After Hawkins was served he retained a lawyer.

I know that, dammit, because it cost me twenty-five hundred dollars to get rid of him." "What was his name ?" asked Gottlieb sharply.
"Crookshank--Walter E.Crookshank--down on Nassau Street." Gottlieb gave a short, dry laugh.
"Luck's with you, Dillingham.

Crookshank died three years ago." None of us broke silence for the space of about two minutes.
"You see now why this sort of thing costs money ?" finally remarked my partner.
Dillingham wiped his forehead with his handkerchief nervously.
"Say," he began, "isn't that taking a pretty long chance?
I--" "It is taking no chance at all," retorted Gottlieb, his little eyes glistening like a snake's.

"You have simply retained us to see if your wife's original divorce was regular--not to see if it was irregular--catch on?
You tell us nothing.

We ask you nothing.
We make our investigation.