false trail

It was she who sent couriers to start the caravan of the Feringhis on a false trail back to Delhi.

He had followed many a false trail and failed in hospital and asylum.

The tobacco pipe, the dead matches and the footprint were planted there purposely as a blind to put us on a false trail.

Half-way up there were gates to the right and the left, and here the blown but wary hare had laid his first false trail.

Now the false trail leads east, so it's only reasonable to suppose that they've gone west.