In the conclusion the cobbler explains the whole story: he has uncovered evidence that the three dead men worked together, many years ago, on a ship that was apparently involved in illegal seal poaching. The black man worked for the three, and to guarantee his silence the three cut out his tongue. The black man has been working his revenge, wearing a costume in the shape of a seal head. The cobbler tracked the man by an idiosyncratic habit: while waiting for his victims, he drops the matches that he uses to light his pipe, after tearing them in two and twisting them in a distinct manner. These twisted half-matches were found at the first two crime scenes and also in the floor-sweepings from a local pub.