

But Jefferson might have saved himself the trouble of asking. Shepherd was not going to commit himself. He said there was scarcely sufficient evidence as yet to come to a conclusion on the matter. It certainly looked as if Platt might have fallen overboard in some way shortly after leaving Belfast, but this was by no means proved and it would be very unwise to make any assumption on the subject. Jefferson should wait till they made some further inquiries, the result of which would be immediately conveyed to him.

‘I’ll wait till you have an answer from Ireland at all events,’ Jefferson replied, to which the superintendent agreed without enthusiasm.

From his hotel Jefferson rang up his wife saying that while there was no evidence of what had taken place, things did not look well. He was waiting over till the next day and would ring up again.

On the following morning he presented himself once again at police headquarters. Superintendent Shepherd saw him again and was slightly more communicative.

They had made inquiries, he said, through the police of Northern Ireland. An officer had gone down to Hillsborough and seen the Mr Ferris whom Jefferson had mentioned. He, Ferris, had stated that Platt had with him detailed proposals for an agreement between the Hillsborough party and Messrs Wrenn Jefferson. He had also superficial notes of the production of the inert petrol, but Ferris was satified he had none of the actual details of the process.

‘There’s not a great deal of help there,’ Shepherd remarked. ‘It may be difficult to get evidence of just what has happened. We shall continue to make inquiries and if and when we learn anything, we shall let you know.’

Shepherd stood up and his manner indicated polite dismissal so strongly that Jefferson could do no other than to take his leave.

Greatly worried about the whole affair, he took the next train back to Bristol.